PSEC Awards

Last Modified: September 4, 2025
by Dave

Engineer of the Year Awards

Nominations Open 2025 Engineer of the Year

Nominations are open for the 2025 PSEC Engineer of the Year awards. It is time to recognize members of your societies.  Awards will be presented at the April 26, 2022, PSEC Engineering Awards Banquet at the Museum of Flight.  Please identify deserving members of your societies and submit nominations to the Awards Committee by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 21, 2025. Download the nomination package below. If you have any questions, please contact John Schaufelburger at jesbcon@uw.edu.

Nomination Package

During Engineer’s Week each year, the Puget Sound Engineering Council (PSEC) conducts an Awards Banquet, to celebrate our engineering profession – a rewarding profession that makes the world a better place; and to recognize our colleagues who have excelled in their achievements.

It is essential that our Awards be made to truly outstanding engineers possessing strong histories of achievement, in order to make the celebration of our profession noteworthy and meaningful.

Each of our member Societies is aware of engineers whose achievements are worthy of recognition.  Please consider outstanding engineers known to your Society and nominate worthy candidates for the following awards:

Each Society may Nominate one candidate for each Award.

Current Award Recipients

The following award recipients were honored at the most recent Awards Banquet.

  • Academic Engineer of the Year Award 2025

    Professor W. Jong Yoon, Ph.D.
    University of Washington, Bothell

    Nominated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers

    Professor W. Jong Yoon, Ph. D., University of Washington, Bothell, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Academic Engineer-of-the-Year Award in recognition of his exceptional career as a mechanical engineering educator, his significant contributions to the design and development of smart medical devices, his active engagement as faculty advisor of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Student Chapter, and his dedicated efforts as a teacher and mentor of engineering students.


    His research activities center on the design and development of mechatronics systems and their applications in biomedical devices. His research team designs, simulates, builds, and assesses different smart devices in a variety of domains. He led the development of surgical telerobot systems and a variety of surgical tools, including sensorized robot graspers. His research team currently is focused on developing robotics for rehabilitation of stroke patients, robot-assisted medical systems and smart user interfaces, and assistive technologies to reduce caregiver’s work-related musculoskeletal disorders. To serve his professional community, Professor Yoon has served as an associate editor of two prestigious journals and co-chaired regional engineering conferences.


    As a founding member of the mechanical engineering program at the University of Washington, Bothell, Professor Yoon has committed to education excellence through innovative and creative curricula, interdisciplinary teaching and research, and a vibrant community. He has been particularly active in developing the dynamics, control systems, and mechatronics course series. He served as Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Program for five years providing critical leadership to the developing program.
    Professor Yoon strongly believes that students who participate in extracurricular activities are more motivated and that the experiences are positively related to academic performance and leadership. For this reason, he assisted his students in founding an American Society of Mechanical Engineering Student Chapter and continues to serve as its advisor.

    Continue reading →
  • Government Engineer of the Year Award 2025

    Tim Nordstrom, P.E., S.E.
    Tacoma Power

    Nominated by the Structural Engineers Association of Washington


    Tim Nordstrom, P.E., S.E., Tacoma Power, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Government Engineer-of-the-Year Award in recognition of his exceptional career as a civil and structural engineer and project engineer, his dedication and exemplary leadership in overseeing the design and construction of multiple structural systems, and his commitment to public welfare.


    As project manager for the Spillway Repair for the Cowlitz Barrier Dam, he was responsible for hiring a design team and a construction contractor as well as obtaining and complying with permits from numerous State and Federal agencies. He worked closely with the design team, the contractor, and the Tacoma Power staff to make the project a success. Together, they completed the spillway repair under budget and one year ahead of schedule during the COVID pandemic. The new spillway changes the river flow characteristics over the dam from a waterfall to an overflow increasing the life of the structure by several decades.


    He is currently working on improving existing structural systems including emergency transmission tower replacement due to storm damage, new designs and retrofit of hydraulic gates, and condition assessment and retrofitting of large hoist ways and lifting mechanisms. At Tacoma Power, he is a key member of the engineering team that is building 3D models of concrete arch dams and their supporting rock foundations. This effort aims to better understand the behavior and vulnerabilities of these critical structures.


