2026 Ones to Watch - Rising Stars: Jonathan Sheppard, DiPrete Engineering

“We have seen Jonathan Sheppard grow into a reliable and thoughtful leader at DiPrete Engineering. His strong technical skills, collaborative approach, and attention to detail make him a valued member of our project teams. Jon’s commitment to quality work, teamwork, and professional growth reflects the leadership potential that makes him deserving of recognition as a Rising Star.”

What inspired you to pursue a career in your industry, and what path brought you to your current role? Throughout my life, I have developed artistic skills that I use to communicate ideas and concepts visually. Working in civil engineering feels like a natural extension of that. Land development is one of the more creative areas of the field, and it allows me to apply those skills to produce real world results. I’ve always wanted to help improve the built environment, and now I do.

What accomplishment or project so far in your career are you most proud of? I am most proud of projects that solve unique and complex challenges and result in real improvements to people’s daily lives. I am currently working on several municipal drainage projects that address flooding issues affecting residents and businesses. Seeing those projects lead to tangible quality of life improvements is especially rewarding to me.

Who has been a mentor or influential figure in your career, and what is the most valuable advice they have shared with you?

There isn’t a single person I can point to as more influential than others. The people who have influenced me most are those who were patient and willing to work through engineering problems with me. This field constantly presents opportunities to learn from peers. The most valuable advice I’ve received is that learning never stops and growth should always be ongoing.

What trends or opportunities do you see shaping the future of your industry? Infrastructure will continue evolving to meet growing food, water, energy, and transportation demands. Urban areas will likely become more dense, and large-scale watershed management will be needed as water demand increases. Energy production will continue shifting toward renewable sources, affecting transportation and land use. As fossil fuel supplies dwindle and become more scarce, our society will be faced with many more challenges that will require us to come up with bold and creative solutions to ensure that future generations can survive and thrive.