Three of this year’s Black Engineer of the Year Award recipients serve as prime examples of the career impact of global engineering.

James Dalton, director of Regional Business in the South Atlantic Division of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Gary L. Hawkins, chief of Design Services Branch, Engineering Division in the New Orleans District, and Rear Admiral Anthony Winns, vice director of operations, J-3, or Joint Staff – their diverse careers show that global engineering translates into meaningful leadership positions overseas, and at home.

Their records also demonstrate that work overseas can help to develop a niche expertise and strengthen soft skills like the ability to team -build in multicultural, multilingual settings, and remain focused under myriad working conditions.

James Dalton credits his overseas work as providing him with a strong foundation in engineering and construction management services. Some of his responsibilities have included serving as an engineer responsible for the management of change orders in the construction of the King Khaled Military City in Saudi Arabia, and as the resident engineer and senior Corps official in Egypt.

The position in Saudi Arabia required designing, estimating, and technical writing skills. He learned how to negotiate for - and with - more experienced construction personnel, and was able to enhance his construction techniques while receiving mentoring from first rate engineers. Overseeing numerous construction projects in a management position in Egypt led to a promotion as a senior Corps official. Dalton was then in charge of a large organization, and served on the staff of the US Embassy.

Working with Egyptian Ministry of Defense officials and senior U.S officials inevitably positioned him for more senior opportunities. Work in Alaska played a critical factor in his selection to the Senior Executive Service, where he received senior leadership responsibilities, and worked with members of Congress and other government executives.

Lessons learned while engineering overseas came full circle for Gary Hawkins when he became part of the response team for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Hawkins’ experiences leading grassroots design projects during Operation Iraqi Freedom prepared him for this disaster relief work.

Projects in Sadr City, Baghdad, included refurbishing and reconstructing the sewer systems, schools, office buildings, and roads. Success there paved the way for his selection as deputy program manager in the Gulf Region Division, where he oversaw all infrastructure projects. He refined his team building skills by forging relationships with the Iraqi Government, and by involving the Iraqi people in the groundwork.

During the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, Hawkins was able to work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, develop working relationships with relief workers from around the world (some of whom he knew from Iraq), and communicate with officials in the White House. Confident in his ability to enact change, Hawkins was able to keep his team motivated, in spite of the devastation around them. He is credited with having played a major role in the New Orleans Engineer District.

Rear Admiral Anthony Winns’ career underscores how global engineering can develop more advanced leadership skills. With a 28-year career in the US Navy, Winns has deployed overseas 16 times. He has served as executive officer and commanding officer of Patrol Squadron Eleven (VP-11), executive officer of the USS Guam, and executive officer and commanding officer of the USS Essex.

Success in intelligence, surveillance, and recognizance missions overseas has led to much greater responsibilities overseas and at home. Being entrusted with the lives of more than 3,000 people as Commanding Officer of the USS Essex, a 844 foot vessel that can be likened to a city on water, is but one example.

For Winns, engineering in this context is about training, precision, and excellence, with little room for mistakes. His long-standing record of success paved the way for what he calls “the pinnacle” of his career. As Commander of Patrol and Reconnaissance Force, Pacific and Commander of Task Force 32, he led a wartime capital ship as part of the team called into action after 9/11. This tour inevitably drew on all of his patrol squadron training, and experiences overseas.

Dalton, Hawkins, and Winns’ overseas experiences has not only refined their technical skills, but enhanced their ability to communicate cross-culturally, respond quickly to disaster, and lead teams under challenging conditions like war or conflict.

Engineering abroad has also cultivated a greater awareness of what participating in the global economy really means. Using technical skills to impact the lives of people at home and around the world is just one of the benefits of global engineering. As Hawkins stated, although “the United States is the best country in the world, it isn’t the only country in the world”.