By Carol Ellinger Haddock, P.E., MPA, F.ASCE
Former President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, “There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.”
No truer statement can be made for civil engineers and ASCE. As civil engineers, every facet of our work shapes the communities around us. The structures and systems we build require us to work together to ensure they are safely and effectively serving the communities they were made for. And as members of ASCE, we are part of our own unique professional community. We are a global organization, and the very nature of what we represent is togetherness. In fact, it is our vision that engineered and natural systems work in harmony for the benefit of humanity. Harmony. That’s even better than together.
For as long as I can remember, together has been my guiding value. It guided me through childhood, through my first job, and through my growing involvement with ASCE, starting with the Rice University ASCE Student Chapter to now as ASCE president.
Over the past 30 years, I have had the opportunity to see the Society transform and become more unified. When I was elected to the ASCE Board of Direction in 2016, I often saw ASCE represented as a Venn diagram — separate areas with only minimal connection across the organization. I urged Society leaders to begin thinking differently and to see these areas not as separate pieces operating alongside one another, but as parts of a greater whole. Each area has its own expertise and perspectives, but our greatest strength comes when those contributions connect and support one another.
Before I completed my term on the board, we’d already begun moving in that direction by establishing Society directors. That was an important step toward creating greater connection and alignment across the organization. But there are still areas within ASCE where we can come together more fully, and I believe that work remains essential to our future. Now, in my new role as president, it is my personal mission to see that through.
In large organizations, aligning around a common purpose can be challenging. But that alignment is what creates a strong foundation for our organization to thrive. When we understand how our individual ideas and contributions advance that larger purpose, we can act in unison — with one voice, together.
With ASCE2027 just around the corner in March, it is even more important that we recognize and embrace the value of each of our contributions. This opportunity means we can move beyond our individual areas, connect our strengths, and collectively act to advance our shared vision: one team, one purpose, one voice, one ASCE. That is how we create the foundation for ASCE to thrive and how we turn our vision into reality.
I am committed to continuously learning from each of you and doing my best to represent you by listening to your voice and amplifying it at every opportunity. Together, we can accomplish great things. Together means no one has to go it alone. And in being together, each and every one of you is valued. I am honored to serve you as ASCE president for what we can accomplish together.
Carol Ellinger Haddock, P.E., MPA, F.ASCE, is the director of public works and engineering for the city of Baytown, Texas, and the Professor in the Practice in the School of Engineering and Computing at Rice University. Haddock is the 2026-27 ASCE president.
This article first appeared in the November/December 2026 issue of Civil Engineering.
