For leading a high-stakes infrastructure project that powers over 1 million homes and businesses across Baltimore

Department Manager, Mexico City Program Management Team at Burns & McDonnell | Denver, Colorado, United States of America

Cody Duplisea jokes that his interest in engineering is practically woven into his DNA. His father and grandfather were both engineers in the construction industry. He grew up visiting project sites with them and seeing firsthand the equipment needed to complete these massive projects. “This set me up to pursue a science and engineering degree. Becoming a civil engineer in construction made sense for me,” he says.

Cody’s first engineering job entailed design work with some on-site experience that led to forming relationships with contractors and specialists. This path, he says, propelled him toward a project management role. “When you’re on-site and working with people day-to-day on field crews, it exposes you to different types of work versus sitting in an office every day designing and calculating things.” Cody admits he’s not cut out for a desk job work. “I enjoy the personal side of things, having one-on-one interactions.”

In 2015, Cody joined the team at Burns & McDonnell, where he tackled more project management-based contracts. There, he worked his way up to leading the high-visibility Key Crossing Reliability Initiative for Baltimore Gas & Electric in 2020.

While at Burns & McDonnell, Cody decided to get his Project Management Professional (PMP)^® certification because he “felt it was really applicable and related to my everyday work life. In construction, we use all of the same vocabulary, procedures and processes to succeed. Having that PMP backbone now means I have a lot of key structures down.”

The project started as the pandemic hit. Cody had to figure out how to get teams to work safely on-site so they could replace aging transmission lines across 2.25 miles of the Patapsco River in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. COVID made it extremely challenging, especially because Cody and his team had a strict budget and schedule timeline.

But Cody’s leadership skills ensured the project was a success, powering over 1 million homes and businesses in Baltimore. Even when the Key Bridge was hit by a vessel and collapsed in March 2024, years after his team had completed their work, Cody says their lines and foundations luckily remained intact and operational.

Having a PMP, says Cody, means he’s able to follow best-in-class practices and put his hand up for big, high-visibility initiatives. “Baltimore Gas & Electric started preferring and requesting their project management consultants to have the PMP certification in order to work on BGE projects. Because I had that, transitioning to this project was easier. It was like, ‘I’ve got that, sign me up!’”

Key Crossing was nominated for the PMI Project of the Year award. And no wonder: Key Crossing has some of the tallest monopole structures in the northern hemisphere and loads of cutting-edge construction practices in place. “We were a finalist, and I was fortunate enough to go to the PMI Global Summit last October. It was so special to be there, to see the competition and what they were working on,” says Cody. “I know this was a once-in-a-lifetime deal. I’m glad we had the intuition to apply for some of these awards—and glad reviewers saw it as unique and special.”

There’s nothing better than to see a tangible product of his work, says Cody. When he started Key Crossing, it was a blank canvas. Two years later, he can see the tangible fruits of their labor: eight transit towers and conductors they’ve built across a river.