Innovation and leadership programs elevated to society-level activities

Reston, Va.—As part of ongoing efforts to better align the Society’s structure to achieve its strategic goals, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Board of Direction voted at its July meeting to support a recommendation from the Civil Engineering Forum for Innovation (CEFI) to dissolve the separately governed, 501(c)3 organization and integrate CEFI’s leadership and innovation programs into the Society’s operations.

Citing the benefits of streamlining efficiency and eliminating additional layers of administration, CEFI leaders recommended aligning CEFI programs within the ASCE organizational structure.

"This is an important strategic decision that is good for CEFI, for ASCE and ultimately for the civil engineering profession," says Ed Richardson, P.E., M.ASCE, chair of the CEFI Board of Directors and Vice President of The Bechtel Corporation. "We are delighted that the ASCE Board accepted our recommendations and agreed to support the key functions of promoting innovation and engaging industry leaders."

Initially, ASCE will develop an advisory board to engage senior industry leaders, drawing on the successes of both CEFI and its predecessor, the Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF), via its Corporate Advisory Board. This initiative is envisioned as a key component in addressing ASCE’s strategic goal to more fully engage industry leaders in professional issues.
Both the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation and the Henry L. Michel Award for Industry Advancement of Research, presented in recent years at ASCE’s OPAL gala, will now be administered by ASCE, elevating the focus on innovation and leadership within ASCE’s portfolio of national awards.

ASCE will maximize its efforts to foster and promote civil engineering innovation through an Innovation Fund, which will focus on strengthening project productivity, performance, and quality through innovative practices and creative solutions to infrastructure challenges.

"ASCE has been working hard to streamline its operations to better achieve our strategic goals," said ASCE President David G. Mongan, P.E., F.ASCE. "We fully support the recommendations from the CEFI Board, which are a significant step toward engaging industry leaders and advancing innovation."