The tradition of recognizing the achievements of our alumni, the Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering continues and the department is pleased to announce the 2026 Alumni Awards recipients. This annual celebration highlights the lasting impact our graduates have made on the engineering profession, their communities, and society at large. On March 19, 2026, faculty, alumni, and friends gathered to celebrate this year’s distinguished honorees.

Since its founding in 1998, the Academy of Distinguished Alumni has welcomed generations of accomplished professionals. This year, six additional leaders join the Academy, continuing its legacy of excellence. The department will also recognize three Outstanding Young Alumni whose early career accomplishments demonstrate exceptional promise and leadership.

Each of this year’s honorees reflects a strong commitment to the engineering profession and to Virginia Tech. Their careers span a wide range of specialties, yet they share a common dedication to innovation, leadership, and service.

Outstanding Young Alumni

Kevin Aswegan

Kevin Aswegan

B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2012
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2013

A Senior Principal at Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Kevin ASwegan developed an early passion for construction while helping his father on homebuilding job sites as a child. After choosing to study engineering at Virginia Tech, he built a career advancing structural engineering practice, including helping push the field of performance-based wind design forward. His work includes managing the firm’s design of ATX Tower, the first project engineered using American Society of Civil Engineers’ Prestandard for Performance-Based Wind Design.

Caitlin Proctor

Caitlin R. Proctor

B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2012
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2014

An assistant professor at Purdue University, Caitlin Proctor is an environmental engineer dedicated to protecting and improving global drinking water systems. After earning both her degrees from Virginia Tech, she pursued research and postdoctoral work in the United States and abroad, including at Eawag in Switzerland. Her work focuses on advancing knowledge and treatment approaches that make safe drinking water more accessible worldwide, including research supported by an National Science Foundation CAREER award exploring the design of biofilms for drinking water systems.

 

Kyle White

Kyle White

B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2010
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2012

As a two-time graduate of Virginia Tech, Kyle White serves as Capital Construction Director for Virginia Tech Facilities, helping lead major projects that shape the university’s campus. He built experience in consulting with firms including Kimley-Horn and Draper Aden Associates before returning to Virginia Tech. Today, he leads capital construction efforts while serving the campus community where he once studied, built lifelong memories, and began his career.

Academy of Distinguished Alumni

Derrick Cave

Derrick Cave

B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1987

Derrick Cave built a more than 35-year career in land development design focused on creating projects that serve communities and support clients’ needs. He rose to principal, senior vice president, and board member at Kimley-Horn, where he was recognized with the John W. Horn Practice Builder of the Year Award. Today, he shares his experience with the next generation as a math and science teacher at Indian River Charter High School.

Russell Green

Russell Green

Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2001

A professor in the civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, he is a leading researcher in geotechnical earthquake engineering and engineering seismology. Throughout his career, he held roles including technical staff at the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and faculty positions at University of Michigan before returning to Virginia Tech. His career has focused on advancing the understanding of earthquake hazards and improving engineering practices to better protect communities and infrastructure.

Martha Gross

Martha Gross

Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2010 

A transportation leader with the Maryland Department of Transportation, Martha Gross  serves as executive director of transit development and delivery, overseeing major infrastructure initiatives. Her multidisciplinary background includes degrees in engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. and MBA from Virginia Tech, as well as experience as a Fulbright Program scholar at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. Throughout her career, she has focused on advancing complex transportation projects while emphasizing the importance of mentorship and developing the next generation of leaders.

Laura Morillo

Laura Morillo

B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1984

Laura Morillo serves as the Beaver’s Professor of Practice of Heavy Construction in the civil and environmental engineering department, where she teaches and mentors the next generation of construction professionals. Her career has spanned engineering, marketing, and leadership roles with companies including Hilti, Stanley Black & Decker, and TRC Engineers. She also contributed to critical recovery efforts following the September 11 attacks, supporting structural repair work at the Pentagon.

Katherine Plasket

Katherine (Fowell) Plasket

B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1987

A senior project engineer and deputy project engineering manager on the Natrium Project with Bechtel, Katherine Plasket has spent nearly four decades advancing complex nuclear engineering projects. Since joining Bechtel after graduating from Virginia Tech, she has progressed from designing small structural components within nuclear power plants to leading engineering teams of nearly 200 people on next-generation nuclear facilities. She also remains actively engaged with the Hokie community through service on the Virginia Tech Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Board and mentoring through Bechtel Women in Nuclear.

Jack Vega

J.I. (Jack) Vega

B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1988

Jack Vega has built a career in leadership roles across engineering and development, including positions at the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Dewberry, Rodgers Consulting, and Toll Brothers, Inc.. Inspired by a family of civil engineers and his father’s lifelong passion for infrastructure, Vega chose the profession to help shape communities. He credits Virginia Tech’s rigorous engineering program with teaching him critical thinking skills that guided his career. One of his proudest accomplishments is contributing to the transformative Moorefield development in Loudoun County, Virginia, a major mixed-use project that has supported the region’s long-term community and economic growth.