10 QUESTIONS WITH JANNINE MILLER

GDOT Director of Planning Jannine Miller plays a major role in Georgia’s transportation present and future, given that she also serves as executive director of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority, and the State Road and Tollway Authority. This Q&A has been edited for space and clarity.

1. YOU’VE WORKED IN PLANNING AND LOGISTICS FOR MUCH OF YOUR CAREER, BUT WHAT LED YOU SPECIFICALLY TO THE AREA OF TRANSPORTATION?

I've always been passionate about transportation, even from when I was a kid. I played with Matchbox cars instead of Barbies. When I was given a big white sheet of paper to draw on, I didn't draw flowers or buildings—I drew a street network. I think it was like third grade, and the teacher told us to create a diorama, this little physical thing with artwork. I chose Lombard Street, that squiggly street in San Francisco. I was just this way from when I was a kid.

2. HOW DOES WORKING IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IMPACT THE WAY YOU SEE ISSUES LIKE COMMUTING, TRAFFIC AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS EVERYBODY HAS TO DEAL WITH EVERY TIME THEY DRIVE TO WORK?

We have a good vantage point here from the 22nd floor down overlooking the Downtown Connector, and it looks very different hundreds of feet above than it does when you're in it. And that's what I'm constantly reminding myself about the work we do up here. How do we make sure it matters and impacts commuters, drivers, and transit riders in their every day? Because infrastructure takes a long time to design and permit and build. What can we do today that makes their time more efficient on our roadways on in our transportation network? We're supporting things from here wherever we can. From a funding standpoint, we’re deploying more technology out there. GDOT has a program called SIGOPS that enables cars with onboard units to hit green lights all the way if you slow down to like 42 miles an hour, rather than gunning it at 50 to make the next green light. It also gives first responders and transit vehicles the ability to tell those signals, ‘I'm coming up. Give me the green.’ These are big, ethereal things that we have to invest in, but I want to bring as much of that as we can into the real world.

3. YOU’VE WORKED IN TWO WHITE HOUSE CABINET AGENCIES, AGRICULTURE AND TRANSPORTATION. WHAT DID YOU TAKE FROM THOSE EXPERIENCES?

The biggest thing was the importance of Congress and the importance of the career staff. In reality, Washington works because there are career staff who keep the machine going and keep us on the rules, no matter what the political winds are. There’s a real appreciation for them, but also for Congress, because those Congressional representatives, mainly on the House side, but also at the Senate, they listen to their constituents back at home. They're not up there making random decisions. They are in touch with their constituents at home and help the agencies understand how to do their jobs better. And USDA does more in transportation than you would imagine because there's not anything we eat today that did not in some way get along that supply chain by truck.

4. DO YOU HAVE ANYONE YOU WOULD CONSIDER A MENTOR, AND WHAT INFLUENCE DID THEY HAVE ON YOU?

There are many mentors, and two stand out. There’s then-Governor, then-Secretary, and now Chancellor Sonny Perdue. He has a passion for government working well and an ability to figure out how to do that and get the right people in place to do that. I learned a lot from being on his teams because that's a passion of mine, too. And another is Dick Anderson, the chief operating officer at Fulton County. Dick was head of GRTA when I was at the governor's office, and he also worked in D.C. as the COO of the Fed for a couple of years. He’s a retired executive from corporate America who wanted to get into public service and give back, so he has decades of business experience I’ve been able to download and get inspired by.

5. DO YOU HAVE ANY FREE TIME? AND IF SO, HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND IT?

I do have free time. First, it's always the dogs, right? Spending time with the dogs and taking them for a walk is relaxing like nothing else. But I also love to spend time with my mom, who now lives closer to me than she has in a long time, and to play tennis.

6. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE RECENT BOOK THAT YOU'VE READ?

One book that I really love is called “An Empire of Wealth” by John Steele Gordon. I love history, and it's about America's history through an economic lens. And not just banks but also agriculture and transportation and the Industrial Revolution. It's just fascinating. It’s one of my favorites.

7. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE, AND HOW WAS IT FORMED?

