There When Disaster Strikes

Atri Sen, MBA ’21 (XP-90), is a Houston-based civil engineer who specializes in advising cities and other government entities on infrastructure program management, emergency preparedness, climate change, and disaster recovery through his infrastructure-solutions company, Resalire—a Latin word for resilience. The company strengthens communities and economies through infrastructure planning and design guided by emergency management principles.

“The resilience of a community is only as strong as the weakest link in its infrastructure,” Sen says. 

An example, he points to the underground aquifers that supply most of the drinking water for Texas cities such as Austin and San Antonio. Periods of rainfall are becoming increasingly intense but short-lived, causing water to run off and evaporate rather than seeping down and refilling the aquifers. If this pattern continues, he says, the aquifers will begin to run dry over the next 20 years.

Sen’s first job after graduating from Purdue was at a Louisiana–based firm that worked with FEMA. He focused on developing strategies to protect residents in the face of disasters. When he was deployed to New Orleans to support response efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, what was supposed to be a short-term assignment turned into 27 months.

“I was working 18 hours a day, shoulder to shoulder with people who were trying to get New Orleans back on its feet,” he says. The experience gave him new respect for government, which is where most of his work comes from today.

“I get upset when I hear people say government should be run like a business,” he says. “It can’t. There’s something unique about public-sector people. They work hard and aren’t in it for the money. It’s all about community building. I talk to a lot of committees and community groups. I’m a relationship builder. No matter what project you’re working on or pursuing, you have to come to a consensus, and the only way to do that is to bring all the major players together and keep them informed on your progress.”

Sen, who founded Resalire in early 2024, says Booth provided him with the skills and impetus to go out on his own. “The school’s leadership and analytics courses are hardcore,” he says. “But Booth also teaches you to look at your own psychology and how you define yourself. It has an entrepreneurial spirit, and you’re encouraged to take risks—which is what anyone starting a business needs to hear.”