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The Distinguished Examination Service Award recipients have made outstanding contributions to an NCEES examination program.
Distinguished Examination Service Award
2025 Award Recipients
Tariq Ahmed, Ph.D., P.E.
Tariq Ahmed, Ph.D., P.E., of New Jersey, has been awarded the NCEES Distinguished Examination Service Award for his dedicated service to NCEES and the engineering profession. Ahmed was recognized on August 21, 2025, during the organization’s 104th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ahmed has been serving NCEES as a volunteer for the Principles and Practice of Engineering Environmental Exam Development Committee for over 30 years. During this time, he has taken on leadership roles, including being an item writer and reviewer, staying current with environmental engineering, and mentoring new committee members in order to impart institutional knowledge. Ahmed has continued his service to the engineering profession through both full-time and adjunct teaching positions, private consulting, and more than 20 years as a research scientist in the environmental and occupational health surveillance program with the New Jersey Department of Health. Additionally, he is a reviewer for Water Research, Journal of Membrane Science, and Water Environment Research.
Susan Habina Woolard, P.E.
Susan Habina Woolard, P.E., of North Carolina, has been awarded the NCEES Distinguished Examination Service Award for her dedicated service to NCEES and the engineering profession. Habina Woolard was recognized on August 21, 2025, during the organization’s 104th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Habina Woolard has been serving NCEES as a volunteer for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam Development Committee for over 20 years. During this time, she was elected chair of the FE Civil exam committee from 2012 to 2013. She was then selected to be the overall FE exam committee chair from 2018 to 2020. Additionally, while serving as a vice chair, Habina Woolard was an editor for the FE Reference Handbook. Her tireless efforts in crafting high-quality exam questions and supporting her peers reflect her passion for excellence and her deep understanding of the profession. Habina Woolard was recently named as a 2025 National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Fellow. The Fellow designation honors active NSPE members who have demonstrated exemplary and devoted service to their profession, the society, and their community.
Pamela Nobles, P.S.M.
Pa
mela Nobles, P.S.M., of Florida, has been awarded the NCEES Distinguished Examination Service Award for her dedicated service to NCEES and the surveying profession. Nobles was recognized on August 21, 2025, during the organization’s 104th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Nobles has been serving NCEES as a volunteer for the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam Development Committee for over 20 years. During this time, Nobles has dedicated herself to contributing her extensive expertise to the development and administration of the FS exam. Additionally, she has served on several professional activities and knowledge studies, or PAKS, to update the FS exam specifications and has served on the NCEES Surveying Exam Module Task Force, which was instrumental in bringing about the PLSS exam. Nobles has also served as a member of the NCEES Committee on Examination Audit, the Committee on Examinations for Professional Surveyors, the Committee on Member Board Administrators, and the CPC Task Force. She has continued her service to the profession by providing seminars for local teachers, promoting her state society, participating in national geospatial organizations, and visiting college students to promote surveying. Nobles is an emeritus member of the Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers.
David Shank, P.E.
David Shank, P.E., of Ohio, has been awarded the NCEES Distinguished Examination Service Award for his dedicated service to NCEES and the engineering profession. Shank was recognized on August 21, 2025, during the organization’s 104th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Shank has been serving NCEES as a volunteer for the Principles and Practice of Engineering Environmental Exam Development Committee since 1994. He has served as an item writer, item reviewer, and subject matter expert. Additionally, he served as vice chair for the committee from 2010 to 2013 and as chair from 2013 to 2017. During this time, Shank led the committee through a professional activities and knowledge study, or PAKS, and a specification update for the exam. He has provided the committee with exemplary service and leadership in the advancement and improvement of NCEES exams.
Ronald Willey, Ph.D., P.E.
Ronald Willey, Ph.D., P.E., of Massachusetts, has been awarded the NCEES Distinguished Examination Service Award for his dedicated service to NCEES and the engineering profession. Willey was recognized on August 21, 2025, during the organization’s 104th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Willey has been serving NCEES as a volunteer for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam Development Committee for more than 20 years and has served as chair of the FE Chemical exam committee. He is a professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University, and his academic background brings a unique perspective to the committee’s work. He regularly volunteers to mentor students on field trips to facilities around the world, where he is able to demonstrate real-world engineering to the next generation of engineers. Additionally, he has served as a member of the NCEES Committee on Examination Policy and Procedures, the Committee on Law Enforcement, and the Faculty Licensure Task Force. Willey is a member of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors.