Press release from ACEC of Washington:
Bellevue, Wash.-The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Washington is honoring Daniel R. “Dan” McDonald, PE as the 2010 Engineer of the Year, citing his distinguished career of service both in engineering and as a member of the Washington State Legislature.
McDonald is best known in Washington for his years as a state representative from 1979 to 1983, then as a state senator from 1984 to 2002. In the Senate he served as Minority Leader, Majority Leader and chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. His public service alone is impressive, but when combined with a career in environmental engineering, McDonald’s contributions to quality of life in Washington State have been phenomenal.
“Few engineers have the leadership, charisma and courage to combine such a career of technical engineering with elected public service,” said Jim Miller, PE, chairman of ACEC’s Engineer of the Year Selection Panel and 2009 winner of the award. “Dan McDonald’s engineering background, together with his commitment to public service, provided him a unique perspective that helped him sponsor and shepherd legislation that has greatly improved our natural and business environments.”
McDonald started out with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington then served two tours in Vietnam as a Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) company commander. After leaving the military he worked for two years as a project engineer for Baugh Construction then joined Kramer, Chin & Mayo (KCM; now Tetra Tech / KCM) as a project engineer. While employed by KCM, McDonald returned to the University of Washington to earn his Master’s degree in resource economics.
During his 27 years with KCM, McDonald applied his education and technical expertise to a wide variety of projects throughout the world, including water systems, aquaculture, fisheries, environmental assessments, wastewater treatment facilities, buildings, waterfront structures, and military facilities. It was during these years with KCM that McDonald decided to enter the state political arena, subsequently serving more than two decades in the state house and senate. His “consensus-over-confrontation” leadership style earned him respect from both sides of the aisle, and he was very successful in building coalitions that passed many major pieces of legislation. One of his proudest accomplishments was the creation of two state plans to preserve natural scenic areas and old growth forests, protecting nearly 200,000 acres of open space for future generations to enjoy. Dan retired from the legislature in 2002 to devote full-time attention to his private engineering practice with MWH Americas.
With MWH, he has served as a project manager for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in New Orleans, and as a permitting coordinator for the Brightwater Wastewater Conveyance System in King County. He is also working on the county’s $30 million rehabilitation of the original Fremont siphon pipeline, a utility tunnel built in 1907 to convey water and wastewater beneath the ship canal leading from Lake Washington to Puget Sound. This pipeline, comprised of two cast iron pipelines in a concrete-lined tunnel that also carries a water main owned by the City of Seattle, provides a capacity of up to 220 million gallons per day and conveys about half the total load from King County’s West Point Water Treatment Plant.
During his multifaceted public and private career, McDonald somehow found time to get involved with numerous community groups, including the Mountain-to-Sound Greenway Trust, the Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, the Seattle/King County Drug Commission, the Special Olympics, the Nature Conservancy, TVW Board, Seattle/King County Municipal League and The King County Farmland Preservation Board.
He also found time to raise two sons, Evan and Tod, with his wife, Janie. McDonald travels with his family, and goes on long distance bike trips where he rides up to 100 miles per day. He also has run three times a week since 1968 to keep in shape. McDonald has built a family compound on his Lopez Island property where family and friends frequently gather. “I think God will figure that my mission here on Earth will be over if I ever I complete building, so I just keep building and enjoying,” he said.”
Since 1959, the Engineer of the Year has been selected annually by a panel of prior recipients of the distinguished award chaired by the most recent award winner. This year’s panel and the years they won the award include: Chair, Jim Miller (2009); Art Barkshire (1998), Callie Ridolfi (2003); Amy Haugerud (2005) and Jared Smith (2006).
About ACEC
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington is the leading advocate for the business interests of consulting engineering, land surveying and affiliated scientific and planning firms statewide.
