John R. Ackerman, P.E., P.G., BCEE, M.ASCE, has been named the 2018 Engineer of the Year by the Lehigh Valley Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Ackerman is President of Twin Oaks Water Systems, Inc. in Hazle Township, Luzerne County.

He is licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a professional engineer since 1981 and has a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University.

His professional career has spanned over 40 years in the environmental engineering field, starting as an environmental engineer for Hazleton Pumps and progressing to various roles as a consultant in private practice as well as the Operations Manager for Hazleton CAN DO, Inc., an industrial development organization, before founding Twin Oaks Water Systems, Inc.

Some of Ackerman’s past high-profile ASCE awards include the 1986 ASCE Zone 1 Daniel Mead Prize for Younger Members and the 2017 ASCE Innovation Contest Award for “Best Value in Green Engineering.”

He was recognized as “Young Engineer of the Year” by the Coal Division SME/AIME in 1983 and by the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineer’s in 1986 and as “Engineer of the Year” by the Luzerne Chapter of PSPE in 1993.

He holds the title of Diplomate of Environmental Engineering since 1989 being board certified by AAEES and was also named a Fellow of the National Society of Professional Engineers in 2005. John also owns several Patents and published several papers in national and international journals.

Ackerman also serves as chairman of the PA Anthracite Section of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.

Giving back personally and professionally is paramount to Ackerman. He has served in different leadership roles in several professional and technical associations, including ASCE, PSPE/NSPE, PADEP, AAEES, AAES, and SME/AIME.

He has mentored and developed future engineers through STEM outreach programs at various high schools and the Ethics Programs at Wilkes University and has been a long-time volunteer for the MATHCOUNTS program.

Ackerman serves on the Board of the Pax in Terra Foundation and participates in the Greater Hazleton Empty Bowls program founded by his wife, Margi, along with other community organizations.

Ackerman is married with two children, Matthew and Rachel. In his spare time, he and Margi enjoy hiking and biking on the various NEPA Rails to Trails locations and he serves as the Miller Family Historian tracking all his cousins and searching for their ancestors and when they came over from Europe to America.

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Lehigh Valley Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers website.

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[Posted: April 29, 2019]

5/6/2019