David S. Zachry ’85, former student and advisory council co-chair of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been elected 2015-2016 chairman by the members of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).
Zachry, chief executive officer of Zachry Corporation, has had a career in the transportation construction industry spanning nearly 30 years. He is the third generation Zachry in the company founded by his grandfather, H.B. “Pat” Zachry, in 1924. Today, the San Antonio-based firm builds unique, large-scale projects around the world with high integrity and innovation. Highways, bridges, waterways, museums, music halls, hotels and hospitals are among the company’s many projects that provide noteworthy infrastructure solutions.
Zachry outlined several goals for the year ahead as ARTBA chairman. To start, he pledged to build the number of firms and organizations supporting the “Transportation Makes America Work” lobbying and advocacy communications program to help ensure the industry has the financial muscle to achieve its legislative goals.
Most importantly, he said, ARTBA will remain laser-focused on its mission of ensuring a long-term Highway Trust Fund fix and congressional approval of a multi-year bill that boosts federal surface transportation investment. The association will also advocate for increased federal investment in airport construction as part of the reauthorization of the nation’s aviation programs.
With the coming year, the association would be expanding the scope of its training initiatives with development of new accredited, national road and bridge safety certification programs. ARTBA would continue ongoing efforts to increase membership overall, as well as support the professional development of women in the industry, and to recruit more women and students to consider transportation construction careers.
Zachry holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. He served three years active duty in the United States Army, including domestic and international assignments and Airborne School.
He and his wife and three children live in San Antonio, where he has served on several local boards and mayor’s committees and is actively involved in numerous charitable organizations.