A balance of flexibility and clarity. I know I don't know it all, and I'm not going to be the one to do it all. I'm just a leader among great people, communicating with each other and making sure we're all doing great things as best we can and setting up those structures so that there is certainty and clarity of purpose. Things that need to be done are priorities. It is all about hiring the right people and getting them in the right direction. As (author) Jim Collins would say, it’s getting the right people on the bus.

8. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEBODY INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN PLANNING OR LOGISTICS?

It's exciting—if you have patience and are ready to be both analytic and a people person. You have to be able to do both to grow in this now. Don't get me wrong. I have people who are just data folks. And you know it's not their forte to interact with elected officials or local transportation staff. There’s plenty of work that we need that’s just analytics. And there are plenty of folks who aren't great at analytics but are really good at interpersonal communications and making sure everyone's brought in the circle. They're both critical. But if you want to succeed and grow into leadership in planning, you want to have the ability to do both.

9. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGE FACING GEORGIA TODAY?

Commute patterns have changed so much. And with so much growth and so many people moving to Atlanta, our challenge is to try to understand what's going on and provide options for them. One thing we're doing over at ATL, for instance, is taking a renewed look at our express commuter bus service. Ridership is much lower than it was before the pandemic. But it's not because there aren’t commutes happening. There is that demand out there; it's just not where and when it used to be. We're taking a new look at providing new options to commuters.

10. WHAT WILL TRANSPORTATION IN GEORGIA LOOK LIKE 20 YEARS FROM NOW?

I think the biggest thing in the future is how we, as owners and operators of infrastructure, help support autonomous vehicles. Right now, we’re at best Level 2, as they call it, where there’s some driver assistance. There’s some testing on Level 3, where you can have your hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals but not eyes off the road. How do we get to Level 5 (full autonomy), and in a 20-year timeframe, what can we do on the infrastructure side to support OEMs and to support the operation of that autonomy? How do we ensure field data is reliable? How do we make roadways uniform and predictable enough for the artificial intelligence to process it, and process it in a split second? That's a big challenge for us. A

JULIE SECRIST, PE, M. ASCE

Red

Stone Group Development & Engineering, LLC

ASCE Georgia President www.ascega.org

ASCE GEORGIA HIGHLIGHT: GEORGIA ENGINEERING AWARDS

The Georgia Section of ASCE puts great emphasis on promoting the profession and recognizing our great civil engineers who go above and beyond protecting the public welfare, delivering exceptional projects, and inspiring younger generations with their dynamic leadership and careers. For this year’s Georgia Engineering Awards, ASCE members were recognized with 10 of the 11 coveted honors. Read more about several of our distinguished winners below.

Lifetime Achievement in Engineering: Dr. Raphael

L. Bras, PE, F. ASCE

Dr. Bras’ many accolades and accomplishments are the epitome of a career that exemplifies the ASCE mission to sustainably advance and protect the health, safety, and welfare of all. As a Georgia Tech professor in both the Schools of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, he is an accomplished practicing engineer and an advisor to many government and private institutions, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and both the National Academies of Science and Engineering (NAS and NAE).

Dr. Bras’ career also includes positively impacting many students directly through professorships at MIT, UC Irvine and Georgia Tech, where he now holds the K. Harrison Brown Family Chair. He was also the former provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Overall Engineer of the Year: Jeffrey Chiu, PE, S.E., F.ASCE, JD

Jeffrey Chiu is an expert in structural design and civil and military construction administration involving bridges, roads, and site development of a variety of building types. His education in civil engineering is complemented with law and business degrees. In addition, his experience and dedication to civil engineering allow him opportunities to be widely known and appreciated as an advocate with state and Congressional legislators.

Mr. Chiu is an exceptional advocate of civil engineering infrastructure. He substantially contributed to the ASCE Georgia Infrastructure Report Card which is a significant influence on the passage of Georgia transportation investment acts that have reinvigorated the safe and economical replacement and construction of infrastructure. His advocacy includes testimony before the Georgia Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee and ASCE and Civil Air Patrol fly-ins into Washington, DC.

Engineer of the Year in Education: Mi Geum Chorzepa, PhD, PE, M.ASCE

Currently a tenured Associate Professor of Civil Engineering in the College of Engineering at UGA, Chorzepa was one of the original faculty that created the College of Engineering and the Civil Engineering program starting in 2012. In her career, Dr. Chorzepa has advanced the engineering profession in extraordinary ways as follows.

