Award Recipients and Award Committee
2025 Award Recipients and Award Committee
Craig Bowie, P.E.
Craig Bowie is a 1981 UToledo Civil Engineering graduate whose 38-year career with SSOE Group progressed from engineering and design roles to Principal Owner and Senior Vice President. A licensed Professional Engineer, he has remained active in professional and community service and was recognized as a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus by the UToledo College of Engineering in 2013.
Birdel F. Jackson III, P.E., FASCE
Birdel Jackson is a 1968 UToledo Civil Engineering graduate and founder of B&E Jackson
Engineers, with a distinguished career encompassing highways, bridges, wastewater,
airports, utilities, and other major infrastructure projects. A Fellow of ASCE, he
has maintained a strong commitment to UToledo and to mentoring future generations,
including establishing the Jackson Family Survey Equipment Lab and endowing the Jackson
Davis Civil Engineering Incentive Scholarship.
Gary W. Johnson, P.E.
Gary Johnson is a 1973 UToledo Civil Engineering graduate and U.S. Air Force veteran
who built a 43-year engineering career with Finkbeiner, Pettis & Strout and Arcadis,
including service as President and CEO of FPS and Executive Vice President of Arcadis.
His career also included extensive leadership in professional engineering organizations
and continued involvement with UToledo through advisory and alumni roles.
Richard Martinko, P.E.
Richard Martinko is a 1974 UToledo Civil Engineering graduate and licensed Professional Engineer whose career spans public service, academia, consulting, and the private sector. During 22 years with ODOT, he served as Assistant Director of Highway Operations and Chief Engineer and was Project Leader for the Veterans Glass City Skyway. He later led UToledo’s Intermodal Transportation Institute and University Transportation Center and has continued serving the university and Northwest Ohio community in advisory roles.
Gregg J. Simon, P.E.
Gregg Simon earned his M.S. in Civil Engineering from UToledo in 1980 and built a career in site engineering, project management, groundwater, and water resources engineering, including many years with AVCA Corporation and Jones & Henry Engineers. Named the Toledo Society of Professional Engineers’ Engineer of the Year in 2021, he has also supported student education, MATHCOUNTS, and other programs encouraging young people to develop engineering and communication skills.
Laurie Adams, P.E.
Laurie Adams is a 1986 UToledo Civil Engineering graduate and Managing Principal of DGL Consulting Engineers. A recognized leader in traffic engineering and transportation safety, she has led major ODOT initiatives involving Safe Routes to School, safety studies, and signal timing. She has remained closely connected to UToledo for more than three decades through the College of Engineering Alumni Affiliate, the Civil Engineering Industry Advisory Board, and other college activities.
Deb Dauer
Deb Dauer is a UToledo Civil Engineering graduate who completed a 37-year career with
Owens Corning, holding numerous engineering and leadership positions and becoming
the first female Plant Leader in the company’s Residential Roofing business. Since
retiring, she has remained deeply engaged with UToledo through alumni and College
of Engineering leadership roles while also supporting community organizations and
initiatives encouraging women to pursue engineering.
Nick Kissoff, P.E., Ph.D.
Nick Kissoff earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from UToledo and devoted 21 years to the university as an Associate Professor and Director of the Construction Engineering Technology program. His leadership in teaching, advising, curriculum development, and ABET accreditation had a lasting impact on generations of students, earning him numerous honors, including the 2020 Outstanding Engineering Educator Award from OSPE.
2026 Award Recipients
Jenny Keffer, P.E.
Jenny Keffer is a 2016 graduate of The University of Toledo with bachelor’s degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering and is currently a Project Manager with Verdantas, specializing in ecological restoration and environmental engineering. A licensed Professional Engineer in Ohio, she remains closely connected to UToledo through the Civil and Environmental Engineering Industry Advisory Board, first-year student mentoring, classroom presentations, student projects, recruitment, and career development activities.
Andrew Brock, P.E., S.E.
Andrew Brock is a 2013 UToledo Construction Engineering Technology graduate and the
founder and owner of Andrew Brock Consulting Engineer LLC. His career spans structural
engineering, transportation, and military engineering, including service as a U.S.
Army Reserve Engineer Officer. He continues to support UToledo as an industry mentor
for first-year students and as an instructor of Steel Design, bringing his professional
structural engineering experience directly into the classroom.
Bernadette Caris
Bernadette Caris is a UToledo Civil Engineering graduate and Vice President and Owner
of TTL Engineering Services, where her career has progressed from co-op student to
company leadership. Her expertise includes geotechnical engineering, construction
materials testing, and laboratory and field operations. She serves as Secretary of
the UToledo Civil and Environmental Engineering Industry Advisory Board and has been
instrumental in supporting the integration of ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician
certification into the UToledo curriculum.
Concrete Time Capsule
The Concrete Time Capsule is a special tradition associated with the Civil and Environmental Inspiration in Engineering Award. Each award recipient writes a message for current and future Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Construction Engineering Technology students, sharing advice, encouragement, or reflections from their professional journey. The message is sealed inside a concrete cylinder that is preserved until a future class breaks the cylinder in compression and retrieves it. The activity creates a lasting connection between accomplished alumni and future generations of UToledo engineering students while combining an engineering laboratory experience with mentorship and tradition.