Richard Lee Baker, P.E., F.ASCE, a civil engineer with more than 44 years of experience, has been named a Fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Baker, after retiring in 2011, established Baker Engineering Services Inc., Consulting Engineers, a company that focuses on utility inspection and construction management. As president, Baker directs personnel, manages daily business operations, generates business through client interactions, and reviews proposals for future contracts. He has secured Baltimore City and Maryland Department of Transportation certifications required for contract participation.
Before this, Baker worked for Baltimore City Department of Transportation for 34 years and Delon Hampton & Associates, Chartered for two years. At Delon Hampton, he was a project engineer who designed highway and airport pavement and drainage systems. He participated in infiltration/inflow and environmental studies and sanitary systems. He assisted in the preparation of construction plans, specifications, and cost estimations.
Baker is a Life Member of ASCE whose involvement with the Society began with the Student Chapter at Howard University, for which he served as both president and vice president. While in graduate school at the University of Maryland, College Park, he was a member of ASCE’s National Chapter.
He was the first African American licensed professional engineer for the City of Baltimore. He has served in various positions there, including assistant chief of the Design and Construction Department of the Interstate Division; section chief of the Traffic Engineering Division–Signal, Lighting, and Conduit Section; deputy division chief of the Conduit Division; and division chief and acting division chief of the Conduit Division. With the Interstate Division, he was involved with the construction of the I-95 and Fort McHenry Tunnel through Baltimore City.
In 1988, he was featured in an article in US Black Engineer magazine, and in 2003 he helped oversee the reconstruction of the Citywide Traffic signal system, which led to the City’s upgraded Traffic Management Center.
Baker earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Howard University and his M.S. in civil engineering with a focus on traffic engineering from the University of Maryland.
