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As we step into November, I reflect on the wonderful time we had at our annual meeting, award banquet and the installation of our new officers. It was a distinct privilege to moderate panels featuring two incredible leaders: Kensy Russell, ASCE Region 6 Director, and Dev Rastogi, Assistant City Manager of Dallas. I was also honored to get awarded professional service award from the ASCE Texas section. Coincidentally, we celebrate 174 years of ASCE on November 5th, the same day I hold my first board meeting as President. I am excited about the upcoming endeavors and advocacy for our profession. I am also taking this opportunity to thank our immediate past president Parick Williams for his outstanding leadership in 2025-2026 as president.

I proudly begin my term as your American Society of Civil Engineers, Texas Section, Dallas branch President for the coming year, supported by nearly 60 volunteer leaders from diverse backgrounds. It is both humbling and an honor to serve in this capacity, where my goal is to honor our past while transforming our future. My goal is to foster membership growth, connect civil engineers to our communities, grow students and younger members to our profession, inspiring next generation civil engineers through ISD and education outreach. My only ask as president of this great organization to you all is to recruit, refer or renew one new member. I seek your support to make this vision a reality.

My ASCE journey began as a student at Texas A&M University, where I served as an executive officer and chaired the high school students' camp build in 2015-2016. Since 2017, I have actively contributed to the branch as T&DI Chair, Technical Director for two terms, Texas Section Director for two years, Secretary, Vice President, and most recently, president-elect. I have also served as T&DI Chair for the ASCE Texas Section from 2021-2026 and have been involved with the ASCE Global T&DI Council for local and student chapters since 2025. With 15 years in the civil engineering profession here at home and globally, I currently serve as the Schematic Project Manager and People manager for AECOM, Highway Dallas. Born and raised in a very poor farming family, I have proudly called Texas home for the past 18 years, graduating from Texas A&M in 2016.

On this Veterans Day on November 9th, we pause to honor and express our deepest gratitude to the brave men and women who have served in our armed forces. Their courage, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to protecting our freedoms are the foundation of our great nation. As we reflect on the sacrifices made by our veterans, let us also remember the families who support them, often enduring hardships in silence. Today, we celebrate not only the heroes in uniform but also the resilience and strength of their loved ones.

We take pride in our annual partnership with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Dallas Post, welcoming their fantastic mission as we strive to uphold the values of liberty and justice that our veterans fought to defend.

We are happy to announce our first meeting of the year with two technical tracks featuring geotechnical engineering, utilities, surveying, and AI by the Geotechnical Institute (G-I) and the Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) and our keynote Speaker: Major General David Hill, PMP, USA (Ret.), Executive Director of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). I can say with confidence there will be great opportunities to learn, network, and connect with Dallas-area engineering professionals! I would like to thank both of our sponsors The Rios Group, Inc. for being our meeting sponsor and Freese and Nichols for being our breakfast sponsor!

Following the half-day technical seminar from our 2 incredible institutes (UESI & GI), we will dive into our incredible program. After some updates from the Branch, we will hear from SAME about their mission. Freese and Nichols, our generous breakfast sponsor, will present their firm, followed by a presentation from The Rios Group, this month’s generous Meeting Sponsor. Finally, we will have our main presentation featuring Keynote Speaker Major General David Hill, PMP, USA (Ret.), Executive Director of SAME.

Whether you're a student, young professional, or experienced engineer, this is an event you won’t want to miss. We hope to see you there!

Kind regards,
Surya Bhandari, P.E., M. ASCE
ASCE Dallas Branch | President 2026-2027
[email protected]