Heather Wishart-Smith of Jacobs Sworn in as President of the Society of American Military Engineers

Founded in 1920, the mission of SAME is to build leaders and lead collaboration among government and industry to develop multidisciplined solutions to national security infrastructure challenges. The Society unites public and private sector individuals and organizations from across the architecture, engineering, construction, environmental and facility management, cyber security, project planning, contracting and acquisition, and related disciplines in support of national security.

Heather will serve as its National President as the organization celebrates its 100th anniversary and heads into the second century of its existence. ;A member of the organization since 1998, Heather has held a number of key positions including serving as a SAME National Vice President (national leadership team member; Board of Direction member) since 2018; being a founding member of the Investment Committee from 2015-2018; serving as the Vice Chair for Mentoring for the Academy of Fellows from 2012-2015; and holding the position of Chair of the Young Member Council from 2005-2007. She has been a member of the Northern Virginia Post Board of Direction since 2007.

“As the Society embarks on our second centennial, we face a challenging world of untold complexity,” said Wishart-Smith. “My vision for SAME is to evolve to meet the changing needs of the industry and those we serve, and to assure our future through a strong strategic plan and development of our future leaders. It’s an exciting time to be an engineer, and I am inspired by the many bright and energetic minds of all ages that comprise our ranks. It’s been my privilege to work with and learn from many professionals who fill our posts at the local, regional and national level. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together in the coming year.”

“There is no question Heather is ready for the challenge; her dedicated volunteer leadership and mentoring service for the Society over the last 22 years has made a difference,” said Jacobs Federal & Environmental Solutions Senior Vice President and General Manager Tim Byers. “She will guide SAME into its second century with the core values and servant leadership the Society needs to advance its vision of being the premier global engineering organization.”

After obtaining her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia, Heather served for several years in the United States military. As a Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer, she served as the Assistant Public Works Officer and Command Duty Officer at Camp David (2000-2002) under two sitting presidents (Bill Clinton and George W. Bush), as well as Assistant Resident Officer in Charge of Construction at Andrews Air Force Base and the Washington Navy Yard (1998-2002), among other positions.

Heather is a Fellow of SAME and received SAME’s Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award in 2018, and the Tudor Medal for outstanding contributions by a young civilian member in 2007. She is also a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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