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ACI Officer Nominations for 2015-2016 [Concrete International]
[October 16, 2014]

ACI Officer Nominations for 2015-2016 [Concrete International]


(Concrete International Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Wood for President, Awad for Vice President, and four new Directors The nominee for ACI President in 2015-2016 is Sharon L. Wood, Dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering and the Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #14 at The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX. If elected during membership balloting later this year, she will serve a 1-year term as ACI President that begins at the conclusion of the Spring 2015 Convention in Kansas City, MO, and ends at the Spring 2016 Convention in Milwaukee, WI. Wood will succeed William E. Rushing Jr., Vice President, Waldemar S. Nelson & Co., Inc., New Orleans, LA. Rushing's 1-year term as ACI President and Wood's 2-year term as ACI Vice President will expire at the conclusion of the Spring 2015 Convention.



Khaled Walid Awad, the Chairman and Founder of ACTS, a material and geotechnical consulting firm based in Beirut, Lebanon, has been nominated for the position of Vice President. If elected by the membership, Awad would fill the vacant seat that Wood previously held and begin a 2-year term as a Vice President at the conclusion of the Spring 2015 Convention. Michael J. Schneider, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, Baker Concrete Construction, Inc., Monroe, OH, is the Institute's other current Vice President. His 2-year term began at the Spring 2014 Convention in Reno, NV, and ends at the Spring 2016 Convention.

The Committee on Nominations also recommended four individuals to serve on the Board of Direction, each for 3-year terms commencing at the conclusion of the Spring 2015 Convention. They are: * JoAnn P. Browning, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX; * Cesar A. Constantino, Titan America LLC, Deerfield Beach, FL; * Kimberly Kayler, Constructive Communication, Inc., Dublin, OH; and * Roberto Stark, Stark+Ortiz, S.C., Mexico City, Mexico. Pending the final election results, these four would replace the following Board of Direction members, whose terms will end next year: Roger J. Becker, Managing Director of Research and Development, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago, IL; Jeffrey W. Coleman, Principal Partner, The Coleman Law Firm LLC, Minneapolis, MN; Robert J. Frosch, Professor of civil engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; and Steven H. Kosmatka, Vice President of Research and Technical Services, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL.


ACI Board members who will continue to serve during 2015-2016 include: Dean A. Browning, Project Director, Charles Pankow Foundation, Vancouver, WA; Alejandro Duran-Herrera, Professor and Head of the Concrete Technology Department at the Facultad de Ingeniería Civil of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico; Augusto H. Holmberg, General Manager, Instituto del Cemento y del Hormigón de Chile (ICH), Santiago, Chile; Cary S. Kopczynski, Senior Principal and CEO, Cary Kopczynski & Co. Inc., Bellevue, WA; Kevin A. MacDonald, Vice President of Engineering Services, Beton Consulting Engineers LLC, Mendota Heights, MN; Fred Meyer, Colonel and Deputy Head, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY; Michael M. Sprinkel, Associate Director, Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research, Charlottesville, VA; and David M. Suchorski, Senior Technical Services Manager/Sales Manager, Ash Grove Cement Company, Des Moines, IA.

When Rushing's term as ACI President concludes, he will automatically assume a position on the ACI Board of Direction as a Past President member. In doing so, he will replace Kenneth C. Hover, ACI President in 2010-11, who will no longer be one of the three Past Presidents of ACI serving on the Board. Rushing will serve with James K. Wight, ACI President in 2012, and Anne M. Ellis, ACI President in 2013, as stipulated by the Institute's Bylaws.

The nominees for ACI officers in 2015-2016 are: President Sharon L. Wood, FACI, is the Dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering and holds the Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #14 at the University of Texas at Austin. An ACI member since 1983, she serves on ACI Committee 318, Structural Concrete Building Code; the Financial Advisory Committee; and the International Advisory Committee. She is Chair of the ETC Product Development Committee and serves as a Trustee for the ACI Foundation. She has previously served on the ACI Board of Direction and as Chair of the Technical Activities Committee and the Publications Committee. She was named a Fellow of ACI in 1994.

Wood has been a member of the faculty at the University of Texas (UT) since 1996. She served as chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering for 5 years and as director of the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory for 1 year. Prior to joining UT, she served on the faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for 10 years.

Early in her career, Wood's research focused on studying the seismic response of buildings. She has investigated building performance after earthquakes in Chile, California, and Turkey. She has also conducted static and dynamic tests of reinforced concrete frame and wall systems in the laboratory and investigated soil-foundation-structure interaction in the field. More recent research has focused on design and evaluation of reinforced and prestressed concrete bridges and development of passive sensors to detect the onset of corrosion in concrete structures.

Wood was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2013. She has received the Joe W. Kelly Award and the Henry L. Kennedy Award from ACI, the Alfred Nobel Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Arthur J. Boase Award from the Reinforced Concrete Research Council, and she served as the Distinguished Lecturer for the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. She has served on federal advisory committees for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Wood received her BS in civil engineering from the University of Virginia, and her MS and PhD from the University of Illinois. She is a licensed professional engineer in Texas.

