Joyce Watson, CPSM
Since 2019
Active
SMPS San Antonio member
AEC marketing professional
Joyce drives comprehensive firmwide marketing strategy for Cleary Zimmermann Engineers, the largest mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) consulting engineering firm in South Texas—a distinction the firm achieved during her tenure leading the marketing department. As Principal | Marketing, she oversees marketing strategy, brand management, corporate communications, and promotional initiatives for a firm founded in San Antonio in 2006 that has expanded to five offices across Texas serving Bryan/College Station, Houston, Austin, and Dallas markets with 130+ employees.
Her expertise spans MEP engineering, industrial manufacturing, healthcare, higher education, and infrastructure marketing with deep specialization in proposal development, CRM implementation, strategic brand positioning, and corporate culture cultivation. Joyce brings comprehensive knowledge of building MEP systems, industrial MEP projects, commissioning services, water/wastewater engineering, and IT/security systems serving complex institutional and industrial clients.
Since joining Cleary Zimmermann in 2014 as Marketing Assistant, Joyce has played a key role in the firm’s statewide expansion and dramatic revenue growth, advancing through Marketing Coordinator and Director of Marketing before being named the firm’s first non-technical and first female Principal in January 2023. Under her marketing leadership, the department directly resulted in $2.5M in bookings in 2022 alone, while supporting the firm’s transformation from a San Antonio-based startup to one of Texas’ leading MEP consulting firms.
Her proven track record includes implementing Cosential CRM database systems to increase efficiency through marketing automation and business development tracking, leading a six-person marketing team responsible for all deliverables across four offices and affiliated HUB company, and serving as the firm’s primary marketing representative through public speaking engagements and thought leadership.
Joyce demonstrates exceptional professional leadership through her CPSM certification achievement and active engagement in SMPS San Antonio, where she serves as a recognized thought leader and presenter. Her contributions to professional development include presenting “CRM Coffee Talk with Joyce Watson, CPSM” sessions in partnership with Jeff Meadows of Unanet, sharing expertise on customer relationship management systems and business development tracking that help AEC firms maximize marketing efficiency.
As an award-winning marketing leader, Joyce has been recognized for transforming how the A/E/C industry thinks about connection, growth, and leadership. Her historic promotion to Principal in January 2023—making her both the first non-technical and first female principal at Cleary Zimmermann Engineers—reflects her exceptional contribution to elevating marketing from a support function to a central driver of business strategy, culture, and innovation.
Joyce’s commitment to service extends beyond professional marketing leadership to include distinguished community engagement. She serves as Assistant Secretary of the San Antonio Young Women’s Leadership Academy Foundation, supporting educational opportunities for young women in San Antonio. Additionally, she chairs the Community Relations Committee for the Real Estate Council of San Antonio, where she previously led the council’s inaugural Community Project, demonstrating her passion for education, service, and community development.
Her multi-year involvement with The Junior League of San Antonio showcases sustained leadership commitment, including service as Nominating Committee Member (2021-present), Bylaws/Parliamentarian on Board of Directors (2020), Corresponding Secretary (2019), Sustainer Liaison (2018), Vice Chair of Training & Education (2017), and Scrawls Layout Editor (2016), after completing her Provisional Year in 2014.
Joyce’s academic excellence is reflected in her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Southern California, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa—among the nation’s most prestigious academic honors. Her background before entering the AEC industry includes impactful roles in education (Special Education Teacher with Teach For America, achieving 75% pass rate for all 5th graders on monitoring list), nonprofit service (Outreach Specialist with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), and academic research (Research Assistant in the USC History Department for Professor Peter C. Mancall, contributing to the Encyclopedia of Native American History).
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