Dr. Chorzepa’s accomplishments in research and curriculum development demonstrate that diversity is a key to innovation and excellence. Her research productivity, especially journal publications, working with her diverse group of students, has been exceptionally impactful. Dr. Chorzepa has successfully completed 14 states department of transportation and Federal Highway Administration projects and accompanying technical reports and published a notable 39 peer-reviewed journal articles within the last 5 years.

Engineer of the Year in Government: Bobby Sauer, PE, M. ASCE

Mr. Sauer has enjoyed a distinguished career in civil engineering for over twenty years. He is a Georgia Tech graduate and his technical engineering skills have been demonstrated on numerous occasions in the government and private sector.

Mr. Sauer’s extensive engineering practice expertise prepared him to excel in his current role at the Georgia Environmental Protection Division where he is involved in dam safety and compliance. Bobby’s involvement working in this program has been integral to EPD’s environmental protection mission.

Engineer of the Year in Industry: Steve Poole, PE, M. ASCE

Mr. Poole provides expert consultation for those constructing bridge spans and other engineering needs in Georgia, Alabama and the construction industry that supports developers, state departments of transportation, and local governments. Critically he has become the "go to" emergency response engineer when slopes fail during and after construction.

Steve’s service with ASCE and Georgia Engineering Foundation shows genuine passion and commitment for promoting the profession of engineering and future generations of engineers. He enjoys his work as his excitement is contagious in all he shares, whether in conversation or a technical training course.

Young Engineer of the Year: Raj Anand, PE, M.ASCE

Mr. Anand is highly respected for his vast contributions to the industry and his technical expertise in bridge design, structural design and advanced structural analysis. He also exhibits great dedication to the advancement and promotion of the profession of engineering. Within ASCE, he has shown great leadership in instances where it was greatly needed – stepping in last minute to give presentations, taking on tasks without needing to be asked, and proactively offering guidance on difficult issues. Raj works tirelessly to drive the ASCE Younger Member Group, volunteering for K-12 STEM Outreach programs, College Outreach and various other capacities within the Georgia ASCE Section.

SARAH BLACKBURN, PE

Gresham,

ASHE

Smith and Partners

Georgia President

www.georgia.ashe.pro

JOIN US FOR THE 2023 ASHE NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA THIS JUNE!

ASHE Georgia is honored to host the 2023 ASHE National Conference from June 7-11, 2023! The National Conference is expected to attract public and private sector transportation professionals, vendors, contractors, and guests from across the country and will provide a forum for networking and education on topics relevant to the transportation industry. The agenda is filled with informative technical sessions, social events, and plenty of networking opportunities. Registration is now open – visit 2023conference.ashe.pro to sign-up!

Hotel Details

• The Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel and Convention Center | 2450 Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339

• The hotel is located adjacent to “The Battery Atlanta,” home of the 2022 World Series Champions – the Atlanta Braves – and the location of a world-class live-work-play development. Throughout the conference, be sure to enjoy the daytime shopping, dining, and entertainment options of this area.

• Last day to book to take advantage of the $169/night special group rate is May 24 (hurry, rooms are filling fast!)

Guest Tours

We’ve got a full line-up of guest tours and activities to keep you busy, including:

• Atlanta City Passes – Provides access to the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Zoo Atlanta, College Football Hall of Fame, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

• Eastside Atlanta Segway Tour

• Atlanta History Center Tour

• Buckhead Village Shopping District Outing

• Sope Creek Hike and History of the Paper Mill

• Tour of Three Local Breweries

• Fishing and Wake Boarding on Lake Lanier

• Atlanta Botanical Gardens Tour

Schedule Highlights

Thursday, June 8

• Annual Golf Tournament at Brookstone Golf & Country Club

• Welcome Reception and Ice Breaker with Exhibitors

Friday, June 9

• Opening Session with Keynote Speaker, technical sessions

• Luncheon honoring Past Presidents with Project of the Year awards and Person of the Year award

• Atlanta Braves/Washington Nationals Game with Pre-Game Tailgate Party

Saturday, June 10

• Technical Tour

• President’s Reception

• Annual ASHE Banquet followed by festive entertainment including casino games

THANKS TO OUR HALL OF FAME SPONSOR!

