WSP’s Wilson honored with Prestigious 2024 George S. Bartlett Award

The 2024 George S. Bartlett Award, a career honor recognizing an individual’s contributions to U.S. highway progress, was presented to Shawn D. Wilson, PhD, senior vice president and national highways business line lead for Transportation and Infrastructure at WSP.

The award is jointly presented annually by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB).

Wilson received the award on Oct. 31 during a ceremony at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Annual Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia. Wilson is a long-time active member of AASHTO and was elected as its first African American president for the 2021-2022 term. Jim Tymon, AASHTO executive director, presented the award to Wilson in recognition of his “unwavering dedication to the transportation sector” and his contributions to “safer and more multi-modal communities.”

Wilson has also served as chairman on TRB’s executive committee.

“The three organizations that have united to bestow this award are foundational to our industry,” Wilson said at the event, accepting the award. “Being able to partner, collaborate and advance transportation across organizational boundaries has helped define my career and made so much possible, not just for me, but also for citizens and clients alike. This is a huge honor for me, and I am so very thankful for this recognition.”

Wilson has made a considerable impact on WSP’s transportation business, leveraging his leadership, experience and expertise to help departments of transportation capitalize on historic investment opportunities while navigating the impact of emerging trends, such as artificial intelligence, zero emissions and rising costs.

“WSP is privileged to have a knowledgeable innovator and leader like Shawn who collaborates tirelessly with clients and our multi-disciplined business lines and services to ensure every project exceeds expectations,” said Jerry Jannetti, executive leader of Transportation and Infrastructure at WSP. “To say he is deserving of this national recognition by his peers would be an understatement. It is an honor to count him among my most trusted colleagues.”

Prior to joining WSP, Wilson served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development from 2016 to 2023, where he established the state’s Office of Innovative Procurement to advance innovative finance and accelerate design-build for transportation project. He developed and implemented the state’s first GARVEE (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) Bond and successfully delivered the state’s first infrastructure public-private partnership. He was a candidate for Louisiana governor in 2023.

The annual award was established in 1931 in honor of George S. Bartlett, a highway designer credited as an early advocate for modernizing U.S. roads using concrete in construction. Recipients have included members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, U.S. and state department of transportation secretaries, top transportation designers and construction executives.

David Gehr, a senior vice president at WSP, received the prestigious Bartlett Award in 2015.