ASCE has honored Brian D. McKeehan, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE; Edward W. Stafford, P.E., P.TOE, F.ASCE; and Thomas F. Zimmie, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE, with the 2019 William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award, chosen by President Robin Kemper.
McKeehan is recognized for his leadership in researching and developing a cohesive recommendation for how ASCE may leverage credentialing to advance the profession.
He has held engineering positions in all three project roles – owner, A/E firm and contractor – and managed over $500 million in design and construction in a wide range of markets, including aviation, healthcare, industrial, manufacturing and commercial projects. In civil engineering and construction he has over 30 years of experience.
For most of McKeehan’s career he has specialized in airport development, resulting in significant experience in planning, design and construction management. He has completed projects for numerous airports, among them Indianapolis International, Richmond International, Tampa International, Misawa Air Base (Japan), Dover Air Force Base and Langley Air Force Base. His general contracting and construction management experience boasts a wide range of construction activities, from small remodeling projects to refinery and industrial construction to multimillion-dollar fast-track general construction.
His ASCE involvement has mainly been with the Transportation & Development Institute, and includes president (2015) and chair of the T&DI Administrative Council (2017-2019). At the local level he has been active with the Metropolitan Indianapolis Branch.
Stafford is being honored for his dedicated service to ASCE’s National Concrete Canoe Competition, extending its history and tradition of educating students technically and professionally to be future leaders.
He has been a Public Works Development review manager for the City of Boulder, Colorado, since 2014, after a stint as performance manager coordinator for the City of Arvada, Colorado.
Stafford was ASCE Zone III Practitioner Advisor of the Year for 2003, 2004 and 2005. At the Society level his experience incorporates positions as Past Region 7 Governor, 2010-2017, and Treasurer, 2011-2017, and varied service to the Member Communities Committee, Committee on Accreditation, Committee on the National Concrete Canoe Competition, Task Committee on Student Competitions, ASCE Annual Convention Local Planning Committee, and more.
Locally he was president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of the Colorado Section during 2003-2007, and practitioner advisor for the Colorado School of Mines in 2000-2007. He also volunteered as webmaster for the Colorado/Wyoming Chapter of ITE.
Zimmie is recognized for influencing generations of students as RPI’s Student Chapter Advisor for 39 years and his ability to mesh his consulting experience with academic research, making his teaching especially relevant to his students.
He is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and has been recognized by Marquis “Who’s Who Top Engineers” for dedication, achievements, and leadership in engineering and higher education.
Zimmie is a prominent engineer with specialties in dam safety, physical modeling of blasting and explosions, levees and embankment designs, geosynthetics, sediment transport of rivers and groundwater hydrology, among others. Starting as a staff engineer for the Union Carbide Corporation in 1964, he subsequently served as a professional engineer in Connecticut for four years before serving as a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute in Oslo, Norway. Following this appointment, he was with a number of engineering firms in New York, including Wang and Zimmie Consultants.
He was the acting chair of the department at Rensselaer from 2005 to 2008. Alongside his primary academic endeavors, he has also been the president and chief executive officer of his own engineering firm, Civrotech Engineering, P.C., since 1993. Notably, he has contributed more than 280 articles to professional publications throughout his career.
He is a diplomate of the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists. In light of his exceptional accomplishments in both education and engineering, Zimmie has accrued many accolades, and was honored by ASCE with two Outstanding Service Awards, in 1986 and 1987. He also received the Special Service Award and the Charles Dudley Award from ASTM International in 1980 and 1984, respectively. In 2007, he was awarded by the United States Senate for his contributions to the study of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award recognizes individuals or groups of individuals who are members of ASCE and who have made continuing efforts to promote appreciation for the history, tradition, developments and technical and professional activities of the Society.