Sponsorship, advertising, and exhibitor options are available – learn more at 2023conference.ashe.pro!

CHRISTINA BARRY, PE GDOT GAITE President president@gaite.org

IT HAS BEEN A BUSY START TO THE YEAR FOR GAITE!

For our February Meeting, we went out to the movies and had our first-ever meeting at Movie Tavern, where we saw a private screening of TED talks about leadership. Following that, our March Meeting was at Mary Mac’s where we heard an update from GDOT Office of Planning. Did you know ITE membership is free for planners this year? Please, tell all your friends! Additionally, we held the makeup for our 2022 annual golf tournament at Smoke Rise Country Club on January 16th (previously scheduled on November 11th but postponed due to rain).

On March 5-6, we had our annual Georgia ITE/ASHE Transportation Winter Workshop in Augusta, Georgia. Nearly 200 people attended the two-day program featuring a group project and a keynote address from Andrew Heath, GDOT Deputy Chief Engineer. There was also a full schedule of technical sessions as well as a Sunday night social event.

Also, in March, the Southern District ITE Meeting returns to Georgia and will be hosted in Savannah on March 19th-22nd. The technical program and ABD event at Vic’s on the River have been set. It looks to be a great conference. Let’s cheer on the Georgia Tech Traffic Bowl team!

Looking forward, we have a full calendar. Our April Monthly meeting is planned for Thursday, April 20th, at Georgia Tech. Preparations are also underway for our annual Summer Seminar. The conference will be held July 16 – 19 at the King and Prince in St. Simon’s Island. The theme for this year’s conference is “Oh the Places We Will Go.”

GAITE runs mentorship and leadership programs in alternating years. In 2023 our leadership program returns. This is a great opportunity for young professionals to receive training geared towards preparing them to be future leaders in the industry.

If you would like to be a part of Georgia ITE, please see our website at: gaite.org/join.php for information on how to join. When you join ITE international, you are automatically added as a member of your local section. Members receive discounts on our monthly meetings and events and have the opportunity to serve on our various committees.

CAPT JOHN PRIEN, CEC,

USN (RET)

The Clorox Company

GEF President

john.prien@clorox.com www.gefinc.org

GEF AWARDS $100,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

As part of 2023 National Engineers Week GEF presented a total of $100,000 in scholarships to 56 future engineers (53 undergraduates and 3 graduate students) from 18 different ABET accredited engineering disciplines at Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Georgia Southern, Mercer, and Savannah State University. Our program hosts Peyton Lingle PE (Scholarship Chair) and Andrew Farmer PE (Secretary) highlighted an entertaining evening! Our largest scholarship presentation winners are listed below:

60% of this year’s scholarships were funded by member societies and engineering firms and the remaining 40% were funded by individual benefactors and established endowments. We recognize and thank them for their continued support of GEF.

(on the right) Highlights of our 2023 awardees, our society and member firms, benefactors, and endowments as well as board members who have prioritized the education of future Georgia Engineers!

If you are interested in providing a scholarship or endowment, or volunteering to serve, please reach out to us at president@gefinc.org

GRAHAM S. SIZEMORE, E.I.T.

Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood

GSPE President

graham.sizemore@gmcnetwork.com www.gspe.org

• GSPE lifetime Achievement in Engineering

– Dr. Rafael Bras, PE

• GSPE Engineer of the Year – Jeffery Chiu, PE

• GSPE Engineer of the Year in Construction

– Jeremiah Haswell, PE

• GSPE Engineer of the Year in Education

– Dr. Mi Geum Chorzepa, PE

• GSPE Engineer of the Year in Government

– Bobby Sauer, PE

• GSPE Engineer of the Year in Industry

– Steve Poole, PE

• GSPE Engineer of the Year in Private Practice – Ralph Forbes, PE

• GSPE Young Engineer of the Year

– Raj Anand, PE

• GSPE Engineering Student of the Year

– Zoe Zhang

The Professional Engineers Conference (PE CON) is a national conference hosted by NSPE. This year’s conference will be hosted in Louisville, KY at the Hyatt Regency. PE CON provides an opportunity to build your network of multidisciplined Professional Engineers across the country, advance your career by learning new skills and preparing for future developments in the industry, gain PDHs, advocate for the profession and licensure, and access specialized content from experts in various fields discussing current issues and trends impacting the profession. Information on PE CON and registration information can be found @ www.nspecon.org Sign up today!

