Engineering Her Own Path: Sabrina Drago on Leadership, Legacy, and Building Better Communities

“Engineers build civilizations.”

It’s one of the first things Sabrina Drago, President and Founder of Drago Vantage LLC, says when asked why she became an engineer. She wanted to build things that would outlast her, improve people’s lives, and leave communities stronger than she found them.

That belief has guided her entire career.

Although her work today extends far beyond traditional engineering, Sabrina still considers herself an engineer at heart. The profession shaped not only her technical skills, but also the way she approaches challenges, leads teams, and serves communities.

“Engineering teaches you how to solve problems,” Sabrina said. “You learn to break down complex challenges, understand how systems work, and find solutions. I’ve carried that approach into every role I’ve had.”

In honor of International Women in Engineering Day, Sabrina reflected on her journey as an engineer, leader, entrepreneur, and mentor, and on how diverse perspectives strengthen the industries and communities we serve.

Her path was anything but conventional.

At 20 years old, while studying accounting and finance, she decided to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and become an engineer. When she shared her plans, family members questioned whether she had the personality for the profession.

Her response?

“I know. That’s why they need me.”

From the beginning, Sabrina understood that different perspectives create better outcomes. Throughout her education and career, she often found herself as one of the few women in the room and frequently the only person bringing a different life experience to the conversation.

She credits mentors and supporters for helping her grow, but she is equally candid about the challenges she faced along the way.

“The barriers people talk about are real,” Sabrina said. “I learned pretty early in my career that I am often underestimated. That became my superpower.”

Today, women make up less than 16 percent of the engineering workforce in the United States. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024; Society of Women Engineers, swe.org/research/2026/us-employment.)

For women of color, representation remains even lower.

For Sabrina, increasing representation is about more than equity. It’s about creating better solutions.

“It’s important to have diverse perspectives in decision-making because people bring different experiences to the table,” she said. “Those experiences shape the questions we ask, the assumptions we challenge, and ultimately the solutions we create.”

That philosophy became one of the driving forces behind Drago Vantage.

After a career that included engineering, transportation leadership, public service, funding strategy, and organizational management, Sabrina saw an opportunity to build something different. Too often, technical experts, communicators, grant writers, planners, and community engagement professionals worked in separate silos. She believed communities would be better served by bringing those disciplines together.

When she founded Drago Vantage, her vision was to create a firm that approached challenges holistically, combining technical expertise, strategic thinking, communications, and community understanding to help clients move important work forward.

Today, the woman-owned firm includes engineers, planners, grant writers, communications professionals, facilitators, public engagement specialists, and strategic advisors who share a common purpose: helping communities turn ideas into action.

The firm’s work reflects that multidisciplinary approach.

Drago Vantage helps clients secure grant funding, develop strategic plans, facilitate community conversations, engage stakeholders, communicate complex initiatives, and build support for projects that improve quality of life. The team works with public agencies, transportation organizations, local governments, nonprofits, and community partners to tackle challenges that rarely fit neatly into a single discipline.

Recent work has included helping agencies compete for critical funding opportunities, supporting downtown and community planning efforts, developing public engagement strategies, facilitating regional conversations, supporting major transportation initiatives, and helping organizations build the partnerships and public trust necessary to achieve long-term success.

For Sabrina, all of it comes back to people.

“A grant application isn’t just a grant application,” she said. “A strategic plan isn’t just a document. These are tools that help communities solve problems, create opportunities, and invest in their future.”

That perspective has shaped both the firm’s work and its culture.

Sabrina intentionally built a team with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and expertise. Engineers work alongside communicators. Grant strategists collaborate with planners. Public engagement specialists partner with technical experts. Each brings a unique perspective to the challenge at hand.

“The best solutions come from bringing together people who think differently,” she said. “That’s where innovation happens.”

Sabrina also remains passionate about supporting women in engineering, transportation, and other traditionally underrepresented professions. Through work supporting programs such as the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Women Innovating Transit initiative, Drago Vantage has had the opportunity to contribute to conversations about mentorship, workforce development, workplace innovation, and creating pathways for more women to succeed and lead.

For Sabrina,  supporting women is not separate from the work of building stronger communities.

“When people with different experiences have a seat at the table, organizations make better decisions,” she said. “Communities benefit. Industries benefit. Everyone benefits.”

As Drago Vantage continues to grow, she says her proudest accomplishment isn’t a project, contract, or award.

It’s building a company where talented people can do meaningful work, support one another, and bring their full perspectives to the table.

“I’ve never had so much fun in my life,” she said. “I get to work with incredibly talented people who care deeply about what they do and who they do it for.”

For young women considering careers in engineering, leadership, or public service, her advice is simple.

“If you don’t feel like you’re in an environment that appreciates your perspective, find a place that supports you,” she said. “There are people who will believe in you, invest in you, and value what you bring. It can be scary to make a change, but it’s never too late to rewrite your story.”

The systems, organizations, and communities we build today will shape generations to come. Sabrina believes those efforts are strongest when they are informed by a diversity of perspectives and a commitment to solving problems collaboratively.

And for the next generation of women engineers, she hopes they’ll never question whether they belong.

Sometimes the very thing that makes you different is exactly what the profession needs.