Corrie Engelson

Project Manager for Student Housing

Residential & Dining Enterprises

As a child, Corrie Engelson helped her parents build their house. Now, as project manager for construction, she renovates Stanford's student dorms and row houses—keeping nearly

five million square feet of living space in good repair. “I work with an interior designer and other project managers,” says Corrie. “We roll through the dorms each year with a building renewal program, selecting building finishes and managing projects to create comfortable and well maintained homes for Stanford students.”

Before Stanford, Corrie worked at some tech companies in Silicon Valley. “It’s very refreshing, being out of the rat race,” she says. “Stanford has a different vibe about it—it just feels better.”

That might be partially attributable to the work-life balance that Corrie has found at the university, where she is a swimmer on the Stanford Masters Team. “There are four workouts a day—one in the morning, two at lunch and one in the evening,” she says. “I get to swim in one of the best pools in the Western United States. It’s pretty incredible.”

So is being part of one of the world’s leading universities, Corrie adds. “There’s an excitement about this place. You have people coming here from all over the world, and they’re coming to learn to be the best in their fields. To be part of that is really special.”