WASHINGTON, D.C.—Forest Service leadership and employees joined together April 17 at the Yates Building to celebrate the winners of the Fiscal Year 2023 Engineer of the Year Awards. These are national-level awards that recognize the outstanding contributions these individuals have made to our engineering program in support of agency-wide priorities. Deputy Chief Chris French and Associate Deputy Chief Troy Heithecker presented the awards to this year’s award winners in a hybrid ceremony hosted by Acting Director of Engineering Danny Montoya.

This year’s award winners are:

• Managerial Engineer of the Year—Antonio Cabrera, forest engineer, Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5), Sierra National Forest

  • Antonio implemented a memorandum of understanding with Fresno State University, which has seen more than 50 students from diverse backgrounds gain federal experience, with many transitioning to permanent jobs with the agency. He has also been instrumental in leading disaster recovery teams on the forest. 

• Technical Architect/Engineer of the Year—John W. Kamb, PE, civil engineer/regional ropeway engineer, Rocky Mountain (Region 2) Regional Office

  • As a member of the National Ropeway Services Team, John’s work on behalf of equity and accessibility has led the way in ensuring universal access for all for ropeways, gondola cabins and ski lifts. He is a recognized international expert advocating for adaptive sports accessibility.

• Engineering Technician of the Year—Gary Keating, engineering technician, Pacific Northwest Region 6, Colville National Forest

  • Gary has provided design and construction support for projects funded by the Great American Outdoors Act as well as projects to improve aquatic organism passage in critical habitats. He has also implemented LiDAR-based project design on the forest to prepare contract packages in support of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

• Technology Applications Employee of the Year—Steven Wood, North zone civil engineer, Rocky Mountain Region (Region 2), Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland

  • Steven has implemented modern technology at the field level to allow for more efficient contract preparation for road work in support of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy. He has also served as a contracting officer’s representative in support of projects funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.

Additional information on the accomplishments of this year’s award winners can be found on the Washington Office Engineering intranet site.