Captain Richard Gelting, P.E. (right), NSPE President Dan J. Wittliff, P.E., DEE, F.NSPE (left)

Captain Richard Gelting, Ph.D., P.E.
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Read the press release.

Capt. Richard Gelting, Ph.D., P.E., a senior environmental engineer with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, has been named the National Society of Professional Engineers' 2013 Federal Engineer of the Year. Gelting received the honor during the 34th Annual FEYA Banquet at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on February 21, 2013.

Gelting manages and coordinates the work of the water, sanitation, and hygiene team within the CDC. Collaborating with the International Water Association and the World Health Organization, he led teams to develop water safety plan documents and shape the global research agenda. His leadership and expertise were instrumental in producing innovative research and evaluation documents that have educated global audiences. He has coordinated global implementation of multiple water safety plans in Jamaica, Guyana, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, and St. Lucia. In Brazil, implementation results were used as grounds to revise the national drinking water regulations that now require safety plans for all drinking water systems.

Gelting also championed and directed a 10-year sustainability study of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions implemented by the Red Cross in four countries (Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala). Results from this study have led to changes in the way the Red Cross works to sustain health benefits.

Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General, keynote speaker

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2013 Federal Engineer of the Year Top Finalists
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• Robert Anderson, P.E., Natural Resources Conservation Service, Department of Agriculture
  Noteworthy: Worked with federal and state officials following major floods in Tennessee to accomplish $22 million in recovery measures, including stabilizing a stream bank that saved 35 homes.
• Commander Joseph Dugan, P.E., U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security
  Noteworthy: Led the integration of the heavy icebreaker fleet into the Coast Guard's new logistics support model, which ensured delivery of 1.3 million gallons of fuel to Nome, Alaska, to sustain energy reserves last winter.
• Captain Richard Gelting, P.E., Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Department of Health & Human Services
  Noteworthy: Led teams to support international water safety standards, with implementation results leading Brazil to make the guidelines mandatory nationwide.
• Ronald Goldman, P.E., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army
  Noteworthy: Developed software to determine real-time flood mapping estimates that was used on search and rescue missions during Hurricane Katrina.
• Lieutenant Commander LaKeeva Gunderson, E.I.T., Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Department of the Navy
  Noteworthy: Oversaw 80 humanitarian projects throughout the Horn of Africa, including three schools in Rwanda.
• Lieutenant Colonel Michael Klapmeyer, P.E., Air Force Space Command, Department of the Air Force
  Noteworthy: Heads a $5 million project to convert the entire fleet of vehicles at Los Angeles Air Force Base to hybrid/electric vehicles, the first Defense Department installation to do so.
• Todd Martin, P.E., Air Mobility Command, Department of the Air Force
  Noteworthy: Upgraded aging infrastructure at a base in South Carolina, including sewers and the electrical system. Currently leading a $43 million runway repair project.
• Predrag "Mick" Mastilovic, P.E., Tennessee Valley Authority
  Noteworthy: Led the TVA's participation in a multiparty agreement to convert uranium enrichment tails into fuel for TVA's nuclear reactors.
• John Schmelzle, P.E., Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Department of the Navy
  Noteworthy: Designed and developed deck shields to protect ships from the V-22 aircraft's exhaust in just 12 days.
• Joshua Tomblin, P.E., Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Department of the Navy
  Noteworthy: Deployed to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake where he provided repair concepts and technical support to help restore cargo operations at a marine terminal.

2013 Participating Agencies

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• U.S. Naval Facilities Command
• U.S. Air Force
• U.S. Coast Guard
• U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• National Institutes of Health
• National Park Service
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Last year, prestigious attendees included:

• RADM Christopher J. Mossey, P.E.
  Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Chief of Civil Engineers
• RADM Ronald Rabago, P.E.
  Chief Engineer, Assistant Commandant for Engineering & Logistics, U.S. Coast Guard
• MG Merdith "Bo" Temple, P.E.
  Chief of Engineers, Acting Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• MG Timothy Byers
  The Civil Engineer, U.S. Air Force
• Michael G. Ryschkewitsch, Ph.D.
  Chief Engineer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• RADM Sven E. Rodenbeck, P.E.
  Chief Engineer Officer, U.S. Public Health Service

Past FEYA Winners and Events >>