The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District has announced that Andrea L. Williams, the operations division chief, will receive a 2024 Career Achievement Award at the BEYA STEM Conference.

The award is for her significant achievements as an engineer working for a U.S. Government organization. Williams will receive the award on February 17 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland.

The CEO and publisher of US Black Engineer magazine, Tyrone D. Taborn, and chair of the BEYA STEM Conference announced Williams’ big win, stating that “Ms. Williams’ achievements in STEM stood out among the hundreds of nominations that the BEYA Selection Panel evaluated.”

Williams is the first woman in the district’s history to serve in the operations division chief role. Her exceptional leadership and dedication to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mission are demonstrated by her oversight of several district assets. These include the Dredge Hurley, the Motor Vessel Mississippi, three pumping plants, and several revetment units.

Williams has an extensive list of career achievements, including coordinating key contracts as part of her deployment to Afghanistan, directing a multi-agency national response to the 2022 Mississippi River Low Water event, and playing a central role in the 2011 Mississippi River Flood recovery efforts.

Williams’ passion for helping future generations is evident through her regular career fair participation and volunteering for a Memphis city school program called “Our Children, Our Future.” Additionally, her commitment to empowering others is apparent in developing and conducting workshops to support pregnant teens staying in school.

Williams graduated from Tennessee State University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and also holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

She began her Memphis District career in 2000 as a Construction Branch civil engineer, and soon after, she was promoted to a supervisory civil engineer role as water data section chief in 2002.

In 2011, Williams advanced to the Operations Division at Ensley Engineer Yard to serve as the plant section chief, where she worked for eight years before joining the Galveston District as an operations project manager.

While at the Galveston District, Williams seized the opportunity to work in Afghanistan, deploying in January 2020 to support Operation Freedom’s Sentinel as a technical services branch chief.

After two years overseas and a 22-year career with USACE, Williams returned to the Memphis District. She temporarily served as operations division chief for six months before becoming the permanent chief in April 2022.