She may now be the Director of Public Works for the City of Chino, California, but Hye Jin Lee’s career could have taken a very different path.
“In my college days, I was doing a little bit of soul searching about what I wanted to do with my major,” she tells The CEO Magazine. “Just like all the little girls, I wanted to be a veterinarian, holding little fuzzy puppies. But I realized what they really did and decided it wasn’t for me.”
“While I’m an engineer by trade, I don’t act like an engineer, and I have a skill set that goes beyond traditional engineering.”
Lee knew that she was drawn to do something that was meaningful and “good for humanity” and began to explore other options.
“I wanted to build infrastructure for countries that lacked water and sanitation and transportation infrastructure. So that’s how I ended up doing civil engineering as a major,” she explains.
“That was in the late 80s, early 90s, and back then I was one of the few women in that program.”
Finding her niche
From there, in addition to a Master of Science – Civil Engineering, Lee became a consultant, acquiring plenty of tangible engineering experience over the next decade. In 2001, she started her journey in the public service arena, as a civil engineer for the City of Fullerton, a local community near where she lived.
“I loved working for a full-service city with engineering, water, sewerage, parks, street fleet and environmental programs,” she recalls. “And that’s compelled me to incorporate my passion, which is building infrastructure to improve quality of life.”
Nearly six years at the City of Merriam, Kansas as a city engineer followed, as did positions at the City of Whittier, Fullerton, Colton and Fountain Valley. And then, in September 2023, the City of Chino called.
In the more than 18 months since beginning her tenure as the Director of Public Works, Lee has made huge strides. One of the things she’s particularly proud of having achieved has been rebuilding the city culture and breaking down the silos of communication.
“For me, building a culture where everyone can express their innovations, and feels like part of the team, is important to me,” she enthuses.
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“I have about 125 employees that range from maintenance workers to professional engineers. So in order for me to bridge the gap between those very diverse professionals, one of the thing I did was invest in learning about the team, which helped me to break down the barriers of our field operation and our engineering.”
By educating the entire team on the purpose and significance of each and every member’s role, employees feel empowered and valued. Combining her knowledge in engineering with her background in public service, Lee is a unique asset to the organization.
“I’ve earned the nickname of ‘Unicorn’ from my colleagues,” she says with a laugh. “I wear it as a great badge of honor because they’ve said that while I’m an engineer by trade, I don’t act like an engineer, and I have a skill set that goes beyond traditional engineering.”
Part of that culture shift has also resulted in Chino being recognized as a particularly appealing place to work.
“What’s amazing is we’re getting really, really top candidates, because the word got out that Chino is doing something great, and we’re changing the culture in terms of how we do things,” Lee says.
“So we’re building a team that is top-notch. And I’m very honored that they’ve chosen us.”
Partnering for success
A dependence on high-quality, local, trusted partners, such as TransTech Engineers, is essential to the smooth functioning of Chino. And by ensuring a mutually beneficial agreement, these relationships can endure year after year.
“We do encourage getting subcontractors on a local level, too,” Lee confirms. “Contractors bid because they know that we put out good projects and they know that when they work with us, we’ll be fair and can accomplish the goal.”
Lee has also been cultivating a city-wide interest in how technology can best be utilized by City of Chino, fueled in part by her background – her master’s thesis focused on the application of artificial neural networks in transportation engineering.
“I encourage our staff to utilize AI whenever possible – even when it comes to data collection and even note-taking,” she says. “I don’t want someone to sit down and summarize a meeting when AI can help you do that nowadays.
“I know I’m considered the Director and am supposed to think in a traditional way, but I’d rather everyone leverage the resources and technology available. I like to harness it to help us make better decisions.”
“I’d rather everyone leverage the resources and technology available.”
Other innovative technological systems include the city’s fiber optic master plan, which sees all CCTV cameras equipped with high-definition streaming capabilities that the police department has direct access to in its crime prevention center.
“When people come to the City of Chino, they know it’s very safe, because our police department is engaged with our community,” Lee explains.
“We were able to solve crime because our police department is proactively working with us on those video cameras. It’s an excellent, safe city.”
Eye on the future
As Chino continues to grow at “light speed”, as Lee puts it, a priority for the Department of Public Works is to continue enhancing the quality of life for residents.
“In order for us to do that, we need businesses to come and invest in the city, so that money can be put back into improving the city,” she says.
“I want to make sure that our city is ready for any development, but in order for us to do that, we want our city to look good.”
“We want people to know that we’re open for business – to come and invest in the City of Chino.”
To do precisely that, Lee has been prioritizing initiatives like an urban forest management plan, to reduce urban heat and create a healthy tree inventory.
“The real estate people say that curb appeal is important, and it’s the same for us,” Lee explains. “I want to improve our curb appeal for our arterial streets where our businesses are, and I want people to know that we’re investing in the city.
“We want people to know that we’re open for business – to come and invest in the City of Chino.”
