Florida Engineering Society: Congratulations to our 2024 Award Winners

Each year, the Florida Engineering Society (FES) recognizes leaders in our engineering community with a series of individual awards. Selections are made by the FES Awards Committee, and recipients this year were recognized at our annual conference in July.

This year’s award winners include:

2024 Engineer of the Year: Jose L. Acosta, PE

Acosta is the Executive Vice President for Chen Moore and Associates. He served as President of the Miami Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society in 2022 and 2023 and currently serves as Florida Chair for the ACEC/PAC.

Acosta is known for his hundreds of successful Florida public and private civil engineering utility, municipal and land development projects as a Senior Engineer and Engineer of Record.

Young Engineer of the Year: Enit Medina, PE

Medina brings 11 years of engineering expertise to her role as Project Engineer at Halley Engineering and Contractors. She focuses on conventional, design-build and cost-saving initiatives, delivering outstanding results throughout her career.

During her tenure, she has also distinguished herself in maintenance of traffic and large design-build contracts, showcasing her exceptional technical and management skills. Her proficiency extends to successfully completing designs for a diverse array of transportation projects in South Florida.

Outstanding Service to the Engineering Profession Award: Carnot W. Evans, PE

A Senior Project Manager with Dewberry, Evans has 19 years of experience in delivering program management services for transportation agencies and managing a wide range of roadway and transit projects. During his career, he has worked on a variety of transportation projects for local, state and federal clients across six states.

Evans currently serves as the Deputy Program Manager for the General Engineering Consultant to the Central Florida Expressway Authority. He is responsible for managing several complex design and construction projects and helping DFX deliver on its $4.17 billion Five-Year Work Plan.

Outstanding Technical Achievement Award: Christopher Frank, PE

One of two award winners, Frank understands the importance of combining sound engineering with local community needs while producing innovative, clear and thorough construction plans to ensure successful project delivery. During his 23 years in the transportation engineering industry, he has taken multiple transportation projects from the PD&E study phase, through design optimization, and supported them through final construction.

He serves as President of the FES Central Florida Chapter board and is a graduate of the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute Class of 2024.

Outstanding Technical Achievement Award: Dana Gillette, PE

Gillette is a Principal Associate at Erdman Anthony, bringing over 30 years of experience as a civil engineer and land surveyor in Florida. She has designed numerous projects for both public and private clients.

In 1995, she founded Crossroads Engineering and Surveying, serving as president until its merger with Erdman Anthony in 2004. At Erdman Anthony, Gillette continues to lead the civil engineering efforts for the firm’s Florida operations.

ENGINEERS DESIGNATED AS 2024 FELLOW MEMBERS

FES Fellow memberships are awarded to PE members in recognition of their high character and distinguished achievements. It is given to those members who best exemplify the ideal image of the Professional Engineer. It is desirable that the candidate has a well-rounded record of achievement in education, employment, and professional and public service activities. This year’s FES Fellow Memberships are awarded to:

Rick Acree, PE

Acree has 30 years of experience as a Geotechnical Engineer and has worked on hundreds of local municipal, Florida Department of Transportation, private sector and commercial projects throughout the state. He is currently a Senior Principal and Vice President at Terracon.

He has been active with the ACEC Florida Transportation Committee since 2002 and is the incoming President of the ACEC Florida Executive Board.

Gustavo Quesada, PE

With a focus on transportation infrastructure, Quesada has more than 30 years of diversified technical experience in the capacity of a consulting engineer, construction manager and program manager for major construction projects. He is an equity partner with BCC Engineering, LLC., where he supports growth and development in his industry.

Engineering Faculty Member of the Year: Carlos M. Chang, PhD, PE, Florida International University

Chang is recognized as a global expert on infrastructure specializing in pavements and bridges. His research focusses on innovative concepts, methodologies and practical tools for engineering and management applications.

He has led more than 30 projects, and his academic work is documented in over 200 publications. Driven by a passion for education, Change has developed an extensive teaching portfolio with more than 20 courses. He is committed to integrating cutting-edge research with engineering best practices to sustain infrastructure systems.