New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers

Distinguished Engineering Service Award
James J. Purcell, P.E.

James J. Purcell, P.E. has always considered service to his profession and his community as paramount to a successful life and career. As a student member of NSPE, he founded the first student chapter at the University of Connecticut in 1985 and has been involved with the Society ever since. While at UConn, he was also a member of the ASCE student chapter, formed an Engineering Society Council to help coordinate all student activities, and resurrected the long dormant engineering school newsletter.

His service to his community has included founding and serving as President of the Monroe County (PA) chapter of Habitat For Humanity in the early 1990’s, as a Board Member of Mobile Meals of Trenton and Ewing in the early 2000’s, and as a member and current chair of the Mercer County Workforce Investment Board.

Within the National Society of Professional Engineers, he has served at both the chapter and state levels, serving through officer positions in the Professional Engineers Society of Mercer County to become President in 2000 and serving the NJSPE on the Continuing Education Task Force, as a member of the Educational Foundation, and as Chair of the Legislative Committee. The PESMC named him Professional Engineer of the Year in 2005.

He is also a member of the American Society of Highway Engineers and has served as an officer and as Regional Director for the North Central New Jersey Section. As a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, he serves as Technical Advisor to The College of New Jersey Student Chapter and is a member of the TCNJ Engineers Without Borders chapter. He was named Engineer of the Year by the ASCE North Jersey Branch in 2009. He also serves as a member of the Industry Advisory Council to the TCNJ School of Engineering.

Engineer Purcell has been a member of the State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors since 2005, having been appointed by Governor Dick Codey as one of five PE representatives on the ten-member board, and served as the Board’s President in 2009 and 2010. He currently chairs the committee developing the regulations for continuing professional competency for Professional Engineers. Since becoming a member of the State Board, Jim has been involved with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). NCEES prepares the examinations for licensure and provides advisory support for the State Board in each licensing jurisdiction of the U.S., including promulgation of a Model Law and Model Rules. Jim has attended annual meetings of NCEES since 2006 and has served as the voting delegate from New Jersey the past 3 years. He currently serves NCEES as the Chair of the Committee on Law Enforcement and has been appointed to the Resolutions Committee at both the regional and national level.

Engineer Purcell also serves as Chair of the Sustainable Mobility Committee for his Township of Lawrence, which is dedicated to improving the transportation infrastructure in the community by providing safe access to all modes of transportation – pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, and truck.

In addition to his service to the community, Jim and his wife of nearly 25 years, Cheryl, are dedicated to their three children and three grandchildren. JuRee and her husband Frank live close by in Lawrenceville with their children Jared, Dylan, and Vincent. Megan attends Northeastern University and plans a career in environmental policy. Sean, a straight-A junior at Lawrence High School, is a varsity swimmer and soccer player for the Cardinals, and is planning on pursuing a career in engineering.

 

Outstanding Professional Engineer of the Year
Sanjay Naik, P.E. CME

Sanjay Naik, PE, is the founder and President of NAIK Consulting Group, P.C..  Following his 1986 graduation from NJIT with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Mr. Naik worked for twelve years with several renowned private sector firms.

During the early stages of his career, he worked in several states including Arizona, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey and gained valuable technical and entrepreneurial experience. He established the Naik Group in 1997.

His initiative, dedication and insistence on excellence is clearly evident in the phenomenal growth of the firm.   The firm has established a reputation for employing the latest technology and innovative techniques. Today his firm, with over seventy employees, is well known for providing comprehensive civil, construction and bridge engineering services.  Mr. Naik is an active member of several professional organizations. He strongly believes one should be involved in their professional organizations both to support it with ideas and to learn from the ideas of others. He has served as the President of the Southern New Jersey Section of the American Society of Highway Engineers, the Professional Engineering Society of Mercer County, and is an Active Member of ASCE. He is currently serving as the Secretary and Treasurer for ACECNJ and also on the Board of Directors for the ACECNY Metro Section.

Aside from professional affiliations, he is also actively volunteers in the local community.  He serves on the Board of Directors for the South Brunswick YMCA. He is actively involved in several ethnic organizations for Indian-Americans in New Jersey.

The PESMC named him the Engineer of The Year in 2010, and the Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects honored him as the Entrepreneur Engineer in 2007.. In February 2011, he received the Member Recognition Award from American Council of Engineering Companies for his dedication, passion and commitment to the engineering industry.

He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, and a Certified Municipal Engineers in NJ. Sanjay and his wife Ketki live in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey with their two sons Devan and Joshan.

 

 

Outstanding Professional Young  Engineer of the Year Award
Matthew Lunemann, P.E.

