Former Assistant Secretary of Energy to Chair Group Formed by the American Society of Civil Engineers
Reston, Va.—The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has announced that James A. Rispoli, P.E, F.ASCE, Booz Allen Hamilton executive advisor and former Department of Energy assistant secretary of energy, will serve as the inaugural chair of its Industry Leaders Council (ILC). The ILC serves as a strategic advisor to ASCE in identifying emerging industry trends, and engages executive-level leaders from industry, academia, government and non-governmental organizations to identify strategic actions for both the Society and the civil engineering profession. In addition, the group, whose membership is by invitation only, is responsible for identifying innovative approaches and solutions to infrastructure challenges; promoting awards that foster innovation and leadership; providing guidance on the use of the ASCE Innovation Fund; and facilitating effective interaction with related organizations.
“The objective of the American Society of Civil Engineers is the ‘advancement of the science and profession of engineering to enhance the welfare of humanity’,” said ASCE president D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE. “With the wealth of experience and talent that exists in the civil engineering industry, what better way is there to move forward in meeting that objective than to bring together the leaders of the profession and task them with identifying the questions that need to be asked and developing answers?”
“By establishing this group, ASCE is actively engaging senior industry leaders in strategic planning for the Society and the profession,” said Rispoli. “The Council will be evaluating important issues facing the engineering community, including sustainability, infrastructure, public image and awareness, workforce development and globalization/outsourcing, among others.”
In addition to Rispoli, the ILC’s membership includes representatives from: AECOM; American Bridge Company; Bechtel; Booz Allen Hamilton; Caltrans; CH2M HILL; Clark County Nevada; Dave Nash and Associates, LLC; Dawson & Associates; Disney; Fluor; FM Global; Gannett Fleming; Hatch Mott MacDonald; Institution of Civil Engineers; L-3 Communications; Malcolm Pirnie; McGraw-Hill Construction; National BuildingMuseum; NIBS; Northrop Grumman; Pankow; Parsons; Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc.; The PBSJ Corporation; Pegasus Global Holdings, Inc.; Pennoni Associates, Inc.; Port Authority of New York & New Jersey; Terracon; the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the University of Texas-Dallas; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and the U.S. Navy.
The group will hold its first official meeting in mid-Oct. 2009, which will be followed by an Industry Leaders Forum on Oct. 30 during ASCE’s 139th Annual Civil Engineering Conference in Kansas City, Mo. In addition, the ILC has begun producing Insights, a monthly podcast series that features noted civil engineering industry leaders discussing insights into the successful practice of civil engineering and providing listeners with access to a wide range of viewpoints, experiences and perspectives. Since its inception, Insights has featured such leaders as G. Wayne Clough, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and Jane Chmielinski, executive vice president and chief corporate officer of AECOM.
For more information on the ILC, including a full membership roster, please visit www.asce.org/ilc.
About ASCE
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 146,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.