Henrico Times

Aecom Technology Corporation issued the following announcement on Sept. 3

Mark Handley, PE, senior vice president of Federal Programs and a retired Rear Admiral from the U.S. Navy, was recently elected to serve as the National President of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). Mark has actively participated in the Society for more than 25 years, volunteering in multiple national, regional, and Post positions, and was inducted into the organization’s prestigious Academy of Fellows in 2017. He leads AECOM’s federal strategy as part of the National Governments team in the Americas. Prior to joining the civilian workforce, he enjoyed a 32-year career with the U.S. Navy. He served during both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Prior to his retirement from the U.S. Navy, he commanded the First Naval Construction Division (Seabees). Other senior assignments include Vice Commander, Navy Installations Command; Director of Shore Readiness for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (logistics); and Commanding Officer, NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic.

“On behalf of SAME, I am thrilled to welcome Rear Adm. Mark Handley, PE, F.SAME, USN (Ret.) as the Society’s 102nd National President,” said SAME Executive Director Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel, PE, F.SAME, USA (Ret.). “Mark has been a leader throughout his career, with the U.S. Navy, in private industry, and in SAME. Foremost, he inspires others to action by his example and hands-on engagement, from working personally with Society leaders and stakeholders, to improving how we operate to deliver value to our members. Mark has made significant impacts in the years leading up to our Centennial, but his commitment now to strengthening our industry-government engagement efforts will make a tremendous difference for our nation, our profession and SAME.”

We sat down with Mark to talk about SAME, AECOM’s infrastructure work in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and federal agencies, and his vision moving forward.

You have been a member of SAME both during your service in the Navy and your tenure in the A/E industry. What are the benefits for other colleagues to get involved? In 1995, when I was a junior officer in the Navy, the senior officers encouraged me to join SAME. I initially joined for the social aspect, but was quickly drawn to the extensive opportunities for training, education, and professional growth through conferences, networking events, strategic partnerships, webinars, technical publications, and leadership development. As an officer in the Navy, I found SAME to be a great platform for industry-government engagement. For me, it provided a tremendous opportunity to interact with the private industry and to learn while in uniform. SAME provided a pathway for technical and professional development for myself and many of my fellow service members.

When I transitioned from military service to private industry, I stayed active in SAME. Drawing upon my previous knowledge and experience in the Navy, I found a space to provide feedback to government agencies about the challenges military engineers are facing today. I’m proud that AECOM is such a strong partner with SAME and I appreciate that our leadership team is so supportive of the time I spend volunteering with the Society. The work we are doing is critical for the future of national defense and the engagement we foster between industry and government is invaluable.

Original source can be found here.