A former Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7 Secretary is being honored for his leadership in the state.
David W. Gwynn, a Tampa engineer, was awarded the A.W. Gilchrist Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida). The honor marks a professional engineer in the Sunshine State who has shown distinguished leadership in Florida’s engineering profession.
“Engineering leaders like David Gwynn have made extraordinary contributions to Florida and have been instrumental in encouraging others to follow in his footsteps. Presenting David with the A.W. Gilchrist Award allows us to honor his lifetime of engineering leadership,” said Rick Acree, President of ACEC Florida.
Gwynn co-founded TEI Engineers & Planners, which grew to 125 employees before he sold the business 21 years ago. He was an active member of the Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers and served on the Transportation Committee, where he was Chair of the Professional Practices Committee. He was the FDOT District 7 Secretary for eight years and joined that agency in 2016.
The ACEC Florida also bestowed several other awards to engineers in the state for different categories.
Kari Pucker of Jacksonville was named Young Professional of the Year. Pucker is a traffic engineer with the Gresham Smith engineering firm on the First Coast, where she is a project manager.
Pucker has more than 10 years of experience. ACEC officials say she’s introduced new transportation engineering approaches in several projects across the state. She thrives in improving road safety.
“From leading innovative safety initiatives to optimizing traffic signals across Florida, her work is driven by a clear mission: to create safer, smarter and more efficient travel for everyone,” an ACEC Florida press release said.
Pucker earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of North Florida. She developed her foundation in technical aspects at the school.
HNTB Corp. was singled out for the Professional Development Award from ACEC Florida. The company has been in operation for more than a century and has been leading the way in designing and advancing transportation infrastructure. The company has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Lake Mary, Bartow and Chipley in Florida, but also has more than a dozen locations throughout America.
“With client relationships spanning decades, they understand infrastructure life cycles and have the perspective and experience to solve the most complex technical, financial and operational challenges with vision and imagination,” the ACEC Florida press release said.
And Carlos A. Penin was named as an ACEC Florida Fellow. The Coral Gables engineer is also the President and founder of G.A.P. Government Inc., with more than 40 years of experience in project management and administration. He’s the past President of the Florida Engineering Society.
Gov. Ron DeSantis also appointed Penin to the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Florida and his master’s degree in environmental and urban systems from Florida International University.
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