Matt grew up in Hillsborough, NJ and was a third-generation graduate of Rutgers University, where he received a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 2006.  At Rutgers, Matt was part of the cross country and track teams, earning Varsity letters and being named to the Big East Academic All-Star team during each of his four years.  Matt was also a member of the Tau Beta Pi (National Engineering), Chi Alpha Sigma (National College Athlete), and Chi Epsilon (Civil Engineering) honor societies.  In 2004, he traveled to China as part of the International Scholar Laureate Program’s delegation on engineering.  During his last semester at Rutgers, Matt started working as an intern at Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), where he began working full-time as a geotechnical engineer immediately following graduation.  He soon began attending graduate courses part-time and obtained a M.S. in Civil Engineering from Rutgers in January 2009.

While at PB, Matt considers himself fortunate to have worked on many large and challenging projects, including the Garden State Parkway Bridge over the Mullica River, NJ Turnpike Section 1 Widening, the Seismic Vulnerability Assessment for the Rehabilitation of the Pulaski Skyway, and the Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel (a.k.a. the ARC Tunnel).  He is especially grateful to his past & present mentors (Kwang Ro, Ragui Fahmy, & Caren Freyer-DeSouza) for the career opportunities that have enabled him to cultivate his technical and leadership abilities and have provided him with numerous valuable learning experiences.

Outside of the office, Matt is extremely active with several professional and volunteer organizations.  He currently serves as the Secretary of the Ocean County Chapter of the NJSPE and also serves on the NJSPE Young Engineers Committee.  Matt is also on the Board of Directors for the Southern NJ section of the American Society of Highway Engineers, where he is responsible for the monthly Newsletter. 

In an effort to give back to Rutgers, Matt has been active in the Rutgers Engineering Society (RES), where he organizes the annual alumni vs. students softball game and BBQ, helps students at RES career nights, and maintains the RES Facebook page that he established.  He has served as the alumni liaison to the undergraduates (2006-2010), vice president (2008-2010), and currently serves as RES president-elect.
 
Beginning in 2008, Matt has also served as the Judging Coordinator for the NJ Future City competition.  The Future City program is a nationwide competition for 6th, 7th, & 8th graders intended to foster interest in engineering by exposing the students to different applications of math, science, and engineering while also providing opportunities to build public speaking and technical writing skills.  In his position, Matt has been responsible for all judging activities, procuring judges, and coordinating with teachers on submissions.  The 2010-2011 NJ competition involved more than 370 students.

Matt and his wife, Marissa, currently reside in Jackson, NJ, where they spend their free time watching movies, relaxing by the pool, and working on home improvement projects.  They also enjoy traveling and have trips planned to Italy and Alaska over the next two years.

 

 

Maser Consulting P.A. contributes to the advancement and improvement of the engineering profession every day through the firm’s and employees' participation in a variety of industry related programs and activities. From internal employee programs to external leadership positions and expert panels, Maser Consulting and our employees are leaders in the progression of engineering as a profession.

Maser Consulting employees are offered a wide variety of opportunities to advance their careers.  By doing so, these employees are better positioned and informed to continue advancing the profession.  Our mentoring program provides employees with an avenue to build relationships establish and meet career goals, and share information, experiences and ideas. Through this program Maser Consulting’s senior engineers are encouraged to give back to the engineering community.

Maser Consulting offers The Energy Leadership Program to a select group of employees, offering them a unique and innovative approach to leadership. The program is focused around one on one coaching sessions with Professional Certified Coaches resulting in an improvement in leadership skills and confidence among the participating employees. These leadership skills better equip Maser Consulting engineers for leadership roles throughout their professional associations.

Education is a core value at Maser Consulting which is demonstrated through our generous educational assistance program. Maser Consulting’s highly educated engineers work through various universities and organizations to improve the understanding and interest in engineering as a profession. Some example include our Director of Transportation Services, S. Maurice Rached, PE, PTOE, provides lectures on highway safety to students at Rutgers University, Temple University and City College. These lectures are given free of charge as a service to the profession.  In addition James Coppinger, Maser Consulting’s Training Manager   is   a   member   of   the   Brookdale Community College CADD Oversight Committee.

Several   of our shareholders serve as experts throughout different organizations statewide. Some of the organizations Maser Consulting is proud  to  be  a  part  of  include  Salem  County Habitat  for  Humanity,  New  Jersey  Builders Association  (NJBA)as  well  as  the  International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). In addition Maser Consulting hosts various education seminars with guest speakers from NJDEP and other environmental regulatory agencies.

We have also recently become active with the Rutgers University chapter of Engineers without Borders and look forward to becoming an integral part of the organization.

The excellent programs listed here are just a few things that have resulted in Maser Consulting placing as one of the Best Places to Work in NJ for three consecutive years.