Chair’s Corner: The Past Year, The Year Ahead

BY ANTHONY J. FIORILLO, PE, SI, CGC, FBPE CHAIR (2017)

Welcome to 2018! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season!

It was an honor and a pleasure to serve as the 2017 Florida Board of Professional Engineers’ Chair. I enjoyed my time as Chair, but the distance from Northern Virginia and the demands of a booming economy, made it difficult to allocate sufficient time to serve the position diligently. Therefore, it is time for me to step aside and make way for the new Chair. Mr. Kenneth Todd is that guy!

Mr. Todd (Kenny T. as we like to call him on the Board) is an exceptional person and engineer. He has served on and chaired many of the Board’s committees, lectured on numerous occasions, authored countless articles and published two books, The Making of a Disciple and The Making of a Mature Disciple. If you are so inclined, I highly recommend adding them to your reading list. You won’t be disappointed! Kenny T. is a rock star and is someone for whom I have the utmost respect.

Mr. Kevin Fleming will serve once again as Vice Chair. He also has served on and chaired numerous Board committees, even those outside his area of expertise. He was appointed to chair the Structural Rules committee, despite being an electrical engineer, primarily due to his diligence, sense of fairness, calmness, and ability to bring resolution to spirited conversations. Mr. Fleming has filled in quite admirably for me on those occasions where I was not able to be present. I am grateful for his service as Vice Chair this year and last. The Board is in good hands under the leadership of Mr. Todd and Mr. Fleming.

I would like to recognize my other fellow Board members: Ms. Vivian Boza, Mr. Bill Bracken, PE, Ms. Elizabeth Ferguson, Esq., Mr. Warren Hahn, PE, Dr. Michelle Roddenberry, PE, Mr. PJ Shah, PE, and Mr. Babu Varghese, PE. These fine people volunteer endless hours in support of FBPE’s mission of protecting the health and safety of the public by properly regulating the practice of engineering while serving its licensees and guarding against the unlicensed practice of engineering. Thank you for your dedication and service! I would also like to recognize two others that served on the Board in 2017, Mr. Roland Dove, PE, and Mr. John Pepper, PE. We miss you both!

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the outstanding Board staff, and express my gratitude for their service to our industry. They are the remarkable Ms. Zana Raybon, FPBE Executive Director and FEMC President; Ms. Rebecca Sammons, FBPE Assistant Executive Director and Glue of the Organization; Mr. John Rimes, Esq., FEMC Vice President and Chief Prosecuting Attorney; Michele Morris, FPBE Controller and FEMC Secretary/Treasurer; Mr. William Lampkin, Public Information Officer; Brooklyn Phillips, Customer Service Representative and Scanning Technician; Ms. Lisa Simmons, Lead License Analyst; Mr. Brendan Henricks, Licensure Analyst; Ms. Angie Henricks, Licensure Analyst; Ms. Nancy Wilkins, Licensure Analyst; Ms. Katherine Anderson, Scanning and Records Supervisor; Ms. Pam Lowery, Licensure Analyst; Ms. Rebecca Valentine, Paralegal; Ms. Wendy Anderson, Lead Investigator; Ms. Jeannie Jones, Investigator I; and Mr. Alan Levin, Systems Project Analyst. I would like to also acknowledge my good friend, Mr. Larry Harris, Esq., General Counsel to FBPE. Thanks to all of you for everything you do. I am grateful for your service!

Lastly, I would like to thank you, my fellow licensees, for doing your part in maintaining our noble profession.

I wish you a healthy and prosperous 2018!