Author Archive

Advocate Profile: Steve Randolph

January 30th, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz

Steve Randolph P.E. is an active member of ASCE’s St. Louis section, where he is currently the section president. He is an Environmental Project Manager at Horner & Shifrin, Inc., a multidisciplinary engineering firm in St. Louis, Mo. As a project manager, he is responsible for planning and executing environmental engineering projects according to schedules and budgets. His specialty areas include storm water management, flood studies, and water distribution. Randolph received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and his MBA in finance from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo. If you are interested in becoming involved with ASCE’s Key Contact Program and promoting the profession through advocacy, learn more information and sign up at asce.org/keycontacts. How did you become interested in and get involved in advocacy for your profession? I’ve always had an interest in politics and seriously considered political science as a major in college. Joining the St. Louis Section’s Government Relations Committee seemed a perfect way to meld my interest in politics to my profession of civil engineering. Also, becoming a Key Contact was one of the earliest and easiest ways to get started in this area. What issues have you highlighted/focused on when communicating with your legislators? I’ve pretty much stuck to issues that are in line with the Society’s initiative to raise the grades on America’s infrastructure such as surface transportation, the Highway Trust Fund and the Water Resources Reform and Development Act. In my home state of Missouri, I was involved in our State Infrastructure Report Card and participated in a legislative drive-in where our group lobbied for a bill that would fund transportation infrastructure with three-quarter cent sales tax. I’ve also had a couple of letters to the editor and op-ed pieces published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. What levels of government have you focused your efforts on?  (Local, state, federal) Is there something that prompted you to focus your efforts there? My efforts have been at state and federal level. That seems to be where most of the funding originates. On the federal level, I’ve participated in three legislative ASCE Fly-Ins and participated in local events by Missouri’s Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt. I also keep in touch with my Congressman Lacy Clay’s Legislative Counsel, Pauline Jamry. Last November, I represented ASCE at an event called, “Repair America Infrastructure Roundtable.” This was an event sponsored by the BlueGreen Alliance and Repair America to inform the public about the importance of infrastructure investment as it relates to our nation’s economy and job creation. I’m currently working with ASCE’s Government Relations staff to help set up a joint breakfast meeting sponsored by ASCE, the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce and the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis.  Building America’s Future is providing former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood as the keynote speaker. We will present our State Report Card at the event and have a panel of local experts to discuss the importance of infrastructure funding to the local economy. Hopefully it will also promote the proposed three-quarter cent sales tax issue that I mentioned earlier. Do you offer your expertize beyond that of a traditional citizen lobbyist for the public’s benefit (i.e. media interviews)? I did a couple of newspaper interviews when we rolled out the Missouri State Infrastructure Report Card but nothing beyond that. How do you gather information and prepare to do your advocacy work? The issue briefs distributed at the legislative ASCE Fly-Ins are a great source of information as are the weekly “This Week in Washington” email newsletters. The ASCE, Politico and Washington Post websites are also great resources for federal issues. ASCE’s Government Relations Staff in Washington, D.C. is invaluable. Whenever I’ve asked them for help, they are always ready, willing and enthusiastic to assist. On the state and local level, our local newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, is my main resource. ASCE’s State Government Relations Staff is top-notch and always eager to help. What have you learned through your activities as an ASCE advocate and citizen lobbyist? I’ve become much more aware of the inextricable link between infrastructure and the economy. You cannot have a thriving economy without first-class infrastructure. I’ve also learned that