Texas Section Leadership Hard at Work

Wow, the Texas Section leaders have been busy this winter! Both the Executive Committee and the Infrastructure Report Card Committee held meetings in Austin, Texas last month. In addition, the Editorial Committee (i.e., the amazing team behind this news site), Flood Mitigation Advisory Task Committee, Membership Committee, and Younger Member Committee recently held teleconferences. The STEM Committee attended the Texas STEM Conference to provide resources to educators last month, too. Oh, and let’s not forget travels to the frozen tundra… more on that adventure, below. 

Up next, our 31-member Board of Direction will hold its semiannual meeting in conjunction with the ASCE Texas Student Symposium on March 5, 2020 in Arlington, Texas.

We are a busy team of civil engineers and are always seeking new leaders and committee members. The more, the merrier. I invite you to visit our volunteer page to learn about all of the incredible opportunities available for members. Whether your interests align with educational opportunities, technical advancement, or professional advocacy, we have space for you on our team!

Okay, what was that comment about an adventure in the frozen tundra? More than 25 Texas members and volunteer leaders visited Detroit, Michigan last month! While it wasn’t really the frozen tundra, it was far away. And, believe it or not, it snowed in Dallas that particular weekend and NOT in Detroit. Don’t believe me? Just ask President-Elect Sean Merrell PE.

We didn’t make a trip to the northern United States simply because we got a great deal on airfare… we attended the ASCE Multi-Region Leadership Conference (MRLC) for Regions 3, 6, and 7. (ICYMI – The Texas Section is part of Region 6, along with the Mexico, New Mexico, and Oklahoma Sections of ASCE.) The 2-day conference is home to the Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders, the Central Region Younger Member Council, and the Workshop for Section, Branch, and Institute Chapter Leaders. Students from Angelo State University, The University of Texas at Arlington, and The University of Texas El Paso all made the journey along with representatives from the Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Northeast Texas, and Rio Grande Valley Branches. We were joined by ASCE President Elect Jean-Louis Briaud PhD, PE (Brazos Branch), Texas Section President Susan Roth PE (Austin Branch) and President-Elect Sean Merrell PE (Dallas Branch), and the Region 6 Governors.

The 2020 conference was hosted by the Detroit Branch and Michigan Section. In addition to leadership programing and learning about a plethora of ASCE resources, our hosts planned a Pre-College Outreach Workshop, a Civil Engineering Career Fair, a Welcome Social at Garden Bowl, the annual Awards Banquet (held at the Henry Ford Museum for American Innovation), and Construction Site Tours! I’m lucky to report this is the fourth MRLC I’ve had the pleasure of attending. Each time, I reconnect with old friends, make new friends, explore a new city, and expand my leadership knowledge. The opportunity to sit on the same bus from which Rosa Louise McCauley Parks famously protested for civil rights during the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, while visiting the Henry Ford Museum, will forever be a personal highlight of my January 2020 trip to Detroit.

Texas Wins BIG at 2020 ASCE Multi Region Leadership Conference

I am extremely proud to report that Texas members, Branches, and the Section were recognized throughout the conference. Texas took home the following awards in January 2020:

• New Face of Civil Engineering – Anali Martinez Gonzalez EIT; ASCE Austin Branch – One of ASCE’s 10 New Faces of Civil Engineering
• Outstanding Young Civil Engineer in the Private Sector – Alexa Nichols PE, CFM; ASCE Houston Branch
• Outstanding Young Civil Engineer in the Public Section – Sarah Alvarez PE, CFM; ASCE Houston Branch
• Outstanding Section & Branch Award – ASCE Dallas Branch
• Outstanding Website Award for Large Sections & Branches – ASCE Texas Section
• Outstanding Website Award for Medium Sections & Branches – ASCE Austin Branch

Rio Grande Valley Branch member and past Texas Section Board member, Dora Robles PE, and Dallas Branch member Michael Verhoef PE were recognized along with one other Region 6 member for their Outstanding Community Volunteerism.

Congratulations to all the above winners! Your hard work and dedication to advancing our society has not gone unrecognized. You all embody our mission – Texas civil engineers are leaders in their communities building a better quality of life across the street and around the world.

If you have questions about the Texas Section or joining our team, I invite you to reach out anytime – [email protected].

Best regards,

Lindsay O’Leary PE, CAE, LEED AP – Executive Director