Smith & Burgess is proud to recognize Michelle Ramirez, SHRM-CP, Director of Internal Operations, who has been named Most Visionary Process Safety Operations Leader 2026 (Houston) by Acquisition International’s Influential Businesswoman Awards 2026.
The recognition comes in the same week as International Women in Engineering Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the contributions of women in engineering and encouraging greater representation across technical fields.Michelle’s work at Smith & Burgess is often behind the scenes, but its impact is felt throughout the company. During her 11 years with Smith & Burgess, she has helped support major growth across the organization, including workforce expansion of more than 150% and continued support for teams across Houston, Chicago, Singapore, and Pune, India, with expansion into Saudi Arabia underway.
Her leadership has also helped strengthen the internal side of the company. Michelle has supported improvements to performance evaluation processes, employee development, benefits, flexible work programs, and the day-to-day experience of employees across the organization.
One of the most meaningful areas of progress has been the increase in female representation at Smith & Burgess. Since 2015, the percentage of women at the company has grown from approximately 18% to nearly 50%, a significant milestone in the engineering and process safety industries.
Michelle’s recognition is a reminder that strong engineering companies are built by more than technical expertise alone. They are also shaped by the people who support employees, strengthen culture, and help create an environment where teams can do their best work.
Congratulations, Michelle, on this well-deserved recognition.
View Michelle’s two-page feature here: (Full Feature)
View Michelle's press release here: (Press Release)