Young Civil Engineer of the Year
The 2025 Austin YMF Young Civil Engineer of the Year is Jopert Gavino, P.E., CFM.
With a focus on flood safety and a strong belief in the power of community, Jopert Gavino has worked to build a resilient, flood-safe environment for the communities of Central Texas.
Jopert, also known as JP, was born and raised in Houston, Texas during which the impacts of flooding ranged from a nuisance on the drive to school, to multiple day power outages after hurricanes like Hurricane Ike in 2008. The effects of heavy rain and flooding became familiar and commonplace.
JP started his career as an intern at the City of Austin's Watershed Protection Department while studying as a civil engineering student at the University of Texas at Austin. JP learned the importance of the civil engineer's contributions to the communities they serve. The direct connection between engineering and community impact stoked his fire for playing a part in solving Central Texas's flooding problems, at whatever scale necessary.
Upon starting his career at Halff, JP was exposed to projects large and small. He became involved with the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) early in his career via rain garden build days. He has gained perspective on the world of water resources by working to understand flood risk for Central Texas entities on projects like high-level preliminary engineering reports and drainage assessments while also organizing and getting boots on the ground during EWRI cleanups and build days.
Now almost 7 years into his professional career, JP serves as a Project Manager in Water Resources for Halff. He has worked on and overseen projects for the City of Austin, the City of Round Rock, Travis County and various other clients for projects in the greater Austin area. Now serving as the President of the EWRI Austin Chapter, JP hopes to bring together water resources professionals through genuine connection and a focus on benefitting the community.