our legislators want to hear from their constituents. My encounters with my state and federal representatives as well as their staff have always been pleasant and friendly. Has the experience helped you improve skills you utilize personally or professionally? Yes. I believe that I’ve become a more effective communicator, especially in face-to-face meetings. Also, I believe that I’ve become more proficient with time management. Incorporating these volunteer activities with my job and family obligations has forced me to allocate my time more efficiently. What has been challenging about being an advocate? What methods have you found effective in working through those challenges? What sort of pitfalls or setbacks have you encountered?  And how did you overcome them? The hardest part is just getting started. You need to fight the urge to sit on the couch and be a spectator. It helps to have colleagues that share your interest because you can encourage one another and provide support. Randy Perkinson of the St. Louis Section was a great mentor on my first legislative ASCE Fly-In. He really helped me navigate my way on Capitol Hill and through the meetings with legislators and staff. The St. Louis Section’s Government Relations Committee also provides leadership and support. Dennis Boll, our Committee Chairperson, is passionate about infrastructure advocacy and his enthusiasm is contagious. Having younger members involved also helps to work through challenges because you assume a mentorship role that keeps you engaged. For example, our legislative drive-in included two of our Section’s younger members, Alison Graves and Kyle Klues. This was their first time meeting with their state legislators and it was a lot of fun guiding them through the experience and providing advice when requested. One setback for the St. Louis Section occurred when one of our U.S. Congressional Representatives (Rep. Russ Carnahan-D) lost his bid for reelection in 2012. We had established a good working relationship with Rep. Carnahan and his local staff and had engaged them in discussions to arrange a series of speaking engagements in the St. Louis area to promote infrastructure investment. Unfortunately, due to redistricting by the state legislature, Rep. Carnahan’s district was redrawn so that he would have to run against another Democrat (Rep. Lacy Clay) in the primary and Rep. Carnahan was defeated. Our plans grinded to a stop and we have yet to get them rolling again. We’ve made some overtures to Rep. Clay’s office but have yet to create the same working relationship with Mr. Clay that we had with Mr. Carnahan. We’re considering changing our strategy with Representative Clay to try and engage him on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) issues rather than infrastructure. Indications from his staff indicate that STEM is a topic on which he may be more interested. What have you found rewarding about your efforts? Have you felt that your efforts have made a difference?  How? Is there a particularly memorable experience you can share? My advocacy efforts are rewarding to me because I do think they make a difference. I think it’s easy to sit back and criticize our politicians and the legislative process but I don’t think that’s a very effective way to promote change. I’ve found that the idea of infrastructure investment has bipartisan support but that both sides don’t always agree on how to fund the investment. I think it helps that ASCE supports all manners of investment and is open to a variety of methods including user fees, tolls and public-private partnerships. I think that helps our voices be heard when we talk about infrastructure issues. My most memorable experience was my first legislative ASCE Fly-In (2012). It was my first trip to Washington D.C. and I was excited to finally visit our nation’s capital. That year, on the first day of the ASCE Fly-In, there was an event called “Rally for Roads” taking place on the National Mall. ASCE members that were in D.C. that morning were encouraged to attend. Randy Perkinson and I had an early-morning flight that day and arrived in Washington with just enough time to catch a cab and make it to the rally. Arriving at the National Mall, under the shadow of the Washington Monument and joining the hundreds of people gathered there in support of the transportation bill was invigorating. What advice would you give to someone interested in getting involved in advocacy? Jump in, the water’s fine. Start with becoming a Key Contact and subscribe to ASCE’s, “This Week in Washington.” Volunteer for your Branch or Section’s Government Relations Committee. I think once you get started, you won’t want to stop.

