From a logistical standpoint alone, it was a new-look autumn meeting for the ASCE Board of Direction. No convention this year meant no offsite locale. Instead, ASCE headquarters in Reston, Virginia, hosted the board meeting, and this year it was connected to the annual business meeting, a reception for incoming President Carol Haddock, incoming leader orientation, board orientation, and the two-day Presidents and Governors Forum.
All very different than the usual fall ASCE schedule. But truth be told, the scheduling details were the least of the newness happening at the board meeting. This was a weekend for organizational transformation as Society leadership continues to position ASCE members to lead amid an ever-shifting civil engineering landscape.
One ASCE
The board made a tremendous show of support of “One ASCE: Simplified, Aligned, Strategic,” a new organization-wide approach to maximizing the member experience and growing member value on every level.
“This is really an all-encompassing look at the whole organization,” said 2026 ASCE President Marsha Anderson Bomar, who helmed the October meeting. “We want to find different ways to streamline processes so we can make decisions more promptly and more strategically. It’s a very exciting realignment for us.”
The board voted in support to invest in One ASCE in five key areas:
- A governance transformation across the organization
- A new content management strategy across the organization
- A staffing structure analysis
- A streamlined budget process
- A commitment to continue the unified annual ASCE event in 2030 and beyond
“It’s all about our members,” Anderson Bomar said. “In our One ASCE journey, we’re developing a long-term strategy to make sure we are serving our members the best that we can.”
AI RACE
ASCE has launched a new initiative to lead the responsible use of artificial intelligence in civil engineering. AI Roadmap for Application in Civil Engineering, or AI RACE, was developed by a cross-disciplinary team across ASCE technical groups (a great early example of One ASCE concepts in practice) as a practical framework for the industry.
“We have to establish our place in the AI world – how is AI affecting civil engineering but also how is civil engineering interacting with AI,” Anderson Bomar said. “It’s essential that we make clear the responsibility of civil engineers with this new technology. It’s the beginning of a journey, and we are the trusted experts.”
ASCE2027
The board also received updates on ASCE2027: The Infrastructure and Engineering Experience, a new kind of civil engineering event reflecting changing times.
The event responds to the increasingly multidisciplinary practice of civil engineers, while also bringing together the deep-dive, discipline-focused technical content associated with ASCE’s technical institute conferences. Registration is now open for ASCE2027, scheduled for March 1-5, in Philadelphia, with a full suite of keynotes now officially announced: Ryan Leak, Liz Bohannon, Jake Bittle, David Macaulay, and Sheri Jacobs.
Early-bird pricing closes Nov. 16.
New officers
The autumn board meeting also meant (often tears-inducing) farewells to outgoing board members completing their three-year terms and the introduction of the new class of directors.
Outgoing:
Society Director (At-Large) – Isamar Escobar, P.E., M.ASCE
Society Director (Technical Region) – LeAnne Napolillo, P.E., F.ASCE
Society Director (Region 1) – Bradley A. Kubiak, P.E., M.ASCE
Society Director (Region 5) – Sarah Matin, P.E., M.ASCE
Society Director (Region 9) – Yazdan T. Emrani, P.E., M.ASCE
Society Treasurer – Mario Ricozzi, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE
Incoming:
Society Director (At-Large) – Lauren Swett, P.E., F.ASCE
Society Director (Technical Region) – Shirley E. Clark, Ph.D., P.E., BC.WRE, ENV SP, F.EWRI, F.ASCE
Society Director (Region 1) – Danielle H. Spicer, P.E., LEED AP, ENV SP, M.ASCE
Society Director (Region 5 ) – Anthony L. Palmer, P.E., M.ASCE
Society Director (Region 9) – Jeffrey M. Cooper, P.E., M.ASCE
Society Treasurer – Ken R. Mika, P.E., BC.GE, F.ASCE
Society Assistant Treasurer – Isamar Escobar, P.E., M.ASCE
“The opportunity to serve the members of ASCE, to represent ASCE, and all that comes with it in the role of president – I am beyond grateful,” said Anderson Bomar from the stage as she officially completed her presidency. “My life has been enriched, and I hope that the touches that I have made are forever touches, and that the members that I've had a chance to meet become lifelong members, as many of you are, with this great organization.”
