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Speakers

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Thursday, June 15

Pavements Opening Plenary - Carl Monismith Lecture and Sustainability & Resiliency Panel | 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Portrait of Thomas Van DamModerator: Thomas Van Dam, Ph.D., P.E., A.M.ASCE
Principal, NCE

Thomas J. Van Dam, Ph.D., P.E., FACI, LEED AP has over 35 years of civil engineering experience, specializing in concrete pavement design and evaluation, forensic investigations, materials assessment, and sustainability. Major areas of interest include airport and highway pavement performance, durability, forensic investigations, training, and greenhouse gas emission reduction in civil engineering infrastructure. Over the past 15 years he has been a Principal responsible for directing pavement design, materials, and sustainability groups with great success, conducting investigative and research projects for federal agencies, state departments of transportation, local agencies, and private industry. In total, Dr. Van Dam has published over 100 technical papers, articles, and reports and is a frequent presenter on pavements, concrete materials, and sustainability. Dr. Van Dam is a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and a recipient of the Delmar L Bloem Distinguished Service Award in 2018. He is an active member in the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the American Concrete Pavement Association, and the International Grooving and Grinding Association, and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Portrait of Imad Al-QadiKeynote: Carl Monismith 2023 Recipient
Imad Al-Qadi, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE
University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign

Professor Imad Al-Qadi is the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering, the founding Director of the Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT) at UIUC. A registered professional engineer, Al-Qadi has authored/co-authored more than 800 publications, co-edited 25 conference proceedings, and delivered more than 750 presentations, including numerous keynote and distinguished lectures. He has led more than 150 research projects to completion and manages annually 50-60 projects as ICT director. He led several national technical committees and task forces and served as the President of the ASCE T&DI Board of Governors. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Pavement Engineering and in 2010, he was elected as an ASCE Distinguished Member. Van Dam, PhD – Principal, NCE

Portrait of Gina AhlstromPanelist: Gina Ahlstrom
Pavements Materials Team Leader, FHWA

Gina Ahlstrom is the Pavement Materials Team Leader in the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Preconstruction, Construction, and Pavements. She has more than 20 years of experience related to pavement life cycle cost, design, construction, rehabilitation, and sustainability. Currently, Ms. Ahlstrom provides technical and program leadership for the development and implementation of pavement policies and innovative technologies in the areas of asphalt and concrete pavements and materials. Ms. Ahlstrom is responsible for the direction of the Accelerated Implementation and Deployment of the Pavement Technologies Program. She is the US representative and English-speaking Secretary to the PIARC World Road Association Technical Committee on Pavements and is the Chair of TRB Committee AKM 70 Durability of Concrete. She has led several technical initiatives while at FHWA, most notably creating the FHWA Sustainable Pavements Program in 2010. Ms. Ahlstrom holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland.  

Portrait of Navneet GargPanelist:  Navneet Garg, Ph.D., F.ASCE
Program Manager, NAPMRC, Federal Aviation Administration

Dr. Navneet Garg is a Program Manager in Airport Technology R&D Branch at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and manages projects on Field Instrumentation and Testing, Full-Scale Accelerated Pavement Testing, and Pavement Materials. He has been actively involved in airport pavement research at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility since 1998 and has authored several FAA technical reports and over 100 research papers for various journals and conference proceedings. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1997 in Civil Engineering. Dr. Garg is a Fellow of ASCE, the outgoing Chair of the ASCE T&DI Airfield Pavement Committee, on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Asphalt Pavements (ISAP), and a member of several TRB committees. In addition, he also serves as the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Pavement Engineering (IJPE).

Portrait of Enad MahmoudPanelist: Enad Mahmoud, Ph.D., P.E.
Materials and Tests Division Deputy Director, Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT)

Enad Mahmoud is an academic researcher from the Texas Department of Transportation. The author has contributed to research in the topic(s): Aggregate (composite) & Asphalt. The author has an h-index of 19 and co-authored 55 publication(s) receiving 1066 citation(s). Previous affiliations of Enad Mahmoud include the University of Texas at El Paso & Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

State DOT Plenary | 1:00–02:30 p.m.

Portrait of Marc WilliamsModerator:
Marc D. Williams
Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

Executive Director Marc D. Williams guides the work of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to enhance the quality of life for Texans by delivering on the department's mission of "Connecting You with Texas." Williams joined TxDOT in 2012 as Director of Planning, which involved oversight of numerous divisions, including Transportation Planning and Programming, Environmental Affairs, Aviation, Public Transportation, Rail, and Maritime. In early 2016, Williams was appointed Deputy Executive Director and directly supported the Executive Director and the Texas Transportation Commission in the leadership and operation of the department and it's over 12,000 employees. He serves on leadership boards with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America. Prior to joining TxDOT, Williams worked extensively with national private-sector transportation organizations and served as Commissioner for the Kentucky Department of Highways. Williams earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University.