    Tim has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Washington, Tacoma and is currently sponsoring a Senior Capstone Project. He is a long-time member of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington serving as State President, Southwest Chapter President, and Chair of the Legislative Committee.

    Continue reading →
  • Industry Engineer of the Year 2024

    Ronald S. Carson, Ph. D., ESEP®

    Certification Training International

    Ronald S. Carson, Ph. D., ESEP®,Certification Training International, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Industry Engineer-of-the-Year Award in recognition of his many contributions to systems engineering and technical leadership in the aerospace industry.

    He is a distinguished professional with a remarkable background in systems engineering. He is the author of numerous Boeing engineering design standards regarding requirements analysis. These enterprise-wide business process guides/instructions are widely used across the company’s business units and in training courses on requirements analysis and architecture processes. As a Technical Fellow, he was responsible for model-based systems engineering process development, deployment, improvement, training, and assessment for Puget Sound and enterprise-wide activities.

    He joined the Boeing Company in 1987 to work on the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison program and led the development of design requirements, preliminary design, design analysis, test requirements, test conduct, test data analyses, and test reporting for all electromagnetic pulse developmental and system-level tests. He later worked on multiple Boeing programs for which he was responsible for functional analysis and development of system architecture requirements.

    Upon retirement from Boeing in 2015, he became an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington where he taught graduate courses. He also became an Adjunct Professor at Seattle Pacific University. In 2022, he joined Certification Training International as a course facilitator, providing international training to prepare individuals to pass the INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional Certification Examination.

    Continue reading →
  • Kenneth W. Porter Award 2025

    Kelsi Bonner
    BTL Engineering, P.S.

    Nominated by the Society of Women Engineers

    Kelsi Bonner, BTL Engineering, P.S., has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Kenneth W. Porter Award in recognition of her many contributions to the education of K-12 students, her leadership in organizing engineering events at local elementary schools, her participation in mentor nights at local high schools, and her leadership of numerous hands-on student activities for K-12 students.

    As the Vice President of Outreach and now President of the Pacific Northwest Section of the Society of Women Engineers, she coordinates outreach events with K-12 schools and plans hands-on events for participating students. She has organized and planned many workshops at engineering fairs and elementary schools. She participates in the Expand Your Horizons Conference held at Edmonds College to encourage girls, grades 8-12, to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. In addition, she has participated in several mentor nights at local high schools and career days at elementary schools.

    She began her work with K-12 students while a university student. She joined the Society of Women Engineers in 2017 and participated in the planning and conducting a FIRST Lego Robotics competition and participated in many K-12 STEM workshops. Dedicated to outreaching K-12 students, she is passionate about inspiring future engineers.

    Continue reading →
  • Young Engineer of the Year Award 2025

    Stephanie Tu
    The Boeing Company

    Nominated by the Society of Women Engineers

    Stephanie Tu, The Boeing Company, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Young Engineer-of-the-Year Award in recognition of her exceptional technical leadership as a Systems Engineer, her distinguished service as a leader and leadership coach for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and her commitment to outreach and mentoring of students about career opportunities in STEM fields.


    Upon graduation from Rutgers University, she started her professional career at Boeing as part of the engineering rotation program. She made meaningful technical contributions in four different roles (flight controls, additive manufacturing, flight test, and production engineering) and was consistently recognized by her managers as a valuable resource to the team. Upon completion of the rotation program, she was selected for a Systems Engineering position. She leads digital transformation efforts as a model-based systems engineer subject matter expert and model manager. She leads diverse global teams to help Boeing’s commercial programs transition to a model-based environment to drive first time quality and reliability.


    She has been involved with SWE in a variety of roles since 2015. Within the Pacific Northwest Section, she has served as Treasurer, President-Elect, President, and Virtual Brand Coordinator. At the national level, she has served as a SWE Leadership Coach since 2023. In this role, she shares her experiences to help other SWE sections. She currently coaches six SWE Professional and Collegiate sections to help them raise section funds, create strategic plans, and increase member engagement.


