Thirteen Designers, Educators, and Industry Professionals You Should Know for 2026
CHICAGO - The structural steel fabrication and design industry’s best assets are its people. AISC will recognize 13 of them for their extraordinary contributions to the industry at NASCC: The Steel Conference in April.
“Structural steel design, fabrication, and building is a team effort that succeeds when it has a great roster of people,” said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “The industry stays at the top of its game thanks to MVPs and innovators, from classrooms to executive boardrooms to offices. We’re proud to recognize some of the people who shape our industry.”
AISC will present these awards during the opening session of The Steel Conference on April 22 in Atlanta.
2026 Lifetime Achievement Awards
AISC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards recognize living individuals who have made a difference in the success of AISC and the structural steel industry.
AISC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards recognize living individuals who have made a difference in the success of AISC and the structural steel industry.
- David Eckmann, SE, PE, FAIA, president, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, for his leadership role in more than 100 of his firm’s projects and longtime contributions to AISC, including his status as the longest-serving member of the NASCC Technical Planning Committee (where he serves as vice chair).
- Chad Larson, chief bolting officer, LeJeune Bolt Company, for his contributions to the advancement of the structural bolting industry and service on the AISC Committee on Specifications and TC 6: Connection Design.
- Jack E. Petersen, SE, PE, principal, Martin/Martin, for his decades of work on designing projects of all sizes, service in many industry leadership positions, and extensive experience with AISC committees.
- Benjamin W. Schafer, PhD, Willard and Lillian Hackerman professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University, for advancing design standards for cold-formed and hot-rolled steel.
- Theodore P. Zoli, III, PE, national bridge chief engineer, HNTB, for participation in research that has advanced the state-of-the-art of steel bridge design, and his incorporation of the latest AAHSTO Guide Specifications on SRMs and IRMs.
2026 Special Achievement Awards
AISC Special Achievement Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated notable singular or multiple achievements in structural steel design, construction, research, or education.
AISC Special Achievement Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated notable singular or multiple achievements in structural steel design, construction, research, or education.
- Matthew R. Eatherton, SE, PhD, professor and Raymond G. and Madelyn Ann Curry fellow, Virginia Tech, for his research on end-plate moment connections and co-authoring AISC Design Guide 39: End Plate Moment Connections.
- Cem Korkmaz, PhD, senior research engineer at Purdue University, for foundational research work leading to the simplified analytical methods and shear stud modeling provisions for twin tub girder bridge systems, helping bridge owners remove these systems from being classified as fracture critical/nonredundant.
- Anthony (Tony) Ream, PE, northeast principal bridge engineer, HDR, for his work with the AASHTO/NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration, including updates to the NSBA Steel Bridge Design Handbook and the development of the new AASHTO LRFD Specifications for non-composite steel box section members.
- Kyle Smith, SE, PE, vice president/director of structural engineering, GPI/Greenman-Pedersen, Inc., for his leadership and dedication to the AASHTO/NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration that led to the new G14.2-Guidelines for Field Repairs and Retrofits of Steel Bridges.
H. Louis Gurthet Teaching Faculty Award
AISC also recognizes those who build a brighter future by supporting tomorrow's leaders. This award is named for Lou Gurthet, AISC’s president from 1996 to 2005 and an AISC Board of Directors member from 1990 to 1996. It honors a teaching-focused faculty member in a university civil engineering, architectural engineering, architecture, construction engineering, or construction management department.
AISC also recognizes those who build a brighter future by supporting tomorrow's leaders. This award is named for Lou Gurthet, AISC’s president from 1996 to 2005 and an AISC Board of Directors member from 1990 to 1996. It honors a teaching-focused faculty member in a university civil engineering, architectural engineering, architecture, construction engineering, or construction management department.
- Jordan Jarrett, PE, PhD, teaching assistant professor at Colorado State University, who teaches steel design and has developed a new course on structural loads. Outside of the classroom, Jarrett has been the faculty advisor for the university’s Student Steel Bridge Competition team and serves on committees at AISC, ASCE, NCSEA, and the Structural Engineers Association of Colorado.
Terry Peshia Early Career Faculty Awards
These awards are named for the late president of Garbe Iron Works in Aurora, Ill., who served with great distinction in many leadership roles in the industry and on the AISC Board. His namesake awards recognize young professors who demonstrate promise in structural steel research, teaching, and other contributions to the structural steel industry.
These awards are named for the late president of Garbe Iron Works in Aurora, Ill., who served with great distinction in many leadership roles in the industry and on the AISC Board. His namesake awards recognize young professors who demonstrate promise in structural steel research, teaching, and other contributions to the structural steel industry.
- Mohsen Zaker Esteghamati, PhD, assistant professor at Utah State University, for conducting research that transforms steel design practice by integrating artificial intelligence with performance-based earthquake engineering to create intelligent frameworks that aid designers in achieving resilient and efficient steel structures.
- Gulen Ozkula, PhD, assistant professor at the University of the District of Columbia, for conducting research on the seismic behavior and design of steel columns, which has provided essential insights into local buckling behavior and axial shortening.
Board of Directors Award
The AISC Board of Directors Award recognizes Board members for sustained, significant service and contributions to AISC and the structural steel industry, honoring those who have shown exceptional dedication, often including leadership roles like chair or vice chair, and promoting industry success through advocacy and innovation.
The AISC Board of Directors Award recognizes Board members for sustained, significant service and contributions to AISC and the structural steel industry, honoring those who have shown exceptional dedication, often including leadership roles like chair or vice chair, and promoting industry success through advocacy and innovation.
- Jack Klimp, retired vice president/general manager, Cianbro Corporation, for a 40-year career in the steel industry that included more than two decades on the AISC Board of Directors, culminating in his election as chair in 2019. As chair, he implemented AISC’s Need for Speed program, which included seminal work on SpeedCore and asymmetric sections, among other initiatives.
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About the American Institute of Steel Construction
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), a not-for-profit technical institute supported by the steel industry, partners with the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) community to develop safe and efficient steel specifications and codes while driving innovation to make steel the most sustainable, economic, and resilient structural material. For more than a century, AISC has been a reliable resource for information and advice on the design and construction of domestically fabricated structural steel buildings and bridges.
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