Maria Fernandez Porrata
Director Emeritus
Civil Engineer | Transportation & Infrastructure Executive | Community Leader
Maria Fernandez Porrata is a Cuban American civil engineer based in Miami, Florida, with more than 45 years of experience in transportation, infrastructure, engineering management, and public-sector leadership. A Florida International University graduate, she has led complex projects and multidisciplinary teams in both the private and public sectors, with expertise in contract management, capital improvement programs, construction management, budgeting, transportation planning and design, traffic engineering, highway design, environmental studies, public involvement, and community relations.
Ms. Fernandez Porrata currently serves with CALTRAN Engineering Group. Her career includes 28 years in the private sector, 14 years in leadership and upper-management positions with the Florida Department of Transportation District Six, and three years as Public Works Director for the Village of Pinecrest. She is recognized for decisive leadership, innovative problem-solving, consensus building, and delivering projects on time, within budget, and to high standards.
She is Past President of the Miami-Dade Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers, WTS South Florida, and the Cuban American Association of Civil Engineers, where she serves as Director Emeritus. Her honors include multiple Engineer of the Year awards, the American Public Works Association’s Diversity & Community Award, and the FIU Alumni Association’s Torch Award in Engineering and Computing.
Selected nationally as one of the “Twenty-Five Voices of Future City,” she remains committed to mentoring, philanthropy, cultural preservation, and community service. She serves on the FIU Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering Department Advisory Board.
Ms. Fernandez Porrata is the proud mother of two accomplished young professionals and grandmother of three grandchildren who keep her busy. She believes that everything is possible with determination, hard work, faith, love, and hope.
