Skip to content

About Us

Mission & Vision

The Maryland Society of Professional Engineers

Recognizing that service to the public, to the state and to the profession is a fundamental obligation of the professional engineer, the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers, Inc. does hereby dedicate itself to the promotion and protection of the professional engineer as a social and economic influence vital to the health, safety and welfare of the community, the state of Maryland, the United States of America and all mankind.

Our Objectives:

  • Advance and promote the public health, safety and welfare.
  • Advance the professional, social and economic interests of the professional engineer.
  • Strive throughout the profession to make licensure more meaningful in terms of acknowledgment of individual achievement in engineering as reflected by education and practice, and encourage all qualified engineers to seek legal status through licensure.
  • Unite all qualified engineers of the state in one organization.
  • Stimulate and develop professional concepts among all engineers.
  • Advance self-education and self-improvement, motivating practicing engineers to upgrade and expand their competence by continuing study, and conduct continuing education and professional development programs.
  • Develop the civic consciousness of members of the engineering profession, and serve the public good by support of, and cooperation with public officials.
  • Represent the engineering profession in legislative matters in the interests of the state and the profession.
  • Promote high standards of engineering education.
  • Establish and preserve high standards of ethical conduct and practice by members of the profession.
  • Cultivate public appreciation for the work of the engineer through improved public relations, and provide a forum for effective exchange and advancement of knowledge of matters of concern to the profession.
  • Assist young people in obtaining reliable information concerning the profession of engineering.
  • Mentor young engineers and assist them in their career track toward licensure.

History

Our Foundation

In 1937, NSPE was petitioned by members who lived in Maryland for a charter to establish the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers. The society was established on March 23, 1938 when Charter # 21 signed by the NSPE President was received.

The Society files list 110 Charter Members. Fred W. Gast served for three years as the first president and was succeeded by Russell B. Allen, PE for the next two years. Allen later became Treasurer of N.S.P.E. for many years. This dedicated group aided in the adoption of the Maryland registration law that was signed by Governor O’Conner on May 27, 1939. The Society was incorporated on April 19, 1947. Charles A. Mohr, PE was the last president before incorporation.

During the period of 1938 to 1955 there were no local chapters of the MSPE. Prior to 1947, members of the MSPE were thinly scattered throughout the state, except for member concentrations in the Baltimore metropolitan area and in Montgomery and Prince Georges counties. In 1956 the first chapter, Baltimore, was chartered. Since then the number has expanded until today, there are two local chapters and a total membership of about 400.

Founding Members

  • Russell B. Allen
  • G. Milton Benson
  • Willard S. Conlon
  • Fred W. Gast
  • Abbot L. Penniman, Jr.
  • James E. Pratt
  • Walter L. Simpson
  • Charles M. Upham
  • De Witt Clinton Webb
  • Abel Wolman

