Virginia DOT, David Nelson Construction and TYLin Executives Honored With Leadership Impact Awards

(WASHINGTON) – The American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) Foundation Sept. 11 announced the winners of its annual Leadership Impact Awards, which honor graduates of its Industry Leader Development Program (ILDP). The awards were presented at ARTBA’s national convention in La Jolla, Calif.
 
Taking place annually in the Nation’s Capital, more than 800 professionals have completed the ILDP. It provides participants with a solid understanding of industry economics, how U.S. transportation projects are funded and financed, how actions by the federal government impact the industry, and how they—and their company or agency—can become politically engaged.

Award winners were evaluated and selected based on three key criteria: 1) demonstrated contributions to national, state, or local transportation design and construction associations or professional societies; 2) proven track record displaying visionary thinking, driving change, or solving problems that helped improve operational performance; and 3) serving as a mentor to firm/agency colleagues or industry peers, and driving efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.

The 2023 honorees, followed by the year they completed the ILDP, are:

Martha Gross, Virginia Department of Transportation (2014)
Gross realized while pursuing design-build projects in 2004 that she was the only person in the room without a professional engineer (PE) license. That’s because the national PE licensing exam for civil engineers did not recognize construction as a licensed profession. After obtaining her license, Gross in 2006 began volunteering to write and review questions for a future Construction Engineering option for the exam with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). The new exam option was offered in 2008, enabling over 10,000 construction professionals to obtain PE licensure. She has served since 2018 as national chair of the NCEES Construction Engineering exam-development committee.

When Gross joined the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in 2016, her first assignment was to lead the development of what became the agency’s largest-ever project, the $3.3 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion. To grow this project from concept to reality, VDOT looked to Gross to apply the full range of her problem-solving experience as contractor, consultant, academic, and owner. She was proud to see the HRBT awarded in 2019, and the project is now well under construction.

Leigh Lilla, David Nelson Construction (2020)
At the Florida-based David Nelson Construction Co., Lilla rose from entry-level project management to a division leader overseeing nearly all government construction projects and has been instrumental in developing policies and procedures that have augmented the firm’s growth.

An active volunteer for several engineering and transportation construction groups, Lilla is president of the 7,000-member American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE). Under her leadership, membership has grown almost four percent, and completed a new three-year strategic plan that emphasizes collaboration through technology, innovation, and membership inclusivity. Lilla also serves on the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association’s (FTBA) board. 

Lilla served on the steering committee for FTBA’s Tampa Bay Construction Career Days for the past five years. The event reaches thousands of high school students each year, promoting career paths in the construction industry.

Chris Fronheiser, TYLin (2008)
An ARTBA leader since 2006, Fronheiser has dedicated significant time to the association and the transportation construction industry overall. He was elected Industry Leader Development Council (ILDC) chair, was part of a strategic committee that re-evaluated ILDP’s mission in 2015, served in the Contractors Division for three years and is currently president of ARTBA’s Planning & Design Division. 

Fronheiser also served on the Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) Transportation & Aviation Committee, was a past officer of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) in Maryland and has been an active board member in the American Society of Highway Engineers, Chesapeake Section, for over 15 years. 

With a long career in planning, design, and construction, Fronheiser has been involved in the delivery of complex interdisciplinary transportation projects across the U.S. and Canada. He is also passionate about identifying, training, and mentoring the next generation of STEM students interested in construction and engineering and is currently volunteering as a technical advisor to the Autonomous Robotics Innovation Center in Westminster, Md.

Established in 1985, the ARTBA Foundation is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt entity designed to “promote research, education and public awareness” about the impacts of transportation investment.  It supports an array of initiatives, including educational scholarships, awards, management and education programs, roadway work zone safety training, special economic research and reports, American National Standards Institute-accredited transportation project safety certification, and an exhibition on transportation at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.