Portrait of Carlos BracerasCarlos Braceras, P.E.
Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT)

Carlos Braceras is the executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation. He has been with UDOT since 1986. His goal is to create the safest transportation system in the world to provide choices for all users to get where they want, when they want, in the way they want. 

He has helped build an organization that is trusted by its partners and the public.  Carlos is a member of the board of directors and past president of AASHTO, and a member and past chair of the TRB Executive Committee.  Carlos moved to Utah in 1980 with four friends after graduating from college to ski for one year. It’s been one great ski season. 

Portrait of Marie DominguezMarie Dominguez
Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation

Ms. Dominguez has worked in the transportation, water, and energy infrastructure, safety, and logistics sectors for over 25 years, having served in numerous leadership positions within the Federal government and private sector. In 2015, she was nominated by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation. At PHMSA, Ms. Dominguez managed the development and enforcement of safety regulations and oversaw safety operations for the nation's interstate gas and liquid pipelines as well as all hazardous materials shipments by rail, highway, sea, and air. Prior to leading PHMSA, she served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works at the U.S. Department of Defense, overseeing policy and budget direction for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She has served as Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy at the United States Postal Service, where she led legislative and public policy initiatives for the country's then, second largest civilian employer. She has served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); as Special Assistant to the Chairman at the National Transportation Safety Board and as a Special Assistant to President Clinton and as Associate Director of Presidential Personnel at the White House. For the last few years, she served as a member of the Virginia Aviation Board overseeing the policy, programs, and funding for all 66 airports in the state of Virginia and as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Ms. Dominguez obtained her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and her B.A. in American Studies from Smith College.

Portrait of Butch EleyButch Eley
Deputy Governor & Commissioner Transportation, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TNDOT)

Butch Eley serves as the Deputy Governor and Commissioner of Transportation for Tennessee. In this role he serves as a top advisor to Governor Bill Lee, manages the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and coordinates infrastructure investments throughout the state. 
Prior to this role, Eley served as Tennessee’s chief financial officer and prior to that he was the chief operating officer. Before joining Governor Lee’s Administration, Eley was a Founder and CEO of Infrastructure Corporation of America (ICA), one of the nation’s premier infrastructure asset maintenance management companies.

Portrait of Roger MillarRoger M. Millar Jr., P.E., AICP, F.ASCE
Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

Roger Millar joined the Washington State Department of Transportation as deputy secretary in October 2015 and was appointed Secretary of Transportation in August 2016. He oversees an agency that is the steward of a complex, multimodal transportation system and is responsible for ensuring that people and goods move safely and efficiently.

Millar is an experienced land use and transportation engineer, planner, and program manager with an international reputation for innovative approaches to conservation and development. The prominent theme that has run through his career has been planning and implementing transportation systems that are not ends unto themselves; but rather, the means toward economic vitality, environmental stewardship, social equity, public health, and aesthetic quality. His state Department of Transportation leadership is bringing innovation to agencies with enormous influence on transportation investment.

Portrait of Diane Gutierrez-ScaccettiDiane Gutierrez-Scaccetti
Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT)

A native of New Jerseyan, Ms. Gutierrez-Scaccetti is a transportation professional with more than 32 years in the industry, and 40 years in government service. She possesses extensive executive, operational, and planning knowledge.

As NJDOT Commissioner, she oversaw the largest capital program in the Department’s history with $1.23 billion in construction contracts and $359 million in consultant design/inspection agreements awarded in Fiscal Year 2021. In addition, NJDOT has supported communities during the pandemic with staff logging more than 1,000 hours driving mobile vaccination trucks and continuing her tradition of encouraging community involvement by holding charitable drives.

As NJDOT Commissioner, she serves as Chair of NJ TRANSIT, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the South Jersey Transportation Authority, the NJ Transportation Trust Fund Authority, and Vice Chair of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Ms. Gutierrez-Scaccetti is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials (NASTO) and is currently serving as the Chair of the Committee on Transportation Communications (TransComm). She is the 2022 President of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), Executive Committee Board Member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Chair of The Eastern Transportation Coalition (formerly I-95 Corridor Coalition).
Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti holds degrees from the University of Connecticut (BS) and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (MS).

Portrait of Lorie TudorLorie Tudor
Director, Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT)

After a 37-year career that began in 1981, Lorie Tudor became the Director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation in March of 2020. Her background is in Planning and she is a licensed Professional Engineer. She is the Chairman of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Committee on Funding and Finance. She was inducted into the University of Arkansas’ Academy of Civil Engineering in 2018 and received AASHTO’s Alfred E. Johnson Achievement Award in 2019. She was appointed to the State Board for Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors in October 2020 and began serving as the Board’s President in July 2022.

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