Lisa Barrager

Project manager for Cloward H2O

BYU alumna Lisa Barrager currently works as a project manager for Cloward H2O, a company that designs water systems for swimming pools, resorts, spas and water parks. Her background in engineering and business has helped her get where she is today.

With a bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering and an MBA, Lisa always wanted to be involved in engineering. With her MBA background, she has the best of both worlds: engineering and project managing.

She interfaces with architects and landscape architects in drawing designs and helps with the engineering to make sure everything works. Some projects can even last four or five years.

“Every situation is unique,” she said. “It’s not like get out the swimming pool recipe and just do another one. Every one is different, and that’s kinda fun.”

Lisa said balancing work and family life can be hard.

Lisa Barrager sits at her office desk during the fall of 2018. (Lisa Barrager)

“I used to think that if I worked really hard and I got everything in place, I would find this beautiful balance spot,” she said. “There’s never a steady state. It’s a constant give-and-take.”

Sometimes Lisa needs to spend more time at work than at home and vice versa. However, Lisa said “mom guilt is a real thing” when it comes to balancing the two.

Lisa said the increase of women in the workforce can be credited to women wanting to be more involved and what it takes to support a family financially.

“I think it’s important for girls … to plan for some kind of career and then see what life brings rather than just saying, ‘My education is my backup plan.’ I don’t think that’s the right way to look at it,” she said.

Lisa is the only technical female in her company, although she said she hasn’t felt much prejudice for that.

“If you get in there and show them that you’re competent and you’re capable, people stop looking at you as the different one, and you’re just good at what you do,” she said.

Lisa said things are shifting to where people are looking for diversity in the workplace, but she said it may take a while to get to a place where women are more represented in these nontraditional roles.