Northeastern Hosts the 2023 CEE Industry Leadership Night with MBTA General Manager and CEO Phil Eng
Northeastern University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) hosted its 11th annual Industry Leadership Night, on November 28, continuing a tradition of bringing together the top industry and government stakeholders in the Boston region. The event, which took place at the Alumni Center on the Global Network’s Boston Campus, is a signature effort produced by the department’s Industrial Advisory Board (IAB). The event’s featured speaker and honored guest was MBTA’s General Manager and CEO Phil Eng. “Industry collaboration is a key pillar of Northeastern’s education philosophy,” said Jerry Hajjar, CEE Department Chair, highlighting the university’s focus on use-inspired research and experiential education. “As a result of our Industrial Advisory Board and Industry Leadership Night, we receive valuable insight into the current and emerging needs of our industry, helping us prepare our students for employment and maintain the vitality of our premier cooperative education program.”
Christine Keville, NAE, founder of Keville Enterprises, former president of the Moles Society and a Northeastern alumna, chairs the CEE Industrial Advisory Board – a 20-member board that includes top executives from civil and environmental engineering firms, consultancies, contractors, and government agencies. Board member Erik Stoothoff, MBTA Deputy Chief Engineer, spoke at this year’s Industry Leadership Night and introduced keynote speaker Phil Eng. Eng, who recently took the helm of Boston’s public transit system following a career working in New York City’s transportation system, outlined his vision for the T’s future. Addressing a wide range of topics and questions from the audience, Eng covered plans for track and tunnel improvements with a goal of eliminating speed restrictions by year end 2024 and improving rider experience; the continued growth of the vehicle fleet with locally-manufactured cars; and ongoing efforts to bolster the MBTA’s internal technical workforce.
In addition to Phil Eng and Erik Stoothoff, other speakers for the night included Hajjar, Keville, Northeastern University Senior Vice Provost for Research David Luzzi, and Northeastern’s CEE undergraduate senior Ben Lanava, who highlighted the student experience at Northeastern, his career interests in environmental engineering, and the ways in which Northeastern’s close relationship with industry have provided unique educational opportunities through co-op and research assignments.