Carnegie Mellon University
January 20, 2017

2016 CEE Alumni Awards

2016 CEE Alumni Awards

The CEE alumni awards are designed to recognize you for your dedication, support, and contributions to both the department and the general world of civil and environmental engineering. These three awards are the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Outstanding Service Award, the Recent Alumnus Achievement Award and the Lt. Col. Christopher K. Raible Distinguished Public Service Award. All alumni are invited to fellow alumni who have demonstrated exemplary achievements and service.

Recent Alumni Achievement

Anna C. Lenhart (BS '11) received the 2016 Recent Alumni Achievement Award, which recognizes an alumnus who has attained a position of responsibility in a major company, government agency or university, or by acknowledged success in a major engineering project.

Lenhart earned a Fulbright Grant after graduating from CEE 2011, which allowed her to pursue projects in biofuel in Namibia. That experience ignited Lenhart’s passion for young people and the role service can play in their lives.

Lenhart worked as a salesforce and technology consultant for nonprofits and startup companies before founding her own nonprofit organization. Next Generation of Service works to help young people connect their professional lives and skills with organizations that strive for and are committed to social justice. Anna is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the university of Michigan.

“When I was notified of this award I had to laugh a little bit because I haven’t worn a hard hat in about three years,” Lenhart said as she accepted the award. “Civil Engineers were trained to solve problems for society and that’s what I’m doing in the nonprofit sector as well. I think it has given me a totally different angle of how social change can happen within cities that I wouldn’t have had with a social sciences background.”

Outstanding Alumni Service

Daniel D. Warmack (BS '88) was awarded the CEE Outstanding Alumni Service Award, which honors alumni who have made sustained contributions to the CEE department, the university, or the engineering profession.

Warmack is the Vice President of Warmack and Co, a real estate business founded by his father in 1950, and the cofounder of Warmack Investments, which focuses on office development and is committed to environmental sustainability with LEED silver and gold certified buildings. His commitment to the environment has also led him to a board position on the University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2 project.

Among his variety of support for the department—particularly the undergraduate program—Warmack has supported CEE’s distinguished lecture series in environmental science, technology, and policy.This lecture series has given the Carnegie Mellon community and opportunity to learn from a diverse group of experts from across the nation and the world.

“A Carnegie Mellon education is a robust education and it prepared us for a terrific career,” said Warmack. “I’m very thankful for the education and I’m thankful for the award.”

Lt. Col. Christopher K. Raible Distinguished Public Service Award

Andrew Jon (AJ) Eggenberger (BS '61, PhD '67) was honored with the Lt. Col. Christopher K. Raible Distinguished Public Service Award, which recognizes CEE alumni who have performed outstanding public service achievements. The award was created in memory of CEE alumnus Lt. Col. Christopher K. Raible, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012.

Since 1989, Eggenberger has been board member, CEO, chairman, and chairman emeritus of the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board. He was responsible for external safety oversight of the Department of Energy’s defense nuclear facilities, a role appointed to him by former President George H.W. Bush and confirmed by the US senate.

Associate Professor Jonathan Malen from the department of Mechanical Engineering accepted the award on Eggenberger’s behalf.

“It is an honor to CMU that the Rable family has established this award in Christopher’s name,” Eggenberger wrote in a statement delivered by Malen. “Public service has been a most important part of my career. I am sure that I could not have done this without the superb education that I received at [Carnegie Mellon].”

Distinguished Alumni

CEE presented Richard E. (Dick) Gray (BS '56) with the Distinguished Alumni Award, which honors an alumnus who has made one or more major achievement to advance the work of professional engineers or to improve people’s lives in some way.

Gray is an internationally recognized engineering geology and geotechnical engineering expert who has completed projects ranging from foundation engineering to mine subsidence and stabilization to mine fire control to disposal sites for fly ash. He continues to share his talents with the next generation through DiGioia Gray and Associates, a company he founded with fellow CEE alumnus Tony DiGioia in 2005.

Gray is involved in many technical and professional organizations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Pittsburgh Geological Society, and he has been chairman or president of three major US engineering and geology groups: The Engineering Geology Division of the Geological Society of America, and the Association of Engineering Geologists, the US Committee of the International Association for Engineering, Geology, and the Environment.

“I accept this award in recognition of a great group of young men, the Civil Engineering Class of ’56 and our teachers,” Gray said. “I am thankful for the concept of lifelong learning that was instilled in us as students.”

The department was honored to host this event and congratulates the recipients for their success and achievements.

“We have many impressive, passionate, and supportive alumni, and you all make the strength of our department grow day by day,” said Department Head Dave Dzombak. “We are very proud of the accomplishments that all of our graduates have achieved and we’re grateful for many of the ways you give back to the department and support our students.”