“I decided when I was probably 12 or 13 that I wanted to be a civil engineer,” Panduren said. “I graduated high school, went to Michigan Technological University, and that’s been my career ever since.” 

After graduating from college, Panduren moved from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Genesee County, where she joined ROWE Professional Services Company in 1994 as an assistant project engineer. Over the past three decades, she has grown with the company, ultimately becoming chief executive officer in 2016. 

Today, Panduren leads one of the region’s largest engineering firms while remaining deeply connected to the communities she serves. She is also active in community leadership, including serving on the Board of Trustees for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint (CFGF). 

Building Communities Through Engineering

Panduren has spent her career helping municipalities address infrastructure challenges. Along the way, she also discovered a passion for leadership. 

“I don’t know that many engineers go to school thinking they want to be the CEO,” Panduren said. “But I had an aptitude for the business side, too, and I grew into that through my time at ROWE.” 

For Panduren, the most rewarding part of the work is seeing how projects improve everyday life in a community. 

“There’s something about driving through when you’re done and saying, ‘We did this. We made this better,’” Panduren said. 

A Commitment to Community 

For Panduren, engineering and community engagement go hand in hand. 

“Whether it’s putting in a bridge, putting in a new water system, or putting in trails for recreation, all of those things help the public,” Panduren said. “It’s always been the logical next step for me to stay engaged in the communities where we live and work.” 

That perspective makes her involvement with CFGF a natural fit. Panduren first joined the Foundation’s Board of Trustees in 2015 and served as board chair from 2020 to 2022. After a brief hiatus, she returned to the board in 2026. 

“CFGF not only impacts the community through grants, but it has that greater impact of being the connector and facilitator, and understanding the true community needs,” Panduren said. “That fulfills something in me—to know that I’m part of a group that is proactive in supporting community.” 

Panduren and her husband, Randy, also established the Homberg-Panduren Family Fund of CFGF in 2015 to support the Foundation’s operations. The fund helps sustain the behind-the-scenes work that allows CFGF to continue connecting generosity with community needs. 

Opening Doors

When Panduren decided on civil engineering, women represented less than 12 percent of the workforce in the field. Today, women make up about 17 percent. 

“I was very fortunate that my parents were always supportive of my career choices, and I’m stubborn,” she said. “I knew what I wanted to do and I didn’t care that it was a male-dominated field.” 

Today, Panduren helps open doors for the next generation. She regularly visits schools and stays connected with her alma mater, Michigan Tech, speaking with students about careers in engineering. 

“If I go in and talk to a classroom and there’s a young woman there who is considering engineering, she can see herself in the field,” Panduren said. “Pipeline development is really important.” 

That next generation is also close to home. Panduren is the mother of two—Sydney, a sophomore at Michigan Tech studying environmental engineering, and Logan, a junior at Davison High School. Watching her daughter pursue engineering at the same university she once attended feels like a full-circle moment. 

Panduren hopes more women, and people from a wide range of backgrounds, will consider careers in engineering. 

“The more diversity we have in the field, the better solutions we can come up with,” Panduren said. 

Her advice for young women considering engineering or leadership is simple: 

“Follow your dreams and don’t be discouraged. There will be times when things don’t turn out exactly like you planned. But keep your end goal in mind and continue working toward it.”