Download ACEC New York Recognizes MTA Bridges and Tunnels Vice

Contact: Natasha Burns
Communications Associate
ACEC New York
Phone: (518) 452-8611
[email protected]
ACEC New York Recognizes MTA Bridges and Tunnels Vice President/Chief
Engineer Joseph Keane with Chairman’s Award
Engineer of the Year and New Principal of the Year Also Honored
NEW YORK, June 2016 — The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New
York) presented the 2016 Chairman’s Award to the Vice President and Chief Engineer of MTA Bridges and
Tunnels, Joseph Keane, P.E. Keane was recognized for his dedication as a tireless advocate and recognized
expert in the design and construction industry of New York
The award was presented at the council’s annual spring membership luncheon at the Union League Club on
June 8th. Two consulting engineers, Mitchel Simpler, P.E. and Josephine Zurica, P.E., LEED AP, received the
Engineer of the Year and the New Principal of the Year awards, respectively, for their contributions to the
profession.
Chairman’s Award: Joseph Keane, P.E., Vice President and Chief Engineer |
MTA Bridges and Tunnels
The ACEC New York Chairman’s Award is presented each year to an individual
who has shown outstanding leadership, creativity and vision related to New York’s
engineering community including infrastructure, development, and the business of
design.
As Vice President and Chief Engineer of MTA Bridges & Tunnels, Joe Keane is in
charge of the planning, design and construction of Capital and Major Maintenance
projects at Bridges & Tunnels’ seven bridges and two tunnels. He leads a 150person professional Engineering and Construction organization with responsibility
in the management of design and construction, and construction administration.
Mr. Keane is responsible for the execution of the MTA B&T’s multi-billion dollar
Capital and Sandy programs, as well as, over $80 Million in yearly operating
expenditures related to non-capital projects. He has been at MTA Bridges & Tunnels since 1988 and previously
worked for New York City Department of Transportation. He is a licensed professional engineer in both New
York and New Jersey.
1
Engineer of the Year: Mitchel Simpler, P.E., Managing Partner | Jaros,
Baum & Bolles
The Engineer of the Year Award is given to an active or retired member of
ACEC New York who has made significant contributions to the consulting
engineering profession, the council and to his or her community.
Mitchel Simpler joined Jaros, Baum & Bolles in 1977, and has served as
Managing Partner since 2012. Mr. Simpler has served as Project Manager and
Partner-in-Charge on a wide variety of high-rise office buildings, corporate
headquarters, laboratories, museums, computer centers, residential buildings and
mixed-use buildings as well as hotels. Some of Mr. Simpler’s notable projects
include premier laboratory facilities and research centers, such as the new
Memorial Inpatient Hospital for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,
the Belfer Research Building at Weill Cornell Medical College, and the Rohm &
Hass Research Center in Shanghai, China.
He has held the position of National Director, Chairman, Executive Committee Member, and Chairman of
Membership for ACEC New York, as well as Fellow and Vice Chairman for ACEC National. Under Mitch’s
leadership, ACEC New York’s vertical business grew in membership and stature with key New York City
agencies, such as the Department of Buildings. He is also an active member of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, Professional Society of Hospital Engineers,
and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
New Principal of the Year: Josephine Zurica, P.E., LEED AP BD+C |
Dagher Engineering, PLLC
The New Principal of the Year Award is given to an ACEC New York member
who has been a principal less than five years and who has made significant
contributions in the form of ideas and service to the consulting engineering
community.
Josephine is the first building systems engineer, and only the second woman, to
receive this honor. As principal of the firm, Josephine has extensive experience in
project management, mechanical engineering, and sustainable design. As one of
Dagher Engineering’s primary sustainable design specialists, and as a Certified
Passive House Consultant, Josephine is well-versed in energy conservation
strategies that promote efficiency while meeting budgetary requirements.
Josephine has a deep affinity for historically sensitive and complicated projects,
and has distinguished herself by seamlessly managing her studio to provide MEP
systems that are fully integrated within the architecture of buildings. She has led the LEED Certification and
commissioning process for more than 15 LEED Certified buildings throughout New York City and other cities
within the Northeast. Aside from ACEC New York, Josephine is active in Engineers Without Borders, and has
participated in Peace Corps Panama and the ACE Mentor Program.
###
ACEC New York is a proactive coalition of 290 firms representing every discipline of engineering related to the
built environment—civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental, geotechnical—and affiliated
companies. Our shared goals are to further the business interests of our membership, enhance the quality and
safety of the environment we live and work in, and help ensure the vitality of our communities. For more
information, visit www.acecny.org.
2