Jacqueline S. Pettway, P.E., PMP, F.ASCE, a civil engineer with over 30 years of experience dedicated to supporting military and civil works projects, has been named a fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Pettway has a background in computational fluid dynamics and informatics, and she has focused her career on collaborating with teams to address complex challenges in navigation, water resources infrastructure, coastal structures, and waterborne transportation. Currently, she helps guide a dedicated workforce of 452 federal employees and 200 contractors, supporting a $639 million annual program for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to enhance national infrastructure and engineering capabilities.
Throughout her tenure, Pettway has prioritized partnerships to expand USACE’s ability to serve its customers. She supported the establishment of a $5 million water resources infrastructure program that relies on the shared efforts of six Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) laboratories, 19 agencies, and 17 academic partners. She has also been a strong advocate for workplace enhancement and employee growth.
Her collaborative approach extends to policy development and scientific research. While serving as a Navigation Specialist with USACE Headquarters, she worked closely with stakeholders to update the Major Maintenance and Major Rehabilitation policy, helping to streamline project execution and improve operational efficiency across the USACE portfolio. Additionally, she continues to contribute to the scientific community by reviewing and advising on over 240 technical documents covering vital areas from flood risk management to regional sediment management and aquatic nuisance species.
Deeply committed to education and mentorship, Pettway actively supports the professional growth of the next generation of engineers. Recognizing a critical need for specialized training, she serves as an instructor for USACE PROSPECT workshops and has played a key role on the ASCE Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute (COPRI) Task Committee on Navigation Engineering Education. In this capacity she worked alongside multiple agencies and academic institutions to help develop a comprehensive, standardized navigation engineering curriculum, ensuring future engineers are equipped with the skills needed to manage complex infrastructure.
Further expanding her impact on education, Pettway serves as an adjunct faculty member in the civil engineering department at Mississippi State University. She has dedicated herself to developing rigorous graduate-level curricula, teaching courses in waterborne transportation engineering, multimodal transportation, sedimentation engineering, and hydromechanics, while advising graduate candidates.
Pettway’s dedication to the broader engineering community is also reflected in her service with ASCE, where she has held roles including governor at-large for Region 5, director and president for the MS Section and Vicksburg Branch, MS Section chair of the Katrina Recovery Advisory Committee and Hydraulic Technical Committee, and president-elect and secretary of the Vicksburg Branch. She has served as judge and mentor for the Army Educational Outreach Program eCYBERMISSION and local Engineer’s Week and science fair events.
