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July 2026 President's Message

Happy post Fourth of July Holiday! Hopefully you all have celebrated the 250th Anniversary of our great nation, coming together with friends, family, a little baseball… and of course, the great soccer craze sweeping over our area!

I cannot start a July Newsletter without mentioning the importance of safety in the Texas heat. So much of our profession, particularly on the construction side, involves us braving the extreme weather elements – so please ensure you are staying hydrated and cool.

This is a reminder that per tradition, we are not meeting the standard second Monday of the month here in July; as we, the ASCE Dallas Branch proudly partner with the Fort Worth Branch in what we call the “Joint Meeting”. This is scheduled for Friday, July 10th; Title Sponsor - Zurn! Our two metroplex branches come together to provide a full morning of technical sessions starting at 8:30 am – multiple tracks mirroring our Institute disciplines.

The 2026 Joint Meeting Keynote is none other than Caroline Mays, AICP, Senior Director of Planning and Modal Programs at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). We’re not done… a 1:30 PM Ethics Presentation will follow AND a Younger Member Happy Hour. At the time of this newsletter posting, there is limited time to sign up as a registrant or as a Sponsor/Exhibitor, so please visit the link below and reach out to us with any questions!

ASCE Dallas Branch - Meeting/Event Information

The Dallas Branch goes back to our regularly scheduled program on Monday August 10, 2026 with Keynote: Gus Khankarli, Director of Transportation and Public Works Department, City of Dallas. The Meeting Sponsor is Reed Engineering!

We always want to keep on your radar one of the ASCE Texas Section “tent pole” events (as I call them) bringing a large part of our engineering community together for the annual ASCE CECON - September 16-18, 2026 in Corpus Christi. Please see below, and hope to see you there:

Home - CECON 2026

This past month, ASCE Dallas Bridge Program hosted an engaging event at the AECOM Dallas office, bringing together more than 40 attendees, including students, young professionals, and experienced industry leaders.

Participants enjoyed a Career Journey Fireside Chat. The conversation provided valuable perspectives and practical advice for students and early-career professionals as they navigate their own career paths. The Panelists included:

One of the most impactful things that we do as a branch is raise funds each and every year for scholarships. We have the GB Mann Scholarship, where in June we shared with you all the names of the fantastic high school students entering into an engineering curriculum. In addition to this, we also have our James Griffin Scholarship for students currently in an accredited engineering college. We are now proud to announce the selection of five incredible students below who will be continuing their journey in their higher-ed learning to eventually graduate and enter the engineering profession. The ASCE Dallas Branch thereby awards a total of $42,300 this year, thanks to the Griffin Family! Please help congratulate:

We welcome you to learn more by keeping informed per our Newsletter, our Website, and of course our Social Media.

Thank you!
Patrick J. Williams, PE, LEED AP
ASCE Dallas Branch | President 2025-2026
[email protected]