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Advocate Profile: Shawn Kelley, Ph.D., P.E., M. ASCE

December 11th, 2014 | By: Olivia Wolfertz

Shawn Kelley Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE is an active member of the Vermont section. He works as a firm shareholder for GeoDesign, Inc. a consulting firm headquartered in Middlebury, CT, providing geotechnical, construction, and environmental engineering consulting services to the design and construction industry. He works in the Windsor, VT office managing civil engineering projects related to geotechnical engineering. He specializes in earth retention and slope stabilization projects, deep and shallow foundation design, geotechnical instrumentation, and in-situ soil testing.  Kelley is currently a Region 1 Governor and the Past-President of the Vermont Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He serves on the Committee on Education (COE) for ASCE National and previously was a committee member on the Committee on Geographic Units (CGU). He is a member of the intersociety committee on Raise the Bar in Vermont. He is corresponding member on the Raise the Bar committee for ASCE and a corresponding member on Leadership Training committee for ASCE. He is also the Legislative Committee Chairperson for ACEC/VT. Kelley received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, master’s degree in geotechnical engineering and Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. If you are interested in becoming involved with ASCE’s Key Contact Program and promoting the profession through advocacy, learn more information and sign up at asce.org/keycontacts.  How did you become interested in and get involved in advocacy for your profession? When I moved to Vermont in 2004, I became actively involved in the Vermont Section of ASCE.  I have served on various board-level positions and as president of the Section in 2007-2009.  After attending a few workshops for section and branch leaders as well as the president and governors forum, I became aware of ASCE’s government relations department and understood the importance of this advocacy.  After attending an ASCE National Fly-In, I became “hooked” by the excitement and exhilaration of seeing the political process in action.  I also loved how easy it was to connect with my legislators and their staff. What issues have you highlighted/focused on when communicating with your legislators?  Funding for infrastructure is always a highlight.  Vermont may be a small state but it has many large infrastructure projects that need federal funding.  It is very easy to talk with our VT delegation because they understand the issues and they want to help. The VT Statehouse has an open door policy and any constituent is welcome to come, meet and mingle with their legislator in the hallway. What levels of government have you focused your efforts on?  (Local, State, Federal). Is there something that prompted you to focus your efforts there?  I wanted to focus on the state level because VT legislators are easily accessible.  As I stated, the Vermont Statehouse has an “open door” policy that is informal and welcoming. State legislators are always willing to talk and listen. How do you gather information and prepare to do your advocacy work? I rely on the work that ASCE National has done on the Federal level. On the local level, I track legislative bills that are related to civil engineering using the Vermont legislative bill tracking system that is on the state’s website.  I have generated an on-going list of the bills, the sponsors for each bill, and the stage the bill is in within the legislative process.  This list shows me where we can provide input to state legislative committees, send emails to state legislators, or contact state agencies to ask how we can help support important bills. What have you learned through your activities as an ASCE advocate and citizen lobbyist? It is a long process and persistence and perseverance is key. The legislative process does not happen overnight and some topics are very controversial. For example, raising the gas tax to fund infrastructure projects is always a heated discussion. Has the experience helped you improve skills you utilize personally or professionally? I believe communicating with legislators in oral and written form has improved my communication skills. What has been challenging about being an advocate?  Time management, especially when a bill “gets hot” on the state legislative floor. What methods have you found effective in working through those challenges?  I try to maintain a balance between work, volunteering and personal life, which can be difficult. It is definitely a balancing act. What have you found rewarding about your efforts?  Meeting new people and developing an extensive network of contacts. Is there a particularly memorable experience you can share? There was a large effort a few years back while I was working with ACEC/VT section in getting the State of Vermont contracting terms for consulting engineers updated.  The old terms required consultants to indemnify the state for all acts, errors and omissions.  As we know, professional liability insurance for engineers does not cover these types of terms. Through our efforts with the Agency of Administration and working with a local state legislator, we were able to get those terms updated so that only negligent acts, errors and omissions are part of the indemnification clause when contracting with the state on engineering design projects. Have you felt that your efforts have made a difference?  How? Yes, especially with updating the indemnification terms in the standard state contract for engineering design services. What advice would you give to someone interested in getting involved in advocacy?  Do your best to stay updated on current activities with government.  ASCE does a great job with the key contact program and “This Week in Washington,” which provides information on the federal and state levels. The amount of information can be overwhelming because so many issues are being discussed in Congress and within each state’s government, but if you focus on a few select topics, it is more manageable.  It is important to be willing to provide support when needed if you are on a government relations committee (sometimes at a moment’s notice, depending on the voting stage of bill).  

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