Gradient Group CEO recognized at Bisnow’s 2025 Women Leading Real Estate Awards
Stephanie Anderson, P.E., president and CEO of Gradient Group, is recognized as an Innovator of the Year honoree at the 2025 Bisnow Houston Women Leading Real Estate Awards. The annual awards spotlight women shaping Houston through creative problem-solving, technical excellence and measurable community impact.
Stephanie co-founded Gradient Group in 2017 with a clear mission — build a women-owned civil engineering firm rooted in integrity, a customer-first mindset and solutions that hold up in the real world. Under her leadership, the Houston-based practice has grown quickly, delivering roadway and drainage design, utilities, traffic and site development projects for public and private clients across the region.
“Watching Stephanie build Gradient has been one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in my career, ” said TWayne Holcombe, Gradient Group co-founder. “Stephanie has a rare ability to see what a project can be and then bring the whole team with her to make it real.”
Crystal Adams, Gradient Group business development director, joined the company three years ago after seeing Stephanie’s vision firsthand.
“She didn’t just start a firm — she built a standard, ” Crystal said. “I knew I wanted to be part of what she was creating here, because it was bigger than a project list. It was a way of doing things that clients and communities can trust.”
Stephanie’s leadership shows up in how the firm works and what it delivers.
“Our clients recognize her mark on every project, and our team rises to that bar, ” TWayne said. “I’ve seen her turn tough problems into clear paths forward, again and again, without ever compromising on doing it right.”
Gradient’s recent accolades reflect that approach. The firm’s civil engineering work on Lynn Wyatt Square earned top recognition at the ACEC Texas Engineering Excellence Awards — highlighting innovative design that reshaped part of downtown Houston into a signature public space. Another Gradient project — the Alief Neighborhood Community Center and Park — received an ACEC Texas Engineering Excellence Texas Gold Medal for Water — recognizing stormwater and detention-focused design that strengthens long-term resilience for a community devastated by Hurricane Harvey.
Stephanie’s drive pushes the entire organization forward.
“Her expectations are high, but they’re fair — and they make all of us better engineers, better project managers and better teammates, ” TWayne said. “Stephanie leads with calm confidence, and that steadiness is contagious across the firm.”
For Stephanie, recognition has never been the goal — the work is. “She’s never chased awards — she chases outcomes,” TWayne said. “Honors like this come when you stay focused on doing the right work, the right way, every day. This one fits her because innovation is just how she operates. It’s who she is.”
Stephanie also holds leadership roles across Houston’s engineering community. She serves as president of the American Council of Engineering Companies Houston Chapter and maintains credentials as an Envision Environmental Sustainability Professional and a LEED Accredited Professional. Her steady, client-centered approach continues to shape Gradient’s culture and Houston’s built environment.
