First Lieutenant Aaron Brooks, an engineer, is Chief of Program Development for the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. He contributed to the war on terror by leading a team of 25 engineers to Oman and Pakistan. After deploying his team on 36 hours notice soon after 9/11, he served as the base civil engineer and oversaw bare base buildup and beddown of over 1,000 troops. When engineers were needed in Pakistan, he forward-deployed his team and helped construct a joint forces encampment housing over 2,000 allied troops.

Brooks supervised over 25 professional engineers and technicians and managed a $25 million budget in his first active duty mission. His performance and leadership led to his being hand-picked to serve as an executive officer for the largest support group in the Air Mobility Command. Brooks earned civil engineering accomplishments including the 2000 Major General Eugene A. Lupia Military Manager of the Year Award for Air Mobility Command, designating him the top company grade civil engineering officer of 12 Air Force bases. 

First Lieutenant Michael John Dunlap, Chief of Maintenance Engineering at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is responsible for all facility maintenance issues at Hurlburt Field including 5 million square feet in 967 facilities and 4 million square feet of pavements.

As military construction project manager, Dunlap recognized critical design flaws for numerous projects, saving the Air Force time and money. As chief of maintenance engineering, Dunlap’s staff of 13 awarded an unprecedented $3.2 million worth of end-of-year projects for the fiscal year 2002 in only four weeks. As chief of infrastructure for Operation Enduring Freedom, Dunlap molded 36 craftsmen into a motivated team that built 350 Temper Tents, with air, power, hot showers and flushable toilets.

First Lieutenant Melissa Manning, an engineer with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, conducts research on plasma induced communication and navigation blackout that occurs during atmospheric reentry of hypersonic vehicles such as ballistic missiles and future space planes.

Manning works in an advisory capacity with high profile industry partners and has a direct impact on the design of advanced hypersonic vehicles. Lt Manning is responsible for overseeing the modernization of the Air Force’s reentry plasma engineering codes to ensure these current design tools keep pace with the demands of our high tech military forces. She oversees and evaluates software development work conducted by a contractor team and manages hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal research money. In addition to her technical responsibilities, Manning supervises 13 highly skilled enlisted electronic technicians--a leadership position typically reserved for senior level management personnel.

Captain Kevin Merritt, a project engineer with the 823rd Red Horse Squadron in Hurlburt Field, Florida, leads design, construction and maintenance projects.

Merritt established cost estimates and material take-offs for $124 million in medical and family housing construction in Tampa, Florida. As Chief of Construction Management, Merritt engineered the upgrade of a Flight Simulator at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. He led construction of the Operational Weather Squadron. He managed the replacement of taxiways and eliminated aircraft hazards for two runways. In the wake of 9/11, Capt Merritt led 10 engineers/inspectors as Chief Design/Construction in Kuwait. He was the lead engineer for security facilities, dormitory construction, and aircrew billeting construction.

First Lieutenant Brandon Sokora, an engineer, is Chief of Design for the 14th Civil Engineer Squadron at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi.

Sokora was responsible for design, negotiation, and execution of 24 various mission projects totaling over $3 million. He enhanced the effectiveness of every wing mission area and led a multi-million dollar, five-year SABER program. Sokora developed a detailed tracking system for SABER projects in design and construction. He designed three major roof projects, a basewide fire alarm systems upgrade, and a perimeter security fence. 

National Engineers Week Foundation
1420 King Street   Alexandria, VA 22314
tel. 703.684.2852   email: eweek@nspe.org