Jenelle H. Armstrong

Utility Division Manager, The Thrasher Group

By Blair Dowler

Growing up in Santa Monica, CA, Jenelle Armstrong lined the walls of her bedroom with posters of military fighter jets like the F-4 Phantom and F-15 Eagle. As a young girl, she dreamed of being a pilot for the U.S. Navy.

Years later, she was on the cusp of making her dreams come true as a senior in the U.S. Naval Academy when an eye exam made her ineligible for flight school, and her dreams of becoming a fighter jet pilot came crashing down. While devastating, that event taught her a valuable life lesson.

“Life is not a destination—it is truly a journey,” she says. “Stop waiting until you get there to enjoy life. Embrace the chaos, and enjoy the ride. Tomorrow is not a promise.”

After her plans unraveled, she sought a new path, trading flight for engineering. Earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso, she launched a professional career with Exxon Production Research Company, designing compliant deep-water structures. In 2011, she left Texas for Charleston, WV, and joined The Thrasher Group as a senior project manager, working her way up to the role of utility division manager, where she excels today.

With more than 20 years of experience, she currently leads a team of engineers and technicians in seven offices across five states. Through collaboration with clients and communities, she strives to develop the best solutions for her clients’ challenges with water and wastewater treatment processes.

“I am so blessed to have a career that allows for human and economic development while protecting our fragile environment,” she says. “Most jobs either allow for growth and development or protecting the environment. Environmental engineers build the bridge between these two critical components of public health and well-being.”

Armstrong’s drive and leadership skills spill over from her job into her community. She supports the planning and execution of the YWCA’s annual Girls Night Out event and the Twice Blessed Kids’ Consignment Sale at Christ Church United Methodist. She helped establish a grassroots effort to save the accelerated reader program at Ruthlawn Elementary School, and she volunteers with the Mountaineer Little League and advocates for organ donation. She also participates in Discover Engineering Day at the Clay Center and the annual Charleston CANstruction competition. Recently, she was appointed by Governor Jim Justice to the Capitol Building Commission.

One volunteer effort, however, stands out above all the others. A little over 10 years ago, Armstrong’s best friend passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. Honoring her memory, Armstrong helped establish the Robyn Libitsky Memorial Scholarship Fund, an annual $1,000 scholarship for students from their high school, Royal High School, in Simi Valley, CA.

“We receive dozens of applications and select someone that represents Robyn’s spirt,” she says of the selection process. “We look for someone with a strong work ethic, involvement in school activities and a desire to make the world a better place.”

Armstrong’s greatest success to date is raising her children and being a role model to them by striving to overcome adversity, doing her best and caring for others. “I have been so blessed with opportunities in my life,” she says. “I would like to provide that type of blessing to others. Right now, my time is very limited, but I have found opportunities that allow me to spend time with my children while giving back.”

Armstrong and her husband, who is originally from Williamstown, WV, chose to relocate to the Mountain State after the birth of their second child. She has since made this place her home.

“We both understood the benefits of growing up in a small town where everyone is family and people look out for one another,” she says of their reason for relocating to West Virginia. “It was important to us that our children have a similar experience. We have been blessed to live in West Virginia. There are many mornings as I drive around our state for various projects that I am awestruck by its natural beauty.”