The International Committee on Large Dams’ World Declaration on Dam Safety education, I went through the co-op program and got a job at an engineering company in Chicago that specialized in dams and hydropower, Harza Engineering Company. Harza was subsequently acquired by Montgomery Watson, forming MWH, which was subsequently acquired by Stantec, where I currently work. I’ve essentially been with the same company for more than 40 years. I work exclusively in the field of dams and hydropower engineering. My specialties at Stantec are dam safety, dam rehabilitation, and the structural improvements of concrete dams using roller-compacted concrete, which is a modern material used in building concrete dams. I’m currently the vice president of Stantec and a global practice leader for dam engineering. As part of my work in the industry, I started going to professional conferences with the USSD. I became active in the USSD’s concrete dam technical committee and sat on the board of directors. I have also served as the USSD’s vice president and president. USSD is one of the 104 national organizations that are part of ICOLD. I also served as chair of both the USSD’s and ICOLD’s technical committees on concrete dams. I helped organize ICOLD’s successful conference in the United States in 2013, and based on that experience, I was elected vice president of ICOLD and served a 3‑year term. After that, I ran for president and was elected in 2018. I am serving a 3‑year term as president that will finish at the time of our 2021 annual meeting. Michael Rogers speaks at the 90th annual ICOLD meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2018.
M
ichael Rogers is an experienced civil engineer with 40 years of experience at Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., currently serving as the global practice leader for dams. Mr. Rogers has served in prominent roles in the United States Society on Dams (USSD) and the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), of the latter of which he is currently president. During his time as ICOLD president, the organization has released a World Declaration on Dam Safety, which seeks to summarize and promote the dam safety knowledge collected by the 104 nationally based ICOLD member organizations all over the world. In this interview, Mr. Rogers tells Hydro Leader about the state of the global dam safety practice.
Michael Rogers: I am a civil engineer. I went to college at Illinois Institute of Technology, and as part of that
28 | HYDRO LEADER | January 2021
Michael Rogers: Stantec is an international consulting engineering firm, active in a broad range of areas: transportation, building improvements, interior, and environmental. I work in the power and dams division, which includes thermal power, wind power, and hydroelectric power. My specific group is hydroelectric power and dams. At Stantec, we firmly believe that communities are fundamental. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. That’s why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind. We care about the communities we serve—because they’re our communities too. We are designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe. Stantec trades on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges under the symbol STN. The Stantec community unites hydroleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ICOLD.
Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
Hydro Leader: Would you tell us about Stantec as a company?
