Page 8 - 2021 CPEWC Banquet Program

2021 Engineer of the Year group of four to five in-house designers and engineers to prepare construction and
right-of-way drawings for a variety of PennDOT projects. Within a year he was
Michael C. Keiser, P.E moved to the District’s Liaison Unit and was promoted to “Project Manager” in
1989. The Liaison Unit was responsible for managing projects that were primarily
delivered by consultant firms. Assignments varied from small, local bridge projects
Michael C. Keiser, P.E., PennDOT District 8 Execu- to very large expressway and interstate reconstruction efforts.
tive has been selected by the Central Pennsylvania Projects of significance included the US Route 11/15 widening and reconstruction
Engineers Week Council to receive the 2021 Engi- efforts from Amity Hall in Perry County to the Snyder County line; this project in-
neer of the Year Award. Mike is a current member of cluded significant environmental mitigation efforts, permitting and coordination with
the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) multiple state and federal agencies. The US 30/PA route 283 Central Section in-
- Harrisburg Section and has served on many com- cluded the widening and reconstruction of the expressways from Manheim Pike to
mittees representing District 8 and PennDOT. US 222, Lancaster County. A significant improvement for the area, work included

Mike was born on April 2, 1963 to Charles and Margaret Keiser. A lifetime resident many structures; bridges, retaining walls, sound barriers, and featured the use of
of central Pennsylvania he was raised in Wiconisco and graduated from Williams parallel CD roadways paired with “Texas Loops” to link and improve access to
Valley in 1981. As a senior, he was the President of the National Honor Society and Fruitville, Lititz and Oregon Pikes. An integral pier cap design was incorporated into
elected class Historian. Mike was also a letterman in both football and basket- the interchange for US 30 and PA route 283. Mike was promoted to District 8 Plans
ball. Following high school, he attended the Pennsylvania State University (PSU Engineer in 1997 where he had oversight of all in-house engineering/design efforts
main campus) and graduated with a BS in Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering in then advanced to the position of District Highway Design Engineer in 1999 where
January 1986. While at PSU, Mike worked as a coordinator in the University’s he had oversight of all engineering/design development (in-house and consultant)
Learning Assistance Center which provided out-of-class tutoring services to students efforts, managing a staff of approximately 45 employees. In 2010 Mike had the
who needed additional resources. During the summer months, he created a similar opportunity to become the Assistant District Executive-Design in District 5, Penn-
program for high school students, focusing on math and science curriculums. He DOT’s Allentown/Lehigh Valley region. As the ADE-D he had oversight responsibil-
has always been, and remains, an avid PSU football fan and is currently a season ity for the entire design project development program and the management of
ticket holder. Mike has nearly 35 years of experience in the industry and is a li- roughly 80 employees. In 2011, the District 5 team produced the 2 largest letting
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censed professional Civil Engineer. He has led Engineer District 8-0 since being program within PennDOT.
named District Executive in January of 2012. Mike and his wife, Lisa currently re- Outside of his professional life Mike has always been involved and active in his
side in Williamstown and are the proud parents of two adult children, Ben and Han- community. He is most proud of his work with the WYAA (Williamstown Youth Ath-
nah.
letic Association). As president of the organization Mike was able to secure a grant
Mike started his engineering career with Dresser Industries, an oil well logging ser- from DCED for $15,000 that helped launch the construction of a new baseball facili-
vice company in their Farmington, NM office. He was part of a three to four-member ty. The field built to the specifications needed to host All-star games as part of the
team who performed a variety of testing that ultimately identified the oil producing Williamsport Little League World Series Tournament has continued to serve the
zones for specific sites. Work primarily encompassed the four corners region of the needs for little league baseball players in northern Dauphin County. The original
United States. Mike’s PennDOT career began in June 1986 as a Civil Engineer field was converted and used exclusively for girls Softball allowing all participants
Trainee for District 8. The Trainee program was an 18-month assignment, providing more practice and playing time. Of course, involvement went far beyond the ad-
engineering and operational experience across the entire District. Following the ministrative responsibilities of the organization, including many years of coaching,
training program, his first assignment was in the “Plans” unit where he worked with a fund raising and field/building maintenance.

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