Alumni Awards

Outstanding Alumni Award

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) awards the Outstanding Alumni Award to graduates of CEE who have distinguished themselves through sustained dedication, leadership, and service to the profession and society.

The nomination deadline is April 1 of this year.

Eligibility
Any University of Delaware alumnus with an undergraduate or graduate degree from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is eligible for this award.

Selection Criteria
The nominee must have a demonstrated record of achievement to their profession, as indicated by one or more of the following:

  • Leadership: demonstrated leadership on significant engineering or construction projects, or programs; served in a leadership role in the public or private sector.
  • Management: directed a company, agency, or unit that has made significant and sustained contributions to society through the exercise of civil or environmental engineering.
  • Entrepreneur: was founder or co-founder of a successful business, developed and marketed new technologies, promoted innovative technologies for the improvement of quality of life and betterment of society.
  • Mentor: served as a mentor and role model for young engineers; fostered the development of young engineers.
  • Service: demonstrated leadership and/or service to the professional community or society at large through serving on professional societies and boards, volunteer activities, work in the community, and through philanthropy.
  • Education: demonstrated a record of excellence in civil or environmental engineering education through teaching, mentorship, research, and service.

A nominees’ connection to the University since graduation, including participation in annual fundraising campaigns, will be considered.

Nominate

Nomination letters should address how the nominee has distinguished themselves through achievements and contributions to their profession, as indicated by the five selection criteria.

Please include the nominee’s name, full address, email, phone, Job title, company and graduating class. All nomination letters should be emailed to nbmurphy@udel.edu prior to or on the April 1 due date.

Past Awardees

2012 – Hon. David B. McBride ’72, ’75, former member, Delaware House of Representatives, current State Senator

2013 – Suen-Zone Lee, PhD ’93, president of Chia Nan University (CNU) of Pharmacy and Science

2014 – Robert J. Healy ’77, Director, Structures Group, Rummel Klepper & Kahl Engineers

2015 – Richard P. Watson ’92, Chief Executive Officer, Delaware Solid Waste Authority

2016 – Michael J. Carragher ’84, President & CEO, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin , Incorporated

2017 – Allan P. Davis PhD ‘89, Charles A. Irish Sr. Chair in Civil Engineering, University of Maryland

2018 – Holly Rybinski, P.E., PTOE, BCE ’94, Principal, Rybinski Engineering

2019 – Doug Gianforte, BCE ’84, President and CEO, Gbuild Construction Management

2020 – George Gianforcaro, President, IndutexUSA

2021 – Guy Marcozzi, President, Duffield Associates

2021 – Cheng-Di ‘David’ Dong, Dean, College of Hydrosphere Sciences, National Kaohsiung University of Sciences and Technology

2022 – Vicki L. Brown, Prof. of Civil Engineering, Widener University

2023 – Steven W. Brockel, President and Sr. Consultant U.S. Nels, Inc

Citation for Outstanding Achievement Award

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) awards the Citation for Outstanding Achievement Award to graduates of CEE within the last fifteen years who have exhibited great promise in the early stages of their career. 

The nomination deadline is April 1 of this year.

Eligibility
Any University of Delaware alumnus with an undergraduate or graduate degree received within the last fifteen years from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is eligible for this award.

Selection Criteria

The nominee must have a demonstrated record of high achievement to their profession through the early years of their career, and has exhibited great promise for future distinction. This should be indicated by one or more of following:

  • Achievement: Nominees should be making significant contributions as demonstrated through tangible results, innovations, promotions and company or community recognition.  Examples of significant contributions include the following: serving as a project manager or lead designer on significant projects; sharing significant responsibility on projects; directing the work of other engineers; serving as a key decision maker.
  • Entrepreneur: Was a founder or co-founder of a successful business
  • Mentor: Served as a mentor and role model for young engineers
  • Service: Has provided service to the professional community or society at large through volunteer activities and work in the community

A nominees’ connection to the University since graduation, including participation in annual fundraising campaigns, will be considered.

Nominate

Nomination letters should address how the nominee has distinguished themselves through achievements and contributions to their profession, as indicated by the selection criteria above.

Please include the nominee’s name, full address, email, phone, Job title, company and graduating class. All nomination letters should be emailed to nbmurphy@udel.edu prior to or on the April 1 due date.

Past Awardees

2012 – Kris C. Manning ’98, vice president of Clark Construction Group, LLC

2013 – Shante B. Hastings, 2000, chief of Performance Management at the Delaware Department of Transportation

2014 – Monique Hite Head ‘00, ’02 – Assistant Professor, Morgan State University, Department of Civil Engineering

2015 – Kate C. M. Edwards ’00, Project Manager, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company

2016 – Jason N. Hastings, P.E. ’00, Bridge Design Engineer, Delaware Department of Transportation

2017 – Ryan Fries ’02, Associate Professor, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

2018 – Not awarded

2019 – Thomas A. Coleman, Jr., BCE ’04, City Manager, Newark, Delaware

2020 – Diane Calloway, Civil Engineering Technologies Instructor, Advisor & Dept. Chair, Delaware Technical Community College, Now- DelDot

2021 – Christina Lindemer, Coastal Engineer & Technical Lead, FEMA

2023 – Jesse Hayden, Environmental Program Administor DE Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Division of Watershed Stewardship Shoreline and Waterway Management Section