Heather Gilmer Named Recipient of 2023 Fountain Award

Photo: Heather Gilmer, P.E., holds the plaque commemorating her selection as the 2023 Richard S. Fountain Award winner. Pictured with Heather are (L to R): Brian Hanks, North Carolina Department of Transportation and Chair of AASHTO T-14; Ronnie Medlock, High Steel Structures; and Dave Stoddard, SSAB Americas. Medlock and Stoddard are members of the Steel Bridge Task Force Oversight Council. Photo from AISI.  

The Steel Bridge Task Force, which consists of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) and the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) T-14 Technical Committee for Structural Steel Design, have named Heather Gilmer, P.E., a senior engineer at Pennoni, as the recipient of the 2023 Richard S. Fountain Award.

Named for the founder of the Steel Bridge Task Force, the Richard S. Fountain Award was established in 2001 to recognize leadership in steel bridge research and outstanding efforts to advance AASHTO specifications.

Heather received the award at the meeting of the Steel Bridge Task Force on January 25, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. It was presented by Ronnie Medlock of High Steel Structures, a previous winner of the Richard S. Fountain Award and a member of the Steel Bridge Task Force Oversight Council.

Ronnie Medlock, High Steel Structures, presented the Richard S. Fountain award to Heather Gilmer, Pennoni. Photo from AISI.

“We congratulate Heather on this award, which recognizes her significant contributions to innumerable AASHTO guides, standards, specifications and ballots that have substantially advanced steel bridges as solutions to restoring our nation’s infrastructure,” said Robert J. Wills, P.E., vice president of construction for AISI. “We greatly appreciate her innovative and enduring contributions to the steel bridge industry and look forward to additional contributions in the years to come.”

Career Accomplishments

Heather received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a licensed professional engineer in 12 states.

Heather has more than 20 years of experience in steel fabrication quality management and extensive involvement in the development of national codes and specifications. She joined Pennoni as a senior engineer in June 2022.

Among her many accomplishments, Heather is the primary author of or a significant contributor to several key steel bridge publications, including:

• S2.1: Steel Bridge Fabrication Guide Specification
• G2.2: Guidelines for Resolution of Steel Bridge Fabrication Errors
• New AASHTO Specification for Steel Bridge Fabrication
• FHWA Bridge Welding Reference Manual

Technical Committees Membership

Heather is a member of numerous industry technical committees, including:

• Steel Bridge Task Force
• ASTM Committee A01 on Steel, Stainless Steel and Related Alloys
• Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Committee AKC70 on Fabrication and Inspection of Metal Structures
• American Welding Society (AWS) Committee D1 on Structural Welding
• American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Committee 15 on Steel Structures
• AASHTO/NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration

Special Achievement Award

Heather was recognized with a Special Achievement Award by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) in June 2019 for demonstrating notable singular or multiple achievements in structural steel design, construction, research or education.

Previous Award Recipients

• Todd Helwig, University of Texas at Austin (2022)
• Robert Connor, Purdue University (2020)
• Ed Wasserman, Modjeski and Masters (2019)
• Alexander Wilson, ArcelorMittal (2014)
• Ronald Medlock, High Steel Structures, Inc. (2013)
• Yoni Adonyi, LeTourneau University (2012)
• Ahmad Itani, University of Nevada, Reno (2011)
• John Kulicki, Modjeski and Masters, Inc. (2009)
• William Wright, Federal Highway Administration (2008)
• Donald White, Georgia Institute of Technology (2007)
• Dean Krouse, Independent Consultant (2006)
• Dennis Mertz, University of Delaware (2005)
• Camille Rubeiz, American Iron and Steel Institute (2003)
• Karl Frank, University of Texas at Austin (2002)
• Mike Grubb, BSDI Ltd. (2001)

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