Deep Foundations Institute Executive Director Theresa Engler has joined The Moles, a prestigious fraternal organization within the heavy construction industry. She was elected to the group unanimously.

“It was with great pleasure that I sponsored Theresa’s nomination,” says John Roma, PE, of Underpinning and Foundation Skanska, who worked closely with Engler when he was the program co-chair of the DFI Annual Conference in Boston. “I have worked with Theresa for more than 20 years and observed the job she has done as executive director of DFI. Under her leadership DFI has grown significantly — to the benefit of the members and the industry.”

Engler brings significant organization experience to The Moles, having led DFI during a period where the membership base tripled. Those efforts have been recognized within the construction and drilling industries.

“I am delighted to see Theresa recognized for her incredible achievements by acceptance to The Moles,” says Ray Sandiford, associate vice president for geotechnical practice at HNTB. “Theresa has been one of the prime movers for disseminating advances in the field of foundation engineering and construction. Her role in moving DFI into an internationally recognized educational and industrial resource cannot be understated.”

Other industry leaders praised Engler’s work.

“Theresa is very much involved on a day to day basis with industry leaders in the design and construction of deep foundations," says Dan Brown, president of Dan Brown and Associates and vice president of the DFI Board of Trustees. “She exhibits leadership in her work and has the ability and resources to influence industry leaders in a positive way.”

Dwight Metcalf, a member of the DFI Educational Trust Board of Trustees and area manager of Kiewit Infrastructure Engineers, adds: “Theresa is making a significant contribution to the construction industry in general and the foundation industry specifically — her inclusion in The Moles is most appropriate.”

Engler has served as DFI executive director since 2006 and before that as assistant director from 1998 to 2006. In addition to her work with the DFI, she’s active in the American Society of Association Executives and the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). She is also the first woman on the board of the Academy of Geo-Professionals (AGP). Engler attended Fairfield University.

The DFI is an international association of contractors, engineers, academics and suppliers in the deep foundations industry with more than 3,300 members worldwide. For more information about the Deep Foundations Institute, visit www.dfi.org.