The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials welcomed three new fellows to its engineering department at the group’s Washington D.C. headquarters. The three will each spend a year working on a variety of highway engineering, environmental, and policy issues for AASHTO.

Eric Kopinski, a nine-year veteran of the Missouri Department of Transportation, will split his fellowship at AASHTO working on both engineering and policy issues. Kopinski, who began his term April 2 at AASHTO’s Washington D.C. office, has held various positions within MoDOT’s construction, environmental, and design-build operations over the past eight years and is currently he assistant district construction and materials engineer for the St. Louis District. Kopinski is a graduate of the Missouri University of Science and Technology with a degree in Civil Engineering and is a licensed professional engineer.

Chad Clawson, a 10-year veteran of the Idaho Transportation Department, began his fellowship April 9 and will 100 percent focused on engineering issues. He’s been a district materials engineer for a decade, overseeing laboratory materials testing, pavement and foundation investigations, pavement design, and recommending pavement management strategies and project planning. Clawson received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Idaho in 2003 and expects to complete a graduate degree in engineering management from his alma mater sometime later this year. Married with four children, Clawson is an avid outdoorsman with a penchant for steelhead fishing.

Anna Bosin (in the middle of photo at left, flanked by Koinski on the left and Clawson on the right) who started her fellowship on May 1, works for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) since 2008 and a registered civil engineer since 2009. She’ll split her time at AASHTO between both engineering and policy work. A 2002 graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, Bosin began her career in the City of Santa Barbara’s Public Works Department managing facility upgrades, sidewalk connection projects, street overlays, and beautification projects. During her 10-year tenure at DOT&PF, she has worked in the highway design, construction, and traffic and safety sections before moving to the agency’s research development and technology Transfer section in 2014. In addition to managing research projects, Bosin serves as the department’s liaison to Alaska’s 229 federally-recognized native tribes. She is also a new mom to daughter Rae Evora.

AASHTO noted that it benefits from this 16-year old fellowship program by tapping into the “front lines” expertise and practical experience of its fellows in formulating technical documents and policy positions related to association business.

Above photo left to right: Kopinski, Bosin, and Clawson