Ralph Carpenter, Industrial Sales and trenchless project manager with AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe, was recently appointed to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Utility and Surveying Institute’s (UESI) 2015-2016 Board of Governors. The UESI will be the first national organization designed for professionals who work in utility and pipeline infrastructure engineering, planning, design, construction, mapping, coordination, operations and asset management.

“The institute will be a valuable resource for anyone who works with utility pipelines, regardless of the products they transport,” said Carpenter. “I’m proud to have served on the planning committee that conceived and implemented the idea to move the Pipeline Division to the new Institute. It’s an honor to serve on this board and share my 37 years of pipeline industry experience with others.”

Carpenter began working in the pipe industry in 1978 and joined AMERICAN in 1992. He led AMERICAN’s efforts to establish ductile iron pipe as the preeminent trenchless pipe material. He served on the Executive Committee for the ASCE Pipeline Division and was chairman in 2012. He also co-chaired the 2008 Pipelines Conference and serves on several other ASCE committees. In addition, Carpenter is a member of the Steel Tank Industry/Steel Plate Fabricators Association, the American Water Works Association and Water Environment Federation. He serves as chairman of the Pipeline Division for the North American Society for Trenchless Technology as well.

The ASCE Board of Directors approved the establishment of the UEIS on July 18, 2015, and said it will serve as the worldwide leader in developing standards, manuals of practice and educational opportunities for state-of-the-art engineering practices in utility engineering and surveying. More details about the UESI will be announced during the ASCE Pipelines 2015 Conference, Aug. 23-26, in Baltimore, Maryland.