Washington, DC (22 March 2010) – The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) awarded one of two Academy of Fellows Golden Eagle Awards to William A. (Bill) Brown Sr., P.E., SAME Fellow, Hon. AIA, for his outstanding contributions to the engineering profession. 

In his acceptance speech, Bill acknowledged his life-long commitment to be of service to others and recognized his wife and children as devoted followers of this calling. He also called on members of the Academy to reach out to the youth of America and encourage them to pursue opportunities in the architecture, engineering and construction fields. 

Since 1996, the SAME Academy of Fellows has annually honored two outstanding Americans for contributions to the engineering profession and national security by presenting each of them with the prestigious Golden Eagle Award. Bill shared the evening with U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, who received a Golden Eagle for his dedication and contributions to national security. The annual awards dinner was held on March 19, 2010, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

Bill joined the Washington, DC office of PageSoutherlandPage in 2003. As Executive Vice President, Bill is responsible for establishing strategic focus in the federal market. He acted as Principal-in-Charge of the site evaluation study for the next major museum to go on the National Mall— the $500 million National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

Active in the engineering field where he encourages minorities to become engaged, Bill served for six years as Chairman of the Howard University School of Divinity Board of Visitors and also has served six years as 

moderator for the Panel of the Deans of 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, held yearly at the Black Engineers Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

In 2002, he founded the African American Federal Executive Association Inc., and has served as National President ever since. For the past two years he has served as the SAME representative on the Department of State Overseas Building Operations Industry Advisory Panel.

As a former  Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Deputy Director of Military Programs, Bill directed one of the largest design and construction programs in the world—the annual $10 billion U.S. Army  Military Construction Program. He directed this program for six years, leading a wide variety of projects throughout the U.S. and 60 foreign nations.

Bill's unique ability to unite diverse groups of people for a common goal was key to his selection to lead  a U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Russia, where he negotiated an agreement between the two countries for the design and construction of facilities to house weapons of mass destruction. He also was dispatched to Paris, where he negotiated an agreement between USACE and the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to provide design and construction support for UNESCO projects worldwide. In addition, he participated as a senior member of diplomatic missions to Nigeria and Hungary, and he outlined for the President of Afghanistan ways to rebuild his war-torn nation.

Bill's numerous awards and citations include the Army Exceptional Civilian Service Award, the U.S. Army Silver DeFluery Medal and the Senior Executive Service Meritorious Presidential Rank Award. In 2006, Bill became the 51st person inducted in the USACE Gallery of Distinguished Civilians; he is the first African American to receive this honor.

Bill is married to Dr. Jacqueline F. Brown, former Chief Administrative Officer for Prince George’s County, Md. They have three children; Whitney Erin Montague, an environmental engineer; Dr. William A. Brown Jr., M.D., a vascular surgeon and Army Reservists who recently served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan; and Maj. Wade Douglas Brown, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, who has served two tours in Iraq. In 2001, the family was honored as the “Hampton University Family of the Year.”

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