G.E.C., Inc. is excited to welcome Bliss Kelley Bernard, P.E. to the team. Bliss brings 8 years of experience in the environmental, transportation, water resources, and planning industry with a specialization in NEPA and environmental and engineering studies. Her experience also includes project management, leadership, marketing, client relations, business development, and public outreach. Bliss will be leveraging her skillset and industry knowledge to assist GEC with growth and pursuit goals in her new role as Vice President Environmental/Business Development.
Prior to joining GEC, Bliss served as Engineering and Project Manager on several multi-disciplinary environmental and engineering studies and projects for various state and federal agencies including LADOTD, CPRA, FHWA, NRCS, USACE, NRDA, LATIG, USDA, and NPS. She has also managed and designed transportation, water resources, and coastal and habitat restoration for clients ranging from local municipalities to state and federal agencies and most recently served as the Deputy Project Manager for the Louisiana Watershed Initiative Region 4, overseeing the estimated $13 million project that manages future flood risk in Louisiana. A project she especially cherishes is the Queen Bess Island Restoration Project, a monumental project that continues to serve as a model for future bird rookery restoration projects. Bliss led the effort to objectively identify goals of the project based on systemic research on bird nesting habitats, which ultimately laid the foundation for the design and culminated in habitat restoration standards being developed for future projects in the State of Louisiana.
In addition to involvement directly within the engineering community, Bliss is a dedicated and active member of her community and currently serves as an elected official in her hometown, Addis, LA. She was elected in November 2020 and began her first term as Councilwoman in January 2021. Bliss sees this as a platform to advocate for smart growth and to use her engineering expertise to better her community.
Bliss holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a Mathematics Minor from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She earned her Professional Engineer Licensure in 2018, and she is licensed in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. Bliss is a professional member of Louisiana Engineering Society (LES), where she serves as a board member for the Baton Rouge Chapter, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Louisiana Municipal Association (LMA), and Women in Transportation (WTS). She was awarded the 2021 LES F. Hugh Coughlin Young Engineer Award and the 2021 ACECL Robby Cangelosi Award in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments in the engineering profession and community involvement.
Bliss has been married to her husband Ty since 2016 and they reside in Addis. When she’s not hard at work, Bliss enjoys traveling, painting, reading, relaxing by the pool, and spending time with Ty and her much-loved kitty, “Addie.”