Braker Receives Prestigious Honor
ALEXANDRIA, VA. (July 17, 2020) – The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) has named Randal Braker, P.E., from Manchester, Tennessee, to its 2020 class of Fellow members. The Fellow membership grade honors those active NSPE members who have demonstrated exemplary and devoted service to their profession, their Society, and their community. Since its establishment in the year 2000, only one percent of all NSPE members have advanced to this highest membership rank.
“Being recognized for your service to the engineering profession, your successful career, and your involvement in NSPE is a great honor and no small feat, especially when that honor is bestowed by your peers,” said Amy Barrett, P.E., F.NSPE, the chairman of the executive committee of the Council of Fellows. “We are proud of this year’s Fellows and their accomplishments and look forward to more great contributions from them in the future.”
A past president of both the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers and its Tullahoma Chapter, Braker formerly represented Tennessee in the NSPE House of Delegates and currently serves on the NSPE Board of Directors. Also, at the national level, he is an executive committee member of NSPE’s Professional Engineers in Government interest group. Particularly noteworthy, Braker has a sustained interest of more than 30 years in student mentoring. MATHCOUNTS, Engineer-for-a-Day, and Engineers on the Hill are just a few examples of his involvement through TSPE. But he is also invested in two programs within his Tullahoma Chapter — Student Design Competition and FIRST Lego League.
Braker also extends his volunteerism to other professional organizations: American Society of Civil Engineers, American Membrane Technology Association, American Water Works Association (AWWA), North American Lake Management Society, and Tennessee Water and Wastewater Association. Appointments to regulatory bodies by two previous Tennessee governors add to his milestones, including the Tennessee Water and Wastewater Operator Certification Board and the Tennessee Water Supply Policy Council. Closer to home, Braker has been active in youth baseball league administration, Boy Scouts, and Disabled Sports USA through Sports, Arts & Recreation of Chattanooga. In addition, Braker serves a member of the Ascend Federal Credit Union Board of Directors.
Serving with the Duck River Utility Commission since 1988 as general manager, Braker is responsible for all aspects of regional water authority operations, including facility improvements, process control, operations, and maintenance. Much of his effort requires coordination with several Duck River agencies and eight customer utilities, municipalities, and county governments to provide current and future water supply requirements for customers and wholesale contracts. As part of his achievement, DRUC has been formally recognized for process engineering and operational excellence by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and AWWA.
The National Society of Professional Engineers is a member-centric, nimble, future-focused, and responsive organization, serving as the recognized voice and advocate of licensed Professional Engineers. Through education, licensure advocacy, leadership training, multidisciplinary networking, and outreach, NSPE enhances the image of its members and their ability to ethically and professionally practice engineering. Founded in 1934, NSPE serves more than 23,000 members and the public through 52 state and territorial societies and over 400 chapters. For more information, please visit www.nspe.org.