Olga Abinader Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month at Local Library
October 2024
Florham Park, NJ — Matrix New World Engineering (Matrix) celebrated and participated in Hispanic Heritage Month. On Wednesday, September 25th, Olga Abinader, Director of Environmental Review and Land Use Planning, led an event at the Cannon Free Library, 40 Elm St, Delhi, NY.
During this event, Abinader shared her love and knowledge of Hispanic culture through stories, activities and music. Abinader stated,
“I always say that representation matters, and for me, learning from my family members working in fields related to urban and environmental planning was a major inspiration while I was growing up. Now, as a leader at Matrix New World Engineering, I have the privilege of promoting diversity and inclusion as a BIPOC woman in STEM.”
The 2023 U.S. Census showed that Hispanics and Latinos make up a fast-growing, multiracial group: the Hispanic population in the United States was about 65.2 million, making up 19.4% of the total population. This is a 3% increase from 2010, when Hispanics made up 16.4% of the population. Hispanics have played a major role in U.S. population growth over the past decade. The U.S. population grew by 24.5 million from 2010 to 2022, and Hispanics accounted for 53% of this increase – a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group.
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The day of September 15th is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, with Mexico and Chile close behind on September 16th and September 18th, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12th, falls within this 30-day period.
No stranger to giving back, Matrix donates both time and money to a number of causes and its communities, supporting the YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
According to Jayne Warne, PE, Matrix President, “We are thrilled to have Olga spread her love of Hispanic culture and the value of diversity and inclusion to our youngest future leaders. Community outreach is one of the cornerstones of our company.”
About Olga Abinader
Olga Abinader, ENV SP, is the Director of Environmental Review at Matrix’s New York city office. Born in the Dominican Republic, Abinader emigrated with her family to Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1990s. Her family maintained strong connections to their Caribbean heritage by speaking only Spanish at home. As a fully bilingual English and Spanish speaker, Abinader translated for family and friends who had limited English skills. In 1999, Abinader assumed a leadership role in the “La Union Latina” organization, established in 1987 at Salem High School to celebrate Latin-American culture and traditions. In 2007, Hispanic Business Inc. recognized Abinader as a Winner’s Circle Scholar at the Hispanic Business’ annual Woman of the Year Awards event.
As the former Director of the Environmental Assessment and Review Division with the NYC Department of City Planning, Abinader led hundreds of active City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) applications to support transit-oriented growth, housing production and affordability, economic development and resilient and sustainable communities across NYC. Abinader received her Master of Urban Planning from Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Brown University.
Over the course of her career, Abinader has been honored with numerous speaking engagements, awards, and recognitions, including: Guest Speaker on the ¿Que Pasa, NJ? PBS Talk Show (2022), LatinX Podcast with Randy Gomez (2022), and ‘The RNJ Morning Program’ with Host Bert Baron; the Manager of the Year Award (Joe Salvo Award) at the New York City Department of City Planning, New York, NY (2019); Scholarship Honoree and Guest Speaker at the 5th Hispanic Business Magazine’s Woman of the Year Awards, Las Vegas, Nevada (2007); Panelist Speaker at the New Jersey Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, The Art of Being a Modern Latina Event, Lyndhurst, New Jersey (2022); and Podcast Guest and Committee Member for the “Today Is The Day Changemakers” organization, a global digital platform for leaders making a significant positive societal impact (2022).
Abinader was recognized by Crain’s New York Business as a ‘2022 Notable Hispanic Leader’ Honoree.
In 2023, Abinader was appointed to the Brown University Advisory Council for the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES). Founded in 2014, IBES is a thriving interdisciplinary Institute for climate, sustainability, and environmental education and research, achieving national and international stature as one of the top programs of its kind.
About Matrix New World Engineering
Matrix New World Engineering is a company of engineering and science experts who focus on some of the nation’s most pressing long-term challenges, including climate change, resiliency, ecological restoration, contamination studies, water supply, disaster response, and urban revitalization. Matrix believes solving environmental challenges through careful planning and engineering is an indispensable measure of success.
Matrix has offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Arizona, Louisiana, and Chicago, coupled with project experience throughout the United States and the Caribbean.
