November/December 2022 - 7

MICHAEL H. WYSOCKEY, PH.D., P.E.,
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Out With a Bang
DFI47, the annual conference in
National Harbor, Maryland, was a
special time to spend with old friends
and colleagues. Attendance approached
1,000 and the energy was palpable.
Conference Chair Sebastian LoboGuerrero
did a tremendous job - the
vitality was not a coincidence. Technical
Program Co-Chairs Hannah
Iezonni and Chris Woods put in the
work to create a strong technical
program full of interesting presentations.
There were several times during
the parallel sessions that it was hard to
decide which lecture to attend, a true
sign of a great program. See the recap
article and photos on page 23.
I was especially impressed by the
activities and energy of the committees.
In all my many years with DFI, in
capacities ranging from attendee to
committee chair, all the way to
leadership, I have never seen so much
energy and enthusiasm within the
committees. DFI Director of Technical
Activities Matt Glisson was ever
present facilitating the meetings. As I
bounced around to more than half of the
26 committee meetings, the attendance
was often more than 50 and the
discussion was vibrant. Thank you to
all the committee chairs and members
who make it happen. The committees
produce the work that drives the
industry; and it has never been better.
The committee structure has a nonuniformity
in that the traditional
technical committees, such as Driven
Pile, Micropile, etc., have been joined
by Women in Deep Foundations (WiDF)
or Electric Power Systems Foundations
and other committees that span many
technologies. The reason that the
various committees exist is to serve a
specific purpose important to a portion
of the membership. While the structure
is hard to categorize - or allow
structured engineering-type brains to
sort out - the proof that it's working
well is obvious to anyone attending the
committee day on the front
end of the conference. The
energy and enthusiasm I
saw was impressive. That
being said, we have been
on the lookout for opportunities
to restructure and
combine committees as
needs change. For example,
the Energy Pile Committee
has been capably led by Tony
Ami s and the work on ener gy
piles will continue through the
Sustainability Committee. The Marine
Foundations Committee has been
rolled back into the Driven Pile
Committee, where it started, but when
there is enough interest in forming it
again as a full committee in the future,
DFI would certainly respond.
Educational Trust and include complimentary
conference registration and
cover related expenses for attending the
conference for women working in the
deep foundations industry. The Trust
awarded about $350,000 in scholarships
this year, an all-time high. Rudy Frizzi,
the capable chair, has led the Trust to its
strongest position ever as it continues to
grow its support of the industry.
It's been a tumultuous 2 years with
the overwhelming influence of the
pandemic. I'm proud of the way the
DFI has made its way through.
My time as president of DFI is
Another highlight was the Women
in Deep Foundations' (WiDF) 6th Annual
Networking Reception. It was well
attended and lively, held in a cool
rooftop venue allowing views of the
Potomac River and Washington, D.C.
Congratulations to the Professional
Development Grant winners, who were
honored that night (see page 59.) The
$1,750 grants are given by the DFI
drawing to an end. It's been a tumultuous
2 years with the overwhelming
influence of the pandemic. I'm proud
of the way DFI has made its way
through. The push from Matthew
Janes to redevelop the website and
web hosting capabilities could not
have come at a better time. And thank
you to Dan Brown and John Wolosick
who brought me into the DFI leadership.
Act ing as president has
allowed me a front row seat to appreciate
the hard work and talent of
Theresa Engler and the staff at DFI.
They are the true engine that keeps
everything running so smoothly, no
matter what gets thrown their way.
Thank you, Theresa and all; it's been
an honor working with you.
Contact Michael H. Wysockey at mwysockey@thatcherfoundations.com
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * NOV/DEC 2022 * 7
November/December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2022
