In the Fall of 1999, the Austin ASCE Branch Board of Directors established the Branch Civil Engineer of the Year Award.  This award is presented to a Branch Member who has distinguished him/herself in the field of Education, Awards received, and service to the Civil Engineering profession, Branch, and community. The Honors Committee received three individual nominations nominated by individual members of the Branch.  The Committee reviewed the three nominated individual packages and is extremely pleased to select Mr. Rick Coneway, P.E. for this award.

 Mr. Coneway is a Vice President and Austin Division Manager for Doucet & Associates, Inc.  He is a native Texan originally from Houston and a resident of Austin since 1981.  Doucet is an Austin-based consulting firm specializing in planning, surveying and civil engineering.

 Mr. Coneway has a BS degree from Tulane University, a BSCE from the University of Houston and a MSCE from the University of Houston.  He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, national honorary engineering fraternity, and Chi Epsilon, national honorary civil engineering fraternity.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and is a Board Certified Environmental Engineer by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers with a specialty in water supply and wastewater engineering.  Through coursework at Texas State University in San Marcos, he received certification as a public manager in 1997.

 He is a Fellow member of ASCE and the Society of American Military Engineers elected him to its Academy of Fellows.  He is also a member of NSPE/TSPE, the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and the Water Environment Federation.  He is a Past-President of the Travis Chapter of TSPE and served as President of the Austin Post of SAME.  He served as the first Chair of Travis Chapter's Mathcounts committee.  He was named TSPE's Outstanding Young Engineer of the Year in 1978 and in 2000 his peers named him TSPE's Engineer of the Year.  He is the only two-time winner of TSPE's Private Practice Professional Development Award.  One of those awards was also recognized as the national award winner by NSPE.  He also was selected by the Houston Branch, the Texas Section and Zone III of ASCE for the Daniel W. Mead Prize for Associate Members. 

 He has taught at the college level for both the University of Houston as an adjunct instructor and at Park College in Austin.  He taught Design of Water and Wastewater Systems and Introduction to College Math, respectively.  He has also made several presentations and published articles concerning wastewater engineering for ASCE, the Water Environment Association of Texas, the Water Environment Federation, the International Ozone Institute, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the World Ozone Congress.

 Mr. Coneway has practiced in his chosen profession as a consulting engineer since 1973 when he joined Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc.  He left LAN after 10 years to start his own firm, Coneway and Associates, Inc.  After nine years, he sold his interest to his partners and carried on with his other career as a reserve officer – more about that later.  He continued his consulting career as a solo practitioner for several years until retirement from the US Air Force Reserve.  He then resumed his professional career.

 He has been very active in the Austin community.  Past involvement includes having served as Vice Chair of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Chair of the Southwest Area Council for the Austin Chamber, Co-Founder and Chair of the Military Affairs Council which sponsored the Austin Military Ball for many years, Leadership Austin, Lake Travis Advisory Panel and the Board of the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve where he served as Chair of that organization's construction committee which led to the construction of the interpretive center.  He was elected to the Board of Directors of Lost Creek Municipal Utility District and served as President and currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Commissioners for Travis County Emergency Services District No. 3 (the Oak Hill Fire Department).

 Mr. Coneway retired from the United States Air Force Reserve at the rank of Colonel after 31 years of decorated service.  Initially commissioned and trained as a Naval Flight Officer by the US Navy, he was carrier-qualified in fighters and served aboard the USS John F Kennedy.  As the Viet Nam war wound down he was released from active duty after three years of service.  He returned to his hometown, Houston, to further his education.  He joined the Naval air reserve program to provide extra income to his family while in school and then continued his service while employed.  Upon moving to Austin, he transferred to the USAF Reserve after 11 years with the Navy and continued his flying duties at the former Bergstrom AFB flying the F-4 Phantom. 

 Mr. Coneway and his wife, Cathy, a commercial realtor, enjoy travelling, good food and wine and play golf as often as they can.  They have two grown children and one grandchild.  He will be recognized at the Engineer's Week Awards Luncheon on February 17, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel in Downtown Austin.