    Passionate about expanding a positive image of engineering and technology professions, she makes time to attend K-12 outreach fairs and school panels to speak to students about careers in STEM.

    Continue reading →
  • Professional Engineer of the Year Award 2025

    Cary Kopczynski, P.E., S.E., FACI, FPTI
    CKC Structural Engineers

    Nominated by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Structural Engineers Association of Washington

    Cary Kopczynski, P.E., S.E., FACI, FPTI, CKC Structural Engineers, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Professional Engineer-of-the-Year Award in recognition of his outstanding service to the engineering profession, his lifetime achievements as a visionary leader committed to structural engineering innovation and excellence, and his leadership of the Seattle Chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington and the American Concrete Institute.


    With more than 45 years of experience, he has become known for designing high-rise towers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond thanks to his more than two dozen towers of 20 stories or more in Seattle and Bellevue and more than 80 regional, national, and international awards for engineering excellence. His extensive experience combined with his ongoing commitment to innovation and new technology has enabled him to create technically state-of-the-art designs that reflect a keen understanding of efficient construction. He has made it his mission to focus not just on design, but on design collaboration and construction productivity. In recognition of his many contributions to structural engineering, he was honored with a 2024 Outstanding Projects and Leaders Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers.


    He has been actively engaged with multiple technical societies throughout his career. He served as President of the Seattle Chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington and President of the Washington Chapter of the American Concrete Institute (ACI). He also served as the National President of ACI after serving 20 years on the technical committee responsible for writing the concrete building code used throughout the United States and adopted by more than 60 countries.


    He has been a Rotary International member for 30 years and served as President of the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club. He is a long-time member of the Bellevue Downtown Association and has served on the Bellevue Construction Codes Advisory Committee.

    Continue reading →

Guide for Preparation of PSEC Engineer-of-the-Year Nominations

The PSEC awards program is intended to honor truly outstanding engineers possessing strong histories of achievement.  Please nominate worthy candidates for this honor. Present their qualifications completely, accurately without exaggeration, and consistent with the criteria presented on the Nomination forms.  Also attach their resume.

A panel of judges will evaluate the nominations to identify the best nominee for each award.  The judges are experienced engineers charged with identifying the best candidate for each honor; their deliberations are private; their decisions are final; if no candidate is found worthy of the honor no award will be made.

In grading Nominations for:

  • Academic Engineer of the Year
  • Government Engineer of the Year
  • Industry Engineer of the Year
  • The Kenneth W. Porter Award

The first and second requested information items encompass the award criteria items and will receive 75% of the grade.

  • Nominee’s demonstration of Award Criteria above
  • General biography and summary of qualifications

The additional requested information items are supportive and will receive 25% of the grade.

In grading nominations for Young Engineer of the Year, the following requested information items will receive the weighting listed:

  • Professional background including Society Affiliations             20%
  • Education/Engineering Credentials (PE/EIT progress)              20%
  • Professional/Educational achievements and awards                40%
  • Community, Civic and Charitable involvement                        20%

In grading nominations for Professional Engineer of the Year, the following Award Criteria items will receive the weighting listed:

  • Has made significant contributions in the application of engineering to meet community needs      40%
  • Has significantly advanced the art of engineering                                                                         30%
  • Has actively participated in community affairs & technical societies                                              30%

In grading nominations for K-12 STEM Engineering Teacher of the Year, the following Award Criteria items will receive the weighting listed:

  • Has actively worked in promoting and advancing STEM Engineering related education at the local K-12 level for 5 or more years       20%
  • Has worked closely with local engineering societies on STEM Engineering related education                                                             35%
  • Has performed exceptional activities towards improving K-12 STEM Engineering related education                                                  45%

It will help if you fill out the Nomination form electronically, and copy their resume into the same Word file.  Rename the file with the Nominee’s name & the Award name (for example:  John Smith – Young Engineer Award.docx). 

Keep the Nomination submittals to a maximum of 8 pages.