
Pronouns: He/Him
Lafayette Degree & Major(s): Bachelor of Arts, Government & Law; Minor in Environmental Science
Graduate Degree: Currently pursuing a Master of Business and Science degree in Urban Environmental Analysis at Rutgers University
Location: Lambertville, NJ
Title: Senior Project Manager
Employer: Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc.
Describe what your employer/organization does: Langan provides an integrated mix of engineering and environmental consulting services in support of land development projects, corporate real estate portfolios, and the energy industry.
Please provide a brief overview of your role: I have more than10 years of experience with environmentally-contaminated sites. My work is centered in program management, providing a streamlined project process that integrates multiple disciplines, keeping projects on budget and schedule, and satisfying the overall needs of our clients. With a focus on sustainability, I work to revitalize blighted properties to create positive socioeconomic impacts for local communities. Using professional knowledge and foresight, I work to successfully transform underutilized properties into state-of-the-art facilities providing services such as K-12 education, cancer treatment, and technology innovation. These projects bring lasting economic investment into the communities, create additional jobs, and provide additional educational opportunities.
What gets you excited to go to work each day? My main goal is to help those around me to better themselves. This includes working to improve the greater community through the development projects that provide job opportunities, community benefits, and have a positive socioeconomic impact (e.g. hospitals, schools, life science buildings, film and tv campuses). This also includes creating business and communication skill trainings internally for my firm and creating and co-chairing Langan’s Young Professionals@Langan Employee Resource Group (ERG) focused on developing soft skills of Langan’s next generation of leaders and co-chairing Langan’s ERG Leadership Team to helping lead NAIOP, New Jersey’s Developing Leaders program.
What keeps you up at night as you think about the opportunities (or challenges) related to your work? I’m constantly thinking of ways to improve our processes to create a better client experience. This includes how to integrate our broad array of services to craft a unique solution to an issue, how to explain complex topics to the lay person, and how I can better myself and my team to tackle issues that were previously thought of as difficult or impossible.
What key strengths are necessary to be successful in entering this career field? Being a team player, being open to acknowledging mistakes, constantly striving for improvement, and (most importantly) being a great communicator!
Is education beyond a Lafayette degree required to pursue this path? Either an advanced degree or a professional certification / license are highly recommended. I personally am pursuing a masters degree and have a professional certification (Certified Hazardous Materials Manager [CHMM]), whereas my colleagues are Professional Engineers (PE), Professional Geologists (PG), or Licensed Site Remediaton Professionals.
How did your Lafayette experience equip you for success in your career field, especially as an early career professional? I believe the liberal arts education that Lafayette offers really helped me in my first few years! The ability to think critically and from different perspectives allowed me to create “out of the box” solutions that others were not considering. This also allowed me to tackle any challenge thrown my way from any discipline or manager in a variety of backgrounds and projects. Through these experiences, I became a well-rounded professional that can build the right team to solve any problem thrown our way.
What specific experiences during your time at Lafayette made the greatest impact on your professional path? I attribute two different experiences: 1) My work as an EXCEL scholar with Dr. Megan Rothenberger allowed me the opportunity to merge the technical aspects of her work with the social science background I had with my degree. This allowed us to map probable discharge points from the Raritan River Basin that explains the Raritan Bay research her team was performing on phyto and zooplanktons. 2) My experience with the Technology Clinic provided me with the experience on how consulting works. While the topic (Urban Art as a form of Urban Ecology) was not exactly in my wheelhouse, it created the opportunity for the team to learn about new topics and develop unique strategies to satisfy the client (The City of Easton). Combining these two passions is what led me to Langan!
As it relates to career exploration and development, what is one thing that you know now that you wish you could go back in time and tell your student self? The power of networking cannot be underestimated. I thought that my skills and resume would land me whatever job I was seeking (I was sorely mistaken). I spent six months after graduation building a network of professionals in the environmental and development worlds, which eventually led me to an informational interview with my (now retired) boss. From there, a job was created, and I’ve been with Langan ever since.
What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing your career field? This career field is quite diverse, so talking with professionals in a variety of roles is important. This really helped shape how I defined “sustainability” and understand that I wanted to revitalize communities that were impacted by prior activities and contamination.
What strategies, tools, or other efforts do you utilize to find “balance” or reduce your career-related stress? I had to learn how to balance my stress at work through building and working with a great team that can help each other. I’ve also found that I have to schedule times to work on my physical and mental health, such as blocking out time to work out, take mental health days, and spend time with family and friends.
How do you enjoy spending your free time when not at work? My husband and I are big wine people, so we enjoy collecting and sharing wine with our family and friends. I am also a CrossFit and Spartan Race athlete, which provides me with goals to train for.
What was your favorite spot on Lafayette’s campus when you were a student? My friends from Lafayette created a holiday tradition for us to come together. We started this tradition junior year as folks were traveling abroad, and have continued this tradition to this day (over 11 years!). We even kept it through the pandemic as a virtual call.
Would you like to connect with Andrew to learn more about his career path?
Mr. Chun is happy to connect with students via GatewayLink, LinkedIn, or email.
If you’d like to connect with Mr. Chun by email, please contact your Gateway Career Counselor for details.