Articles

President's Message February 2026

Dear ASCE Houston,

2026 is off to a great start! It was wonderful to see so many of you at our January Branch Meeting, which featured Dr. Milton Rahman, Executive Director of the Harris County Office of the County Engineer. Dr. Rahman provided valuable updates on the County’s ongoing efforts to improve and expand our local infrastructure. As the third-most populous county in the nation, meeting the needs of a rapidly growing community is no small task, and it is exciting to hear about the new opportunities and projects underway.

One of my goals this year is to increase the diversity of topics presented in our technical sessions while highlighting the outstanding work being done by our ASCE Institutes here in Houston. To support this effort, we have encouraged each Institute to host in-person technical sessions prior to our monthly Branch Meetings. Last month, the Geo-Institute (G-I) hosted Dr. J. Carlos Santamarina of Georgia Tech, who delivered an engaging presentation on how he, his students, and researchers are leveraging new technologies for geotechnical assessments. By collaborating with the Institutes on technical session programming, we aim to provide each Institute with an opportunity to showcase their work, increase awareness of their activities, and boost overall member engagement.

The Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) will be selecting the speaker for our upcoming February technical session—stay tuned for more details!

Our next Branch Meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at The Ballroom at Tanglewood. Our keynote speaker will be Ramiro Garcia, Jr. of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, who will provide the latest updates from TCEQ. February is also the month when we recognize past presidents of the Houston Branch for their outstanding service and leadership. I hope to see you all there.

Speaking of past presidents, February is an especially meaningful time as we celebrate Houston Engineers Week at the end of the month. This year, we are proud to share that our nominee, Brian Manning, has been selected as the 2026 Houston Engineer of the Year. Brian, a past president of the ASCE Houston Branch (2003–2004), has helped shape the Houston landscape throughout his career and is widely recognized for his leadership, innovation, and commitment to advancing the civil engineering profession. We look forward to celebrating Brian at the Engineer of the Year Gala!

Sincerely,

Anna Chamberlain, PE, CFM, ENV SP

President

[email protected]