Influential Women spotlights Houston engineer Marisa Higgins

Influential Women recognized Senior Mechanical Engineer Marisa Higgins for her work on complex building systems, leadership roles and mentorship in Houston and beyond. Her career spans healthcare, research and pharmaceutical facilities, with growing responsibilities in project management and business development.

Why it matters: - Marisa Higgins represents a growing pipeline of engineers moving from technical design into leadership, mentorship and business-facing roles. - Her work sits in mission-critical sectors where mechanical systems affect patient care, research operations and manufacturing reliability. - Her ASHRAE leadership highlights how professional organizations can shape career growth and widen access for early-career engineers.

What happened: - Influential Women recognized Marisa Higgins, PE, a Senior Mechanical Engineer at Arup based in Houston. - Higgins has worked in engineering since 2017. - Her experience includes mechanical, electrical and plumbing system design for healthcare facilities, biosafety and research laboratories, and pharmaceutical manufacturing sites. - Her profile emphasizes technical precision, multidisciplinary collaboration, leadership and mentorship.

The details: - Higgins earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Business Foundations Certificate from The University of Texas at Austin. - She started her career at WSP USA and spent nearly five years there before joining Arup. - During her time at WSP, her team won recognition in the 2020 Emerging Professionals Innovation Challenge for an automation toolkit that cut data transfer time by 90%. - Higgins also received a Spot Award for strong performance. - She is leading MEP design work on a major hospital project in Houston and a research laboratory project in Louisiana. - Her current work focuses on mission-critical facilities that require strict technical coordination and attention to detail. - Higgins has taken on project management and multidisciplinary team leadership responsibilities. - She is also working with firm leadership on a transition into business development. - She credits clear, open and honest communication for helping her navigate shifting deadlines, changing priorities and unexpected issues. - Higgins is an active ASHRAE member. - She served as YEA Chair for the Houston chapter. - She now serves as Region VIII Young Engineers in ASHRAE Regional Vice Chair. - In that role, she has planned networking events, supported chapter leaders across the region and connected emerging professionals with national and international programs. - She has taken part in three mission trips to Laredo, Texas, through St. Ann’s Catholic Church, where she supported poverty alleviation efforts. - More information is available through her Influential Women profile.

Between the lines: - Higgins’s career path shows how technical engineers can broaden their influence without leaving the profession. - Her focus on mentorship reflects a real need in fields that remain heavily male and can be difficult for women to enter and advance in. - Her move toward business development suggests a shift from execution-only work toward roles that can shape client relationships and firm growth. - The combination of engineering service and community service reinforces the profile’s message that leadership can extend beyond the workplace.

What's next: - Higgins is expected to keep expanding her role in project management, multidisciplinary leadership and business development. - Her ASHRAE work positions her to keep building networks for emerging engineers across Region VIII and beyond. - Her continued focus on mentorship suggests she will remain active in supporting younger women pursuing technical careers.

The bottom line: - Marisa Higgins is being recognized not just for technical skill, but for the leadership and community-building that increasingly define modern engineering careers.