Posted on August 3, 2026
Award winners Montreal 2026
Best Paper – co-sponsored by WEDA and Moffatt & Nichol
Title: Cutterhead dredging on the USACE Portfolio: Historical Data Analysis
Authors: Magdalena Asborno, Benjamin Emery, A. Gharagozlou, A.D. Godfrey, C. Phillips, and K.N. Mitchell
Best Paper – sponsored by DSC Dredge
Theme: Why Dredging is Good
Title: Evaluation of Navigation Channel Shoaling for the Green Harbor Navigation Improvement project
Author: Michael B. Kabiling
Young Author – sponsored by Anchor QEA
Title: Assessing Offshore Sand Extraction as a Sustainable Strategy for the Magdelan Islands (Quebec, Canada)
Author: Maxim Audet Daigle (YA), A. Mercier-Rémillard
Young WEDA Professional of the Year – The award was presented by Carol Shobrook, WEDA President, to Amanda Hamrick from Port Houston. This award is presented annually to an individual under the age of 35 who has made a positive contribution to our industry. Amanda Hamrick is a professional engineer and Project Manager for the Houston Ship Channel at the Port of Houston Authority. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Ocean Engineering from Texas A&M, Amanda started her career on the contractor side at Manson Construction, as a Lead Engineer gaining experience working on dredging projects, before joining Port Houston in 2022. In just four years there, she has led two of the seven contracts in Project 11 of the Houston Ship Channel Expansion – over $230 million of work – and delivered them on schedule and under budget. That effort has already been recognized with five national honors this past year, including WEDA’s own Environmental Excellence Award for Beneficial Use. Beyond the project work, Amanda has been a consistent voice at WEDA, presenting at both national and regional conferences and sharing what she’s learned.
The WEDA Dredger on Deck Award was presented by President Carol Shobrook to Jerry Bishop, Jr., General Superintendent at J.F. Brennan Company.
Jerry has 24 years in heavy construction, 17 of them in environmental remediation – and he has done it all. As a General Superintendent, Jerry has operated dredges and capping equipment on the water, and designed, built, and run the sophisticated dewatering and water treatment systems on land that make large-scale environmental dredging possible. He is one of the rare few in this industry who can work every side of the operation – and then turn around and manage nearly 200 people doing the same. Jerry has been the person on the ground making the plan work – solving problems in real time, keeping crews safe, and finding ways to do the job better than it’s been done before.
The WEDA Dredger of the Year Award was presented to Mike Warwick, Senior Vice President and Dredging Manager at Manson Construction.
Each year, this award is given to an individual in recognition for their outstanding contribution to the dredging community. Mike holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Florida, and has built a nearly 30-year career marked by technical excellence, industry leadership, and a deep commitment to advancing dredging. He began at Great Lakes Dredge & Dock after completing three summer internships – early exposure that proved formative. Starting as a field engineer, he gained broad international experience through assignments in the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela, working on cutter suction dredges, hydraulic fill methodology, pipe layout design, and dredging operations. Back in the US, he helped refine and test software systems used across multiple dredge types, strengthening the tools and processes that support efficient dredge operations. As his responsibilities grew, so did his focus on the people around him — and mentoring became as central to his work as the technical demands of the job.
Since joining Manson in 2005, he has played a central role in building the company’s Gulf and East Coast dredging teams. Through hands-on mentorship, recruiting, and technical training, he has helped shape the next generation of dredging professionals while expanding Manson’s capacity to deliver critical navigation projects along both coasts. Promoted in 2025 to Senior Vice President and Dredging Manager, Mike now oversees all dredging operations and continues to champion the industry through workforce development, support for academic programs including the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Coastal Engineering program. He has authored technical papers on dredging and safety, and contributed to the design and construction of two modern vessels for Manson’s fleet: the Robert M White and the Frederick Paup.
WEDA’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to two deserving individuals: Peggy Derrick of EA Engineering, Science, and Technology and Ancil Taylor of Ancil Taylor Dredging Consulting.
Peggy Derrick serves as Vice President and National Service Line Program Manager for Sediment at EA EST. With a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Goucher College and a Master’s in Marine Estuarine Environmental Science from the University of Maryland, she has built a career of remarkable scope – managing dredged material programs totaling more than $100 million, handling more than 80 million cubic yards of material, and conducting sediment work in more than 45 waterways across the United States, alongside nine USACE Districts, eight U.S. Navy facilities, and four EPA regions.
Over that career, Peggy has established herself as one of the leading experts in dredged material management. She has supported the Maryland Port Administration and the State of Maryland’s Dredged Material Management Program for more than 25 years, and the USACE Norfolk District for more than 17 years. As Chief Scientist and Senior Technical Advisor for USEPA Region 5, she oversees sediment remediation projects under the Great Lakes Legacy Act. And as Technical Advisor to NAVFAC, she guides the permitting and design strategy for the rehabilitation of waterside naval shipyard infrastructure. Peggy has used that expertise beyond her own projects – working to build genuine understanding between the dredging industry and the regulatory community.
