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President’s Awards Presented at DFI Annual Conference

President’s Awards Presented at DFI Annual Conference

DFI President Michael Wysockey, Ph.D., P.E., presented three President’s Awards at a luncheon during the DFI 47th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations in National Harbor on October 6.

Established in 2016, the DFI President’s Awards are given at the discretion of the DFI president to recognize the outstanding contributions and service of DFI members who advance the work of DFI. This year’s awards were presented to:

Paul Axtell, P.E., D.GE, Dan Brown and Associates, is a current DFI trustee and chair of the Drilled Shaft Committee. After being the first technical program chair to oversee a DFI virtual conference (SuperPile ‘20), Axtell served in the same capacity when SuperPile ’22 was held in-person in St. Louis. In addition to his work with the Drilled Shaft Committee, he is the trustee liaison for the Manufacturers, Suppliers and Service Providers Committee. Axtell is a paper reviewer for DFI’s annual conferences, and a frequent speaker/author at DFI events, including this year in Berlin at the DFI-EFFC International Conference on Deep Foundations and Ground Improvement and at SuperPile ’22.

Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero, P.E., Ph.D., American Geotechnical & Environmental Services, is a national and international ambassador as well as a social media influencer for DFI. Lobo-Guerrero served as conference chair for the 2020 Annual Conference held virtually and for the 2022 Annual Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. He is also a contributor, interviewer and interviewee for multiple series of DFI’s podcasts and a member of the joint ADSC-DFI Anchored Earth Retention Committee.

Chris Woods, P.E., G.E., D.GE, LEED AP, BD+C, Densification, was a technical program co-chair for this year’s annual conference. Woods is a regular contributor, interviewer and interviewee for multiple DFI podcasts and a member of the Ground Improvement and Women in Deep Foundations Committees. He is also currently serving as a guest editor for two upcoming special issues of the DFI Journal focused on ground improvement.

About the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI): DFI (www.dfi.org) is an international association of contractors, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, academics and owners in the deep foundations industry. Our multidisciplinary membership creates a consensus voice and a common vision for continual improvement in the planning, design and construction of deep foundations and excavations. We bring together members for networking, education, communication and collaboration. With our members, we promote the advancement of the deep foundations industry through technical committees, educational programs and conferences, publications, research, government relations and outreach. DFI has more than 4,000 members worldwide.