2010 Individual Award:
VERNON B. SPALDING LEADERSHIP AWARD

The nominees for the Vernon B. Spalding Leadership Award must be outstanding individuals who have contributed significantly to the profession through their leadership role in ACEC, professional societies, academic, and community service organizations. The nominees shall be perceived by the profession and in their communities as leaders and demonstrate, though their civic involvement, how the quality of life in their community has been enhanced.

Benedit Tiseo, PE

Vernon B. Spalding Leadership Award

For more than 40 years, Mr. Ben Tiseo has been providing exemplary engineering and leadership services for NTH Consultants, Ltd. and has contributed significantly to the profession through his leadership in ACEC, professional societies, academic, and community service organizations.

He has been an active member of several technical and professional organizations. He served on the ACEC/M Board of Directors, including the roles of President and National Director. As a board member, he participated in the development of a long range strategic plan. Ben attended state legislative conferences, hosted open houses for legislators, and attended Consulting Congress in Washington , D.C. In 2004, he was elected as a Life Fellow for ACEC National.

His efforts have positively affected the engineering profession. Ben participated in the development of a manual for selecting geotechnical services. He also served on a committee to develop the Qualification Based Selection (QBS) manual. After being presented to legislators, a House Resolution was passed enacting the QBS process in Michigan . He served on another committee to assist the Michigan Department of Natural Resources develop the technical rules for the Solid and Hazardous Waste Acts (Acts 641 and 64), respectively) and, during his tenure as state president, he participated in the partnering process with the Detroit District of US Army Corps of Engineers, culminating in official execution of a partnering agreement with USACE.

Ben values education and personal growth through continual learning. He has had significant involvement in developing the careers of young engineers within NTH and future engineers. He has served as an Advisory Board member for the Civil Engineering Department at Lawrence Technological University . He also taught a Soil Mechanics course at Macomb Community College.

In recognition of his contributions, he has received several awards including Outstanding Engineer awards from ASCE and MSPE local and state chapters. Ben is a registered professional engineer in Michigan and several other states and is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers. During his 40 years of practice, he has directed numerous challenging projects in the geotechnical, underground construction, and environmental engineering fields.

Ben's dedication and accomplishments stretch beyond the scope of engineering. He is actively involved in the community supporting the Italian American Cultural Society, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Detroit Symphony.