We’re proud to be your
SAME Joint Engineer Training Conference
May 19-21, 2026
AECOM is a proud titanium sponsor of the 2026 Joint Engineer Training Conference, an educational and networking forum focused on the Society of American Military Engineers’ (SAME) mission “to lead collaborative efforts to identify and resolve national security infrastructure-related challenges.” We’re excited to be in Portland, Oregon to meet in-person with attendees from the military, public, private, and academic sectors to discuss all things innovation! We invite you to chat with us at booth 611 and catch our industry experts in action during our 8 exciting technical sessions below.
AECOM Sessions
Tuesday, May 19
The Rise of Data Centers and the Requisite Energy Demand
AECOM Moderator: Mike Blount
4:30 – 5:30 pm
Tuesday, May 19
Planning Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard’s Digital Tomorrow
AECOM Speakers: Lisa Park, Layel Pallesen and Chad Rinker
4:30 – 5:30 pm
Wednesday, May 20
Designing the Future of Military Headquarters:
Agile. Secure. Smart. Human.
AECOM Speakers: Peter Brown, Cory Bonham,
Ron Willis and Tony Funkhouser (mod)
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Wednesday, May 20
From Resistance to Results:
Making Partnering Stick
AECOM Speaker: Mike Blount
1:30 – 2:30 pm
Wednesday, May 20
Construction Mega Session: Progressive Design-Build:
Innovation and Efficiency — Operational Today
AECOM Moderator: Mike Blount
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Thursday, May 21
Compliance Debt and Risk
in the Defense A/E/C Supply Chain
AECOM Moderator: Mike Blount
10:30 – 11:30 am
AECOM Expertise
AECOM has proudly supported the DOD mission for more than 100 years.
Click the images below to learn more about our capabilities across all federal sectors:
JETC26 News
AECOM’s Saum receives SAME Gibson Medal
Mike Saum, PE, PCC, CEC USN (Ret.), AECOM’s U.S. Navy client account director, was recognized with SAME’s Gibson Veteran Transition Medal for his superior efforts in assisting uniformed personnel as they transition to the private sector. He accepted the award at the 2026 Society Ball and Awards Gala.
“The care given to help veterans in transition by the AECOM team as well as others in the industry is outstanding,” said Mike. “When you consider the pool of possible recipients, it’s truly an honor to receive the Gibson Medal this year.”
Throughout his career, Mike has drawn on his own experiences to serve as a trusted mentor to others on a similar path. After retiring from a nearly 30-year career with the U.S. Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps in 2021, he joined AECOM, where he quickly became a driving force in advancing a more inclusive workplace for veterans. He co-founded AECOM’s Veterans Alliance Employee Resource Group, now in its fifth year, to support veterans and raise awareness of the unique challenges they face. “It’s impressive to see the growth in membership and where the subsequent leadership has taken it,” he says.
Mike has also played a key role in expanding company participation in the U.S. Department of Defense SkillBridge program, which connects active-duty service members to internships. He takes pride in mentoring program participants to help ease their transition.
“Who do you want to be?” This is the question Mike encourages service members to consider as they prepare for civilian life. “Being clear on what’s important to you and your family and how you want to live your purpose, strengths and values will help narrow your focus,” he says. “Once that’s decided, you can expect an overwhelming level of support from all corners of our industry to find a place to land.”
Mike knows this firsthand because he’s found that place himself. “The AECOM team takes our clients’ success personally and shares our veterans’ dedication and tenacity in supporting the mission,” he says. In his day-to-day work, Mike connects the full range of AECOM talent to NAVFAC’s toughest challenges. “Having served on the client side, I understand the pain points and empathize with leaders trying to solve these problems,” he says. “Being able to mobilize AECOM’s resources, sometimes from across the country, to support the Navy is incredibly rewarding and meaningful.”
AECOM’s Beverly receives SAME President’s Medal; invested into SAME Academy of Fellows
Matt Beverly, PE, PMP, Col USAF (Ret.), AECOM U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force Client Account Manager, enjoyed a busy week at the 2026 SAME Joint Engineer Conference in Portland, Oregon. He was recognized with the SAME President’s Medal and invested into their National Academy of Fellows during the event.
The SAME President’s Medal is one of the highest honors awarded by the organization. It highlights Matt’s outstanding leadership and contributions to SAME, including his work promoting better industry- government engagement related to the Sentinel Program, one of the largest most complex projects in U.S. Air Force history. Matt has organized and moderated a series of mega sessions with U.S. defense leadership as well as supported local post industry days to strengthen necessary industry-government engagement and collaboration for its infrastructure projects.