Past Presidents Since Incorporation

1946-47
Col. James A. Pratt, PE

1947-48
Harry L. Katz, PE

1948-49
Owen W. Turpin, PE

1949-50
Paul W. Backus, PE

1950-51
Arthur M. Gompf, PE

1951-53
James J. O’Donnell, PE

1953-55
Louis G. Smith, PE

1955-56
Ernest H. Hanhart, PE

1956-57
Frank E. Winslow, PE

1957-59
Benjamin E. Bevin, Sr., PE

1959-60
Victor J. Richter, PE

1960-62
G. Philip Stout, PE

1962-63
Albert P. Backus, PE

1963-64
Robert G. Deitrich, PE

1964-66
H. Bruce Baty, PE

1966-67
Frederick Jeffers, PE

1967-68
John C. Handy, PE

1968-69
Theodore Yaffe, PE

1969-71
David Kamoroff, PE

1971-72
Harry O. Huss, PE

1972-73
James C. Johnson, PE

1973-74
Horace Lehneis, PE

1974-75
Lawrence E. Jones, PE

1975-76
James F. Lawrence, PE

1976-77
James S. Spamer, PE

1977-78
James F. Mills, PE

1978-79
Carl D. Walbeck, PE

1979-80
James F. Shook, PE

1980-81
Eric S. Walbeck, PE

1981-82
George A. Simpson, PE

1982-83
John C. Dale, PE

1983-84
Ronald P. Lenert, PE

1984-85
Elmer J. Leister, PE

1985-86
William J. Teach, PE

1986-87
J. Jay Pecora, PE

1987-88
Jerry A. Valcik, PE

1988-89
Werner Kloetzli

1989-90
Francis W. Kuchta, PE

1990-91
Wallace S. North, Jr., PE

1991-92
Romeo Freer, PE

1992-93
Charles B. Pittinger Jr., PE-LS

1993-94
Randolph A. Peterson, PE

1994-95
Eduardo Acevedo, PE

1995-96
Wayne B. Ericksen, PE

1996-97
John Erdman, PE

1997-98
William R. Gluck, PE

1998-99
Robert M. Gagnon, PE

1999-00
David Herring, PE

2000-01
Marc Hurwitz, PE

2001-02
Michael Clar, PE

2002-03
Robert G. Sebastian, PE

2003-04
James D. Lesikar, II PhD, PE

2004-05
Jonathan Blasco, PE

2005-06
John A. Rutt, PE

2006-07
Manoj Jha, PhD, PE

2007-08
David Thaler, PE, LS, F.ASCE, F.NSPE

2008-09
William Mehaffey, PE

2009-11
William Ryan, MS, PE

2011-12
Ed Hubner, PE, BCxP, F.MDSPE

2012-13
Brian Olson, PE

2013-14
Michael Zuhowski, PE

2014-16
Patrick Mudd, PE

2016-19
Torrence Pierce, PE

2019-20
James Mirabile, PE

2020-23
Victoria Ballestero, PE, MBA

2023-24
Andrew Brown, PE

Leadership

Executive Committee

Andrew Brown, PE | MDSPE President

Baltimore County Department of Public Works

Bryan Tansky, PE | MDSPE President-Elect | VP Membership

BGE

William Zeid, PE | MDSPE Treasurer

Gorove Slade

Madisyn Vinyard, EIT | MDSPE Secretary

ATCS

Robert Crosby, PE | MDSPE VP Education

Tory Pierce, PE, F.MDSPE | MDSPE VP Legislation

Frederick Ward Associates, Inc.

Victoria Ballestero, PE, MBA | MDSPE Immediate Past President

ATCS

James Mirabile, PE | MDSPE Delegate

BGE

Directors At Large

George Gadbois, PE

Siemens

Bobby Giese, PE​

RK&K

Karen Moran

David Mitchell, PE

ATCS

Sarah Troch, PE

U.S. Coast Guard

Luan Watson, PE

Deloitte

Michelle Wolfe, PE

KCI Technologies, Inc.

MSPE Educational Foundation

Chair, Joel Oppenheimer, PE
STV, Inc.

Treasurer, Edward Hubner, PE
EBL Engineers, LLC

Secretary, Kelly Misner, PE
STV, Inc.

About Us

Committees

Education Committee

The Education Committee primarily organizes the annual conference. We rely on this committee to reach out to their network to help find engaging speakers, create a theme of topics that would be of interest to our members and approve the venue.

Committee Chair

Bob Crosby, PE
BGE (Retired)

Interested in joining the Education Committee? Contact Us

Legislative Committee

The Legislative Committee is tasked with monitoring proposed legislation at the state and local levels for potential impacts to the engineering profession and professional engineering licensing. We also consider issues brought to our attention by the membership, and where appropriate, draft legislation and attempt to shepherd it through the legislative process.

Committee Chair

Tory Pierce, PE
Frederick Ward Associates

Interested in joining the Legislative Committee? Contact Us

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee is charged with developing strategies to increase MDSPE member value, as well as actively recruit and retain membership. Our goal is to engage the MDSPE community to build the engineering network across Maryland and support members with licensure. The Committee is also active in promoting DEI efforts for the MDSPE as well as event planning for the Society!

Committee Chair

Bryan Tansky, PE
BGE

Interested in joining the Membership Committee? Contact Us

Chapter Leadership

Potomac Chapter

President: Robert Lanza, PE

Treasurer/Secretary: Girija Subramaniam, PE

President-Elect – Aminata Alharazim, PE

Math Counts Coordinator – Chris Anderson

Potomac Chapter Website

Baltimore Chapter

President: David Sitter, PE 

Treasurer: Paul Ledwith, PE

Secretary: Tom Patzold, PE

State Director Alternate: Ken Hannon, PE