Inspiring Conversations with Maria Mehranian of Cordoba Corporation

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Mehranian.

Hi Maria, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Iran to an Armenian family. I came to the US to complete my graduate studies and attended UCLA’s Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning where I earned a master’s degree with a focus on transportation and transit planning. Perhaps because of my exposure to my father’s business in the design and construction of highways, I was fascinated by public policy and large public works projects from a young age. I was mostly interested in the relationship between public policy, infrastructure and the impact of urban development on communities. On how well-designed infrastructure can transform communities and result in economic development, improved health and welfare, and ultimately improving the everyday lives of people. I joined Cordoba Corporation when it was a startup, but at the time the concept of “startup” was not as cool as it became later. In those early years, most of my work focused on planning the Los Angeles metro system and figuring out things like where the stations should be located and how and where each transit line should be designed. My master’s dissertation eventually became the basis for a landmark regulation that made providing ridesharing and carpooling services mandatory for employers with over 100 employees that are located in downtown Los Angeles.

Later on, I worked in redevelopment in various parts of the city. In the past few years, my focus has been about water policy. As you might know, water is the single most crucial issue facing California. My focus has been water quality and supply. Currently, I am serving on the delta stewardship council, an organization created to accomplish two co-equal goals: a more reliable statewide water supply and a healthy and protected ecosystem in the San Joaquin delta. Previously, I served three terms on the Los Angeles water quality control board as an appointee of two consecutive governors. This board predominantly regulates water quality in the region. There is another cause very dear to my heart and that is the Armenia fund. I volunteered as chair of the board of trustees of the Armenia fund from 2004 to 2008 and again from 2016 to today. During those years, we raised over $120 million to build large-scale infrastructure projects such as roads, waterways and hospitals to improve the quality of life in Armenia. This is certainly my life’s greatest joy in giving back to my homeland and supporting the most vulnerable communities there, especially in light of the recent war which took place in the region. Naturally, I do all of this while serving as managing partner of the Cordoba Corporation, which is my day job!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life is never a smooth ride. Even things that look easy are difficult. Trying to accomplish anything serious in a comprehensive way is always a rocky road. Solutions are never straightforward so we need to train ourselves to understand the dynamics of every possible situation, the multi-layer nature of solutions, and the effort and time required to succeed. One needs to be disciplined and ready to put in the hard work. As a woman, by the way, that means working twice as hard as men to achieve my goals.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Cordoba Corporation?
Cordoba Corporation is an engineering company specialized in infrastructure development. Our work is organized in four sectors: transportation, education and facilities, water infrastructure and energy. We have 430 employees in offices throughout the state, and we are known for our expertise in completing multi-year, multidiscipline statewide projects. What sets us apart from others is our understanding of public policy. This advantage, coupled with our superb technical expertise, allows us to successfully develop complicated infrastructure projects. We take pride in developing solutions that are creative and finding new answers for old problems.

For example, our recent work in developing a new kind of permeable infrastructure capable of storing and reusing water. Our energy sector is also working on solutions for public utilities to prevent forest fires, and our transportation sector is working on the high-speed rail project. The company’s passion for innovation is, in fact, one of my favorite things about being Cordoba’s Managing Partner. From this position, I can see the entire workings of the corporation, which is exciting enough, but I also get to see the enormous impact that good planning and design have in the communities surrounding our projects. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to know that I was part, even if just a tiny part, of projects that improved the lives of many Californians.

What are your plans for the future?
I want to make a difference in my areas of expertise. I want to continue to serve at the forefront of issues that interest me and to participate in the policy changes that shape infrastructure in California. I would also like to share my management experience with my peers in other organizations and private companies.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cordobacorp.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cordobacorp
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cordobacorp
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXxKMPECq8iAOfFXKAIH_Uw

Image Credits
File name: 2020 Maria A. Caption: Maria Mehranian at her home office in La Cañada Flintridge (Credit: Mike Levin). File name: Artsakh Caption: Ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a series of new homes constructed for needy families in Artsakh. (Photo credit: Armenia Fund) File name: Lectern Caption: Maria Mehranian providing remarks at a reception for Armenia Fund. (Photo credit: Armenia Fund) File name: Telethon Caption: Maria Mehranian with Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian at the 2018 Armenia Fund Telethon. (Credit: Mike Levin) File name: Shuttle 1 Caption: Cordoba Corporation was an integral part of a team of consultants selected by officials of the California Science Center in 2016 to contribute expertise and resources to assist the Center in the planning, engineering, and execution of the historic transport of the space shuttle Endeavor. (Credit: Cordoba Corporation)