Co-creating tomorrow webinar series: William Veatch

"Co-creating tomorrow: Community-Driven Engineering for a Resilient Future" is a webinar series exploring the critical intersection of community wisdom and engineering expertise in the face of a changing climate. Organized by CMU's Center for Engineering Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CERCA), this series will foster a deeper understanding of how community engagement can enhance the effectiveness, equity, and sustainability of resilience adaptation initiatives.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as the nation's oldest manager of water resources,  faces the challenge of designing infrastructure that can withstand deeply uncertain future conditions. This presentation will explore how USACE is embracing adaptability and resilience in its designs to ensure sustained performance in a changing climate with changing public needs. 

William Veatch, USACE Infrastructure and Installation Resilience Community of Practice leader, will share the innovative approaches, methods, and tools being developed by USACE to support uncertain future conditions. These strategies are not about building for a single, fixed future, but about designing for change with a focus on flexibility and long-term sustainability. Example projects will be presented along with implementation challenges, remaining knowledge gaps, and opportunities for meaningful public engagement. By actively involving communities, USACE aims to create a more connected and resilient future, ensuring that its infrastructure is not only technically sound but also responsive to the unique needs and wisdom of the people it serves.

Will Veatch leads the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Infrastructure and Installation Resilience Community of Practice (IIR CoP), a community of 400+ professionals who help mainstream resilience into all USACE missions, operations, programs, and projects.  Prior to leading the IIR CoP, Dr. Veatch worked as a hydrologist in the USACE New Orleans District beginning in 2008, where his duties included river forecasting, data management, and supporting engineering studies and designs with statistical analyses of river flow, precipitation, and coastal water levels. He is a national Subject Matter Expert in the areas of sea level change adaptation and inland hydrology nonstationarity, is a member of numerous interagency teams, and has served on international partnership missions in the Netherlands, Brazil, and South Korea. Dr. Veatch holds a BA degree in Environmental Studies (Hydrology focus) from the University of Colorado, an MS degree in Hydrology from the University of Arizona, and a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Iowa. He is a registered Professional Hydrologist with the American Institute of Hydrology.