My Professional Edge - Onala Atala

Onala Atala
Associate Principal/Project Manager, DMJM-Harris/AECOM
Keller degree: MBA, with a concentration in security management

My career

I am currently assigned as a project manager to the Trans Hudson Express (THE) Tunnel Project, one of the largest transit/commuter rail projects in the nation. The project, scheduled to complete in 2017, is a more than $7 billion commuter tunnel that will operate under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. I am responsible for the development and implementation of robust Systems Safety & Assurance, Fire-Life Safety, and Security programs in this massive project.

Since joining the project in September 2006, my responsibilities have included managing a $3 million budget during an 18-month preliminary engineering phase. I established a Fire/Life Safety Committee composed of project staff, transit agencies, fire and police departments representing New York City and several New Jersey jurisdictions, and led a multidisciplinary group of project engineers and consultants in conducting Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Study, and another group performing Blast Analysis.

Engineering leadership

In addition to frequently presenting papers and moderating sessions at various professional conferences, I have served the professional engineering community in a number or ways. I am a member of the Rail Safety and Security and the Operations Control Center Committees at The American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

I am a former instructor for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), teaching the subjects of safety and security. I resigned from this volunteer position when I accepted an earlier position as the Director of Systems Assurance for the Taiwan High Speed Rail, in Taipei, Taiwan.

Keller flexibility

I needed a 100 percent online degree program due to my work assignment in Taiwan. Even when I was interviewing for the Keller program from Taiwan, the school was willing to conduct the interview long distance.

Keller's staff was personally committed to my success. They supported me when I went through some very difficult periods. I was flying from Taiwan to my mother's funeral when I was scheduled to take a final exam and the school accommodated my personal needs. My brother passed on while our project team was on our last week to submit our project paper, and both the instructor and the team stood by my side.

Beyond the books

Before attending Keller, I felt that there was something missing in my career as a manager/project manager even though I had two other degrees. So I started a search for an MBA degree program, looking for exactly what I discovered that Keller has to offer.

I wanted a comprehensive program where I would obtain a stimulating experience, one that would be fully challenging. The security concentration offered within the Keller MBA complements my systems safety and assurance background. Not many other schools had this concentration, especially online.

I considered various schools during a nine-month evaluation. I came to the understanding that Keller had the best degree program of all. My evaluation included talking to students and alumni. I also evaluated each of the instructors listed in the Keller academic catalog by reviewing the background of each and I was quite impressed.

The actual Keller experience and education has definitely helped me in gaining the position I currently hold. Until I obtained my Keller MBA degree with a concentration in Security Management, I was perceived only as a system safety and assurance professional. Now, I'm seen as a well-rounded leader able to manage incredibly complex security projects with a high-performance team. I would not been selected for this position, had it not been for Keller.