Engineering Inc. - November/December 2019 - 18

NEW
Strategic Planning
Committee Roster
Greg Kelly, Committee Chair
CEO, Heritage Construction
& Materials at The Heritage
Group, Indianapolis
(Formerly President and
CEO, WSP USA)

Kasey Anderson
Executive Director
ACEC/Tennessee
Nashville

Tony Bartolomeo
President and CEO
Pennoni Associates
Philadelphia

Linda Bauer Darr
President and CEO, ACEC

John Eddy
Principal, ARUP
San Francisco

Karen Friese
President
K. Friese & Associates
Austin, Texas

Laura O'Neill Kaumo
COO, ACEC

Eric Keen
Chairman and CEO, HDR
Omaha, Nebraska

Manish Kothari
President and CEO
Sheladia Associates
Rockville, Maryland

Mitch Simpler
CEO, Jaros, Baum &
Bolles; and ACEC Chair
New York

Kenneth Smith
CEO, T. Baker Smith
Houma, Louisiana

Michael Snyder
Senior Vice President
Dewberry
Frederick, Maryland

18

ENGINEERING INC.

ACEC
Strategic
Plan
'Bold and Audacious' Plan
Receives Unanimous Board Approval

S

howing optimism for the
Council's new and comprehensive
approach for the future, the ACEC
Board of Directors unanimously
approved a new strategic plan at the
Fall Conference.
The blueprint emphasizes the
Council's efforts to become the thought leader
for the industry while driving delivery of valued
engineering and other professional services for a
better world.
The strategic plan empowers ACEC to become
a critical resource for the development of business
strategy for member firms and be recognized
as an organization that embodies inclusion and
diversity. The plan encourages advancement of
the business of engineering and expansion of
membership through a broader representation
of professional service firms within the built
environment. Additionally, the new plan
promotes an increased awareness that ACEC
member firms are essential to everyday quality of
life; and that ACEC is an organization where its
programs, services and its effective PAC receive
active and vibrant membership participation.
"Implementing this plan will be critical for
ACEC to assert itself as the preeminent thought
leader in the built environment in order to
confront issues that strike directly at the ability
of our member firms to serve their clients and
address the most pressing societal challenges
facing the nation," says ACEC President and
CEO Linda Bauer Darr.
Encompassing more than a year and a half in
development, the plan was formulated by the
Strategic Planning Committee, led by former
WSP USA President and CEO Greg Kelly, with
assistance by organization consultant Paul Meyer.
Kelly says the effort also included in-depth
contributions from Member Organization leaders,
a membership survey, focus groups, and phone
calls. "Over a thousand touch points were used to

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019

gather input in the development of this plan. It
soon became clear that the Council's goal moving
forward needs to advance a business environment
that enables our professional member firms to
deliver safe, impactful, and sustainable solutions."
"Our goal was to produce a plan that was
inclusive, forward-looking, and responsive to a
continuously changing environment," Meyer
notes. "Associations have a unique role in creating
the future, but it is not easy nor comfortable."
ACEC Chairman Mitch Simpler applauds the
committee's diligence in producing a meaningful
path for the future. "It was an amazing experience,
and we produced a plan moving forward that is
truly visionary, bold, and audacious," referring to
the aspirations originally laid out for the plan by
ACEC Immediate Past Chair, Manish Kothari.
The plan underscores five critical missions:
1. LEADING BUSINESS STRATEGY
GOAL: ACEC is a critical resource for the
development of business strategy for member
firms.

2. EMBODYING INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY
GOAL: ACEC is recognized as a welcoming
organization where all members are included,
involved, and can achieve their full potential.

3. EXPANDED AND INFLUENTIAL
MEMBERSHIP
GOAL: ACEC membership is robust and has
grown through broader representation of firms
working in professional services.

4. ESSENTIAL VALUE TO SOCIETY
GOAL: ACEC member firms engineering the
built environment are recognized as essential to
the quality of life every day.

5. VIBRANT MEMBER ENGAGEMENT
GOAL: ACEC and its PAC have active and
vibrant participation of its membership.
Engineering Inc. - November/December 2019

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