Lee B. Freese Excellence in Mentoring Award: Richard Weatherly
Congratulations to Richard Weatherly, Divisional Business Development Lead in our Pearland, Texas office, for receiving this year’s Lee B. Freese Excellence in Mentoring Award.
Richard is known for meeting people where they are — professionally and personally.
His approach to mentoring is rooted in empathy, trust and a relentless commitment to excellence. From guiding early-career engineers through their first client presentations to guiding seasoned colleagues into leadership roles, Richard’s influence leaves a lasting impression.
Richard has dedicated his entire career to Freese and Nichols, making his mark on the Western Gulf Coast division through his proven track record of delivering quality and service.
Nominator Ishita Rahman, Water/Wastewater Master Planning Group Manager in Pearland, credits Richard with helping her achieve her career goals.
“He showed trust in my ability and created opportunities for me to speak in group settings,” she said.
Richard’s mentorship extends beyond technical skills. He has helped mentees develop self-awareness, credibility and perspective.
Ishita nominated Richard for this year’s award. Here’s more of what Ishita said:
“Richard and FNI have been a huge part of my immigration journey. He joined me and my husband in our celebrations when we hosted a housewarming for our first house in this country and celebrated my daughter’s first birthday. I don’t have family in this part of the world. His kind gestures make me realize how fortunate I am to be part of the FNI family.
“His emotional intelligence, technical competence and ability to find ways to relate to others, challenge others, and foster a safe environment for open communication made him a great manager, excellent mentor and role model for me.
“When teaching me technical tasks, he constantly challenged me and at the same time created a safety net for me to fail and learn from that experience.”
Three additional coworkers contributed testimonials supporting Richard’s nomination, illustrating the breadth of his impact. Here are a few more excerpts:
“Early in my career, I was shy and hesitant to take on high-visibility responsibilities. Richard, however, recognized my potential and continuously challenged and coached me. Richard embodies everything a mentor should be — supportive, insightful, and dedicated to the success of others.” — Murali Erat, Water/Wastewater Treatment, Pearland
“Without his investment in me over my first decade at the firm, I would not be where I am today in my career, and I wouldn’t be capable of the impact I now have. It’s not that Richard made me who I am… it’s that he saw both my flaws and my potential and then invested the time and energy to help me develop the tools to grow in both a professional and personal capacity.” — Kendall Ryan, Water/Wastewater Master Planning, Tampa
“Richard is very generous with his time in discussing how to best serve clients, develop long-term business, and how to personally develop my career. I’ve spent countless hours talking with him over lunches, parking lots after City Council meetings, after hours in the office, and many other locations where he took extra time to talk through how to best approach client engagement. There’s no better example than Richard for engaging with clients.” — Jared Barber, Transmission and Utilities, Pearland
Freese and Nichols established the Lee B. Freese Excellence in Mentoring Award to recognize outstanding efforts in the mentoring of Freese and Nichols’ staff members. This award exemplifies our LEADS values of Serve Always and Learn Continuously, as we serve each other in everything we do, and we create an environment where employees can thrive and be their best.