AT THIS YEAR’S 2023 FALL CONFERENCE at the JW Marriott Austin in Austin, Texas, ACEC presented five engineers with the prestigious Young Professional of the Year Awards. From these five finalists, Erik Walega, staff engineer at RESPEC Company in Rapid City, South Dakota, was named the ACEC 2023 Young Professional of the Year.
Employed by ACEC member firms, award recipients were selected by the ACEC College of Fellows for demonstrating outstanding contributions to the engineering profession despite being in the early stages of their careers. Nominations are made through ACEC’s 51 state and regional Member Organizations. Here, we spotlight the 2023 Young Professionals of the Year.
JESSICA ROSSWATTS ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS
BUFFALO, NEW YORK
In her 14-year career, Jessica Ross has evolved from a college intern to senior associate at Watts Architects & Engineers. She’s also an engineering leader in the ACEC New York Western Region.
She has developed a niche in complete streets design, and in the last five years has transitioned from lead design to managing millions of dollars’ worth of award‐winning projects.
This includes working with area transit agencies to optimize public transportation in heavily utilized city corridors and collaborating with bicycle and pedestrian safety advocates to deliver safe Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access and effectively bridge gaps for surrounding neighborhoods.
Many of Ross’ projects have included her involvement in the grant funding application to promote smart growth and sustainability. Those efforts include helping secure millions of dollars in grant funding for the City of Buffalo’s Niagara Street project, which features stormwater capture and green infrastructure filtration.
Most recently, she has given PDH presentations on complete streets projects for the American Public Works Association and the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
The mother of three daughters says she hopes her efforts set an example that girls can “run the world!”
RYAN DELVESSTANLEY CONSULTANTS
CHICAGO
During a high school trip to Australia, Ryan Delves climbed to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This feat fueled his passion for transportation infrastructure and for designing complex projects that leave a lasting impact on society.
As transportation department manager at Stanley Consultants, Delves’ focus for the last decade has been completing work on the Illinois Tollway’s massive $3.4 billion Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project, designated a Project of National and Regional Significance by federal transportation legislation. In Delves’ role as transportation department manager, he focuses on the $350 million Elgin O’Hare/Western Access Interchange.
Delves also holds several roles on the Design Corridor Management Team, including project manager for the York Road Reconstruction Project as well as the Western Landside Reserve Area Earthwork Project.
Once completed, the massive tollway project is projected to enhance economic development within the 19 communities and townships along the project corridor, while dramatically improving mobility and freight connectivity throughout the region.
PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
ERIK WALEGA
RESPEC COMPANY
RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA
Erik Walega is a licensed Professional Engineer in two states and a licensed Professional Geologist in another state, and is actively in the process of earning Professional Engineering licensure in Saskatchewan, Canada.
His background is in hydrogeological engineering, and he has been involved in several hydrogeological projects, including modeling of mine inflows and dynamic multiphase gas field systems. He also contributed to the design of a first-of-its-kind mine shaft plug, as well as other projects spanning multiple engineering and geoscience disciplines.
Since joining RESPEC Company in 2021, Walega has worked on more than 25 projects, including the Mosaic K1/K2 Shaft Decommissioning Project, which was awarded the 2023 Exceptional Engineering/Geoscience Project Award by the Association of Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of Saskatchewan.
Walega also led research projects for the Solution Mining Research Institute on properties of domal and bedded salt, and procedural recommendations for a gas field that utilizes pressurized water injection wells to contain gas seasonally.
JON MARKTHDR
OMAHA, NEBRASKA
Since joining HDR, Jon Markt has become a leader in transportation planning and analysis, including developing and refining transportation operations, safety, and planning models.
He is a regional and national expert in dynamic traffic assignment models, predictive safety analysis models, planning for autonomous and connected vehicles, and Transportation Systems Management and Operations.
As these are all relatively new transportation industry tools, Markt has been taking the lead both regionally and nationally. He has become a go-to resource within HDR on connected disciplines.
One example is the Interstate 80 Automated Corridors Study, where he led a multidisciplinary team in developing two innovative analysis methods that have since been adopted by four additional DOT agencies.
Another notable project was the Lincoln CityWide Crash Study, including an innovative web application to provide a detailed analysis of over 40,000 crashes resulting in $1.5 billion in societal costs. The analysis was critical in identifying 25 intersections and three corridors for safety improvements.
JESSICA SPLITTGERBEREMCS
WAUSAU, WISCONSIN
A career in engineering has allowed Jessica Splittgerber to combine her technical focus with a passion for learning, collaboration, and teaching. After demonstrating transportation expertise in diverse projects such as airport pavement management and roadway design, she found a way to further expand her industry impact.
A 2022 graduate of ACEC Wisconsin’s Leadership Institute, she suggested the creation of a young professionals’ group within the Member Organization. The group is designed to expose more young engineers to the ACEC umbrella during the early stages of their careers.
The association board unanimously approved the idea, and Splittgerber is now chair of the ACEC Wisconsin Emerging Professionals Committee. The new group has already taken an active role in the Member Organization’s Legislative Day program by hosting a pre-event to help orient those making their first legislative visits.
Although still early in her career, her employer EMCS, the engineering profession, and her community have already benefited from her passion to get involved.