[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 33 (Thursday, February 27, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E259-E260]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING MS. ANNE M. ELLIS' LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE TO THE AMERICAN 
                           CONCRETE INSTITUTE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 27, 2014

  Mr. PETERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Anne. 
M. Ellis for her volunteer leadership to the American Concrete 
Institute (ACI), headquartered in Farmington Hills, MI, an organization 
whose work is fundamental to our nation's critical infrastructure and 
key to our economic competitiveness. As a Member of Congress, I am 
privileged and honored to recognize Ms. Ellis for her leadership and 
lifelong commitment to this organization and to advancing the knowledge 
of concrete in the United States and abroad.
   ACI has been the pioneer in all concrete-related fields: research 
and development, structural design, architectural design, construction, 
and product manufacture. With 99 chapters, 65 student chapters, and 
nearly 20,000 members spanning over 120 countries, ACI provides 
knowledge and information for the best uses of concrete. Through a host 
of activities including continuing education, certification, seminars, 
publications, and conventions, ACI plays an active and vital role in 
the concrete industry. Core to ACI is the development of codes and 
standards, adopted for reference in building codes impacting 
potentially every concrete project in the United States. Additionally, 
there are some 21 countries worldwide that base part or all of their 
national building codes on the ACI's 318 Structural Concrete Building 
Code provisions.
   Ms. Ellis will complete her term, as the 90th President of ACI, at 
ACI's Spring Convention in Reno. Her Presidency was notable for the 
many accomplishments typified by the new ACI motto: Always Advancing 
that launched during her term. Her term also bore witness to a new ACI 
logo, a new ACI website translatable into 70 languages, and the 
formation of the following ACI committees: Education, Technical and 
Certification Committee (ETC); International Project Awards Committee 
(IPAC); Codes & Standards Advisory Committee; as well as launching the 
Global Chapter Roundtable. These concrete actions support ACI's new 
strategic plan that sets it on a course for global leadership in the 
21st century.
   Anne Ellis' service to ACI began long before her presidency. Ms. 
Ellis has served on ACI's Board of Direction, the Board of the ACI 
Foundation, as well as numerous other Board and Technical committees. 
Working with ACI colleagues, Ms. Ellis helped institute free ACI 
student e-membership, facilitate ACI's entry into social networking, 
and establish the Collegiate Concrete Council, the Student and Young 
Professionals Activities Committee and Sustainability Committees. She 
was named an ACI Fellow in 2008. Not surprisingly, she has been named 
by ``Concrete Construction'' as one of the most influential people in 
the concrete industry.
   Currently, Ms. Ellis is Vice President of Global & Government 
Initiatives for AECOM, an $8-billion global provider of professional 
technical and management support services. In this role, Ms. Ellis 
drives business-critical initiatives and engages in policy, legislative 
and regulatory issues affecting AECOM and the clients and markets the 
company serves. Additionally, Ms. Ellis oversees the day-to-day 
operations of the AECOM Global Advisory Board, comprised of prominent 
global leaders who are external to AECOM and highly accomplished in 
business and geopolitics.
   Prior to joining AECOM, Ms. Ellis represented the Portland Cement 
Association and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. On 
behalf of these industries, she advocated for technical guidelines 
incorporated into landmark legislation that supported the development 
and construction of environmentally sustainable building designs. She 
represented the industries in the development of construction trade and 
supervisor training and certification programs--now standard in master 
specifications, with hundreds of thousands certified. Additionally, Ms. 
Ellis was a structural engineering project manager for numerous 
noteworthy entertainment, institutional and commercial building 
projects while at Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade & Douglas; Martin, 
Cagley & Middlebrook; Dewberry & Davis; and Ehlert/Bryan. Throughout 
her career, Ms. Ellis taught a variety of classes to undergraduate 
students, including reinforced concrete design, and continuing 
education classes to practicing engineers, preparing hundreds of 
engineers for successful completion of the FE and PE exams.
   Ms. Ellis is a 2013 inductee into the Virginia Tech Academy of 
Engineering Excellence, an elite group composed of only 119 people out 
of its more than 60,000 living alumni. She is a 2007 inductee into the 
Virginia Tech Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 
Academy of Distinguished Alumni. She has completed terms on the 
Virginia Tech College of Engineering Advisory Board and the Civil and 
Environmental Engineering Advisory Board, including a term as Chair.
   Ms. Ellis serves on the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory 
Committee (ETTAC), as an appointee of the Secretary of Commerce. ETTAC 
provides private-sector advice to 19 federal departments and agencies 
on federal trade policies and programs concerning the environmental 
technologies industry.
   Ms. Ellis is active in several business and professional 
organizations. She is a member

[[Page E260]]

of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and served as ASCE 
National Concrete Canoe Competition judge in 2004, 2005, and 2012. She 
was named an ASCE Fellow in 2013. The author of numerous articles and 
coauthor of the ``Concrete Design and Construction'' section in the 
Fifth Edition of the Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers, Ms. Ellis 
is a frequent speaker at universities, professional societies, and 
industry forums. She received her Bachelor of Science in Civil 
Engineering from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, and has been a 
professional engineer since 1984.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today to honor Ms. Anne 
M. Ellis' leadership and service to the American Concrete Institute.

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