Ancil Taylor began his career in 1978 as a dredge engineer at C.F. Bean Corporation in New Orleans, after earning a degree in Construction Management from the University of Southern Mississippi. From the start, he approached dredging as both a science and a craft. Early in his career, Bean sent him to train with Royal Volker Stevin in the Netherlands, where he worked in R&D, studied dredge theory, production automation, and pipeline dynamics – the kind of foundational work that would shape decades of innovation. He rose to Head of Production Engineering, then spent more than twenty years leading the company’s estimating department, before serving as President of Bean Environmental, and later Executive Vice President and technical advisor at Callan Marine. Today, he continues to work and advise through his own consulting firm.
The technical contributions are substantial: He helped pioneer long-distance slurry pipeline transport, contributed to the design of multiple landmark dredges, and led the development of the Bonacavor – the first hybrid mechanical-hydraulic dredge built specifically for precision removal of contaminated sediments, complete with a patented slurry processing system. When the Deepwater Horizon oil spill threatened the wetlands of coastal Louisiana in 2010, it was Ancil who helped organize and lead the consortium of dredging contractors that built the emergency barrier berms – coordinating with the Corps of Engineers, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and agencies across the board.
Safety Awards were presented by Julie Hile, Chair of the WEDA Safety Commission.
She presented the 2026 Annual Safety Excellence Award for a Dredging Project to J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. for Refinery Wastewater Treatment Pond Dredging & Dewatering in the Upper Midwest
Author: Amber Wilson
J.F. Brennan Company earned the WEDA Safety Excellence Award for its management of complex dredging and dewatering operations at a refinery wastewater treatment pond. The project team identified and controlled significant hazards associated with confined spaces, contaminated sediments, and hydrogen sulfide exposure through detailed planning, laboratory analysis, and engineered controls. Their innovative approach to neutralizing hydrogen sulfide before airborne exposure occurred demonstrated a strong commitment to hazard elimination and worker protection. Over 7,313 work hours, the project was completed with zero recordable injuries and zero lost-time injuries, reflecting effective risk management and a proactive safety culture.
The Annual Safety Excellence Award for a Dredging Contractor went to CMD CEDA Environmental Solutions
Author: Annik Johnson
CMD CEDA Environmental Solutions earned the WEDA Safety Excellence Award for its commitment to workforce engagement, competency assurance, and operational risk management. The company combines competency verification, supervisor oversight, and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) principles to ensure employees are prepared to identify hazards and make informed decisions in the field. This approach has helped create a resilient safety culture supported by strong leadership, employee involvement, and disciplined controls. From 2023 through 2025, CMD CEDA achieved a Total Recordable Injury Frequency of zero while performing more than 957,000 high-exposure work hours.
And the second Annual Safety Excellence Award for a Dredging Contractor to was presented to Manson Construction Co.
Author: Jimmie Collins
Manson Construction Co. earned the WEDA Safety Excellence Award for its consistent focus on hazard recognition, planning, and continuous improvement. The company supports safe operations through comprehensive pre-task planning, proactive hazard reporting, and visible leadership involvement, enabling teams to identify and address risks before incidents occur. These efforts contributed to the strongest safety performance in the company’s history, including a Total Recordable Incident Rate below 1.0, a Lost Time Incident Rate below 0.25, and 100 consecutive days without a recordable injury in 2025. Manson’s approach emphasizes that maintaining strong safety performance requires ongoing vigilance and continuous learning from both successes and events.
Environmental Excellence Awards for 2026 were presented by Steve Garbaciak, Chair of the Environmental Commission
WEDA Environmental Excellence Award for a Beneficial Use-Focused Project
University Lakes Restoration Project, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Timothy Donegan, PE; Engineering Manager; Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc.
Mark Goodson; Program Manager; CSRS/Westwood
Brian Lennie; Engineering Design; Stantec
Zachary Chrisco, PE; Landscape Architecture and Master Planning; Sasaki Associates, Inc.
WEDA Environmental Excellence Award for an Infrastructure Project
New Bedford Port Authority Leonard’s Wharf Reconstruction and Expansion, New Bedford, Massachusetts
Mike Campagnone, PE; Senior Technology Manager – Geophysical Surveys; Foth Infrastructure and Environment, LLC
Ceasar Duarte Jr, PPM, MPE; Director of Engineering and Operations, New Bedford Port Authority
WEDA Environmental Excellence Award for a Remediation-Focused Project
Munger Landing Remedial Action, Duluth, Minnesota
Dustin Bauman; J.F. Brennan Company, Inc.
Casey Evenson; J.F. Brennan Company, Inc.
Caitlin Nigrelli; US EPA Greal Lakes National Program Office
Meaghan Kern; US EPA Greal Lakes National Program Office
Best Booth Awards for 2026
Best Booth – Xylem Hypack
Most Educational Booth – Mackworth-Enviro