Ejcdc Contract Documents

MathCOUNTS, put on in Georgia through the Georgia MathCOUNTS Foundation (GMF), recently held the statewide competition on March 13, 2023. MathCOUNTS is a national program that has four levels of competition – school, chapter, state, and national where middle school students compete through four rounds – sprint, target, team, and countdown. The top four students from each chapter competition advance to the statewide competition. The top students from the state competition then advance to the national tournament. GSPE and NSPE alike have been longtime supporters of MathCOUNTS. Thank you to all the volunteers, coaches, and chapter coordinators who help make this a success!

Engineer Of The Year Awards

The 2023 Georgia Engineering Awards were recently held at the Cobb Galleria Centre where the 2023 Engineer of the Year (EOY) Awards were presented by GSPE. Each year, GSPE solicits applications for the EOY awards and an independent board selects the winners from the applications received in areas across engineering. Congratulations to our 2023 winners and thank you for your contributions to the engineering field in Georgia!

• GSPE Engineering Technology Student of the Year – Alexandria Jenkins

• GSPE Engineering Employer of the Year (Small Business) – M.E. Sack Engineering

• GSPE Engineering Employer of the Year (Large Business) – United Consulting

• Engineering Organization Volunteer of the Year – Kate Kelly, EIT (nominated by ASCE)

Georgia Engineering Foundation Scholarship

Each year, the Georgia Engineering Foundation provides a college scholarship to Georgia students preparing for a career in engineering or engineering technology. GSPE has been a longtime supporter of the scholarship, and continues to partner with GEF to provide this important scholarship helping advance the next generation of engineers by providing opportunities to enter the field. In 2022, GEF awarded $119,500 worth of scholarships to 59 selected Engineering students from across the State of Georgia. This is the largest total award and number of students since GEF’s inception in 1971! Thank you to GEF and all other supporting organizations and generous donors that help make this a reality each year! Be on the lookout for upcoming 2024 applications and 2023 award announcement! More information on GEF can be found @ gefinc.org

The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee® (EJCDC®) develops and updates fair and objective standard documents that represent the latest and best thinking in contractual relations between all parties involved in engineering design and construction projects.

• Created and peer-reviewed by experienced industry experts

• Reduced conflict and litigation

• Balanced and fair provisions

• User-friendly and easily customizable EJCDC® documents conform to recognized organizational format (CSI MasterFormat). They have been tested over decades of use and interpreted in courts of various jurisdictions. EJCDC® documents reduce the potential for errors, omissions, redundancies, or conflicts in construction docs. All documents are fully coordinated and integrated. The documents provide for industry-accepted distribution of risk among project participants. Familiarity with these documents by both the Bidder/ Contractor may result in improved prices bid to Owner. The documents are updated approximately every five years to reflect industry trends, court decisions, and changes in applicable laws and regulations. They are suitable for public works and private sector. Finally, EJCDC® documents are less expensive than alternate standard documents and are created in user friendly MS Word format. To learn more about these documents or purchase them, visit: nspe.org/resources/ejcdc-contract-documents

THOMAS GLUECKERT, PE, PTOE

Kimley-Horn

ITS Georgia President itsgachapter@gmail.com www.itsga.org

Its Georgia Kicks Off The Year With Big Data And Buses

ITS Georgia has kicked off 2023 with some engaging monthly meetings covering opportunities to utilize big data resources and hearing about the potential to bring connected vehicle applications to the nation’s largest transit system, school buses. In January, we were joined in Peachtree Corners by James Hall (Stellar Services), Robert Kohler (AirSage), and Terri Johnson (INRIX), who shared information and insight on emerging connected vehicle datasets that are available through the Eastern Transportation Coalition’s Transportation Data Marketplace. There are billions of data points being generated daily from trucking companies, enabled cell phone applications, and, more frequently than ever, the cars themselves! James, Robert, and Terri provided use cases and sample studies for these data sets, discussed how the data is being aggregated and maintained, and provided real-world examples of their use in transportation operation and planning groups throughout the nation.

