Looking Back on 2025 and Ahead to 2026: A Message from the Executive Director

 

Happy New Year, CII Members!

As 2025 has come to an end, I am grateful and excited to be your new Executive Director. Thank you so much for your energy and dedication to advancing CII’s mission. CII is blessed to have such a talented group of member company colleagues and academic researchers who come together with the common goal of improving capital project delivery. Here are some highlights:
 

• Research & Development (R&D) ─ In 2025, seven research teams presented at the Annual Conference and one presented at a BOA meeting. We also staffed and launched eight new research projects, and we continued progressing the work of teams that have been underway since 2024.

• Board of Advisors (BOA) Activities ─ In addition to conducting the business of CII and networking opportunities in our spring and fall meetings, the BOA shared, further developed, and prioritized ideas for future R&D projects. The BOA conducted two “Ideation” exercises with outcomes supporting several exciting potential future R&D topics. The BOA also enjoyed guest speakers presenting on “History, Globalization, and Contemporary Uncertainty,” “Global Energy Trends and Transition” and the capabilities of The University of Texas at Austin J.J. Pickle Research Campus, as well as a tour of UT’s Hydrogen Proto-Hub facility. Paul Williams (Pathfinder) and Cathy Farina (DyCat Solutions) received Distinguished Service Awards.

• Annual Conference – We had a great time in Nashville, learning from six research team presentations and keynote speakers on the impact of demographics and economics on our industry. The Innovation Showcase included 16 exhibitors. The 2025 Dunn Award was posthumously presented to Louis J. Cabano (Pathfinder), the Tucker Award was presented to Tricia Thibodeaux (Fluor), and the Porter Award was presented to Martin Swaine (Shell). Dave Bullard (Oracle) was selected as the Outstanding Volunteer, Jeyoung Woo (California State Polytechnic University) was selected as the Outstanding Academic, and In Bae Chung (The University of Texas at Austin) and Daniel Mehrabi (Arizona State University) were selected as Outstanding Students. We also enjoyed an evening at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

• New CII-GPT Development & Launch ─ We developed and recently launched a new CII CII-GPT tool on our website. Please explore it at www.construction-institute.org - we would love your feedback!

• Expansion of CII’s Professional Development Offerings ─ Members identified the importance of solid professional development opportunities for the next generation who will lead our industry. CII responded by developing the CII Boot Camp, a three-day course that introduces CII Best Practices to project professionals who are new to CII, including recent graduates. The pilot was successful, and we will run the second offering in May 2026 in Houston. We also developed Leadership Excellence Across Projects (LEAP), designed to enhance the careers of project professionals with 6-10 years of experience. The pilot of this 18-month program kicks off in May 2026. Thank you for your invaluable expertise in planning and developing these programs. Please contact us for more information about these exciting opportunities.

• Outreach – Presented CII overview at the National Academy of Construction annual meeting.

• Leadership – Jamie Gerbrecht retired on November 30. We all thank Jamie for his steady leadership and dedication in leading CII over the last three and a half years.

In 2026, we will continue to enhance member engagement. We will also actively market CII to support membership value, retention, and growth. And most importantly, we will continue to carefully listen to and deliver what you need from CII. It is my honor to serve you and your organizations as CII’s Executive Director, and our entire CII staff team wishes you a safe and joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

Best regards,

Mike Pappas
CII Executive Director