Testimonials & Reviews

Comments about Services Provided as an Independent Consultant and Speaker
Book Reviews | Award Citations

Comments about Services Provided as an Independent Consultant and Speaker

I greatly appreciate your mentorship and guidance as we developed the new [mentoring] program. Thank you for putting together the webinar. I’ve heard excellent feedback about how it has helped build relationships.

- Tirza Austin, Manager, Online Community at American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA commenting on a webinar that Stu developed to help kick-off ASCE’s new mentoring program.


Stu's ability to lead the conversation and pull out of the participants both creative solutions and practical applications at the same time was remarkable and enjoyable. His energy and his openness made the process not only effective but incredible. 

- Lynn Miller-Pease, CEO of  Leadership Evansville and the lead designer and facilitator of VOICE -- a community visioning and strategic action initiative. She reflects on Stu Walesh's facilitation of a half-day ideas and issues workshop involving Evansville, IN personnel and consultants about to begin a complicated wastewater design and construction project. 


Your presentation was fantastic! The group continued to talk about it for the four days of the conference.

- Jim Hanson, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA referring to Stu Walesh’s facilitated session “Using Neuroscience to Work Smarter: More Effective, Creative, Innovative” at the Third U.S. – Japan Geoenvironmental Engineering Workshop, August, 2016, Chicago, IL. The workshop preceded the four-day international Geo-Chicago 2016 conference.


Your material was wonderful and I plan to share it with our team. All 12 tips still apply and I am pleased to say I honestly think we are doing what you recommend. Sharing this webinar with our small team will reinforce what we are doing.

- Jason V. Philbin, P.E., President, PermaTrak, Charlotte, NC offering thoughts on ASCE’s now- archived webinar “Marketing 101: It’s Everyone’s Business.”


Mr. Walesh is a thought-provoking and engaging speaker. He combines his wealth of professional experience and self-directed research on the human brain to arrive at excellent suggestions toward creative and innovative problem-solving skill development for engineers.

- Barry Ng, P.E., Director of Public Works, San Jose, CA commenting on Stu Walesh’s presentation “Use Neuroscience to be More Productive, Innovative Engineers” to members of the City’s Public Works, Environmental, and Transportation Departments.


Loved the case studies. This is one of the best webinars I’ve participated in and I’ve been to many.

- Anonymous comment from participant in the now-archived ASCE webinar “Ethical Behavior: The Key to Earning Trust.”


Stu is an engaging and interesting speaker. I have been hosting Morning Business Hours for several years and his presentation was right on target. The content was relevant to our careers and personal lives.

Andrew S. Kyres, Vice President, First Financial Bank, Crown Point, IN commenting on Stu Walesh's presentation to business leaders titled "Working Smarter: More Effective, Efficient, and Innovative." 


What a great presentation. In particular, thank you for the information ... on how to create conversations with ... strangers. I will definitely need to practice this one and your input on this will be helpful.

- Anonymous comment about Stu Walesh's webinar, "Five Habits of Highly Effective Managers," archived by ASCE. (Over 20 of Stu Walesh's webinars are available for purchase at: http://mylearning.asce.org/diweb/catalog/c/79/q/walesh/f2/1/n/0)


Flying Solo was a key resource in my journey to become a solo practice engineering consultant. So, thank you for all you do and I look forward to consuming more of your guidance as I ... continue my solo practice business.

- Anonymous comments about Stu Walesh's book Flying Solo: How to Start an Individual Practitioner Consulting Business, Hannah Publishing, Valparaiso, IN, 2000.


As the leader of our Innovation course, Dr. Stu Walesh helped my audience (and me!) learn to use our creative "right brains" in addition to our quantitative "left brains." Stu is a helpful and effective speaker and author.

- Ned W. Paschke, P.E., Program Director, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Engineering Professional Development commenting about Stu Walesh's two-day workshop "Innovation for Civil and Environmental Professionals: A Whole-Brain Approach."


