UB civil engineering alumna to lead ASCE

By Peter Murphy

Lehman has been involved with ASCE since her time as a civil engineering student at UB and has ascended to various offices within the organization as a professional, including the society’s treasurer, district director, vice president and president.

She is currently the Infrastructure Market Leader for GHD Inc.’s U.S. market and was previously vice president for critical infrastructure at Parsons. Lehman also worked as chief operating officer and executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority and commissioner of public works for Erie County, N.Y. 

“ASCE membership is about one-third private practitioners, one-third government professionals and one-third academicians,” Lehman says. “I’ve been part of two of these groups – public and private – there are different perspectives between them all, and when we can get these groups to agree to something, it’s really solid.”

Presidents serve in three different offices over three years within the society: president-elect, president, and past president. These terms help those elected ramp up and wind down some of their initiatives as president.

ASCE develops standards and policy used world-wide by civil engineers, and Lehman will lead the society during a critical time for civil engineers.

“We’re at an inflexion point with everything going on,” Lehman says. “Congress is serious about infrastructure, and we don’t want to lose this opportunity.”

Lehman is referring to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed by the U.S. Congress in November 2021. The legislation provides $550 billion in new spending for the nation’s infrastructure over the next five years. According to Lehman, innovation it essential to enhancing the nation’s infrastructure.

“Civil engineering was born out of a technical need, and initially, engineers weren’t thinking of infrastructure as a system of systems,” Lehman says. “The initial engineering cost of an infrastructure project is between 1 – 3% of its actual lifecycle cost. Spending more up front to optimize performance will decrease the amount it takes to maintain or rebuild the structure over time.”

The ASCE Grand Challenge is the society’s commitment to rethinking what’s possible in the civil engineering industry, with a goal of reducing infrastructure life cycle costs by 50% by 2025. The program started in 2015 and given Lehman’s professional experience and current and prior roles with ASCE, she is uniquely qualified as the society advances this initiative. Lehman is a member of the society’s committee on America’s Infrastructure, responsible for preparing the Infrastructure Report card.

While serving as chief operating officer for the New York State Thruway Authority, Lehman was the project executive on the New NY Bridge project. Lehman and the executive team developed the bid package to facilitate innovation.

“We had thousands of pages of specifications that had to be met. We provided details to each bidder with a date for completion, but how to manage all of the complexities of the project were up to the bidder. The winning team had a crane, could do most of the pre-work offsite, and lift the pieces into place, including the seven-lane concrete road.” Lehman says. “We allowed people to think about the project and figure out the best way to solve problems.”

“I’m a proud UB alumnus. I’m glad that UB is as much a part of Buffalo, as Buffalo is of UB,” Lehman says.

Lehman also recognizes the role colleges and universities like UB, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act can play, not just in transforming infrastructure, but potentially reshaping the national civil engineering workforce.

When she joined UB’s ASCE club in the late 1970s, as a woman, she was in the minority.

“The club was informal – we had a good time. Being a woman, it was important to get like-minded friends in the industry,” Lehman says. “But the industry is still not great for woman and minorities. According to the Society of Women Engineers, 70% of women who earn bachelor’s degrees in engineering leave the profession within 20 years. This shows that it isn’t just a pipeline problem, but a retention problem.”

There are research and development grants available in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and according to Lehman, diversifying and developing the workforce, along with a focus on environmental justice and sustainability, could be significant factors for researchers trying to get funding.

“The same old application won’t win – the boilerplate proposal isn’t going to cut it. People need to think innovatively. Justice, equity, workforce development and sustainability need to be addressed. The industry needs to be future forward,” Lehman says. “Universities play a critical role in moving things forward. They help connect engineers with professional societies and faculty advisors prepare students for the future. Universities help people think innovatively.”

According to Lehman, UB and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), specifically, are already doing some innovative things. “There are collaborations happening between people who don’t usually collaborate. Engineering is doing some interesting things with the Law School and School of Management, and this work has a lasting value.”

Since graduating in 1981, Lehman continues to be involved with UB in several different capacities, including serving on the SEAS Dean’s advisory council from 2005-2016. For a long time, Lehman says it felt like she was still at the University.

“It felt like I never left UB. Two of our sons went to UB, and when the older one graduated from computer science and engineering, it hit me hard; where did the years go?  It was clear that I was not still there,” Lehman says.

“We see a lot of engineers coming out of this huge multidisciplinary University, and it warms my heart. UB has found a good balance between research and industry practice, and it is still the leading edge for education in Western New York.”