Spotlight on Emily Short: Dedication to Preserving Environmental Health
PEA Group is excited to introduce Emily Short as our newest project manager! With over eight years of experience in consulting engineering, Emily specializes in water quality testing, sample analysis, and MS4 program management.
Her expertise includes stormwater characterization, long-term monitoring equipment, and environmental compliance for large-scale projects.
As she prepares for the Michigan Association of County Drain Commissioners 2025 Winter Conference, we caught up with Emily
to learn more about her journey and the insights she brings to discussions on surface drainage and infrastructure.
From Student Researcher to Project Manager
Emily’s passion for the environment began in childhood, spending time outdoors, learning about plants, and canoeing. “This was the beginning of my interest in protecting the places I value most,” she recalls, particularly the Huron National Forest and Lake Huron. While a student at Saginaw Valley State University, a track teammate and fellow chemistry student encouraged her to connect with a professor involved in improving the Saginaw Bay and its watershed. “I applied my chemistry background to real-world challenges, from analyzing water samples to contributing to major watershed projects including the Saginaw Bay Optimization Decision Model,” she explains.
After graduation, Emily continued to focus on water resources and environmental work as a consulting engineer. She quickly became a project manager, overseeing a variety of environmental services with a core focus on water quality. These early experiences shaped her role at PEA Group, where she now leads water quality and county drain projects, ensuring they meet strict environmental standards while staying on budget and schedule. “I manage multifaceted
projects from start to finish,” she says. “Collaborating with diverse teams is key to getting the
job done right.”
Skills and Expertise: As Project Manager
With a deep understanding of water systems and environmental compliance, Emily brings valuable experience to her role. Her skill set includes, but is not limited to, chemical and biological characterization of water, sample collection, and the management of monitoring equipment like multi-parameter probes, autosamplers, and weather stations. Specializing in MS4 program management, she ensures permit compliance, develops TMDL programs, and modernizes data management through GIS and other software. Emily also oversees the installation and operation of long-term monitoring systems, providing holistic environmental solutions to the projects she leads.
Excitement for PEA Group and Her New Role
When asked what excites her most about her new role, she shares, “I am eager to partner my skills with those of my coworkers to solve new, evolving, and complex environmental challenges in the Great Lakes Basin and beyond!” She is also thrilled to be part of a team that cares deeply about building quality projects.
This passion for collaboration fuels her drive to tackle environmental issues, creating impactful solutions that benefit both the ecosystem and the communities it serves.