Daniel J. Deyoung James R. Cagley James M.Kring Edward J. Mulcahy The Board of Directors of ACEC has officially named its officers for 2001-2003. The Tellers Committee has confirmed the four new members of the Executive Committee as follows. Daniel J. DeYoung, President/CEO of DJG, Williamsburg, Virginia, will serve as Chairman-elect in 2001-2002 and as Chairman in 2002-2003. The newly elected Vice Chairmen are James R. Cagley, President, Cagley & Associates, Inc., Rockville, Maryland; James M. Kring, Jr., Executive Vice President, Bartlett & West Engineers, Inc., Topeka, Kansas; and Edward J. Mulcahy, Principal, TranSystems Corporation, Kansas City, Missouri. The officers will begin their terms in May 2001. ACEC Past-president Is Elected Texas Lt. Governor Texas Senator Bill Ratliff, one of the most influential legislators in the state and an ACEC Past-president, was elected acting Lieutenant Governor by the Texas Senate on December 28. Ratliff is a consulting civil engineer with his own firm in Mount Pleasant in northeast Texas. "Senator Ratliff's election to the Lt. Governor's position gives the engineering community new visibility and stature," said ACEC National Director Ray Flemons, President of Bucher Willis Ratliff Corporation in Dallas. "Senator Ratliff is thought of by his colleagues as a problem-solver and a 'go-to guy.' Held in high esteem by both parties in Texas, he is viewed as a person of great personal integrity. This type of exposure ...is a credit to our industry," said Flemons. A member of the Texas Senate since 1988, -------------------------------------------- As an ACEC Past-president and practicing engineer, Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff is the highest-ranking ACEC member in public office.  We are exceedingly proud of him. Arnie Spiess ACEC President Ratliff will succeed former Lt. Gov. Rick Perry, who became governor after George W. Bush, Jr., resigned after becoming President-elect. Ratliff will serve the remaining two years of Perry's term. ACEC Vice President Ron Ewing said, "Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff will bring a unique engineering perspective to Texas State government." In response to Ratliff's election, ACEC President Arnie Spiess commented that "As an ACEC Past-president and practicing engineer, Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff is the highest-ranking ACEC     Bill Ratliff      member in public office. We are exceedingly proud of him." Ratliff authored the 1995 school reform law that revamped the Texas Education Code, beefed up student discipline, and launched the state's charter school program. More recently, he has headed the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which developed the last two state budgets and refined tax cut proposals passed by the legislature. Oklahoma Engineers Help Overhaul ODOT Procedures If your state's DOT asked for advice on updating its contracting procedures, what would you suggest? That's the opportunity now open to Oklahoma's ACEC members, where the Consulting Engineers Council of Oklahoma (CECO) is responding to an invitation from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). CECO is participating actively in ODOT's initiative to completely revamp its procurement process, which the agency acknowledges is cumbersome, time consuming and-in its own words-"deficient at best." ODOT is Oklahoma's largest public agency utilizing professional consulting services and the work is expected to continue increasing. In the months ahead, every phase of selection, from determining needs and listing qualified firms to evaluating performance, maintaining documentation and accountability will be up for review and recommendations by joint CECO/ODOT committees. "This innovative approach to overhauling the process is very impressive," says ACEC Vice President Kenneth White, who serves as ACEC liaison to Oklahoma and recently attended a CECO membership briefing. "They'll be looking to the highly successful Kansas model for guidance," White says, referring to a six-year-old partnering agreement between KDOT and Kansas Consulting Engineers, which is implemented by joint working groups. 2001 "Academy Awards Of Engineering" in DC Join your engineering colleagues at the black-tie gala celebration of ACEC's annual Engineering Excellence Awards. ACEC will host an elegant banquet on March 13 in Washington, DC, in conjunction with Consulting Congress Day, to spotlight the engineering accomplishments of ACEC's member firms. Contact Daisy Nappier (dnappier@acec.org) or Susan Courtney (scourtney@acec.org) at ACEC. Sustainable Development Conference ACEC's Environmental Business Action Coalition (EBAC) will hold its winter conference in Marco Island, FL, Feb. 13-14, 2001. The conference theme, "Business Profiles in Sustainable Development," focuses on the engineering and economics of sustainable development. Keynote speaker Brian Nattrass, co-author of The Natural Step for Business: Wealth, Ecology and the Evolutionary Corporation, will present research on the integration of sustainability practices into both the strategic and day-to-day business operations of some of the most innovative corporations in North America and Europe. This conference will provide tangible evidence of our industry's understanding and support of sustainable development and will include presentations of numerous case studies from around the world. For more information, contact Sumi Singh (ssingh@acec.org) at ACEC. A registration form and summary of speaker abstracts can be found at www.acec.org. ACEC's Popular Business Seminars On February 3-7, 2001, ACEC will offer its most popular seminar, Business of Design Consulting (BDC). In this intensive and comprehensive course, participants can earn 33 Professional Development Hours and also hone their management and operation skills. Under experienced instructors, participants will explore the best practices in consulting engineering, and through group discussions, they will exchange experiences and strategies with peers from around the country. BDC will be conducted at the Crowne Plaza Irvine, Irvine, CA. The registration fee is $1,295/ACEC member, $1,700/non-member. Other upcoming seminars: CEO Retreat - February 25-27, 2001; Consulting Congress Day - March 13-14, 2001; Federal Markets Conference - March 12, 2001. Check ACEC. s web page (www.acec.org) for details. The following editions of the Last Word are available online, to retrieve a particular issue, choose the date from the drop down box below, and click "Go Get It!" December 17, 1999 November 5th, 1999 October 18th, 1999 January 20, 2000 February 7, 2000 March 24, 2000 April 20th, 2000 April 28th, 2000 June 23th, 2000 July 27th, 2000 August 18th, 2000 September 7th, 2000 October 13, 2000 October 20, 2000 November 10, 2000 November 30, 2000 December 19, 2000