Ashley Smith Named 2020 Recipient of ASCE Outstanding Prac­ti­tioner Advisor Award 

NASHVILLE, Tenn - Congrat­u­la­tions to Ashley Smith, PE, PMP, who was recently named the 2020 recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Richard H. Nettleton Outstanding Prac­ti­tioner Advisor Award for her work with Vanderbilt University's ASCE Student Chapter. A senior project manager and design engineer based in the firm’s Nashville office, Smith works on numerous initiatives for WeGo Public Transit in the Nashville and Middle Tennessee area, as well as trans­porta­tion design and planning projects for TDOT and other local munic­i­pal­i­ties in Tennessee. Recently, Smith was part of a team that was selected as the Program Manager for the Nashville Sidewalks and Bikeways Program, in which she is the Deputy Program Manager. Smith has a variety of experience in trans­porta­tion, water, wastewater, and site development infra­struc­ture projects for municipal, healthcare, hospitality, commercial, mixed-use and residential clients. 

Named to honor Richard H. Nettleton, a design engineer and dedicated ASCE prac­ti­tioner advisor who was among the victims of the 2019 Virginia Beach shooting, the Outstanding Prac­ti­tioner awards are given annually to prac­ti­tioner advisors who have demon­strated outstanding leadership and support to their ASCE student chapters. As prac­ti­tioner advisor for the Vanderbilt student chapter, Smith works to introduce university students to the engineering field and help motivate, mentor and encourage them to develop profes­sional autonomy.  

When asked about what this award means to her, Smith said, “Being Vanderbilt’s Prac­ti­tioner Advisor for more than a decade has been a great joy and passion in my life. I’m very honored to be recognized for my work in the community and with this next generation of industry leaders.”  

Over the past several years, Smith has received several other awards for her commitment to mentorship, leadership, and STEM-related efforts. Most recently, Smith was elected as the new Secretary for the Conference of Minority Trans­porta­tion Officials (COMTO) - Nashville Chapter for 2020-2021.  In addition to COMTO, she is an ASCE TN Section Past President and current Secretary, ASCE Nashville Branch Board Member, corre­spond­ing member of the ASCE Leadership Training Committee, Industrial Advising Board chair for the Tennessee State University Department of Civil & Archi­tec­tural Engineering Dept., & External Advisory Committee member for Vanderbilt University’s Department of Civil & Envi­ron­men­tal Engineering.  

“Ashley strives for the best—whether that is volun­teer­ing, her life at home, her work,” said Brandie Cookston, CDM Smith civil engineer and Smith’s supervisor. “She instills that work ethic in every student she mentors, and it makes her an outstanding role model for her students and co-workers.” 

CDM Smith is a privately owned engineering and construc­tion firm providing legendary client service and smart solutions in water, environment, trans­porta­tion, energy and facilities. Passionate about our work and invested in each other, we are inspired to think and driven to solve the world's envi­ron­men­tal and infra­struc­ture challenges.