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Home > News and Events > News > News Detail
5/1/2024
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Warm smile, bright eyes under thick eyebrows, and an easygoing and engaging manner, punctuated by thrusts and waves of his aromatic pipe. Although there is much that I don’t remember about my first ACI convention, I still vividly recall ACI Past President Peter Smith, Chair of ACI Committee 120, History of Concrete, welcoming me as a visitor to my very first technical committee meeting. I joined ACI and attended the first of many conventions because I had the good fortune to be performing structural engineering for Aids to Navigation in the Delaware Bay. Historic Brandywine Shoal Lighthouse was unusual in that it was all concrete, including its submerged caisson base. Where could I find state-of-the-art information and expertise on concrete evaluation and repair? ACI, of course! The gracious welcome I received from Smith—and his invitation to join ACI Committee 120—kicked off my ACI adventure, which has been fascinating and fulfilling to this very day. Yes, it is all about concrete, and I continue to learn more and more—in every meeting, session, article, seminar, and planned or impromptu conversation. But it is the people of ACI—volunteers and staff—who play an important role in bringing the passion and joy that keep ACI always advancing. And so, my good fortune in ACI continued, as I had the privilege of getting to know and working with Russ Fling and Mary Hurd on ACI Committee 124, Concrete Aesthetics; Tony Liu and Jim Warner on ACI Committee 364, Rehabilitation; and Bryant Mather, almost everywhere I turned, it seemed. Later and lately, I have been blessed to have been tasked by, and gotten to know, many among our line of superbly distinguished ACI Past Presidents: Anne Ellis, William Rushing Jr., Sharon Wood, Michael Schneider, Khaled Awad, David Lange, Randall Poston, Jeffrey Coleman, Cary Kopczynski, Charles Nmai, and now Antonio Nanni. I stand on the shoulders of these talented individuals who recently led ACI. I hope to provide a solid footing for those who will follow me. To build that resilient base, I intend to focus on ACI’s people, young members especially—at our conventions, in our chapters, and with our international partners. Working with staff and you, my fellow volunteers, I hope to look at what membership is, what it means (to members, to ACI, to our industry, and in our digital-age world), and how it may be enhanced and transformed. It is my great honor, my great privilege, and my great pleasure to serve as your President in 2024-2025. I truly am humbled by the opportunity and responsibility that you have given me. I pledge to do my very best. Please let me know how you think I can keep ACI always advancing. Michael J. Paul, ACI President Photos from Michael J. Paul’s article “Historic Lighthouse Rehabbed,” published in the January 1989 issue of Concrete International
Warm smile, bright eyes under thick eyebrows, and an easygoing and engaging manner, punctuated by thrusts and waves of his aromatic pipe. Although there is much that I don’t remember about my first ACI convention, I still vividly recall ACI Past President Peter Smith, Chair of ACI Committee 120, History of Concrete, welcoming me as a visitor to my very first technical committee meeting.
I joined ACI and attended the first of many conventions because I had the good fortune to be performing structural engineering for Aids to Navigation in the Delaware Bay. Historic Brandywine Shoal Lighthouse was unusual in that it was all concrete, including its submerged caisson base. Where could I find state-of-the-art information and expertise on concrete evaluation and repair? ACI, of course!
The gracious welcome I received from Smith—and his invitation to join ACI Committee 120—kicked off my ACI adventure, which has been fascinating and fulfilling to this very day. Yes, it is all about concrete, and I continue to learn more and more—in every meeting, session, article, seminar, and planned or impromptu conversation. But it is the people of ACI—volunteers and staff—who play an important role in bringing the passion and joy that keep ACI always advancing.
And so, my good fortune in ACI continued, as I had the privilege of getting to know and working with Russ Fling and Mary Hurd on ACI Committee 124, Concrete Aesthetics; Tony Liu and Jim Warner on ACI Committee 364, Rehabilitation; and Bryant Mather, almost everywhere I turned, it seemed. Later and lately, I have been blessed to have been tasked by, and gotten to know, many among our line of superbly distinguished ACI Past Presidents: Anne Ellis, William Rushing Jr., Sharon Wood, Michael Schneider, Khaled Awad, David Lange, Randall Poston, Jeffrey Coleman, Cary Kopczynski, Charles Nmai, and now Antonio Nanni. I stand on the shoulders of these talented individuals who recently led ACI. I hope to provide a solid footing for those who will follow me.
To build that resilient base, I intend to focus on ACI’s people, young members especially—at our conventions, in our chapters, and with our international partners. Working with staff and you, my fellow volunteers, I hope to look at what membership is, what it means (to members, to ACI, to our industry, and in our digital-age world), and how it may be enhanced and transformed.
It is my great honor, my great privilege, and my great pleasure to serve as your President in 2024-2025. I truly am humbled by the opportunity and responsibility that you have given me. I pledge to do my very best. Please let me know how you think I can keep ACI always advancing.
Michael J. Paul, ACI President
Photos from Michael J. Paul’s article “Historic Lighthouse Rehabbed,” published in the January 1989 issue of Concrete International
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