Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Reston, Va. — Sidney O. Dewberry, P.E., L.S., F.ASCE, founding partner and chairman of the board at Dewberry, a professional engineering, architecture and services firm in Fairfax, Va., was recently named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The Society’s highest accolade, active distinguished membership is comprised of approximately only 200 of its 140,000 members worldwide. Dewberry will be presented the award, in honor of his leadership in urban infrastructure development, practices in urban and land development and deep commitment to civil engineering education in the greater Washington area, on October 20-22, 2011, at ASCE’s Annual Civil Engineering Conference in Memphis, Tenn.
Dewberry began his civil engineering career at Greenhorne & O’Mara, a full-service engineering firm. He worked at Greenhorne & O’Mara from 1951 to 1956 as a civil engineer shortly after graduating from George Washington University. Following his employment with Greenhorne & O’Mara, Dewberry went on to become a founding partner of Dewberry, a professional services firm that focuses its services on management planning, engineering, architecture, surveying, mapping and program management. He currently serves as the chairman of the board at Dewberry, a firm with 1,800 employees and 40 offices nationwide.
Dewberry’s membership in professional organizations includes the American Public Works Association, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Virginia Association of Surveyors, the Surveyors Historical Society, the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, Inova Health Systems Foundation Board and the Virginia Business-Higher Education Council. Dewberry has received numerous awards for his lifetime achievements from the Northern Virginia Building Industry, the Engineers and Surveyors Institute, the House of Representatives and Senate Congressional Records. He also received a distinguished alumnus award from his alma mater, George Washington University and the George Mason Medal, the highest award bestowed by George Mason University for his excellence and leadership. He is a registered professional engineer, land surveyor and ASCE Fellow.
His distinguished career is supported by his renowned contributions to the Northern Virginia area. In addition to 55 years of practice with his own firm he continues to leave his mark in civil engineering throughout the country. His love for achieving the highest quality in land development challenges led him to author, The Land Development Handbook, which is currently used as textbooks for students in the engineering education programs at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Virginia Tech and many other colleges and universities. He established the Engineers and Surveyors Institute, which trains local practitioners as well as fosters collaboration with area engineers and their review boards. He was also instrumental in the founding of the Urban Systems Engineering Department at George Mason University, now known as the Department of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering.
Dewberry received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He currently resides in Fairfax, Va.
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 140,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society.
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