J. Michael O’Brien Inducted Into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame
Awards and Achievements
His engineering colleagues and friends have called him forward thinking, an industry shaper, an exceptional leader and an engineering and community ambassador. For these reasons and more, J. Michael O’Brien, president and CEO of AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company, was inducted into the state of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame on February 22, 2025.
O’Brien’s engineering journey began at the University of Alabama, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1975. A short time later, he joined AMERICAN as a research engineer, traveling the world and putting his technical and communication skills to work. This included troubleshooting in the Middle East, a challenging climate for pipe infrastructure.
In 1981, O’Brien was named a sales engineer in International Sales and was promoted to manager of the division in 1984. That same year, he published an article in the Journal AWWA (American Water Works Association) on the design of ductile iron pipes on piers that is still referenced today.
O’Brien was named sales manager of the American-Darling Valve Division in 1985 and then sales manager of AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe in 1988. A year later, he was named vice president of Sales and corporate secretary. O’Brien was named president and CEO of AMERICAN in 2023, making him the 11th president in the company’s 120-year history. He will celebrate 50 years with AMERICAN in July.
Throughout his career, O’Brien has worked to enhance engineering education and the industry. He served on the Capstone Engineering Society’s Board of Directors, including six years in elected leadership roles. O’Brien was a founding member and past chair of the UA College of Engineering Leadership Board and served on the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame Board of Directors. He was inducted as a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow and received UA’s College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Volunteer Award in 1999.
O’Brien was a founding member of the H2O (Help 2 Others) Foundation, which assists low-income elderly and disabled Birmingham residents in paying water and sewer bills and with plumbing repairs. He is also a longtime AWWA member.
Previous state of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame inductees from AMERICAN include the late Kenneth R. Daniel, president and CEO, the late Stephen D. Moxley, president and CEO, and the late Jack W. MacKay, vice president of Sales and secretary. The company was inducted into the Engineering Hall of Fame in 2003, and the cupola iron melting facility was inducted in 1991.
The state of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame was founded in 1987 by proclamation of the governor and recognizes individuals, projects and corporations that have brought and continue to bring recognition to the state. It is governed by a 20-member board of directors that establishes the criteria for selecting inductees and determines the eligibility of candidates and how these candidates shall be elected to the state of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. All candidates must meet criteria established by the board for each category. To learn more, visit Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.
