“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to these views,” said Leigh Ann Ripka.
For a long time, she saw Dallas-Fort Worth in segments outside her car window, traveling here for work and play away from her home in Louisiana. In 2023, when she had the opportunity to move here, it was easy for her to say yes.
“I used to stay in an Airbnb right near where we live now, and I just fell in love with the neighborhood,” said Ripka. “The school system, walkability, proximity to major airports, and the wonderful, welcoming people were all major driving factors.”
Currently, she works as the Vice President of Corporate Development at B&H Engineers, Inc., a Native American-owned, WMBE and HUB-certified business recognized by the Dallas Business Journal with a Leaders in Diversity award. The locally established MEP-T engineering firm primarily designs projects with complicated commercial requirements around HVAC, energy efficiency, electrical powering, plumbing, fire protection systems, technology, communication, and security controls. The company has received visibility for its work in healthcare on projects like the highly publicized Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center campus. The project, 4.5 million square feet of construction (about four times as big as the Trammell Crow Center), will be transformational for the region and its ability to treat complex pediatric patients.
Like many, Ripka’s path here wasn’t straightforward. She earned her degree in public relations, despite family pressure to “study something with a title,” like lawyer, nurse, doctor, or teacher. Out of college, she went to work for an oil and gas company, where she stayed for seven years, but after the birth of her son, she decided it was time to make a change.
She would work in the maritime industry for a few years, where her primary job was to translate complex solicitation requirements into digestible narrative that could be easily understood. The end goal was to win new business.
“But my most important job is ‘mom,’” said Ripka. “My life lacked balance, and I was certainly asking myself lots of questions about what the future could look like.”
Post-pandemic and part of the great resignation, she launched an LLC by women for women, called “Let’s Vibe,” which primarily champions fundraising for special causes. Shortly thereafter, she joined a general contracting firm headquartered in DFW, through which she became a frequent traveler to the region.
“My primary motivation to depart Louisiana was my son’s education,” she said.
His school told her in February 2023 that they wanted to hold him back and repeat first grade, as he was struggling with reading and writing.
“The conversation caught me off guard, especially so far into the school year. He excelled in all other academic areas, and I had no idea there was such a struggle until that day. As his mother, I wasn’t satisfied with the solutions presented to me. I couldn’t allow this one thirty-minute meeting to alter the trajectory of his entire life. There had to be another path.”
It wasn’t long before she found another path — a path that led straight to North Texas. Shortly after that parent-teacher conference, Ripka was offered a career opportunity at B&H Engineers.
“I really connected with our CEO, Todd Abernathy. His personal philosophy and long-term vision for the organization, plus the timing, were near perfect with the school year coming to a close. It was one of those magical situations in life when all the stars align, and you know you are being called in a new direction.”
In June 2023, they packed up and headed for Dallas. Her former spouse and co-parent, who is very involved in their son’s life, also relocated. When her mom first visited, they discovered family living just two blocks away.
“We’ve grown close, and it’s so nice to have natural support built in from the jump — someone much bigger than you or I had been looking out for my little family” said Ripka.
There have been other signs along the way that reaffirm her decision to relocate here, like when she received a random invitation to a Ranger’s game.
“And they go on to win the whole series! I’m sitting here, scratching my head. ‘Is that what happens here? People just win?!'” she said, laughing. “I knew, with certainty, that we were in the right place.”
At her son’s new school, an IB World School in the Dallas Independent School District, they learned he had ADHD and dyslexia, for which they were provided immediate resources, followed by an action plan to ensure his continued progress.
“I can tell from all of our interactions that the teachers, administrators, and support staff at the school really care about him as a person and how he’s doing academically.” she said.
Ripka also joined the development committee at Readers2Leaders, a literacy nonprofit serving Dallas Kindergarten and elementary students to prepare them for success through reading.
Now, just one short year after being told he’d have to repeat first grade, he’s in the 99th percentile for improvement in his 2nd grade class and learning Spanish.
In their free time, Ripka is an avid runner and frequents White Rock Lake. Her second grader, meanwhile, is a dinosaur connoisseur and a newly minted bowling enthusiast who loves going to the bowling alley in Lakewood Shopping Center, where they can have a mother-son date.
“It’s dinner and entertainment for about $30 bucks,” said Ripka. “He really loves all the dinosaur things too. So far, the Perot Museum of Art, Billings Productions, and Traveling Jurassic shows are a few favorites.”
She knows that his love of bowling and T-rexes won’t last forever, but she isn’t worried. She feels good about being in a place that puts a premium on diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially given “the booming economic landscape and future opportunities” that will be available to him as he grows up.
“I see women being invited into the executive circle and working in high-ranking positions within big business — women whose voices are respected, valued, and listened to by everyone. We are given decision-making seats at the table in predominantly male fields. It’s progress we have been working towards for generations, and I know there’s still a lot of work to do. We just have to keep paying it forward for the next generation.”
She appreciates being close to two major airports that can get her to most of the country within three to four hours but says that future travel will be limited to family and friend adventures. Her days of living out of a suitcase are over now that life in Dallas has begun.
