ACEC of Connecticut: Thriving Through Change

It can be tough for an organization to adjust and prosper when a long-term leader retires. But ACEC of Connecticut (ACEC-CT) has found its footing by tapping its deep well of talent.

In 2016, the Member Organization’s executive director retired after 28 years in the position. “We volunteer members had to keep the lights on and do everything to run the organization. We were struggling to retool,” says Rob Yirigian, now ACEC-CT’s national director.

Those remaining on the Board of Directors recognized that ACEC-CT had been operating as an extension of its former executive director. They decided they needed to reprioritize the Member Organization’s focus and looked to those on the Emerging Leaders Committee for help. “We leaned on them to run the organization,” Yirigian says. “We threw them into the deep end of the pool, and it couldn’t have worked out better.”

A NEW GENERATION STEPS IN

The Emerging Leaders Committee attracts member firms’ employees who are on the leadership track. “It’s a way to get them involved in committees so they can grow in their company and ACEC-CT, and help grow the profession at large,” explains Tricia Dinneen Priebe, co-executive director of ACEC-CT. The group meets monthly, hosts social events and speakers, and has representatives who attend board meetings.

When the Emerging Leaders Committee was initiated in late 2016, Steven Drechsler, now ACEC-CT’s president, was chosen to chair the program along with Jake Argiro. There were about 10 to 15 initial members. They started by identifying gaps and concerns they saw in the organization.

“We intended it to be bidirectional,” Drechsler says. “The board would get support and the resources to do the work we needed to do, and the Emerging Leaders would get mentoring, networking, and all the great things that come along with ACEC.”

Creating this committee was a smart strategy to not only get the work done but also to elevate those new to the field, engage them, and fill the leadership pipeline. Because the Member Organization is highly focused on the business aspects of engineering, many leaders hold senior ranks. “This can be intimidating for younger engineers,” Drechsler says. “The Emerging Leaders group is more accessible.”

The group provides a bridge to the next level in the organization, Priebe says. In fact, four executive committee members—Drechsler, Argiro, Mike Oliver, and Kevin Hussain—and three other committee chairs have participated in the Emerging Leaders Committee.

UPPING THE ANTE ON ADVOCACY

In 2018, after two years of working independently, the Member Organization hired an outside executive director, Priebe, along with her business partner, Lisa Winkler, of Innovate & Organize, an association management company. They were brought on board for their more than two decades of experience in lobbying, issues management, and strategic coordination. That same year, the Member Organization also hired a lobbying firm to strengthen its advocacy efforts.

“Our new executive director team and new lobbying firm work well together,” Yirigian says, and with their knowledge and connections they’ve been successful at linking the Member Organization with elected officials. “Our objective was to become the go-to organization when elected officials strategize their approach to challenges and opportunities in the built environment. We wanted legislators to ask, ‘What do the engineers think?’ and we’ve achieved that.”

Priebe also credits the efforts of members. “As executive directors, we are the continuity and institutional knowledge, but we like the ACEC-CT members to be the face of the organization.”

At the state and national levels, ACEC-CT is making its voice heard. Yirigian says it was the first Member Organizationto host a PAC check-drop event for members of its congressional delegation at the ACEC residence in Washington, D.C., in 2024. And in 2023, ACEC-CT’s PAC fundraising efforts, particularly with its popular golf outing, reached 253.21 percent of its goal, Priebe reports.

At the State Capitol, the organization is following through on its lobbying efforts with Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS).

“We have QBS with federal funds run through the Department of Transportation, but when it comes to municipalities, it’s not a requirement,” Drechsler says. “We’re educating the municipalities on the benefits of QBS to save them money and give them a better product, but there are 169 municipalities all operating independently. It’s a challenge.”

During the Member Organization’s last run at this in the 2024 legislative session, QBS legislation faced too much opposition and never made it out of committee, Drechsler says. But ACEC-CT’s Government Affairs and QBS committees have created explanatory infographics and met with the ConnecticutConference of Municipalities and its board. They’re planning more meetings for the 2025 legislative session.

Another legislative priority is ensuring the solvency of the state transportation fund (STF). While there is funding for transportation items from the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), “we want to ensure that beyond that there’s funding in place,” Drechsler says. As an example, he points out that neighboring states have toll roads and Connecticut does not, and despite efforts by the previous and current governors, “there hasn’t been public support for tolling in Connecticut.”

While ACEC-CT is not focused on tolling as the only potential solution, long-term solvency of the STF is a priority.

The Member Organization continues to lobby and testify each year during the legislative session, and also hosts an annual legislative reception at the State Capitol near the end of the session. Its most significant focus is on sustainable funding. As Yirigian puts it, “If we don’t do something, our state transportation funds will run out in just a few years.”

GROWTH FOR THE FUTURE

Ultimately, the state of Connecticut should receive more than $6 billion in IIJA funds for infrastructure projects. As in most other states, the passage of the IIJA created many opportunities for member firms, but they’re struggling to identify staff to deliver services.

“In the short term, we need experienced talent to maintain project delivery schedules. For the long term, we need better outreach to young people to get them interested in the profession,” Yirigian says.

He acknowledges that even if they succeed at cultivating interest, it will take years for today’s students to become full-fledged engineers. ”It doesn’t solve today’s workforce capacity challenge,” he says. “Congress is calling us now. Unfortunately, no one has the magic answer.”

Yirigian says ACEC-CT has also been advocating in Washington for changes to H-1B visa rules but “unfortunately, this issue is being conflated with the border crisis, and the current political climate is adversely impacting Congress’ willingness to act on our proposals. The result is that we’re sending some very qualified people back to their home countries when their visas expire—an additional burden during a time when finding qualified labor can be difficult.”

Visa policies may or may not change after the 2024 presidential election, but the Member Organization is creating a workforce development committee to address this issue, Drechsler says.

For now, the Member Organization offers three scholarships each spring, and Priebe reports that this year they received 24 applications, the most ever, from graduating high schoolers and college students. ACEC-CT awarded three $2,500 scholarships in 2024.

BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

While ACEC-CT works toward growing the state market for new engineers, the organization is also looking to grow its own membership. Many of its current members are in transportation. Now it’s trying to strengthen its numbers by reaching out to civil engineers in other sectors, such as those in the vertical market, like buildings, schools, and apartments, and environmental engineers.

To show value to these groups of engineers, the Member Organization is working to replicate its strong DOT collaboration with the state’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “If we can create strong relationships and broaden some of our programming, we can attract new members to make ACEC-CT a stronger Member Organization, to be able to do more for the industry,” Drechsler says.