Mary Peters Confirmed As Transportation Secretary Former FHWA Administrator Mary Peters Confirmed as Transportation Secretary. Mary Peters has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate as the nation's new Secretary of Transportation. A strong advocate of transportation infrastructure and a longtime ally of ACEC, Peters, the former Federal Highway Administrator, succeeds Norman Mineta, who retired from the Cabinet position in July. ACEC President Dave Raymond said "Mary Peters is a great friend of our industry and has the passion and experience to tackle the difficult problems facing our nation's transportation system." An Arizona native, Peters was a featured speaker at the ACEC 2003 Fall Conference in Phoenix. During her tenure at FHWA she worked with ACEC on a number of important transportation issues, including the effort against "reverse auctions" for federally-aided highway projects in Minnesota and elsewhere. President Bush said: "Mary is an innovative thinker who will work with state and local leaders to confront challenges and solve problems. I look forward to working with her to reduce highway and aviation congestion, modernize our nation's infrastructure, and increase the efficiency of travel in our country. Her leadership will enable the Department to maintain a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system."

ACEC Helps To Kill Anti-Contractor Provision In Defense Bill ACEC and its industry allies succeeded in removing language from the final version of the F.Y. '07 National Defense Authorization Act that would have made it more difficult for defense agencies to contract with the private sector. The language in question, authored by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), would have required contractors competing against in-house teams of government employees for commercial work to include additional costs that would have put them at a competitive disadvantage. The provision would have required private contractors to use the cost of federal employee retirement benefits in their price submissions, even if their actual costs were much less. ACEC and other organizations were concerned that such a mandate would artificially inflate the costs of proposals submitted for federal contracts, seriously undercutting the value that private contractors, including engineering firms, offer to federal agencies. In a close vote of 50-48, ACEC was also successful in defeating a Senate amendment offered by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) that sought to overturn a contract to a private sector company for work at a veterans medical facility. While the debate centered on a single contract and wasn't specific to engineering, ACEC and its industry allies were concerned that passage of the Mikulski amendment would set a dangerous precedent, opening the door to additional efforts by Congress to overturn valid contracting decisions by a federal agency. Similar language included in the House version of the bill was also removed. "We're pleased with these wins, but we must also continue to remain vigilant," said ACEC President Dave Raymond. "Defeating anti-contractor measures like these will continue to be a major priority for the Council." The final passage of the Defense Authorization bill is expected to be signed soon by the President.

Sixteen Elected To College of Fellows; Two Community Service Winners Announced New inductees of the ACEC College of Fellows are honored during the Awards Luncheon at the Fall Conference in Charleston. Sixteen new members were elected to the ACEC College of Fellows, and two members received awards for outstanding community service during ceremonies at the Fall Conference in Charleston. Ed Mulcahy (left) chairman of the ACEC Past Chairmen Committee presents the 2006 Past Chairmen Award to Dennis Kamber at the Fall Conference. In addition, Dennis Kamber, of ARCADIS, and former chairman of the Engineering Excellence Awards Committee, was presented with the 2006 ACEC Past Chairmen Award. The new Fellows join a prestigious group of more than 300 engineers who have been determined by their peers to have made exemplary contributions to the engineering profession. The Fellows inductees are: Jack Beemer, senior vice president, David Evans & Associates, Bend, Oregon Fred Berger, senior vice president, Louis Berger Group, Washington, D.C. Glenn Bishop, senior principal, LBYD, Inc., Birmingham, Alabama Thomas Burke, vice president, CH2M Hill, Dallas, TX Charles Carlan, president, Hatch Mott MacDonald Florida, Pensacola, Florida Charles Geer, senior vice president, Kimley-Horn and Associates, West Palm Beach, Florida Joe Harman, executive vice president, Professional Engineering Consultants Corporation; Baton Rouge, Louisiana Rod Hoffman, senior vice president, HDR, Denver, Colorado Siamak Kusha, executive vice president, Ayres Associates, Inc., Tampa, Florida Frank Leathers, president, GEI Consultants, Winchester, Massachusetts Orrin B. MacMurray, president and CEO, C&S Engineers, Inc., Syracuse, New York Robert Macomber, CEO, Atwell-Hicks, Inc., Tampa, Florida Ed Parrone, president & CEO, Parrone Engineering, East Rochester, New York Michael Powers, CEO and president, Symmes Maini & McKee Associates, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts Tim Psomas, chairman of the board, Psomas, Newport Beach, California Doug Watson, president and CEO, Wade-Trim Group, Inc., Taylor, Michigan Ray Miller, left, chairman of the Committee of Fellows presents Kenneth Smith, president and CEO of T. Baker Smith, Inc. with the 2006 Community Service Award. The 2006 Community Service Awards—recognizing those who have made a significant impact on the quality of life in their communities—were presented to: Kenneth Smith, president and CEO of T. Baker Smith, Inc., Houma, Louisiana David Morrill, vice president of Alfred Benesch & Company, Chicago, Illinois

Six State Organizations Recognized For 50 Years of Service ACEC Chairman Jeff Daggett presents a commemorative plague to ACEC/New Mexico Executive Director Diane Snyder, National Director Kent Freier and President Steve House at the Fall Conference. ACEC/New Mexico is one of six Member Organizations celebrating 50 years of service this year. Six State Member Organizations were recognized at the Fall Conference for celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year. In presenting the commemorative plagues, ACEC Chairman Jeff Daggett said: "Fifty years of major contributions to our industry is a record of which these Member Organizations can be justly proud. "These organizations go back to the very founding days of the national Consulting Engineers Council, which later, through its merger with the Institute of Consulting Engineers, became the modern ACEC. These members organizations have helped form the bedrock of ACEC." The State Member Organizations are: ACEC/Iowa, represented by President John Bender ACEC/Missouri, represented by Scott Smith, chairman; John Sonderman, chairman-elect, and Ed Mulcahy, past chairman ACEC/New Mexico, represented by President Steve House, National Director Kent Freier, and Executive Director Diane Snyder ACEC/North Dakota, represented by President Lawrence Woodbury ACEC/Washington, represented by President Ralph Boirum ACEC/Wyoming, represented by President Thomas Crump Several other member organizations had celebrated their 50th anniversaries earlier and were recognized at the annual meeting in May.

Congratulations To The Passport Game Winner Gene Hinshaw, of Trabue, Hansen and Hinshaw, Inc., in Columbia, Missouri, shows off a new lap top computer to Nancy Barrette, of the ACEC Retirement Trust, after she drew his name as winner of the Fall Conference Exhibitors’ Passport Program contest.

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