Dear ASHE Central Florida Members, Partners, and Friends,

I am incredibly excited to begin another year with ASHE Central Florida and honored to serve as your 2026–2027 President. More importantly, I am grateful to serve alongside an outstanding group of members who have stepped forward to lead our section this year.

Our leadership team includes Vice President Eric Benson, Secretary Eric McAra, Treasurer Rachel André, Regional Director Sherman Klaus, and our Board of Directors: Gary Spicer, Jr., James Rutherford, Kate O’Brien, Marissa Zdunkiewicz, Will Hawthorne, and Loreen Bobo.

Our section is also strengthened by members leading and serving on our committees. Sherman Klaus leads Membership and Ways & Means; Kate O’Brien and Marissa Zdunkiewicz lead Programs; Eric McAra leads Community & Small Business Outreach; Chris Rizzolo leads Historical & Bylaws and Media; and Glenn Pressimone and I lead Student Outreach. We are also fortunate to all committee members that are helping advance our programs and membership initiatives.

We have an exciting year ahead, and we are already hitting the ground running. There is a lot happening across ASHE right now! As I write this message, the 2026 ASHE Southeast Region Conference is underway in Georgia, bringing together ASHE members from across the Southeast for technical education, networking, and collaboration. I’m excited to see our Central Florida members participating and representing our section.

Our fall calendar is packed with opportunities to connect. Our 2026 ASHE Central Florida Clay Shoot will take place on October 15, followed by the ACEC Florida Region 3 Property Tax Forum on October 20. On October 28, we will host “SCOUT: On-Demand Transit for a More Connected Seminole County,” featuring Kristian Swenson, Seminole County Assistant County Manager.

We will close out the year with our Annual Holiday Gala on December 3, where we will come together to celebrate our members, students, scholarship recipients, projects, and another successful year for ASHE Central Florida. Looking ahead to 2027, members can expect the return of our Annual Transportation Summit, Transportation Thursdays, Sinkhole de Mayo, and many more opportunities for technical education, networking, service, and professional development.

Registration links and additional information for our upcoming events are provided below. I encourage everyone to register, participate, and take advantage of everything our section has planned.

There are also some important deadlines approaching. Our 2026 Project of the Year Award nominations are due October 16, recognizing outstanding transportation projects across three construction-cost categories. Winning projects will be celebrated at our Holiday Gala and advance as the Central Florida Section’s nominees for the 2027 ASHE National Project of the Year Awards. We are also investing in the future of our profession through our annual student scholarships. I encourage our members to help us reach deserving civil engineering students throughout Central Florida and connect them with ASHE.

As President, one of my priorities is to continue expanding the value ASHE provides beyond our individual events. That means strengthening relationships with our public agencies and industry partners, increasing opportunities for students and young professionals, providing quality technical and professional development, supporting our communities, and creating an organization where members can build relationships that last throughout their careers.

And perhaps one of the things I am most excited about is where this year will ultimately lead us.

In 2027, the ASHE Southeast Region Conference is coming to Central Florida!

This will be an incredible opportunity for ASHE Central Florida to welcome our colleagues from across the Southeast Region to our hometown and showcase not only the transportation projects transforming Central Florida, but also the people, partnerships, innovation, and energy that make our transportation community so special. Planning is already underway, and I cannot wait to see our section come together to make this a conference to remember.

Thank you to our Board, committee members, sponsors, agency partners, volunteers, students, and every member who continues to invest their time in ASHE Central Florida. This organization is only as strong as the people who choose to be part of it, and I am excited about what we will accomplish together this year.

Here’s to a great 2026–2027 ASHE Central Florida year—and to welcoming the Southeast Region to Orlando in 2027!

With gratitude and excitement for the year ahead,

Laura V. Campos, P.E.
President, ASHE Central Florida