R.E. Warner congratulates Senior Project Manager Matt Benovic (pictured second from right) and Structural Engineer Ryan O'Hearn (pictured second from left) on being sworn in as President and Secretary respectively of The American Society of Civil Engineers Cleveland Section.
The ceremony took place at the chapter's Annual Dinner on May 17, 2017 at Nuevo restaurant on the downtown Cleveland waterfront. Matt previously served as Vice President and Ryan is serving his second term as Secretary. When asked about the chapter's goals for the upcoming year, Matt and Ryan shared that the main priorities are:
-To complete a Northeast Ohio Regional Report Card to help educate the public on the economic impacts of aging infrastructure.
-To build a sustainable scholarship fund to help the most involved aspiring civil engineers with the rising cost of higher education.
-To grow the educational opportunities the Section offers to its members by bringing in distinguished engineers to speak and building on the technical content of the ASCE Institutes to provide more discipline specific learning events.
-To continue the growth of outreach to middle and high school STEM students, including Great Lakes Science Center program outreach and a weekly afternoon Civil Engineering Club at Orchard STEM School. These programs serve to educate and inspire students to pursue a career in civil engineering.
-To help younger members and graduating students find opportunities to begin or advance their careers.
When asked how they got started in ASCE and why they continue their involvement, Ryan and Matt shared the following: Ryan - "I started participating in ASCE as part of the student chapter at Cleveland State, where I served many roles including president of the chapter. I initially got involved out of curiosity and a need to step out of my comfort zone, and stayed involved because of the connections I was making with my fellow students and professionals in the industry. My involvement carried on after I graduated and, as with any volunteer organization, active members don’t go unnoticed. I was asked to serve as the Younger Member Committee Co-Chair and eventually was nominated to be Secretary. ASCE helps me refocus on why I chose to be an engineer, and gives me insights on what my career can lead to in the future."
Matt - "I began with ASCE as a graduate student at Cleveland State (recruited by my now wife, Cleveland State University Chapter President at the time) working on the steel bridge building competition. I helped the team with bridge design for two years. Once I graduated, I wanted to get more involved in a structural focused organization and ASCE had the Structural Engineering Institute, which I became Co-Chair of. After about a year, they requested I sign on to an officer’s role, first serving as Secretary for two years, then Vice President and now President. I also helped found the Scholarship Committee and serve as Chair."
R.E. Warner is proud to have Matt and Ryan represent our firm within the Cleveland ASCE community.