Tiner named President of AACE

Since its formation on July 1, 1980, the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering (Academy) has provided support for students and faculty in the University of Arkansas Civil Engineering (CVEG) department. In the intervening four decades, the Academy members have contributed nearly $1.1 million for student scholarships and countless hours supporting the program through mentorship and support. Additionally, many members of the Academy and their companies, such as Garver, have raised over $3.5 million for the Grady E. Harvell Civil Engineering Research and Education Center (CEREC). This state-of-the-art center will allow CVEG to attract students and retain faculty for generations to come.

During the 42 years of the Academy, a woman has never held the position of Academy President – until just a few weeks ago when Garver’s Transportation Planning and Traffic Team Leader Nicci Tiner, PE, PTOE, was named to the position. After being nominated by her peers, Tiner was inducted into the Academy in 2011. At the time, she joined 10 other active Garver employees in the Academy, a number that has since grown to over 20 active Garver employees. Since her induction, she has been active in the Academy, and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2018.

“It is truly a privilege to be a member of Academy, and I am honored to be the 2022-2023 President,” Tiner said.

A 1988 graduate of the University of Arkansas, Tiner has worked for Garver since 1991. In that time, her impact on the transportation industry can be defined by many other firsts. In 1998, as women still faced low representation in the field, Tiner became the first female partner and owner at Garver, chosen based on her performance and proven leadership. She claimed another first in 2009 when she became the first Professional Traffic Operations Engineer in Arkansas.

Her leadership has been crucial to the Garver Transportation Planning and Traffic Team’s success as it’s become one of the fastest growing areas in the company. Under her leadership, this group has grown from one person performing traffic engineering tasks to a team of 19 professionals spread across six states. The team’s experience and skill diversity allow them to tackle a variety of complex transportation planning and traffic design projects. She has overseen more than 300 signal design projects throughout the Garver footprint. One of the most notable planning projects includes leading a 285-mile corridor study in Arkansas from the Oklahoma state line to the Missouri state line. Currently, she is managing the I-40 ITS Study and Design from Central Arkansas to West Memphis.

The advice that Tiner would offer to prospective students is still much the same as what drove her own trajectory as a student.

“Don’t let anybody tell you that you can't do it,” Tiner said. “When I was growing up, nobody said I couldn't do it, so I just assumed I could.”

To learn more about what Garver’s Transportation Planning and Traffic Team can do for you, visit our Transportation services page.