Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Reston, Va. — The American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) has announced that Joseph A. (Bud) Ahearn, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, NAE, NAC, Maj. Gen. US Air Force (ret.), is the recipient the 2011 Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) award for lifetime achievement in government.
During his 34 years with the U.S. Air Force, Ahearn rose to the rank of major general. As the senior Air Force Civil Engineer he directed the Air Force’s annual $10 billion worldwide development program, strengthening war readiness, reducing costs, improving quality and increasing efficiency. Ahearn’s service career included assignments as a project manager accelerating construction of Atlas, Titan and Minuteman ICBM complexes to close the missile gap with the Soviet Union; the NATO civil engineering program manager for the weapons systems build up that ended the Cold War; and the Air Force civil engineering program manager for Operation Desert Storm He also developed the strategy and directed the Air Force environmental stewardship program which included the clean-up of contaminated sites, natural resource protection, and energy conservation.
Following his military service, Ahearn utilized his leadership skills in his career with CH2M HILL, which included appointments as regional manager, president of the Transportation Business Group and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Ahearn has served as national president of the Society of American Military Engineers. In 2005 he was inducted into the National Academy of Construction and in 2010 he was elected into the National Academy of Engineers. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in engineering administration from Syracuse University. He is a resident of Greenwood Village, Colorado.
Established in 1999, the OPAL awards recognize individuals for life-long contributions, accomplishments and achievements that have made significant differences in five areas of civil engineering: construction, design, education, government and management. The awards will presented at the annual OPAL gala on March 31, 2011. Recipients in the four other categories include:
- Construction—Kris R. Nielsen, Ph.D.
- Design—William F. Baker, Jr., P.E., F.ASCE
- Education—Col. Stephen J. Ressler, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE
- Management—Gregs Thomopulos, P.E., F.ASCE
More information about the OPALs is available at: http://www.asce.org/Content.aspx?id=2147488985. For press passes, please contact ljohnson@asce.org.
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 144,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.
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