Gerald Longenecker named Outstanding Engineering Alumnus

Established in 1966, the Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed by the college and recognizes graduates who have reached exceptional levels of professional achievement.

Longenecker will receive his award, along with 11 other recipients, at a ceremony on April 20 at the Nittany Lion Inn.

He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in agricultural engineering from Penn State in 1979 and 1980, respectively.

Longenecker spent the first 13 years of his career at an environmental consulting firm in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he held project management, sales and marketing, and leadership positions.

In 1993, he joined Skelly and Loy, a privately owned corporation headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with six offices that provide professional engineering and environmental services to public and private sector clients throughout the United States and abroad.

Longenecker has served in project management and leadership positions, including vice president of environmental engineering. Last year, he was named executive vice president of engineering services, which involves company-wide responsibility for personnel and project management, client satisfaction, and business development.

Throughout his 35-year career, Longenecker has completed approximately 100 stream restoration and relocation projects; prepared erosion and sedimentation control plans for a variety of developments; overseen the design of numerous stormwater runoff control facilities; managed more than 150 wetland delineations in coastal tidal marsh and inland undisturbed areas in accordance with state and federal methodologies and requirements; and directed dozens of wetland restoration projects under enforcement actions by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for compliance with the Clean Water Act.

He is a licensed professional engineer in six states.