Why I Wear the “J” with Shannon Miller

What does our culture of caring mean to you? How do you try to live it out in your current role?

Simply put, our Culture of Caring means doing what’s right for our people and our clients – and striving to make our lives better through the work we do. 

How do you encourage learning and curiosity? Why is this important for our culture? 

When fostering learning and curiosity, I encourage people to focus on finding roles aligned with what they want to learn next. Personally, this approach has helped me to stay motivated and engaged. Additionally, I think we should be actively seeking out opportunities to try something new – whether that’s through projects, workshops or collaboration. This mindset is crucial because it fosters innovation, adaptability and continuous growth – ensuring that we remain dynamic and forward-thinking.

What advice would you give to someone striving to be a better agent of our culture in their day to day? 

The impact that a single person can have on our culture is tremendous – and the great thing is, you don't need to be a manager or senior executive in the company to foster and model our Culture of Caring. It simply starts with being present, bringing your whole self to work and leaning in. Our culture is defined and guided by each individual at Jacobs. And of course, understanding our values and how you can embody them in the work that you do is important for being an active agent of our culture.

Which program, resource or initiative has been most impactful to you? 

JacobsGo! is an amazing program we offer, and it exemplifies our employee value proposition – A World Where You Can. While we didn’t have a formal program earlier in my career at Jacobs, I had the same experience that we now offer our early career talent. When I was just a few years out of school, I raised my hand to support projects abroad and quickly found myself working in the Netherlands in our process engineering department. That was the first time I moved abroad with Jacobs and was the beginning of many long-term relationships that I built and still have to this day. I love that we invest in and have institutionalized this program for those early in their careers.