Dr. Whitman

Dr. Whitman new vice president of NCEES for the Western Zone

June 12, 2006 - Professor David Whitman, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was recently elected Vice President of the Western Zone for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). The organization is comprised of licensing boards for all U.S. states and territories. The Western Zone consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

NCEES provides leadership in professional licensure of engineers and land surveyors through excellence in uniform laws, licensing standards, and professional ethics for the protection of public health, safety, and welfare, and to shape the future of professional licensure.

Among Whitman’s responsibilities as a zone vice president are acting as the Western Zone’s representative on the NCEES Board of Directors and being the Board liaison with one or more of the standing NCEES committees. Chairing the annual Zone meeting (involving approximately 75 members from the individual licensing boards) is another top priority. He will also be expected to write articles on current issues for the publication, Licensure Exchange.

A graduate of the University of Wyoming (BSEE ’75; PhD in mineral engineering ’78) Whitman has been on the engineering faculty for 25 years, serving 16 years as Associate Dean.

Appointed by the Governor of Wyoming, Whitman is in his second four-year term as a board member on the Wyoming Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors. Among Whitman’s duties is evaluating educational equivalency for non-ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) degrees.

His service to NCEES includes writing questions for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, setting cut scores for the exam, making national presentations on effectively using the FE Exam for ABET assessment, and serving on the EPE (Examinations for Professional Engineers) Committee.

There is no doubt that Whitman will bring his trademark enthusiasm to his new role. He says, “I’m looking forward to the challenge that this position brings. While I have had other leadership roles in various organizations, this one will be the highest profile nationally. I will need to bring all of my organizational and leadership skills to the table.” Those skills, as demonstrated at UW, are formidable!