2026 ACEC Virginia Summer Conference & Annual Meeting Sessions

Lee Ann Wheeler is Vice President of ACEC client relations with Greyling Insurance Brokerage., a Division of EPIC. Lee Ann specializes in the placement of Business Insurance Lines and Professional Liability to Engineering companies across the country including firms that are members of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). She possesses over 25 years' experience in the insurance industry specializing in professional liability. Lee Ann grew up in rural South Dakota and is a graduate of South Dakota State University.

Justin Deel has served as a Regional Dam Safety Engineer with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) for the past six years. Prior to joining DCR, he spent a decade building professional experience across both the public and private sectors, with work spanning dam safety, geotechnical engineering, land development, and construction. Justin holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, with a geotechnical engineering focus, from Virginia Tech.

Michael McLaughlin joined the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) in April of 2021. At VPRA Michael oversees Planning, Programming, and Design & Construction of over $4.5 billion in rail projects. These projects will implement the agreements with CSX, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, and VRE that will lead to the doubling of State-Supported Amtrak service and increase VRE service, including new late night and weekend service. Virginia is also acquiring over 400 miles of right of way and over 250 miles of track and is constructing over 37 miles of track and bridges in the next decade, including the $2.7 Billion Long Bridge project over the Potomac River. Previously Michael was the Chief of Rail at DRPT where he oversaw statewide rail planning and passenger and freight programs, and played playing a lead role in the CSX and NS negotiations before moving over to VPRA to continue his work. Prior to joining DRPT, Michael was the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Chicago Transit Authority, overseeing Planning, Infrastructure, Finance, and Government Relations for the nation’s second largest transit agency. Michael also worked on Capitol Hill for over 12 years as a senior transportation aide to Authorizing and Appropriations committee members in both the House and Senate. Currently, Michael resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia with his wife Sarah and their six children. He holds his undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and his Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Indiana University.

Dallas Richards is a Virginia native who earned his B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Virginia Military Institute and his Executive MBA from Virginia Tech. Before joining VRE as Chief Engineer in 2016, he served as an engineering consultant in the railroad industry, leading projects for several railroads including CSXT, NS, Amtrak and VRE. His nearly 30 years of experience includes inspection, design, construction and maintenance of railroad infrastructure such as bridges, stations, buildings, tunnels, yards/track, and intermodal facilities. As Deputy CEO/Chief Engineer Dallas has led the VRE team of project managers, consultants, and contractors for the delivery of several significant VRE projects including the Lifecycle Overhaul and Upgrade (LOU) Facility, Quantico Station Improvements, Rolling Road Platform Extension, and Lorton Road Platform Extension. As part of the VRE family Dallas initiated the popular Tour de VRE event and construction of the VRE parade float, both promoting VRE and enjoyed by many. Dallas served with the U.S. Navy, earning the subsurface warfare designation (“dolphins”) in 1994 aboard the USS Florida. He served as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina for six years where he helped faculty develop a graduate certificate program in railroad engineering. When Dallas is not tackling engineering challenges for VRE, he enjoys time with family and biking local trails.

Mike Coppa has been the Director of the Division of Engineering and Buildings (DEB) for the Department of General Services since 2005, where he also serves as the Commonwealth’s State Building Official. With over 40 years of architectural and construction experience, he oversees statewide capital outlay management, building code compliance, and serves as managing editor of Virginia’s Construction and Professional Services Manual. His earlier roles at DEB include leading the Architectural and Civil/Structural Engineering Review Group as an Architectural Supervisor and serving as a State Review Architect. Before joining state service, Mike spent a decade in private practice as a project architect, project manager, and construction contract administrator. Mike is a Licensed Professional Architect in Virginia and holds certifications as an ICC Certified Building Official and Virginia Construction Contracting Officer. He earned a Master of Architecture from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia.

Dr. Brian Batten, CFM, is an Associate Vice President at Dewberry, providing leadership for Coastal Resilience. His passion is establishing and implementing programmatic approaches and processes to recognize climate-driven risks, socialize results with stakeholders, and leverage interdisciplinary teams and engagement to develop actionable flood resiliency plans and projects. With over 25 years of experience, he has provided subject-matter expertise and leadership for federal, state, and community clients to advance flood resiliency. Brian was recognized as 2021 Consultant of the Year by the Mid-Atlantic Public Works Association for his leadership of the City of Virginia Beach’s Sea Level Wise Strategy, has provided sustained consulting support for Virginia’s Coastal Resilience Master Planning efforts since 2021, and is leading the Northern Virginia Regional Commission’s development of resilient stormwater guidelines. Dr. Batten has been an invited speaker on future conditions to federal advisory committees for both FEMA and NOAA and serves on the board of directors for the Virginia Floodplain Management Association.

Robb joined DEQ in 1997 where she began her career as an intern while completing her bachelor’s degree in environmental science at the University of Virginia. She later received her master’s degree in environmental studies from the Virginia Commonwealth University. She has more than 26 years of experience working in DEQ’s Central and Piedmont Regional Offices in a variety of programs including air permitting, water permitting, stormwater, and wetlands and streams. Prior to becoming the Water Operations Division Director, Jaime served as the Deputy Regional Director for the Piedmont Regional Office where she oversaw the regional implementation of the VPDES, Virginia Water Protection, Construction Stormwater, Solid and Hazardous Waste, and Pollution Response Programs, and assisted in overall regional operations.

