County Commission | The Magazine April 2020 | Page 14

FROM THE COVER
on federal issues and taking part in activities of the
National Association of County Engineers. In fact, four
Alabamians have served as NACE president.
Due to their specialized area of work, ACEA
members place a great deal of emphasis on education
programs. “An engineering degree prepares you for the
technical side of road work but not the management
side,” said Engineer Chris Champion of Henry County,
saying that the Certificate in County Engineering
Administration, offered through the County Government
Education Institute, bridges the gaps. The group has also
created training for key road department staff members,
such as road supervisors and motorgrader operators.
Members of the organization are tightly networked,
with family trees of engineers who have worked together.
Certainly, the group is intentional about mentoring
younger professionals. For example, while working as the
assistant engineer in Butler County, John Mark Davis was
chosen to represent his peers on the ACEA board.
“Being involved with ACEA provides a look into all
the different ways county engineers manage their own
unique county. It allows you to pick up on things that go
right and maybe not so right,” said Davis, now engineer
in Autauga County. “On-the-job training is a good way
to learn, but it really helps to get some guidance from
some of the more seasoned veterans.” n
14 | APRIL 2020
ACEA
on
Twitter
Engineers have
an important
role in building
relationships
with legislators
and advocating
for priority
bills, whether
specific to their
department
or not.