The additional prestigious honor of becoming a Fellow recognizes Matt’s outstanding service to SAME, military engineering and the A/E/C profession. “Having looked up to many Fellows and knowing the impact they’ve had on SAME, industry and government, I’m extremely humbled to be recognized among such an amazing group,” says Matt. He was among a class of 31 members recognized this year.
His involvement with the organization began in 1997 during his junior year at the U.S. Air Force Academy. “It was free as a college student, and my membership officially started when I graduated in 1999.” Matt recalls his time as a young lieutenant when he was a member of the Goldsboro Post in North Carolina. “For years while in uniform, I relied on industry to help me complete my projects,” he says. “I needed to engage industry to understand what the industry standard was, without giving any one contractor an unfair advantage. SAME gave me the avenue to openly ask questions of all the local industry members.”
A proud member of SAME for 27 years and counting, Matt has served in leadership roles for multiple posts including Goldsboro, NC; Southern Arizona in Tucson where he was post president in 2017; and now the Pikes Peak Post and Rocky Mountain Region where he lives. Matt is currently part of SAME’s National Leadership Assembly and serves as chair of one of the Society’s engineering communities of interest. He’s also a familiar face at SAME’s biggest events where he volunteers as a speaker or moderator. “Now that I’m further into my career, I can help bring up issues or challenges and facilitate an open discussion between government and industry,” Matt says. “It’s really rewarding to foster meaningful engagement in support of the nation.”
AECOM’s Hanks and Riggs graduate from SAME LDP
Congratulations to Adam Hanks, PE, and Matt Riggs, PE, PMP, who recently graduated from the prestigious Society of American Military Engineers’ (SAME) National Leader Development Program (LDP). They were among just 20 professionals selected for the 2025-26 class. The yearlong program is designed to cultivate future A/E/C leaders and features more than 35 hours of lectures, simulations and hands-on learning, culminating in an industry-focused capstone project.
“The experience reinforced my mindset that delivering large infrastructure programs for the United States is what unites us, regardless of the organizations we represent, says Matt, who manages building design and master planning projects from AECOM’s Colorado Springs office. “It’s a team effort.”
Adam, who leads federal facility projects in AECOM’s Roanoke office, says he learned the value of consistency in leadership. “It’s not about taking huge steps, it’s about the small efforts you make every day to improve your organization. So much of leadership is learning the fundamentals and making them second nature.”
For his capstone project, Adam focused on engaging younger professionals with SAME. After proposing various concepts, he solicited feedback from a variety of SAME stakeholders. Collaborating with mentor Larry Schorr, he realized the existing post structure was limiting younger participation. “To fix this, I developed incentives to increase corporate support for involving a younger demographic,” he says. Adam is kicking off a few of these programs at his local post with hopes to scale them to the national level.
Matt’s LDP project addressed another critical need. Drawing on his experience as a SAME post treasurer, he identified gaps in training and continuity for this critical role. “Our ability to properly manage donor funds is the bedrock to SAME’s programs, scholarships and events,” he says. Working with mentor Todd Semonite, Matt developed a standardized approach to better support these post volunteers. His work resulted in four practical tools: the SAME Treasurer Handbook, a “First 30 Days” guide, a pocket reference and a training slide deck. “We need to better equip post treasurers with a system that supports their success. The credibility of SAME rests on volunteers at the local posts to do this correctly.”
Both graduates are grateful for the broader perspectives and friendships the program has offered them. At the outset, Adam hoped to learn more about strengthening partnerships with federal teams. “The deeper conversations I had – especially in getting to know those in uniform and working on the government side – really solidified what I already knew about the importance of AECOM’s client promise – to walk in our clients’ shoes, always bring our best and ensure there are no surprises.”
Matt agrees the program has given him a renewed sense of empowerment. “I realized I can make a meaningful impact on SAME, AECOM and national interests with the tools I already have,” he says. “It’s been a wonderful experience of connection, bonding and learning together.”
AECOM partners with Paws Assisting Veterans
We’re excited to share this year’s JETC booth with new friends from Paws Assisting Veterans (PAVE), a Portland-based nonprofit that provides highly trained service dogs and lifetime support free of charge to veterans to improve their quality of life.
Since 2010, PAVE’s mission has been to help veterans living with military-related physical and/or psychological disabilities regain their independence. Each PAVE service dog receives highly tailored training to support a veteran’s unique needs. Through individual scent training the dogs can recognize and respond to PTSD episodes, monitoring hypervigilance and panic. From assisting with everyday tasks like picking up items and delivering medication to providing a calming influence through deep pressure therapy, these dogs make a profound difference in the lives of the veterans they serve.
PAVE is accredited by Assistance Dogs International, which assures high-quality standards and continual review. To join us in supporting this impactful organization, visit AECOM booth 611 to pet some pups or donate here.
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