James R. Nichols Community Service Award: Jessica Brown
Congratulations to Jessica Brown, Practice Leader, Fort Worth, for receiving this year’s James R. Nichols Community Service Award.
Water/Wastewater Planning Practice Leader Jessica Brown is a true example of a community leader. She has devoted numerous hours volunteering with the Aledo ISD School Board and the Young Men’s Service League (YMSL), Aledo Chapter. She holds both organizations near and dear to her heart.
Jessica’s passion for serving her community has become a family affair. She and her son volunteer with the YMSL, an organization that provides a unique opportunity for mothers and their teenage sons to serve their communities together. She’s been a member for three years and is in her second year serving as the Vice President Young Men’s Coordinator. Jessica’s own leadership experience at Freese and Nichols has prepared her to mentor young men in leadership roles. But she’s especially enjoyed seeing her son serve others and cherishes the time they spend volunteering together. She believes the life lessons her son is learning are invaluable.
For five years (her second term), Jessica has also served as the Aledo ISD School Board Vice President, Board Legislative Subcommittee and Bond Subcommittee. Her concerns over the district’s rapid growth led to her involvement with Aledo ISD. She wanted to help district leaders come up with solutions to address the growing pains. As a Master Planner for growing communities, she’s been able to share her expertise in how to maintain healthy growth and preserve the district’s culture at the same time. Many of Jessica’s family members are current or former educators, and it was important for her to be an advocate for public education. She attends various meetings, workshops, training sessions and district events. Thinking of her grandmother, who was a special education teacher, Jessica remembers her saying that every child has the ability to learn. She keeps that in mind with every decision her school board makes.
In addition to serving the school district, Jessica has also volunteered for the Aledo AdvoCats Annual Fun Run, a fundraiser that helps Aledo ISD families in need. She also helps with fundraisers and serves as a chaperone at the Homecoming Dance for the Project Celebration 2023 and 2024 committees.
As part of her professional activities, Jessica serves on the A&M Civil & Environmental Engineering Advisory Council.
This award is named after Jim Nichols, who was Freese and Nichols’ first president after incorporation, one of Texas’ most esteemed civil engineers and a dedicated servant to the Fort Worth community. Among other projects, he oversaw the design of Richland-Chambers Reservoir, the largest lake in the Tarrant Regional Water District system, and played key roles in the creation of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.