NIBS recognizes leaders of built environment with awards

Sept. 13, 2023

Industry leaders and scholarship recipients honored at ceremony during Building Innovation 2023.

NIBS

Building industry professionals from government agencies and the private sector recently convened in the nation’s capital for the Building Innovation 2023 conference, where the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) recognized industry leaders and scholarship recipients during an awards ceremony.

The annual gathering brings together industry professionals from architecture, construction, engineering, the technology sector, and leaders from government agencies who identify and develop solutions to the challenges in the built environment.

This year’s award categories and recipients are:

NIBS Distinguished Service–Dudley McFarquhar, PhD, PE, owner, McFarquhar Group Inc.
Exceptional Woman in Building–Salla Eckhardt, senior vice president, OAC Services, Inc.
Future Leaders–Zahra Ghorbani, BIM manager, Office of Physical Plant, Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University
NIBS Innovator–Wildfire Prepared Home-Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
NIBS DEI Leadership–Logan Herring, chief executive officer, The WRK Group
Beyond Green™–Holabird Academy + Graceland Park O'Donnell Heights Elementary Middle School Zero Energy Schools for Baltimore City
Mortimer M. Marshall Lifetime Achievement–David Bonneville, senior principal, Degenkolb Engineers, Retired

Rebecca Liko, acting president and CEO of NIBS and chief financial officer, commented:

“NIBS serves the public interest by advancing building science and technology to improve the nation’s built environment. Our award winners are a direct reflection of this mission, and we are proud to recognize these professionals for their service and leadership.”

Two recipients were also awarded the Betty and Mort Marshall Memorial Scholarship, a fund that was established to promote diversity in the building sciences and benefit students pursuing a career in architecture and engineering at a historically Black college or university. NIBS awarded the 2023 scholarship recipients to Evan Cage, an architecture student at Morgan State University, and Onye Andrus, an aerospace science engineering student at Tuskegee University. Each student will receive $5,000 toward their tuition.

The scholarship was started in 2020, in memory of the Marshalls. Mort was the first member of the National Institute of Building Sciences.

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About the Author

Robert Nieminen | Chief Content Director

Robert Nieminen is the Chief Content Director of Architectural Products, BUILDINGS and i+s, sister publications of Smart Buildings Technology. He is an award-winning writer with more than 20 years of experience reporting on the architecture and design industry.