Distinguished Member Dennis M. Kamber, who oversaw the design and construction of the Hurricane Storm Damage Risk Reduction System for New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, has died at 76.
As senior vice president of global water management for ARCADIS U.S. Inc. since 2003, Kamber, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the development, design, and construction oversight of the hurricane system, which has been honored with several domestic and international awards. Kamber was recognized by Engineering News-Record as a Top 25 Newsmaker for his contributions.
At ARCADIS Kamber was noted for his creativity and future vision. He oversaw development of Boston Harbor, Deer Island’s $3.5 billion wastewater facilities; managed the Chicago Department of Water’s capital program for years; served as principal civil engineer of the now-Capitol One Arena in Washington, DC; and provided hydrologic and hydraulic analysis for portions of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
While president of the Consulting Engineers Council of Metropolitan Washington, DC, he initiated Students Engaged in Engineering, which exposed middle school students to engineering. He served as chairman on numerous technical committees and educational and civic boards, and led a campaign that raised more than $2 million for a new building for the Salvation Army of Montgomery County, MD.
Kamber was also honored with the ARCADIS International Innovation Award and the George Schroepfer Medal (Water Environment Federation). The Virginia Tech College of Engineering graduate endowed an engineering scholarship in his name, and was inducted into the school’s Academy of Engineering Excellence. He was known for a lifelong love of horses.
