David S. Zachry, chief executive officer of San Antonio, Texas-based Zachry Corporation, has been named vice chairman of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) Board of Trustees. The announcement came during a Board of Directors meeting in late September.
Zachry, the 2015-17 ARTBA chairman, has served on the TDF board for the last two years. He’s previously been elected by his peers to other ARTBA volunteer leadership positions, including: senior vice chairman, first vice chairman and vice chairman-at-large.
As ARTBA chair, Zachry was a driving force behind the development, and fall 2016 launch, of the TDF’s Safety Certification for Transportation Project Professionals™ (SCTPP) program. It focuses on raising hazard awareness and improving safety performance on U.S. infrastructure projects by testing the candidate’s knowledge on recognition and abatement of common hazards found on transportation construction sites—such as backovers, falls, temporary traffic control, excavations and motorist intrusions.
In the first year, more than 115 industry professionals have earned the credential, and an additional 225 are pending in the application pipeline. The program is designed to meet the rigorous protocols required for accreditation by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Zachry has also played a prominent role in the Foundation’s efforts to boost leadership and career development opportunities for women transportation construction leaders, including the implementation of the ARTBA Women Leaders Council strategic plan and promotion of its annual awards program.
Zachry has worked for over 30 years at the company his grandfather, H.B. “Pat” Zachry, founded in 1924. In 1996, he was named president of the company’s Civil Group. In August 2004, he assumed the responsibilities of president and chief operating officer of Zachry Construction Corporation. In January 2008, he was named president and CEO of Zachry Corporation.
Established in 1985, the ARTBA-TDF is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt entity designed to “promote research, education and public awareness” about the impacts of transportation investment.
The Foundation’s more than $3 million annual budget supports an array of initiatives, including educational scholarships, awards, professional development academies, a transportation project safety certification program, roadway work zone safety and training, special economic reports and an exhibition on transportation at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.