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Outstanding Alum

Micheal J. Barbachem

'84 BS in Civil Engineering

Title: Project Manager for URS Corporation

Personal: Married to Nancy J. Richards (ODU '86);two children: Brent David and Kathryn Marie

Honors and Awards: 1998 recipient of the National ASCE Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award for Professional Development • 1995 recipient of the Engineers Club of Hampton Roads Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award for Technical Assessments in Support of the Elizabeth River Regional Action Plan Development • Member,Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society • Member, Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society

Professional Certifications and Commitments: Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Florida, and Pennsylvania • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): Chairman, 1999 SCE-CSCE National Conference on Environmental Engineering; Chairman, National ASCE Water Pollution Engineering Committee, 1999 - 2001; Past President, Norfolk Branch ASCE, 1996-1997 • Virginia Section ASCE:Secretary, 1997 - 1999;First Vice-President, 1999 - 2000 • Water Environment Federation (WEF) • Member, WEF Groundwater Committee, 1994 - 1999 • Member, WEF Municipal Wastewater Treatment Committee, 1995 - 2000 • Diplomate, American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) • Member, American Water Works Association (AWWA) • Member, Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) • Engineers Club of Hampton Roads (ECHR);Director, 1997 - 1999; Secretary, 1999 - 2000; Vice-President, 2000 - 2001

Community Commitments: Coached recreation league, advanced, and travel girls soccer for 5 years for the Virginia Beach Soccer Club (prior to having children of his own). Served as a volunteer for the non-profit Elizabeth River Project, a grass-roots organization working to restore the health of the impaired Elizabeth River estuary.

My favorite memory actually comes from a time following graduation. While President of the Norfolk Branch ASCE, I was able to provide assistance to the ODU ASCE Student Chapter in hosting the 1997 Virginia Conference, an annual conference for ASCE Student Chapters from across Virginia and West Virginia. While the local branch provided assistance, it was the students who truly carried the charge. It goes without saying that this was the best conference, by far, that any of the schools had ever coordinated and still serves as the benchmark of success. I am very proud to be an alumnus whenever the topic of 'the year that ODU held the conference' is discussed.