Lee Evey Named New DBIA President

The DBIA board of directors has selected Walker Lee Evey as its new president. On June 1, he replaced DBIA interim President Craig H. Unger, who served with distinction since October 2003 during the nationwide search for a permanent leader.

Evey brings a personal commitment to design-build project delivery, coupled with an extraordinary and varied background in both the public and private sectors. He has long been an outspoken advocate of integrated project delivery, which he believes demonstrates the effectiveness of innovative partnering and teaming approaches.

Evey most recently was senior vice president in the Washington, D.C., office of 3D/International Inc., a design, facility assessment and construction/program management company that employs 600 professionals in 18 offices nationwide. While at 3D/International, he took a leave of absence to serve as senior advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Housing and Construction. For that effort, Evey used training and educational materials provided by DBIA.

Evey is perhaps best known as the program manager for the 10-year, $4-billion Pentagon Renovation Program. At the time of his appointment in November 1997, the program faced budget and schedule challenges and was in danger of being canceled. Evey was searching for ways to improve the Pentagon’s ability to procure and deliver high-quality products in a timely and cost-effective manner. It was then that Evey was introduced to the power and effectiveness of integrated project delivery, starting with his attendance at a DBIA Professional Design-Build Conference. Shortly thereafter, he became an articulate and innovative proponent of design-build delivery.

Craig Unger enthusiastically welcomes Evey’s arrival. “Often one person can make a profound difference by the sheer force of their commitment and the rigor of their intellect,” he says. “Based on his Herculean efforts at the Pentagon, I know that in Lee Evey we have that kind of leader.”

As he assumes the leadership of DBIA, Evey praises the “remarkable array of individuals who have come before me and established design-build delivery as a credible delivery alternative. I look forward to helping make this extraordinarily efficient and effective delivery mechanism even more widespread across the design and construction community.”

Evey already has identified three areas of particular emphasis for DBIA to address in the coming years. He believes that training and education, a strong component of DBIA’s mandate, must continue to be accorded top priority. Evey says there still are too many practitioners and owners who have not yet embraced the powerful advantages of integrated project delivery. Evey notes that DBIA’s Designated Design-Build Professional program is rapidly becoming essential for individuals and firms desiring objective evidence of design-build expertise and experience.

DBIA’s new president also believes that the organization will experience significant expansion and membership growth in the next decade. While DBIA must continue to recruit and involve all elements of the design and construction community, Evey recognizes that the informed and dedicated involvement of owners is particularly critical for further design-build market penetration. Owners currently comprise approximately 30% of DBIA’s membership and Evey intends to build on and possibly increase that proportion.

Evey also wants to continue the significant outreach effort in government relations already undertaken by DBIA. Having served in the government for over 32 years, he realizes that the public sector is an increasingly important driver in the construction marketplace. Evey emphasizes that DBIA must tap into key government organizations to make them more aware of the advantages of design-build delivery.

Please visit the DBIA Website at www.dbia.org or call the national office at 202-682-0110 for more information.

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