The Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering welcomed 1974 civil engineering alumnus Robert Paulsen April 23 and 24 as Executive-in-Residence. From a business executive standpoint, he shared his 35 years of industry experience in the civil engineering profession.
Paulsen gave a lecture titled, “I’m Now an Engineer…What Else Would I Possibly Need to Know?” In the presentation, he shared some of his life experiences and offered his perspectives on issues, like generational diversity, ethics and leadership, that impact a person’s career.
Activities from Paulsen’s visit included breakfast with Lecturer Beth Hartmann and senior students, as well as a faculty discussion on leadership and ethics with Chris Rehmann and Chuck Jahren, CCEE associate professor and professor respectively. He then attended a presentation on the same subject from a graduate student seminar and finished the tour with a visit to Iowa State’s Institute for Transportation.
The Iowa State alumnus has more than three decades of experience as a transportation engineer and engineering consultant. He retired from Atkins in May 2012 as president/CEO of their North American operations and continues to do consulting work with AE Guidance, LLC (Nashville, Tenn.). In addition, he is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, Institute of Transportation Engineers and the American Council of Engineering Companies.