Self described as an artist hidden inside an engineer's body, Rick Belden applies a creative approach to community connectivity as a practice area leader for Otak's transportation engineering group.

With an innate ability to see innovative solutions, Rick learned about designing highways as a draftsman before working his way through college at the University of Oklahoma studying civil engineering. His career since has included a number of projects he's proud to have worked on including the I-40 Crosstown in Oklahoma City, the Carolina Crossroads Interchange in Columbia, SC, and the LAX Knot. With more than 30 years in the industry, he aims to support a strong infrastructure team designed to better connect communities across regions. Rick is also actively engaged with fire prevention in his own community where he spends some of his free time flying around the Rocky Mountain region as a private pilot.