Stephanie Tovar: Combat Engineer Turned Superintendent Bringing Grit, Service and Collaboration to Every Jobsite

ENR 2026 Top 20 Under 40 | By Vince Kong

Stephanie Tovar, 37, Superintendent, San Antonio, Texas

Born and raised in San Antonio, Stephanie Tovar has built a career defined by service, resilience and a deep commitment to the people she works alongside. She put herself through Texas A&M University’s Construction Science program by enlisting in the U.S. Army, training as a Combat Vertical Engineer, and serving in the U.S. and Germany, with two combat deployments to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her path through college was anything but linear—multiple deployments forced her to pause and restart her degree several times, often resulting in the loss of credit hours as requirements changed. She persevered, ultimately graduating Cum Laude in 2013.

The construction career Tovar has pursued has taken her from project engineer to assistant superintendent to commercial superintendent, both domestically and internationally. Known for her contagious energy and steady professionalism, she creates jobsite environments where teams feel supported, heard and focused. Her leadership style is rooted in humility and collaboration—she actively seeks input from trade partners, anticipates challenges before they arise and stays ahead of schedules, materials and daily coordination. She leads BIM coordination efforts, mentors junior colleagues and elevates project standards through her ICC General Contractor certification.

Tovar’s portfolio includes major industrial and institutional work, such as the Toyota Texas Manufacturing Plant, multi‑billion‑dollar brewery expansions and the Black Box Theater addition at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, a federally designated HBCU and Hispanic‑serving institution. She has also worked internationally in Mexico, where her willingness to listen and learn earned her the respect of local teams and partners.

How have you overcome challenges in your career?

Tovar describes earning her degree as the defining challenge of her early career. Balancing full‑time work, military service, deployments, post traumatic stress disorder, and shifting academic requirements tested her resolve. Each time she returned from combat, she rebuilt her momentum from scratch. “Somehow, with each day, each test and each credit hour, I scraped myself back together,” she says. Graduating with honors remains one of her proudest achievements.

What has been your favorite project?

Her most meaningful experience was building a suspension bridge in southwest Rwanda through Bridges to Prosperity. Working alongside dozens of local residents—many without a shared language—her team constructed a 93‑meter hybrid suspension bridge that provides safe, year‑round access to schools, markets and healthcare for more than 2,900 villagers. The project’s physical and cultural challenges, combined with the warmth and resilience of the community, made it a life‑changing experience.

What is the best career advice you’ve received?

A drill sergeant’s blunt lesson from basic training still guides her: success or failure happens as a team. The message taught her mental toughness, accountability and empathy—reminding her that everyone carries unseen challenges and that collective effort determines outcomes.

What advice do you have for young professionals?

“Don’t be afraid to ask for and receive help,” she says. Tovar encourages young builders to work with people who are smarter than they are, give their best effort and never say, “That’s not my job.”

What’s the best part of your job?

For Tovar, it’s the tangible impact of construction—the ability to see work take shape and know it benefits the community. That sense of purpose fuels both her professional work and her extensive volunteer service, from mentoring high school students through ACE to rebuilding homes after disasters and serving on the San Antonio Hispanic Contractors Association board.

This story was originally published by ENR.