Referred to “(one) of the most important transportation officials in Northern California” by the Sacramento Bee, Celia McAdam has served as Executive Director of the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) since 1998. She has also served as Executive Director of the South Placer Regional Transportation Authority (SPRTA) since its formation in 2001. Ms. McAdam previously served as a Senior Planner for PCTPA in the early 1990s and held management positions with the City of San Jose and the Butte County Association of Governments.

An expert in transportation funding, McAdam has been recognized by her peers for her creativity in moving projects forward in spite of bureaucratic and technical obstacles.  She has often been sought out by the media for her ability to translate complex transportation issues into terms more easily understood by the public.  McAdam’s ability to successfully navigate the often convoluted requirements of transportation planning and funding have translated nearly $2 billion of projects including the I-80 Lincoln Bypass Bottleneck Widening, I-80/Sierra College Boulevard Interchange, I-80/Douglas Boulevard Interchange, and a number of transit and rail projects. Under her leadership, PCTPA has earned numerous awards, including “Organization of the Year” with the California Transportation Foundation and “Agency of the Year” by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. McAdam was named “Woman of the Year” in 2012 by the Womens Transportation Seminar and was also inducted as “Fellow of the College” with the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2016.

Celia earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a master’s with distinction in planning.

2016 Annual Conference & Board Meeting

The 2016 ACEC California Annual Conference and Board of Directors meeting will be held at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa in Koloa, HI, September 25-28, 2016. The Conference Committee has put together a great set of panel discussions, breakout sessions and activities for you. For more information, click here. Time to register is coming to an end, so please register for the Conference by clicking here

Raffle Tickets Available for Purchase

ACEC California’s scholarship raffle has a particularly worthy beneficiary — ACEC California’s Scholarship Fund, which helps a number of deserving engineering and surveying students pay for their college education.The grand prize is a trip for two to Maui which includes accommodations and up to $1,000 in airfare, a $500 Visa gift card and many more prizes to be announced. The drawing will be held in September, during ACEC California’s Annual Conference, September 25-28 at The Grand Hyatt Kauai. The raffle is open to anyone and you do not have to be present to win. To purchase tickets or if you would like an updated prize list, please email Stacy Zdunkiewicz at stacyz@acec-ca.org. To purchase a ticket online, please click here.

Given the growing need for engineers and land surveyors in California, supporting the scholarship fund is one way to encourage more young people to choose careers in engineering and land surveying.