Over the past 30 years, Scottsdale has evolved from a growing desert town into a nationally recognized city known for careful planning, strong infrastructure and inviting public spaces.

Few people have had a closer view of that transformation than Alison Tymkiw.

As Scottsdale’s Senior Director of Transportation and Infrastructure, Tymkiw leads the department responsible for planning, designing and delivering the city’s critical mobility and capital improvement projects.

Created last year, the Transportation and Infrastructure Department combines capital project management and transportation into one coordinated team, streamlining how Scottsdale builds and maintains the backbone of the community.

For Tymkiw, the role is the culmination of a 25-year career with the city, one that began in 1998 and progressed steadily through positions including civil engineer, project manager, senior project manager and city engineer.

Seeing projects through from start to finish

Before joining Scottsdale, Tymkiw worked for engineering and design consulting firms in Connecticut and Arizona. While the work was meaningful, she found herself wanting to see the full life cycle of a project.

“When you work for a consultant, you are given one piece of the project and rarely see the project come to fruition,” Tymkiw said. “The quality of our projects and the infrastructure we build is part of what sets Scottsdale apart from other communities, and I was excited to have the opportunity to work on them.”

That opportunity has defined her career.

As a project manager and senior project manager, Tymkiw oversaw a wide range of projects that residents use every day, including Arabian Library, improvements to Northsight Boulevard and Raintree Drive, a major expansion of the Scottsdale Water Campus, several waterline replacement projects and the McDowell Mountain Ranch Aquatic Center.

In her early years with the city, her focus was largely on water infrastructure. While those projects are critical to public health and long-term sustainability, they are often invisible once completed.

“Water projects are gratifying to work on, but in a different way,” she said. “When they are done, they are usually underground.”

Parks and recreation projects, however, offer a more immediate connection.

“When you work on parks projects, you get to see the community use them when they’re finished,” Tymkiw said. “The McDowell Mountain Ranch Aquatic Center was particularly special because when she was in high school, one of my daughters swam there.”

For Tymkiw, that blend of professional accomplishment and personal connection captures what has kept her in Scottsdale for nearly three decades.

A career rooted in community

Tymkiw holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Lehigh University and is a registered professional engineer in Arizona. Her technical expertise is matched by a long-term perspective that comes from working in one city over the course of an entire career.

“Getting to do all your work in one city and see the impact of those projects have on the community is really gratifying,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work on several things that I’m really proud of.”

That continuity matters in infrastructure. Roads, libraries, water facilities and community centers are not short-term investments. They are built to serve residents for decades. Tymkiw has not only helped deliver those projects but has also watched them age, adapt and continue serving a growing city.

Today, as Senior Director, she oversees a department that integrates transportation planning with capital project delivery. The combined structure allows for better coordination between mobility needs and construction priorities, helping ensure that Scottsdale’s infrastructure supports both current residents and future growth.

Under her leadership, the department continues to focus on thoughtful planning, fiscal responsibility and long-term asset management, values that have long defined Scottsdale’s approach to development.

Building what lasts

Ask Tymkiw why she chose to spend the majority of her career in Scottsdale, and her answer reflects both professional pride and community connection.

“Getting to do all your work in one city and see the impact of those projects have on the community is really gratifying,” she said.

From water systems that protect public health to libraries that foster lifelong learning and aquatic centers where families gather, Tymkiw’s work is woven into the fabric of daily life in Scottsdale.

While many of her projects are measured in concrete, steel and underground pipe, their true impact is seen in neighborhoods, public spaces and the everyday routines of residents.

One project at a time, Tymkiw continues to guide the next generation of projects that will shape Scottsdale’s future.