Erica Duncan is Manager for the Office of VPDES Permits and Compliance for DEQ. She has been with the Department since 2023, prior to that she was the Assistant Director of Henrico County’s Water Reclamation Facility. Prior to the WRF, Erica was an on-shift Assistant Chief Operator at Falling Creek WWTP in Chesterfield, Va. as well as a Chemist for Air Water & Soil Laboratory. Erica holds her Class 1 Wastewater License and her BS in Biology from the University of Mary Washington. She is the Vice-Chair and Board Member for DPOR’s Water and Wastewater Works Operators and Onsite Sewage System Professionals Board, an active member of Virginia Water Environment Association, and the proud recipient of the 2022 William Hatfield Award for Outstanding Performance and Professionalism in the Operation of a Wastewater Facility. She spends her free time with her husband and baby boy born in December, and enjoying the outdoors, including the beautiful Virginia waterways.

Terry R. Short, Jr., AICP Terry has been employed with the Virginia Department of Transportation for over 20 years, first as the Planning Manager for VDOT’s Staunton District, located in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, and now as the Division Director for the VDOT’s Local Assistance Division where he oversees the project funding and delivery of locally administered transportation projects across the Commonwealth. Prior to joining VDOT, Terry worked for two large engineering and planning consulting firms in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Northeastern Illinois University, and a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois. He also holds a Project Management certification from UVA, and a Commonwealth Management Institute certification from VCU. With a long history in bicycle and pedestrian planning experience, he also currently serves on a national research panel charged with updating the national standards for the planning, design and operation of pedestrian facilities.

Bradley leverages his more than twenty years of experience in the public and private sectors to demonstrate the value of government contractors with government stakeholders. He leads the Council’s advocacy and federal agency activities relating to the federal marketplace, including federal contracting policy and market opportunities. Additionally, he promotes U.S. engineering industry policies, priorities, and market opportunities in the international sector, working with Congress and international agencies as well as educating ACEC member firms about global affairs impacting U.S. engineering interests. Bradley was the Vice President for Civilian Agencies at the Professional Services Council (PSC), an association of over 400 government contractors representing the diverse technology and professional services industry. He led the association’s policy and programming for federal civilian departments with a particular focus on the Departments of Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, as well as Energy and Natural Resources. He has led and coordinated numerous federal acquisition training programs in a “Reverse Industry Day” format where industry shares acquisition lifecycle perspectives on topics such as the company bid/no bid decision, performance incentives, how industry interprets solicitation requirements, innovation and contract administration post award. In recent years, Bradley gained additional experience working across a broad portfolio of civilian agencies providing strategic business consulting to companies seeking to grow in the federal market. In the federal government, Bradley advised the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security on matters related to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) management lines of business. He also previously served as Deputy White House Liaison at DHS, where he recruited candidates for political appointment, worked within the interagency to communicate policy issues, strategic messages, grant announcements, and the implementation of Homeland and National Security Presidential Directives. Bradley also served at the U.S. Department of Justice and in various positions in state government in Ohio. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. He continues to mentor undergraduate students participating in The Ohio State University, John Glenn College of Public Affairs Washington Area Internship Program. Bradley is a member of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA).

Lydia Zabrycki works with engineering firms across the country on retirement plan education and strategy through the ACEC Retirement Trust. Having spent 20+ years in the engineering industry, including serving as a Principal Owner at a 400-person engineering firm in California, Lydia brings firsthand experience to conversations around retirement plan governance, employee expectations, and fiduciary responsibility. Her firm transitioned its own 401(k) plan into the Trust several years ago, which gave her a direct view into how retirement plan responsibilities and expectations have evolved. After experiencing the program firsthand, she later became a Trustee and now helps other ACEC firms navigate many of the same challenge she once faced herself. Lydia has also served as Chapter President for ACEC California and as a Trustee for the ACEC Retirement Trust. Her perspective is shaped not only by industry leadership, but by years spent on the firm side understanding the realities engineering firms face when managing retirement programs today.

Nando joined ACEC in September 2022 with a focus on engagement strategies and comes with extensive experience in energy policy. Prior to joining ACEC, Nando managed Government Relations for the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, the trade group representing the refinery and petrochemical industry. Nando began his Capitol Hill career serving as Legislative Director to Congressman Martin Frost (D-TX) and then as Chief of Staff to Congressman Solomon Ortiz (D-TX). Nando’s first job after Capitol Hill was working Government Relations for Honeywell International for nearly a decade. A proud Texan, Nando is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and resides in Maryland with his wife Kristy and two sons.

Patrick Cushing is an attorney and lobbyist representing businesses, corporations, trade associations, and non-profits as they navigate the Virginia General Assembly, Governor’s Administration, and state agencies. Throughout his career he has worked as an attorney for the General Assembly, managed trade associations in a small lobbying firm, and represented a broad array of clients as a partner in one Virgnia’s largest law firms. He now represents clients through a lobbying firm he founded in 2023, Fall Line Strategies. Patrick graduated from James Madison University with a double major in Integrated Science and Technology and Political Science. He graduated from Roger Willaims University School of Law and was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 2005.