Global built environment consultancy Arup announced that Jee Mee Kim-Diaz is joining the firm as the Americas East Geography Leader, bringing nearly 30 years of experience leading complex urban development and infrastructure initiatives across the public and private sectors.
Based in New York, she will lead more than 600 staff members across Arup’s New York, Newark, Boston, Washington D.C. and Chicago offices.
“Jee Mee has spent her career helping cities tackle complex challenges at the intersection of infrastructure, mobility, economic development, and community outcomes. Her experience leading across the public and private sectors, combined with her deep understanding of our key markets, makes her exceptionally well positioned to guide our East Geography through its next chapter of growth and impact,” said Scott Russell, Arup’s Americas Managing Director. “As Arup deepens its influence across markets shaping the future of cities, including transportation, property, energy, water, healthcare, science, and technology, Jee Mee is poised to elevate the firm’s integrated engineering, planning and advisory capabilities to deliver the greatest value for both clients and communities.”
She joins Arup from Arcadis, where she served as New York City metro area city executive. With nearly 30 years of experience steering complex urban development projects in the New York region and cities across the United States, her portfolio spans some of the region’s most significant transportation, civic infrastructure, healthcare, and mixed-use development projects, including the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Program, the Fifth Avenue redesign, Metro-North Penn Station Access, the Brooklyn Tech Triangle, the New York-Presbyterian Hospital master plan, the Second Avenue Subway, Barclays Center and the World Trade Center redevelopment.
In her role as chief strategy officer at the New York City Department of Transportation under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, Kim-Diaz helped advance major city commitments, including 30 miles of protected bike lanes, 28 miles of bus lanes, permanent Open Streets and forward-looking freight management strategies such as the Blue Highways pilot program.
Jee Mee is an active civic voice helping shape the future of New York and the broader region. Through board positions at the Regional Plan Association, Urban Design Forum and Urban Land Institute New York, she helps advance conversations around transportation, urban development and the future competitiveness of cities.