Vice President Khaled Walid Awad, FACI, is the Chairman and Founder of ACTS, a leading material and geotechnical consulting firm in the Middle East, based in Beirut, Lebanon. An active member of ACI, he is the Chair of the Financial Advisory Committee and ACI Subcommittee C601-E, Concrete Construction Sustainability Assessor, and serves on the Task Group on Managing Translations of ACI Products and Services, Certification Programs Committee, and the International Certification Subcommittee, of which he is a past Chair. He is a member of ACI Committees 130, Sustainability of Concrete, and C630, Construction Inspector Certification; and ACI Subcommittees 130-E, Design/Specifications/ Codes/Regulations; 130-F, Social Issues; and 130-G, Education/ Certification, which he Co-Chairs. Awad previously served as a member of the ACI Board of Direction and the ACI International Committee. He received the ACI Henry L. Kennedy Award and the ACI Chapter Activities Award in 2007, and the ACI Certification Award in 2011.

Recently, he founded Grenea, an investment firm advancing and providing technical assistance to ecodevelopments around the world. Prior to establishing Grenea, he was the founding Director of Property Development at the Masdar Initiative in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Masdar is a multifaceted initiative advancing the development, commercialization, and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies and solutions. He oversaw the development of emission-free Masdar City, the world's first development aiming to become carbon-neutral.

Awad worked in the real estate and construction industry in the Arabian Gulf for more than 25 years. He was the Founder and CEO of various construction and real estate companies, dealing with the supply chain and information technology side of the industry, as well as the development of large-scale projects.

He received his BE in civil engineering from the American University in Beirut, Lebanon, and his MA in business administration from the Lebanese University in Beirut, Lebanon. Awad is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and ASTM International, and a Fellow of the UK Institute of Concrete Technology.

Board of Direction JoAnn P. Browning, FACI, was named the Dean and David and Jennifer Spencer Distinguished Chair of The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Engineering in August 2014. Previously, she served as Assistant/Associate/Full Professor from 1998-2014 and Associate Dean of Engineering from 2012-2014 at the University of Kansas (KU), Lawrence, KS. She twice was awarded KU's Miller Award for Distinguished Professional Service (2004 and 2011) and was the 2012 recipient of the Henry E. Gould Award for Distinguished Service to Undergraduate Education.

Browning currently is a member of the ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC) and Committees 314, Simplified Design of Concrete Buildings (past Chair); 318, Structural Concrete Building Code; 341, Earthquake-Resistant Concrete Bridges; and 374, Performance-Based Seismic Design of Concrete Buildings. She received ACI's Young Member Award for Professional Achievement in 2008 and was named an ACI Fellow in 2009. In addition to ACI, Browning is active in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI), Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREE), Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), and Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES).

Browning's research interests include structural engineering, earthquake engineering, engineering materials, and reinforced concrete design and analysis. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, and her PhD in civil engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

Cesar A. Constantino, FACI, is Vice President, Corporate Engineering for Titan America, assisting all Titan America businesses to achieve operating excellence through process optimization, equipment upgrades, efficient design of new installations, technical support, and knowledge sharing. Prior to joining Titan America, Constantino practiced as a researcher and as a structural, materials, and concrete construction consultant in the United States and Panama. While in Panama, he was appointed to various executive positions in the Ministry of Public Works, including Executive Director of Administration, Secretary General (interim), and Vice Minister (interim), and was an Adjunct Professor in the Engineering Graduate School at the Technological University of Panama, Panama City, Panama.

Constantino serves on several ACI committees, including 130, Sustainability of Concrete; 228, Nondestructive Testing of Concrete; 239, Ultra-High Performance Concrete; 308, Curing Concrete; Certification Programs Committee; Educational Activities Committee; International Project Awards Committee; Marketing Committee; and Task Group on Managing Translations of ACI Products and Services.

He publishes technical papers and articles, reviews manuscripts intended for publication in industry journals, and delivers presentations and lectures at conferences and workshops in the United States and throughout Latin America. He participates in technical committees in the areas of sustainability, resilience, and innovation with other industry associations, including ASTM International, Federación Iberoamericana del Hormigón Premezclado (FIHP), Massachusetts Institute of Technology Concrete Sustainability Hub, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), Portland Cement Association (PCA), and the RMC Research & Education Foundation. He is a member of the University of Miami Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Advisory Board and the Florida International University's Civil Engineering Industry Advisory Council.

Constantino received his master's degree in structural engineering and his PhD in construction materials from The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX. He is a licensed civil engineer in Panama.

Kimberly Kayler is President and Founder of Constructive Communication, Inc. (CCI), Dublin, OH. A marketing professional with extensive experience serving technical industries, Kayler started CCI in 2001to serve the needs of professional service and business-tobusiness technical firms. In her role as President of CCI, Kayler helps clients define strategy and develop marketing action plans. CCI's client list includes more than a dozen concrete-related organizations.

