By the time you read this newsletter, Labor Day will be over and Halloween decorations will have been thrown up throughout my house. My wife says that if she doesn’t decorate for fall, cool temperatures may not happen.  I say it’s the upcoming football season and the start of Sierra Chapter’s New Year with a new Board of Directors and Officers.

I’m excited to be this year’s president and would like everybody to please welcome the two newest members to this year’s Board Directors, Debanik Chaudhuri and Jerry Jones. The Officers this year include Landon Blake, Vice President and Kathy Wickam, Secretary/ Treasurer.  Returning members of the Directors include Chad Coleman, Kevin Gustorf, Marco Palilla and Tom Sell. I would be remiss to not mention the work that the Board and especially myself, receives from our Recording Secretary, Debbie LoCicero, and recently retired Newsletter Editor, Lisa Thut. If you see them be sure to  thank them for all their hard work they put into the Chapter. Thank You Ladies.

Our first event of the year will be the Sierra Chapter’s Second Annual Engineering Excellence Award dinner event. Our speaker on this evening will be Celia McAdams, the Executive Director for the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency. She will be discussing the upcoming “Keep Placer Moving” ballot measure and other future projects on the horizon.

Last May we all remember getting the email with the news that ACEC California was pulling SB 885, Duty to Defend, from vote consideration in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was a somewhat somber day after all the hard work that went into the effort, but there was concern the bill may not have advanced. Our local grassroots effort did make headway into bringing attention to the problems our firms have encountered with some contracts.  2017 will bring new hope in the campaign to educate all parties on this subject.

With this year having a Presidential election coming in the next couple of months, it’s important for all citizens to get out and vote. The presidential race may or may not have an immediate effect on your current business or neighborhood as does your local City Council, County Supervisor and local Congress member. It’s critical to  vote both local and national levels.

I look forward to seeing new and old faces at both the 2nd Annual September Engineering Excellence Award dinner and monthly membership meetings throughout the upcoming year.

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.