The USACE Tommy Schmidt National Dam Safety Professional of the Year Award for 2016 was presented to Dr. Georgette Hlepas (DSMMCX) on 19 October 2016 during the first quarter meeting of the USACE Dam Safety Steering Committee in Boston, MA. The award is given annually to one deemed to have made the most significant contribution nationally to the USACE Dam Safety Program. Dr. Hlepas' contributions were multi-faceted, but some key accomplishments include peer review of instrumentation and monitoring programs for many districts across USACE, development and delivery of the new PROSPECT Instrumentation and Monitoring Course, and Chairing the USACE national Dam and Levee Performance Monitoring Committee. The Award was presented by Dave Paul, HQUSACE Special Assistant for Dam Safety.
Dr. Hlepas also contributed to the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) Conference in New York, NY. The conference provided an international forum for geo-professionals to present, discuss, and debate all aspects and current challenges pertaining to deep foundations including seepage control and remediation directly related to dam safety modification. Dr. Hlepas gave two presentations: “Interactive 3-Dimensional Modeling of Anchors at Bluestone Dam” and "Site Information Model and Data Management Solution (SIMDAMS) - GIS-Based Support for Dam Safety Risk Assessments and Modification Projects".