The Distinguished Service Award recipients have made outstanding contributions to NCEES, their board and/or zone, and to the advancement of licensure and the professions.
Christopher Duhamel, P.E., P.L.S., NCEES past president, has been awarded the NCEES Distinguished Service Award for his dedicated service to NCEES and the engineering and surveying professions. Duhamel was recognized August 21, 2025, during the organization’s 104th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Duhamel first began his service to the organization as a member of the Rhode Island State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers. He was vice president of the Northeast Zone from 2019 to 2021. He was also a member of the host committee for the Northeast Zone meeting in Rhode Island. He has served as a member, vice chair, and chair of the NCEES Committee on Examinations for Professional Engineers. Duhamel has also served as a consultant and board liaison to countless NCEES committees. He served as NCEES president from 2022 to 2023.
James Purcell, P.E., NCEES past president, has been awarded the NCEES Distinguished Service Award for his dedicated service to NCEES and the engineering profession. Purcell was recognized August 21, 2025, during the organization’s 104th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Purcell, a member of the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, began his service to the organization more than a decade ago. He has served as a member of the NCEES Advisory Committee on Council Activities, the Computer-Based Testing Implementation Task Force, the Financial Reserves Task Force, the Leadership Task Force, and the Special Committee on Bylaws. He has also served as chair of the NCEES Committee on Law Enforcement, the Committee on Uniform Procedures and Legislative Guidelines, and the Special Committee on Bylaws. Purcell was vice president of the Northeast Zone from 2013 to 2015 and went on to serve as NCEES president from 2018 to 2019.
Brian Robertson II, P.E., IntPE, NCEES past president, has been awarded the NCEES Distinguished Service Award for his dedicated service to NCEES and the engineering profession. Robertson was recognized August 21, 2025, during the organization’s 104th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Robertson, an emeritus member of the Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers, and Professional Land Surveyors, first began his service to the organization a decade ago. He has served as a member and chair of the NCEES Committee on Education. He has also chaired the NCEES Engineering Licensure Task Force. In 2023–24, Robertson served as the co-chair of engineering for the Interorganizational Council on Regulation subcommittee. Robertson was vice president of the Western Zone from 2018 to 2020 and went on to serve as NCEES president from 2021 to 2022.