Fall 2020

NSPE Today
Outstanding Members Honored As Fellows

Each year, a select group of exemplary individuals receives the NSPE Fellows designation. The 2020 Class is a group of active members who are honored for demonstrating outstanding service to their communities, profession, and to the Society at the local, state, and national level.

Michael Basta, P.E.

Basta has been an influential figure within NSPE for more than 20 years. The electrical engineer serves as the Pennsylvania Society president and cochairs a PSPE regulatory committee that reviews state legislation to help safeguard the integrity of PE licensure. Basta champions continuing education requirements for licensure in his state. His engineering career has spanned more than 40 years, concluding with a 15-year tenure at Exelon Energy, where he served as senior electrical engineer for electrical infrastructure design and construction. During his time at Pennsylvania Power and Light, Basta worked to address health issues regarding exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls via utility equipment.

Jason Beaudet, P.E.

Beaudet is a past president of the New Hampshire Society and solicits sponsorships that fund MATHCOUNTS and student scholarships. He’s also a member of the NSPE House of Delegates. Honored as Young Engineer of the Year by the New Hampshire Engineering Societies, Beaudet volunteers with multiple charities and mentors high school students interested in engineering careers. He is office and project manager for CMA Engineers Inc., where he is responsible for development, design, and management of transportation/highway engineering projects.

Randal Braker, P.E.

Braker is past president of the Tennessee Society and serves on the NSPE Board of Directors. He has mentored students for more than 20 years, is an active participant in MATHCOUNTS,  Engineer-for-a-Day, and Engineers on the Hill, and is committed to volunteerism. Former Tennessee governors have appointed Braker to regulatory bodies focused on water supply. He has served with the Duck River Utility Commission since 1988 and is now the general manager; Braker is responsible for all aspects of regional water authority operations. He has been formally recognized for process engineering and operational excellence by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the American Water Works Association.

Elizabeth Gayle, P.E.

Gayle became the first licensed female indigenous professional engineer in Guam in 1992. She has served as GSPE’s treasurer since 1995 and led the organization’s effort to achieve nonprofit status. Gayle also chaired the Guam Board of Registration for Professional Engineers, Architects, and Land Surveyors from 2002–04 and later chaired the University of Guam’s Board of Regents from 2017–18. Since 1992, Gayle has been Guam’s MATHCOUNTS program coordinator. She is vice president and senior civil engineer at Setiadi Architects LLC.

Harry Gong Jr., P.E.

Gong represents Mississippi in the NSPE House of Delegates. He is also a past president of the Mississippi Society’s Jackson Chapter. He has supported MATHCOUNTS for more than 12 years. Gong also widely participates in the Alabama-Mississippi Section of the American Water Works Association. His professional focus is on safe drinking water, and for more than 18 years he has pursued that mission with the Mississippi State Department of Health. Gong serves as engineering coordinator for the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund Program.

David Howe, P.E.

Howe retired after a 40-year career with Black & Veatch, has held leadership roles for the Missouri Society’s Western Chapter, including president and other executive positions. Statewide, Howe is a past president of MSPE and chaired the MSPE Professional Engineers in Private Practice Executive Committee. In 2019, he served on NSPE’s Professional Engineers Conference Planning Task Force. Howe’s professional affiliations outside NSPE are many. In his career, Howe helped develop water and wastewater projects in developing countries and managed and operated an office in Cairo, Egypt.

William Lawson, Ph.D., P.E.

Lawson is the founding advisor for the Texas Tech University Student Chapter of TSPE, formed in 1998. With more than 35 years of professional experience, Lawson serves on the faculty of Texas Tech’s Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering. He was named Engineer of the Year by TPSE in 2014 and has been voted “Most Influential Professor” by his civil engineering students eight different years. Lawson is a driving force behind the renowned Professional Ethics LIVE. He served on the NSPE Board of Ethical Review for six years and is associate editor of ASCE’s Journal of Civil Engineering Education. As a private consulting engineer since 1998, he has provided management and technical oversight for projects nationwide.

Michael Silva, P.E., L.S.

Silva promotes the conservation and responsible use of soil and water resources in Hawaii. Silva helps plan future infrastructure for Maui County as chairman of both the County Public Works Commission and the Central Maui Soil and Water Conservation District. Silva has served as president of HSPE and its Maui Chapter. He also promotes engineering scholarships and helps facilitate MATHCOUNTS competitions, in addition to representing Hawaii in the NSPE House of Delegates. Silva is vice president of Fukumoto Engineering Inc. and formerly served as a project manager at the company, having responsible charge of a number of key engineering and surveying projects in Hawaii.

Samuel Sudler III, P.E., D.F.E.

Sudler serves on the National Academy of Forensic Engineers’ board of directors and is slated to become president in 2022. Sudler is committed to ethics and served as chair of the NSPE Board of Ethical Review for three years. A past vice president of the Illinois Society, Sudler has the distinction of being licensed in 47 states and the District of Columbia to practice electrical engineering. Since 2002, he has worked in project engineering for SEA Ltd. in Maryland. Prior to that, beginning in 1994, he worked for various companies in electrical engineering.

Nijam Uddin, P.E.

Uddin, licensed in seven states, is dedicated to the Society’s advancement at all levels. He is former president of the Michigan Society’s Jackson Chapter and chairs its public relations and constitution and bylaws committees. In 2013, he was named the chapter’s “Engineer of the Year.” He is a past president of MSPE, holds fellow status, and engages younger engineers in MSPE activities. Uddin has 45 years of professional experience. In 2001, he joined Commonwealth Associates Inc. and has served as project manager and lead engineer. Currently, he provides expert design experience and project management to design teams on all underground electric power projects.