It has been a privilege to serve as the Central Ohio Section President since stepping into the role earlier this year. ASHE’s mission is to promote a safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation system through education, innovation, and fellowship, and I am proud to serve at the helm of our local section.

I would like to recognize our Past President Tom Less as well as all of the 2020-2021 Board Members who found new ways to provide opportunities and benefits to our members in an unusual and challenging time. While we were not able to hold some of our annual in-person events, we were able to offer many of those events as webinars throughout the year to continue providing professional development opportunities to our members. We also were able to continue supporting our scholarship program, where we provide three $2,500 scholarships annually to civil engineering students at Ohio State.

As we look toward the new year, our section is excited to host the 2022 ASHE National Conference right here in Central Ohio. The conference will be held at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown from May 11 to May 15. Registration information will be available in mid-January, and the national conference website at 2022conference.ashe.pro is constantly being updated with the latest information. I hope to see you there.

In the meantime, we have a number of upcoming events to look forward to. Be on the lookout for information about our annual Capital Improvements Program luncheon in January, Scholarship Dinner in March, as well as upcoming happy hours, highway cleanups, and other events. One of my goals this year is to continue to find more and new ways to provide value and benefits to our membership and I hope you will partake. Thanks to all on the Board who help put on each of these events.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any suggestions and ideas or if you would like to help out. We are a volunteer organization and I am grateful for all who have provided their time, energy, and resources to support Central Ohio ASHE now, in the past, and in the future. Our section is strong thanks to your help.

-Justin Soltesz, PE
Central Ohio ASHE President