PRESIDENT'S AWARD
At the president’s discretion, the American Council of Engineering Companies/Maryland honors an individual whose actions have greatly contributed to the advancement of the consulting engineering profession and the citizens of Maryland.
2020 Winner
Christine Nizer
Christine Nizer was appointed Administrator of the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) and Governor’s Highway Safety Representative in August 2015. Prior to that appointment, Ms. Nizer served as the MDOT MVA’s Chief Deputy Administrator and Deputy Administrator for Central Operations and Safety Programs for over eight years. She also held management positions at the Maryland Public Service Commission, the Maryland General Assembly and the Office of Homeland Security.
Ms. Nizer is a Member of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) International Board of Directors, AAMVA Region 1 Past President and a Member of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials Standing Committee on Highway Traffic Safety. She is a 2011 graduate of the Leadership Maryland Program and was named the Woman of the Year in 2014 by the Women in Transportation Seminar Baltimore Chapter. In 2018, Ms. Nizer received the Chair’s Award of Excellence and Achievement by AAMVA.
Ms. Nizer earned a Master of Science degree in Public Policy from the Eagleton Institute of Rutgers University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Goucher College.
Previous Winners
1997 R. Charles Avara | former Delegate in MD General Assembly
1998 Gene Lynch | Maryland Department of General Services Secretary
1999 David Winstead | former Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary
2000 None Awarded
2001 Emil Kordish, PE | past ACEC/MD President; retired – Rummel Klepper & Kahl, LLP
2002 Liz Homer | former SHA Deputy Administrator
2003 Delegate Casper Taylor | former Speaker of the House in MD General Assembly
2004 Francis Kuchta, PE | former Baltimore City DPW Director
2005 Carl Scheffel, PE | Fox Industries Inc.
2006 Neil Pedersen | SHA Administrator
2007 William Gluck, PE | Maryland Department of General Services
2008 Don Sherin | SHA Office of Consultant Services
2009 John Porcari, PE | Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary
2010 Jaswant Dhupar, PE | former Baltimore City DPW Engineering and Water and Wastewater Division Chief
2011 Paul J. Wiedefeld | Maryland Aviation Administration
2012 Brian R. Kelm | Maryland Defense Force
2013 Donald C. Fry | President and Chief Executive officer of the Greater Baltimore Committee
2014 William K. Hellmann, PE | Rummel, Klepper & Kahl and former MDOT secretary
2015 Douglas H. Simmons, PE | SHA Deputy Administrator
2016 Stephen V. Silva | MTA Chief Engineer
2017 James M. Irvin | Howard County DPW Director
2018 Earle S. “Jock” Freedman, PE (OOS, MDOT-SHA)
2019 Gregory I. Slater | SHA Administrator