David S. Zachry '85, advisory council member of the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University, is the 2020 recipient of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association's (ARTBA) highest honor — the ARTBA Award.
The award was presented on Oct. 20 during a special ceremony at the organization's national convention.
Zachry has more than 30 years of professional success at Zachry Corporation and was recognized for his ARTBA volunteer leadership service as a two-term (2015-17) chairman, senior vice chairman, first vice chairman, vice chairman at large and vice chairman of the Transportation Development Foundation.
Zachry holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. He served three years of active duty in the United States Army, including domestic and international assignments and Airborne School.
"David Zachry is always ready to give of his time and expertise to our students and his professional community," said Dr. Robin Autenrieth, department head and A.P. and Florence Wiley Professor. "Our department bears the Zachry name, which reflects the enduring success of three generations of graduates from this family who have helped to transform the built infrastructure around the state and beyond and generously supported the next generations of our graduates."
He is a 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 worldwide with high integrity and innovation. Highways, bridges, waterways, museums, music halls, hotels and hospitals are among the many projects that provide noteworthy infrastructure solutions.
Zachry helped develop and advance an innovative revenue and tax reform package to increase federal transportation infrastructure investment by providing long-term stability for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). The HTF is the source, on average, of more than 50% of highway and bridge capital investments made by state governments annually.
He launched the Safety Certification for Transportation Project Professionals™ (SCTPP) — the construction industry's only internationally accredited safety program. The SCTPP seeks to significantly reduce the number of safety incidents in and around U.S. transportation project sites. Nearly 500 industry professionals have earned the certification credential since its late 2016 launch.
Zachry also played a significant role in moving the ARTBA Women Leaders Council strategic plan forward.
Established in 1960, the ARTBA Award recognizes individuals for outstanding contributions that have advanced the association's broad goals. Recipients have included more than 25 U.S. senators or representatives, two U.S. secretaries of transportation, several governors and dozens of top leaders and executives from government and the private sector of the transportation construction industry.
From the Office of Alumni Relations
The Texas A&M College of Engineering is proud of our former students, like David S. Zachry, who display Aggie core values such as loyalty, selfless service and leadership. If you know an Aggie who is celebrating an accomplishment and would like them to be recognized by the college, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations.