The Danville Pittsylvania Chamber of Commerce recently recognized Leslie Barksdale with the 2017 Professional and Community Engagement Award. This award is presented annually to individuals who have made significant contributions to their region through professional achievements, as well as community and volunteer service.
As a water and wastewater graduate engineer for Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, Barksdale’s expertise includes the design of water transmission and sewer collection pipelines, sewer pump stations, and raw water intake systems; development of environmental reports and preliminary engineering and feasibility studies; cost estimating and rate analyses; asset management and master planning; water withdrawal; and environmental and construction permitting. She is also experienced in providing funding application assistance and construction administration services through agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Economic Development Administration, and the Virginia Department of Health.
In her three years with the firm, Barksdale has been heavily involved in planning, funding acquisition, design, and construction administration services for many projects. She is currently administering the 36-inch and 42-inch Martinsville Smith River sewer interceptor rehabilitation project, designing the Sutphin Road Interceptor upgrade in Halifax, and acquiring funding and preparing design documents for the Berry Hill Industrial Park water and sewer utilities.
Barksdale earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (2014) and is a certified engineer-in-training. She is the chairwoman of the Danville Area Crop Walk, a member of the Junior Wednesday Club and the Mount Vernon Handbell Choir, and co-leader of Mount Vernon’s high school youth group. In 2016, she graduated from the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Southside XXI program, and she recently accepted a position as an advisory member to the Danville Regional Foundation board of directors.
