Influential Women Features Margaret Herrera, P.E.: Arizona Safety Practice Leader at Fehr & Peers
Tempe, Arizona — Margaret Herrera, P.E., has built a distinguished 30-year career in civil engineering across both public and private sectors, with a strong focus on transportation safety and systems-based roadway planning and design. She currently serves as the Arizona Safety Practice Leader at Fehr & Peers, where she leads efforts to advance the Safe Systems Approach, aiming to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on roadways.
Margaret’s dedication to safety is both deeply personal and highly professional. The loss of her father in a car crash profoundly shaped her lifelong mission to improve transportation systems. Early in her career, she also recognized that pedestrian access and the safety of non-motorized users were frequently overlooked in development and infrastructure projects. These experiences combined to fuel her unwavering commitment to creating safer, more inclusive transportation networks.
In her current leadership role, Margaret focuses on policy development and integrating safety principles into transportation planning and engineering practices across Arizona and beyond. She emphasizes proactive, data-driven solutions that prioritize human life and reduce systemic risks within roadway environments.
Her extensive professional background includes 13 years as Transportation Safety Program Manager at the Phoenix area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), where she led regional safety initiatives, administered key funding programs, and coordinated collaboration among diverse public and private stakeholders. Before her MPO leadership, Margaret spent nine years in public service and 11 years in the private sector, developing deep expertise in transportation engineering, planning, and safety program implementation.
Beyond her regional impact, Margaret has contributed at the national level as a volunteer expert panelist for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), as an active member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Technical Committee on Integrated Transportation Safety Management, and a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), where she has contributed to emerging best practices and innovative approaches to roadway safety.
She strongly advocates for systems-based thinking and stakeholder engagement as essential components in improving transportation safety outcomes. In addition to her professional work, Margaret serves as a mentor to young engineers, encouraging them to discover their passions, build confidence through competence, and remain curious throughout their careers.
Margaret earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology from New Mexico State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). During her academic journey, she overcame undiagnosed dyslexia by developing alternative learning strategies that strengthened her resilience, adaptability, and determination—qualities that continue to define her leadership style today. That resilience was further exemplified more recently in her battle with breast cancer, facing the challenge with strength, perseverance, and perspective.
Margaret attributes her success to the strong values instilled by her mother and stepfather, who taught her and her siblings to meet and overcome adversity and believe in their ability to achieve anything. After her father’s tragic death, her mother was left to raise six children ranging in age from nine years old to six months. Despite immense challenges, her mother demonstrated grace, determination, and unconditional love—qualities that continue to guide Margaret throughout her life. She also credits several influential mentors who supported her growth and played a meaningful role in her professional development.
Outside of her engineering career, Margaret continues to pursue personal growth and balance. She earned a fitness trainer certification from Glendale Community College and enjoys cooking, gardening, home improvement projects, and hunting.
Through her technical expertise, leadership, and personal dedication to safety, Margaret Herrera continues to make a lasting impact on transportation systems, helping communities move toward safer and more resilient futures.
Learn More about Margaret Herrera:
Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/margaret-herrera
Influential Women
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