The Butler County Engineer’s Office is pleased to report that Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens received the 2021 David P. Brand Safety Award at the National Association of County Engineers (NACE) Annual Conference held in Buffalo, New York on April 26, 2022.

April 29, 2022, Washington, D.C. – The National Association of County Engineers (NACE) awarded Butler County, OH, County Engineer Greg Wilkens, P.E., P.S., the 2021 David P. Brand Safety Award recipient during its Annual Conference held in Buffalo, New York last week. Wilkens has served Butler County since 1973 and as it’s County Engineer since 2001.

“Greg has exemplified the very best of our association for many years, I can think of a no more deserving candidate to receive this honor,” said Chris Champion, P.E., NACE President and Henry County, Alabama County Engineer. “His contributions to local road safety initiatives stretch far beyond the borders of Butler County, as he is a recognized national voice on road congestion solutions and a pioneer of local road roundabouts.”

Greg has been employed at the Butler County Engineer’s Office (BCEO) since 1973 (except for a brief 3-year employ leading the nation’s first Transportation Improvement District). Serving in the elected position of County Engineer since 2001, he has achieved approximately $425 million in safety improvements for Butler County. Under Greg’s leadership, the BCEO installed the county’s first modern roundabout in 2006. Sixteen years and 23 roundabouts later, Butler County continues to see reductions of 100 percent in fatal crashes, 83 percent in injury crashes, and 61 percent in total crashes. In 2021, he was the inaugural recipient of County Engineers Association of Ohio (CEAO) David P. Brand Safety Award.

In its 66th year, NACE is a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional association representing over 3,000 county engineers, public works directors, highway commissioners, road managers, and related professionals in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S., local roads account for about 75% of highways and roads, or 2.93 million miles. Counties manage 1.74 million miles of those roads while cities and townships account for another 1.19 million miles. Counties also own 231,000 bridges and operate one-third of the nation’s transit systems. The David P. Brand Safety Award is named for former Madison County, Ohio, County Engineer David Brand, and is a non-annual award given to only those that demonstrate the highest standards in public safety over their career.

CEAO Executive Director Dean Ringle, P.E., P.S.
Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens, P.E., P.S.