Sarah Watts is a vice president and operations manager in Tetra Tech’s New England region, managing and overseeing a staff of approximately 100 engineers, scientists, environmental planners, and permitters.
She has more than 25 years of experience in environmental consulting for federal, state, and commercial clients in support of environmental assessment and permitting at the federal, state, and local level. Sarah also supports renewable energy clients in the region as a program manager, conducting technical oversight and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) on strategic project deliverables.
She also serves as Tetra Tech’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Council Chair and has been involved with the DEIA Council since its inception in 2019, guiding the development of eight Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that support our thriving, global employee community. As the DEIA Council Chair, Sarah is reinforcing the company’s commitment to fostering a work environment where employees are valued for their contributions and our workforce reflects the diversity of our clients and the communities in which we work.
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Studies from Tufts University and a Master of Environmental Management (MEM) from Duke University.
How does Tetra Tech’s DEIA Program help the company achieve its goals?
At Tetra Tech, we believe that a diverse workforce brings unique perspectives, life experiences, insights, and ideas to our work, which has been proven to improve performance and benefit our teams and clients. A diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the diversity of our clients and the communities in which we work fosters deeper connection and understanding of our clients. Employees who are part of diverse teams may find more job satisfaction and be more engaged, which directly contributes to increased employee retention.
As part of Tetra Tech’s 2030 Sustainability Goals, the Company has set specific numeric goals for employee diversity. Tetra Tech is holding itself accountable to these ambitious goals through annual reporting to our shareholders in our Sustainability Report. Our 2030 targets include a workforce racial and ethnic diversity goal of 50 percent employees of color, and a gender balance goal of 40 percent women, 40 percent men and 20 percent any gender. Tetra Tech’s DEIA Program supports these company-wide goals for increasing employee diversity, fostering inclusivity, and supporting the professional and leadership development of our employees.
How are Tetra Tech teams collaborating to deliver DEIA programs?
Tetra Tech’s DEIA Program works in partnership with teams like Human Resources and Health & Safety on a number of initiatives, and throughout our operations. I’ll share some highlights that I’m particularly proud of.
We have strengthened our partnerships with racial and ethnic-focused professional organizations like HBCU Connect, the National Society of Black Engineers, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to attract and recruit diverse talent, including attending and sponsoring conferences, participating in recruitment events, and hiring interns found through these events. We have also partnered with SkillBridge and the Wounded Warrior Project to recruit veterans and help them advance their careers after service.
Our employee resource groups (ERGs) foster a safe, supportive environment for our employees, where diverse perspectives are welcome and all voices are heard. Employee participation in ERGs is growing year over year, and several of our ERGs offer formal or informal mentorship and professional development that help Tetra Tech to attract and retain the best engineers, scientists, technical specialists, and support staff from diverse backgrounds.
The DEIA Program also fosters continuous growth and improvement through established communication channels that facilitate the flow of information across the company. These open communication pathways ensure that employee feedback reaches the DEIA Council, where we form small workgroups to explore issues, identify solutions, and share outcomes with employees.
All of these factors combined help advance Tetra Tech on its DEIA journey, as we successfully deliver positive, impactful projects for our clients and the communities we serve.
Tetra Tech won the U.S. National Safety Council’s inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Safety Champion Award in the People category.
How is Tetra Tech supporting diverse emerging leaders today and supporting a strong pipeline of diverse talent?
Tetra Tech offers a variety of employee development programs to support diverse emerging leaders and grow a strong pipeline of diverse talent. Our DEIA Program offers opportunities for employees to take leadership positions as DEIA representatives in their local operations or division, working with operations leadership on DEIA initiatives and serving as a conduit for information between employees and the DEIA Council.
Our ERG for emerging professionals, LEADR, is directly cultivating our employees on their career path, whether early career or new to Tetra Tech. All of our ERGs offer programming to cultivate the next generation of professionals and emerging leaders, through mentoring, education, networking, career development, personal enrichment, and other activities.
In addition to DEIA Program engagement, Tetra Tech invests in employees’ professional development through various opportunities for skill advancement and leadership training. For more than a decade, the Leadership Academy has cultivated high-potential employees from diverse backgrounds to be the next generation of leaders. The Fearless Entrepreneur Program provides employees with real-world strategies for enhancing their skills with client development. And the Tech 1000 Challenge offers a competitive learning program and technology incubator for multidisciplinary staff from around the world to find creative and innovative solutions to our client’s challenges.
What are you most proud of within Tetra Tech’s DEIA efforts?
I am proud of the eight Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that we have developed, which each create a safe space for employees who self-identify as a member or ally to engage in meaningful ways. Our ERGs offer opportunities for engagement, discussion, education, mentoring, networking, and professional development. Each ERG has its own identity, voice, and freedom of expression, and it is exciting to see what topics and programs are of interest to ERG members. Some ERGs have focused on education and networking, others on career and professional development, and others on celebrating their heritage and raising cultural awareness. Employees who join our ERGs are making connections with colleagues around the world in ways that they otherwise may never have had the opportunity to do.
I look forward to being a part of making Tetra Tech THE company of choice for all employees—for who we are, the high-quality work we do, what we stand for, and how we support our employees.
Sarah Watts, DEIA Council Chair
As a technical and operations leader, what motivates you to support DEIA at Tetra Tech?
I’ve been inspired to support DEIA programs because I’ve seen what they mean to our employees. More and more, our employees are seeking to work for a company that does more than talk about DEIA but puts action behind the words.
One of the most powerful examples of this was the establishment of TetrAbility, our ERG for disabled employees and allies to engage in dialogue and exchange resources, and the addition of Accessibility, the “A”, to our DEIA Program. The disability community is the world’s largest minority, with approximately 15 percent of the world’s population having a condition that is considered a disability. Following the establishment of the TetrAbility ERG, there was an immediate flood of participants interested in joining and being a part of what was known would be a safe space for engagement and dialogue for our disability community. For the first time, some individuals were talking about their personal experiences, sharing their stories, and feeling supported, free from judgment. The personal stories and experiences shared in the ERG are showing the potential for Tetra Tech to truly be a safe space for all employees to be their authentic selves in the workplace, without stigma.
Adding accessibility to our DEIA Program has shown Tetra Tech’s commitment to continuous action. We are putting action behind our words and belief that all employees should be able to access all our spaces and services. Now, we are evaluating where we can make additional impactful changes to improve the lives of our employees, clients, and communities—something we look to do for all employees.
I see the optimism in the eyes of my colleagues as we look ahead and consider what is possible, and I look forward to being a part of making Tetra Tech THE company of choice for all employees—for who we are, the high-quality work we do, what we stand for, and how we support our employees.