Nicholas Rodi – an FSU alumnus [Master of Science in Planning (MSP) ’24] – accepted a full-time position with CDM Smith, a global engineering and construction firm, following his internship.
CDM Smith, founded in 1947, provides solutions in water, environment, transportation, energy, and facilities. In Transportation Design and Planning specifically, long-term improvements to existing transportation infrastructure are designed and executed through processes like environment assessments, emerging technology guidance, and more.
Rodi will be based in Chicago with CDM Smith and working on transit and bicycle/pedestrian projects.
“I am exceptionally excited to have accepted this full-time employment opportunity,” Rodi said. “CDM Smith has some extremely knowledgeable, hardworking, and passionate professionals in the transportation industry, and I can’t wait to work with them and learn from them.”
Rodi’s time as an intern with CDM Smith gave him various project experience, including an update to Qatar’s Bicycle Infrastructure Master Plan, Chicago’s modernization efforts on its train’s Red and Purple lines, and preliminary research for the upcoming update of Florida’s Long Range Transportation Plan.
“It was through a Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP) email circulation that I found my internship opportunity at CDM Smith,” Rodi said. “DURP’s instruction set me up for success in my internship, leading to me being able to sign an offer for full-time employment with CDM Smith.”
As a two-time Florida State graduate, Rodi has been extensively involved on campus. In his undergraduate career, he was a Row Leader in the world-renowned Marching Chiefs Band, the Chair of the Service Committee, and the Parliamentarian of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary service fraternity for university band members.
In his graduate career, he was the Sponsorship and Donations Coordinator for the Inaugural Public Health Professions Conference hosted by the Master of Public Health Student Association.
“My time at FSU has prepared me for the next step in my career in countless ways,” Rodi said. “Outside of teaching me the technical and theoretical things every urban planner needs to know, DURP has taught me other essential skills for a successful career, like time management, effective communication, and critical thinking.”
To learn more about the Master of Science in Planning degree at FSU, visit coss.fsu.edu/durp/masters-program.