Two TDOT Leaders Honored as Tennessee Engineers of the Year

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Department of Transportation Structures Division Director Ed Wasserman and Region Three Director Winston Gaffron were recently honored as top engineers in Tennessee by the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers. Wasserman, who has spent 45 years with TDOT including 24 years as the Director of the Structures Division, was awarded the society’s highest honor, Outstanding Engineer of the Year. Gaffron, who has worked with TDOT for 37 years, received the Government Engineer of the Year Award.

 

“Both Director Ed Wasserman and Director Winston Gaffron are tremendous assets to TDOT and I’m pleased to see them recognized for their achievements in the engineering field,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “We are proud of the work Ed and Winston do for this department and share the Society’s gratitude for their service.”

 

The Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award is the highest honor given to any individual by the TSPE chapter. Winners are selected based on their integrity, reputation and services to the engineering field. 

 

TDOT Structures Division Director Ed Wasserman, is a 1965 graduate of Vanderbilt University. Wasserman oversees a staff of 130 engineers and technicians involved in bridge design, inspection and repair, as well as hydraulic design and permit processing. During his 42 years with TDOT Wasserman has produced plans for more than 2,500 bridges. He is considered a pioneer and national expert in the design and construction of steel bridges and is a frequent contributor to several professional journals and publications. Wasserman participates in numerous national committees including Vice-Chairman of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials’ Bridge Bearing committee, Chair of several project panels for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, the Transportation Research Board’s Committee for Steel Bridges and is a member of the American Iron and Steel Institute’s Steel Bridge Committee as well as the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s Bridge Committee. Wasserman has been honored with numerous national and state engineering awards including the James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation Bronze Award, the National Steel Bridge Alliance Special Award, the American Iron and Steel Institute’s Award for Innovation in Steel Bridge Construction and the TSPE’s 1998 Government Engineer of the Year Award.

 

The Government Engineer of the Year Award is presented to the top professional engineer working in government service. 

 

As TDOT’s Region 3 Director, Winston Gaffron directs department operations throughout the 26 county Middle Tennessee region. This includes construction implementation and compliance, highway maintenance and repair, highway marking, and bridge inspection and repair.  Gaffron has served as Region 3 Director since 2004.  During his long career with TDOT, Gaffron has worked in various areas, including geotechnical engineering, field testing and pavement evaluation.  He has also served as Assistant Chief Engineer of Operations.  He has been a licensed professional engineer in Tennessee since 1977.

 

The TSPE is a professional association with more than 1,100 individual members including professional (licensed) engineers, engineering associates, engineering interns, and engineering students. TSPE members represent all technical disciplines and all practice areas including construction, education, industry, government, and private practice.

 

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