Virtual ACEC Convention Starts on Monday; Buttigieg, DeFazio, and Graves to Take Part

ACEC News / Convention

April 23, 2021

Virtual ACEC Convention Starts on Monday; Buttigieg, DeFazio, and Graves to Take Part

The virtual 2021 ACEC Convention and Legislative Summit starts on Monday, April 26.

Learn more about the Convention, check the event schedule, and register.  

Several national political leaders will appear at the Convention, including U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio and Ranking Member Sam Graves, and Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Chair Tom Carper.

At the opening general session, ACEC President and CEO Linda Bauer Darr will sit down for a “fireside chat” with FOX News’ Chris Wallace. Few journalists have as much experience in national politics as Wallace, who has moderated presidential debates and interviewed a wide range of world figures, from Barack Obama to Vladimir Putin. They’ll talk about the current state of politics and look ahead to what to expect on infrastructure legislation and other issues affecting the engineering industry.

On Tuesday, Jessica O. Matthews, the founder and CEO of Uncharted Power, will share her inspiring story of how her award-winning energy and data infrastructure technology company uses a patented suite of Smart City solutions to provide low-cost power to communities in need around the world. 

And on Wednesday, the ACEC Research Institute will share its findings from three ground-breaking studies into the impact of the engineering industry on the U.S. economy. 

As in past Conventions, a panel of members of Congress will share their thoughts on our industry’s key legislative issues, and a CEO panel will discuss how they are overcoming the challenges of COVID, Culture, and Climate.

There will be CEO roundtables as well as practice-focused roundtables.

The centerpiece of the Annual Convention is always the legislative program. Congress is taking up many key industry issues this year, so we need to make our voices heard. Once again, the ACEC advocacy team will set the table for our legislative agenda during the Convention, but unlike in other years, the lobbying campaign will extend virtually throughout the Spring and Summer months as Congress begins work on its infrastructure agenda. 

Registered attendees will have the opportunity to earn all 18 PDHs available at the Convention through access to on-demand viewing after the event concludes.

Attendees will also be able to connect with other Convention participants through the virtual platform, engage in one-on-one or group networking, and visit the virtual exhibit hall to download content, view product demos, and video chat with dozens of vendor attendees.

All comments to blog posts will be moderated by ACEC staff.