In February, we headed back to Monday Night Garage (with on-time pizza delivery this time!) to hear from Caryn Vorster (Applied Information) and Poonam Patel (Kimley Horn) about the practical use of connected vehicle technology deployment in school buses. Applied information and Kimley Horn partnered with the City of Alpharetta and others to deploy onboard units in school buses to provide transit signal priority along their planned route. The results were positive, with data reporting a reduction in travel time and fuel consumption. Additionally, the bus driver reported that they were able to focus more on road safety as they were less concerned with on-time performance. This pilot project was nominated and awarded the 2022 ITS Large Project of Significance at our Best of ITSGA awards in 2022.

In each edition of Engineering Georgia, we like to highlight a volunteer who generously gives their time to the Chapter. This issue, we are spotlighting Troy Galloway, Principal Transportation Engineer at Arcadis and an ITS Georgia Board Member.

When did you know you were going to be involved in transportation engineering or policy?

When I was a junior at Southern Polytechnic, I joined the student chapter of ITE. I eventually became the Vice President of our chapter and helped start the SPSU traffic bowl team which in its first three years was able to win the Georgia ITE Traffic Bowl.

What got you interested in transportation?

As an engineer, I wanted to pursue a field that I felt would help the public. This led me to traffic operations as this affects everyone either directly or indirectly. I have always enjoyed making things work effectively and efficiently, and traffic was the best way I could see myself making an impact in the engineering realm.

What is the coolest project you have worked on?

I would like to highlight two cool projects that I have worked on. The first was the SunTrust (Truist) Park Traffic Management Plan, where I was able to use my previous special event management experience to develop plans for the new Braves stadium in Cobb County. I grew up watching and listening to the Braves, so this was my way of being a part of this southern tradition. The second project would be the North Ave Smart Corridor; this project was a great combination of traditional civil engineering design in conjunction with ITS and emerging transportation technologies. This project started as a simple resurfacing project and grew into a road diet and a technology test bed in the heart of Atlanta. We were able to deploy technologies to help operations for motorists, buses, and vulnerable road users, while also improving safety for all modes. This project went on to win many awards, including an international award in Barcelona.

What does the future of transportation look like to you?

As always, all our content can be found at our YouTube page so stop by if you missed either of these presentations!

I see transportation going away from large new construction due to the increasing cost in construction and ROW, so we need to make the most out of the existing infrastructure. The use of ITS and data will be the future. Improving detection at intersections as well as the implementation of advanced signal timing operations such as traffic responsive, is showing the best return on investment. As vehicles turn more to automation, this will allow for shorter start-up times from stops as well as reducing headways between vehicles, therefore increasing capacity without the need to impact travel for years with a major infrastructure project.

What are you doing for ITS Georgia?

I am heading membership for ITS Georgia and are looking at getting our involvement back to pre-pandemic numbers. ITS Georgia follows an organizational membership approach meaning for one price everyone in your company is a member and can enjoy our many varying events while doing so at a discounted rate. If you are interested in joining us, please reach out, I would be happy to help.

Atlanta Post

MICHAEL RAMOS RAYMOND

SAME Atlanta Post President

SERVING TOGETHER, DELIVERING THE POST VISION AND FULFILLING THE MISSION OF THE SOCIETY

To start 2023, the SAME Atlanta Post has launched our annual program, which aims to build stronger ties within the Atlanta Architecture & Engineering community, while developing our future leaders. In January, we were excited to kick-off the year with our co-hosting event with ASCE! We view this event as an always valuable launching point for the year, as we build and continue ties with our engineering counterparts, and learn about the legislative agenda for the state of Georgia. I always welcome the opportunity to hear from Mr. Michael Sullivan with ACEC and he delivered a highly informative “state of Georgia” address as it pertains to the key concerns and agenda that will drive Georgia forward and discussed the roles that our A/E/C community will play.

