Principal Engineer and Associate Partner, Mott MacDonald Global Engineering; Age 34
Education: University of Rhode Island (BS, MS)
Daniel Hartman
What did you want to be when you grew up? A professional baseball player.
How do you define success? As a mindset and process of working through life’s obstacles — a journey and not a destination.
What three words best describe you? Driven, mindful, philomathic.
What are you passionate about? My family, hobbies (snowboarding, golf, running), my dog, health and wellness, self-improvement, and giving back.
Who has been your best mentor, and why? As the saying goes, it takes a village. I surround myself with people I look up to and draw something amicable from each one. My friends and close family have all been mentors in varying facets; my grandfather, Richard Hartman, and grandmother, Alice Liptak, have been especially influential.
Whom do you look up to, and why? I look up to my uncle, Ted Leigh, who embodies all the character traits I value in one person. He is bright, kind, creative, a lover of nature and animals, a patient teacher, industrious, a skilled craftsman and problem solver, an independent thinker who lives life fully, and on top of that, he tells some of the best stories I’ve ever heard.
What fictional character do you relate to most, and why? I relate most to Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes, because of his relationship with his pet/pal Hobbes, his constant curiosity and love of exploring and adventure, his creativity, and his free spirit.
What actor would play you in a movie about your life? Johnny Depp.
What person, past or present, would you like to have lunch with, and why? It’s a three-way tie between Hunter S. Thompson, Abraham Lincoln, and the Buddha. All three contribute to how I model my philosophy on life. I look up to Lincoln for his high standard on social justice and overcoming adversity, Thompson for his free spirit and creativity, and Buddha for his treatment of self, others, and managing suffering. I think it would be an interesting lunch conversation, to say the least.
Photography by Leah Martin Photography
