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JOHN ACKERMAN, CHAIR OF PENN-ANTHRACITE SECTION SME NAMED 2018 LEHIGH VALLEY ASCE SECTION ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

  • 1.  JOHN ACKERMAN, CHAIR OF PENN-ANTHRACITE SECTION SME NAMED 2018 LEHIGH VALLEY ASCE SECTION ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

    Posted 04-27-2019 03:14 PM
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    JOHN R. ACKERMAN, P.E., P.G., BCEE, M.ASCE, Chairman of the Penn Anthracite Section of SME has been named the 2018 Engineer of the Year by the Lehigh Valley Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Ackerman is President of Twin Oaks Water Systems, Inc. in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania.
    Ackerman has a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University and is licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a professional engineer since 1981.

    John joined the Penn Anthracite Section SME in 1978 and has held leadership positions in the Section since 1985, including Chairman-for-Life of the Kaminski Scholarship Committee. He has been Chair for five terms between 1990 and 2019, second place behind our first Chair, Robert Van Arsdale Norris, who John and Penn-Anthracite have nominated for the National Mining Hall of Fame.

    His professional career has spanned over 40 years in the environmental engineering field, starting as an environmental engineer for Hazleton Pumps and progressing to various roles as a consultant in private practice as well as the Operations Manager for Hazleton CAN DO, Inc., an industrial development organization, before founding Twin Oaks Water Systems, Inc.

    Some of Ackerman's past high-profile ASCE awards include
    • the 1986 ASCE Zone 1 Daniel Mead Prize for Younger Members and the 2017 ASCE Innovation Contest Award for "Best Value in Green Engineering".
    • He was recognized as "Young Engineer of the Year" by the Coal Division SME/AIME in 1983 and by the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineer's in 1986,
    • and as "Engineer of the Year" by the Luzerne Chapter of PSPE in 1993.
    • He holds the title of Diplomate of Environmental Engineering since 1989 being board certified by AAEES
    • and was also named a Fellow of the National Society of Professional Engineers in 2005.
    • John also owns several Patents and published several papers in national and international journals.

    Giving back personally and professionally is paramount to Ackerman. He has served in different leadership roles in several professional and technical associations, including ASCE, PSPE/NSPE, PADEP, AAEES, AAES, and SME/AIME.

    He has mentored and developed future engineers through STEM outreach programs at various high schools and the Ethics Programs at Wilkes University and has been a long-time volunteer for the MATHCOUNTS program.

    John serves on the Board of the Pax in Terra Foundation and participates in the Greater Hazleton Empty Bowls program founded by his wife, Margi, along with other community organizations.

    Ackerman is married with two children, Matthew and Rachel. In his spare time, he and Margi enjoy hiking and biking on the various NEPA Rails to Trails locations and he serves as the Miller Family Historian tracking all his cousins and searching for their ancestors and when they came over from Europe to America.

    Congratulations to John for his professional achievements and contributions to the profession, ASCE and to the community. He received the honor at the LVASCE April Awards and Dinner meeting which was held on Thursday April 25th, 2019 at Lehigh University in Bethlehem.

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    Michael Korb PE
    Wapwallopen PA United States
    (570)233-2191
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