In February, the Atlanta post had the opportunity to meet at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and show our continued support to our Georgia Tech student chapter. We had the opportunity to not only meet with current undergrads interested in A/E/C, but also learn hear about the latest GTRI approaches to machine learning and big data solutions. We appreciate the continued support and engagement by Dr. Anne Clark, our GTRI host, and we appreciated the opportunity to hear from lead researcher Ms. AnnMarie Spexet.

I’m excited that our post will be launching our first Leadership Development Program (LDP) in March! This is a mission that directly aligns with the SAME National 2025 Strategic Plan and is an initiative that I think is at the heart of the SAME mission – I believe that continuing to develop our next generation of leaders is critical for our industry and how we will support the United States Department of Defense. Our March program will feature a panel of local leaders and aims to help attendees “Leverage the Atlanta Braintrust”. Additionally, we will launch our leadership book club, with the post providing copies for LDP participants. All aspiring leaders are welcome to participate as we kick off our new LDP.

On a final note, I would like to recognize our Mr. Christian Ward and Mr. Joe Bredja for their selection to the SAME National Leadership Development Program. Our post is especially fortunate to have these individuals as part of our post and to be selected into this exclusive program. We are excited to see how their future leadership shapes and drives our post in the future!

2023 Same Summer Camps

Learn more about the SAME Summer Camp Program for aspiring engineers, please visit: same.org/camps

Key summer camp dates:

• Army – Jun 11-17

• Marines – June 18 – 24

• Air Force Academy – July 6- 12

• Navy – July 16 – 22

• Air Force – July 16 – 22

Should you be interested in being a mentor for one of these summer camps, please learn more at same.org/camps/mentors-and-staff

Same National Elections

For SAME members that have not yet taken the opportunity, please submit your vote in the SAME National Elections before April 15th. Several critical leadership positions are being elected and we would like to drive SAME membership participation.

Voting can be done at same.org/election

Please make sure to log into your SAME account as part of the voting process.

Chris Lytle

Uzun & Case Engineers, LLC

SEAOG President www.seaog.org

New Venues

SEAOG’s leaders have been hard at work this year, searching for new venues to better serve our membership. We recently held a seminar at Wild Haven Brewery spotlighting Atlanta area projects:

Enmarket Arena, Savannah, GA – presented by Jonathan Hurff, Ph.D., PE, S.E., Principal, Walter P Moore

New Fourth Ward Hotel, Atlanta, GA –presented by Jesse Fortner, PE, S.E., Senior Associate, Uzun + Case

Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC)–presented by Dexter Whaley, PE Bridge Design Group Leader, GDOT Office of Bridge Design and Maintenance

AL, for members to learn more about the latest in mass timber construction.

Got an idea for the next event? Contact programs@seaog.org with your ideas. Upcoming Meetings: seaog.org/meetinginfo.php

Committee News

SEAOG’s Operational Year runs from July 1 through June 30. As we gear up for the next year, there are opportunities for new faces to join all of our committees. Serving on a committee helps you get the most out of your SEAOG membership by facilitating in-depth networking and professional skill-building.

Structural Engineer Emergency Response (SEER): aid community post-disaster recovery through second-responder building safety evaluations

We’ve also added field trips to our list of offerings. Our January meeting was hosted by Steel, LLC in Scottdale, GA, and began with an enjoyable breakfast. SEAOG members were provided a great opportunity to visit a steel fabrication facility in operation while gaining some insight into ways to improve our structural detailing.

Publicity: everything from K-12 outreach and connecting with media outlets to social media posts and website content

Programs: generating topics for seminars, finding speakers, planning activities

Structural Engineering Excellence Awards

Banquet: plan and organize SEAOG’s biannual celebration of Structural Engineering Excellence via an awards banquet

Bod Elections

In March, we collaborated with WoodWorks to organize a field trip over to SmartLam’s Cross Laminated Timber plant in Dothan,

Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3): improve engagement and equity within the profession

Members, be on the lookout for an email in April to vote for the 2023-2024 leaders.

Michele Redmond Holcombe

SMPS

President

Michele@foundationtechnologies.com www.smpsatl.org