NOAA’s Deborah Lee, P.E., P.H., D.WRE, F.ASCE, ENV SP, director of NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), is being celebrated with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. This major society award is presented to members who have advanced the profession, exhibited technical competence and have contributed significantly to public service, research and practice in the environmental water resources profession.
With Internationally-recognized expertise in water resource management, Ms. Lee has distinguished herself as a registered professional engineer, professional hydrologist, and fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE). Ms. Lee’s D.WRE board certification is the highest, advanced certification for professional engineers dedicated to the water resource engineering profession.
“I am honored by this recognition from my peers in the water resources professional community,” says Lee. “Applying my profession in the service of our country through my current work with NOAA and previous experience with the Army Corps of Engineers is important to our country and communities as we work to solve our future water challenges.”
The award was presented in May at the 2024 World Environmental & Water Resources Congress taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Created in 1999, the EWRI is the leader within the ASCE for the integration of technical expertise and public policy in the planning, design, construction, and operation of environmentally sound and sustainable infrastructure impacting air, land and water resources.
Throughout her career, Lee has been a leader in the field of civil engineering, often bridging the communications and knowledge gaps between the natural resource research fields and the science of engineering. She served on the Governing Board of the Environmental Water and Resources Institute (EWRI), part of the ASCE, from 2019 through 2022, and served as the EWRI President in 2020-2021. She championed NOAA working with EWRI and other ASCE Institutes to consider a changing climate in codes, standards, and manuals of practice. She was recognized with the ASCE President’s Award in 2022 for her efforts.
NOAA GLERL and its partners conduct innovative research on the dynamic environments and ecosystems of the Great Lakes and coastal regions to provide information for resource use and management decisions that lead to safe and sustainable ecosystems, ecosystem services, and human communities.
Media Contact:
Alison Gillespie, alison.gillespie@noaa.gov, 202-713-6644
Jennifer Day, jennifer.day@noaa.gov, 734-315-0577