NEW YORK — Sofia Berger has been named executive leader of the transportation national business line at WSP USA, one of the nation’s largest engineering and professional services consultancies. Berger, who currently is deputy director of the Advisory national business line, will assume her new role leading the company’s largest business line on Sept. 20.

“Sofia brings a versatile background in construction, engineering, and project management to the WSP USA executive leadership team,” said Lou Cornell, president and CEO of WSP USA. “Sofia has a clear vision for the Transportation business line’s future as an interdisciplinary group and how to leverage the versatility of our people to deliver on that value proposition. Her experience leading integrated, multi-faceted programs, along with her commitment to delivering climate, sustainability, and equity solutions for communities, position us well for long-term growth.” 

Berger will succeed Joseph G. Pulicare, P.E., who will retire at the end of 2021 after more than four decades of distinguished leadership in the private and public sectors. Pulicare has led transportation since 2016 and served on the WSP USA executive leadership team.  

“Over the past five years, Joe’s strong leadership has been essential to the growth and performance of the entire company,” Cornell said. “His legacy will live on in the world-class expertise of the WSP people he developed and mentored. We wish him the very best.”

As senior vice president and deputy director of Advisory since January, Berger has helped drive project performance and strategic growth for the national business line. She also is a key member of the WSP team evaluating the U.S. infrastructure bill and preparing for its passage, which will set the stage for our nation’s transportation future.

Berger currently serves as project manager for the New York Penn Station master plan, an ambitious project in partnership between New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Agency, New Jersey Transit, and Amtrak. She leads a multidisciplinary joint venture team on the renovation and expansion of New York City’s 655,000-square-foot transportation hub. She also serves as project manager for organizational preparedness for the Gateway Program Development Corporation in New York, a partnership between New York, New Jersey, and Amtrak that is working to improve rail service along the Northeast Corridor.

“This is such an incredible time in transportation, not only due to the promise of new funding, but because of the important role transportation plays in combatting climate change, building more equitable communities and incorporating constantly evolving technologies,” Berger said. “I’m looking forward to championing the incredible capabilities that WSP has to help our clients and communities.”

Previously, Berger served as a senior vice president for U.S. transportation at Louis Berger, the global engineering services firm founded in 1953 by her grandfather, until the firm was acquired by WSP in 2018. She joined Louis Berger in 2012 after a decade of working as an engineer and management consultant in the private sector. While at Louis Berger, she was also the managing director of the Latin America and Caribbean division, including offices in five countries across the region, where she was responsible for the integration of an acquisition. She also led business development efforts for private sector mining clients in the Africa division.

Berger graduated from Columbia University with bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering and economics-operations research. She also holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

She is a board member of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, vice president of the Women’s Transportation Seminar Greater New York Chapter, vice chair for the International Road Educational Foundation Board, and a member of the External Advisory Committee for Northwestern University’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

In 2019, Berger was named to Engineering News-Record’s national Top 20 Young Professionals Under 40 list. For more information, visit www.wsp.com.