Joshua Starzyk, PE
Gannett Fleming – Transystems | Transportation Engineer
What is your current or most recent position held on the Illinois Section board?
I am the incoming Chair for the Transportation and Development Institute (2024-2025), but have otherwise been an At-Large member primarily involved with the Student Outreach Committee (2022-2024).
What ASCE positions have you held in the past, including any technical groups and committees?
Most of my ‘ASCE’ experience has been with the Transportation and Development institute, of which I am currently the Treasurer. Prior to my Treasurer experience I was the Director of Student Outreach and Scholarships (2021-2023).
Are there any other professional associations or organizations that you have been involved with?
I have been part of ACEC-IL Emerging Professionals committee since 2020.
What has been your most rewarding moment or contribution to the Civil Engineering profession?
Anytime I get to see or hear about friends, family, or even strangers utilizing a project I worked on I get quite proud. Specifically, I remember randomly running into an old friend’s father one day, who generally complained about all the roadway construction around him when he remembered I was a Civil Engineer. He started talking about a project that just wrapped up construction nearby that he didn’t know I was heavily involved in the design for. As I braced for some harsh criticisms, I was surprised to hear him start talking about how nice the area now looked and how much less congestion there was. We don’t get to hear this final community feedback very often in consulting, and hearing how something I had contributed to was having a positive contribution to the community, from the community itself made me embarrassingly proud of what I do.
What is your favorite thing to do in your free time, when you’re not working or volunteering for ASCE and other organizations?
I really enjoy making things from scratch, especially for friends and family. Whether it be cooking elaborate meals, crafting furniture or metalsmithing jewelry and cutlery, nothing makes me happier than seeing people enjoy something I made.
What is one piece of advice you would give to Student or Younger Members as they start their careers in civil engineering?
Don’t be afraid to speak up. Maybe you heard about ASCE doing a legislative drive down into Springfield and want to know more about it, maybe you think your boss made a mistake but can’t fathom the idea, or you maybe just want clarification on an acronym used in a meeting, ask a coworker or fellow ASCE member about it. You are going to find civil engineering is an incredibly vast field, full of topics and careers paths you didn’t know about it until you asked a simple question that led to a bigger conversation.
Josh, a licensed Professional Engineer in Illinois, is employed as a Transportation Engineer with Gannett Fleming-Transystems. Mr. Starzyk has been utilizing B.I.M. to facilitate the design of highway, tollway, railway and aviation projects around the Midwest for the past decade. Mr. Starzyk and his newly-wed wife enjoy their home in Chicago.
If you know someone from within the Illinois Section that you feel is deserving of the spotlight, please send any suggestions to Tom Borges, Membership Chair, at tborges@bloomcos.com.