Kayler chairs the ACI Marketing Committee and is a current member of the Construction Liaison Committee and the Membership Committee. She has also served on the Branding Task Group and the Task Group on Communication Platforms for Delivery of Services and Products, and participated in ACI's 2013 Strategic Planning effort.

Kayler is a Co-Founder of the Women in Concrete Alliance (WICA) and leads efforts to create networking programs for women in the concrete industry. In this capacity, she represented WICA on the U.S. Secretary of Transportation's Women in Transportation Roundtable.

Kayler was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Construction Writers Association as Second Vice President. She has authored more than 2000 articles and is the co-author of Leading with Marketing, a handbook for marketing and business development professionals. She has given presentations at World of Concrete and for many organizations, including Concrete Foundations Association (CFA), Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA).

Since 2009, Kayler has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Integrated Marketing Communications Department at Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH. She received her BA in journalism/English from The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, and her MS in organization and management with an emphasis in leadership from Capella University.

Roberto Stark, FACI, is the President of Stark+Ortiz, S.C., a consulting firm based in Mexico City, which provides structural design services for urban and infrastructure projects throughout Mexico. Stark is a member of ACI Committee 318, Structural Concrete Building Code, and Subcommittees 318-H, Seismic Provisions, and 318-S, Spanish Translation Task Group. He also serves on ACI Committees 369, Seismic Repair and Rehabilitation, 374, Performance-Based Seismic Design of Concrete Buildings; the International Advisory Committee; and the ISO-TC 71 Advisory Committee.

Since 1979, Stark has been a Professor at the National University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico, and was Head of the Graduate Department of Structural Engineering from 1988 to 1992. He has given seminars on different topics related to concrete and seismic design in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, and the United States. He received the Gabino Barreda Medal for the highest Academic Achievement in 1981.

Stark served as the Mexican delegate on ISO-TC 71 from 2005 to 2012. He received his BS in civil engineering from UNAM and his MS and PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.

Candidates for the 2015 Committee on Nominations Twenty ACI members have been selected to run for election for six posts on the Committee on Nominations for the year 2015.

From these 20, six will be elected during membership balloting to join with three Institute Past Presidents in comprising a nine-member Committee on Nominations. This new Committee on Nominations will begin deliberations at the conclusion of the Spring 2015 Convention.

The three ACI Past Presidents serving on this committee will be James K. Wight, President in 2012; Anne M. Ellis, President in 2013; and William E. Rushing Jr., whose 1-year term as President will conclude at the next spring convention. As the second-year Past President, Ellis will automatically serve as the Chair of the Committee on Nominations.

This new committee will nominate Institute officers for terms starting at the Spring 2016 Convention in Milwaukee, WI. Chosen annually, the Committee on Nominations submits recommendations for these positions: President, 1-year term; one Vice President, 2-year term; four members of the Board of Direction, each with 3-year terms; and 20 candidates for the Committee on Nominations, all to serve 1-year terms. The Committee's nominations for the year 2016 are to be submitted to the Executive Vice President before August 1, 2015, as provided in the Institute's Bylaws.

The 20 nominees for the 2015 Committee on Nominations are: * James Peter Barlow, Contech Group, Inc., Seattle, WA; * Norbert J. Delatte, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH; * Timothy S. Folks, Hawaiian Cement, Aiea, HI; * Beverly Garnant, American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis, MO; * Fred R. Goodwin, BASF Construction Chemicals, Beachwood, OH; * G. Terry Harris Sr., W. R. Grace & Co., Green Cove Springs, FL; * Mary Beth D. Hueste, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; * José M. Izquierdo-Encarnacíon, Porticus, San Juan, PR; * Ronald J. Janowiak, Exelon Nuclear, Hoffman Estates, IL; * Tarek S. Khan, BASF Admixtures, Inc., Granite Bay, CA; * Gary J. Klein, Wiss Janney Elstner Associates, Northbrook, IL; * Gary F. Knight, Lehigh Hanson South, Doraville, GA; * Hani H. Nassif, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ; * Carin L. Roberts-Wollmann, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA; * J. Edward Sauter, Tilt-Up Concrete Association, Mount Vernon, IA; * Anton Karel Schindler, Auburn University, Auburn, AL; * Eldon Tipping, Structural Services, Inc., Waxahachie, TX; * Thomas J. Van Dam, Nichols Consulting Engineers, Reno, NV; * W. Jason Weiss, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; and * Michelle L. Wilson, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL.

More information on the 20 candidates for the 2015 Committee on Nominations can be found on the ACI website at www.concrete.org/nominationcommittee.

Web-Based Balloting ACI uses web-based balloting for the annual election of ACI officers. ACI members with a current e-mail address will receive an e-mail notification when the ballot is open, along with a link to access the ballot from the ACI website. Secure website protocols ensure that only one ballot is cast per voter.

ACI members without Internet access may request a hard copy ballot to be returned to ACI headquarters by the due date. All requests can be directed to Barbara Doerr, Executive Assistant, ACI, 38800 Country Club Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48331; telephone: +1.248.848.3756.

(c) 2014 American Concrete Institute

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