I think this topic is every bit as important to an engineer as formulas and technical data --- Objectives and outcomes clearly stated --- I liked the references to books and authors --- Content was a great extension beyond typical engineering --- Helps with managing project teams and is not something taught in school --- Reinforced the idea that it's worth the effort to sit and think creatively and innovatively (right brain and subconscious) --- Enjoyed the group interaction with the team exercises, especially the real-world issues at the end --- Presentation inspired creativity and innovation with regard to overcoming obstacles --- Excellent "bag" of tools to choose from.

- Anonymous comments from participants in Stu Walesh's two-day workshop "Innovation for Civil and Environmental Professionals: A Whole-Brain Approach."


Thanks again for the great ideas on creativity and innovation. This really has me thinking more expansively about how to move forward with our own planning.

- Charles L. Head, P.E., P.G., President/CEO, Sanborn-Head & Associates, Concord, NH after hearing Stu Walesh speak about "Benefits of Developing a Creative/Innovative Culture in Your Firm" at a national meeting of ASFE: The Geoprofessional Business Association.


Was able to use results from seminar immediately --- Very helpful suggestions on organizing thoughts and doing document writing throughout a project as opposed to major push at the end --- Simple tips that can easily be remembered, executed, and integrated into everyday writing ---The seminar made you get excited about presentations --- Well organized; presented useful tips and techniques --- Liked the distinct action items that were presented to prevent scope creep --- This was the best web seminar that I have attended; the entire program was well organized and provided numerous tips on improving communication --- Questions were fun to answer; chat function was good idea --- Stu Walesh is a seasoned, knowledgeable educator/presenter; I look for his webinars and attend as many of his that I am able. The course really gave me a different perspective on what marketing is and how it should be performed effectively -- great webinar!

- Anonymous comments from participants in webinars led by Stu Walesh


Your work for us...regarding the responsibility of PEs to do more than merely comply with local regulations was extraordinarily helpful, and was significant relative to a successful outcome for our client in that matter.

- Jonathan E. Jones, P.E., D.WRE, Chief Executive Officer, Wright Water Engineers, Denver, CO


Stu has a wonderful way of giving practical and easy to understand ideas. He has helped our firm as a consultant on many of the lessons.

- Ronald Bonar, P.E., L.S., Chairman Emeritus, Bonar Group on reviewing Stu Walesh’s 2004 book Managing and Leading: 52 Lessons Learned for Engineers, ASCE Press, Reston, VA


We believe we have seen improved profitability since using project plans. Some areas of improvement include: 1) a more uniform project management approach across multiple departments and offices, 2) uniform nomenclature and approach enhances collaboration, 3) better communication within the project team, [and] 4) better scope definition (creep control) and communication with the owner.

- Executive of an engineering firm for which Stu Walesh provided assistance in developing and implementing a project planning policy and process


I commend you on the excellent, unbiased work you did with us. I truly enjoyed the challenge and learned more than expected…I am so glad you were with us and I would do it again!

- Chairman of a client’s Board of Directors


Thank you so much for your excellent contributions to last weekend's successful ... workshop. The preparation and thought you put into it was highly apparent. Many participants mentioned to me how we accomplished so much more than we feared we might.

- Arlan H. Rippe, P.E., G.E., D.GE., F.ASCE, and President of the Board of Trustees, The Academy of
Geo-Professionals, for which Stu Walesh voluntarily facilitated a meeting.

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Book Reviews

The writing is clear. The first several chapters are great resources for supporting “thinking about thinking” and the idea that metacognition is indeed a key to changing a mindset. I really like the table of contents, it’s better than most, and I appreciate the exercises. Your book is a …valuable text for instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in undergraduate engineering students.

- Review of Introduction to Creativity and Innovation for Engineers, Pearson, by Douglas E. Melton, Ph.D., Program Director for the Entrepreneurial Engineering Program and the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), The Kern Family Foundation, Wisconsin, USA, March 2017.


Mr. Walesh has produced an excellent textbook with a focus on innovation specifically for engineers and technologists. Walesh clearly hopes that schools and universities will adopt the book and "teach" innovation to engineers. We need to teach young engineers calculus and thermodynamics, but we also need to teach them how to solve really interesting, difficult problems with creativity and new ways of thinking.

- Review of Introduction to Creativity and Innovation for Engineers, Pearson, by Jeffrey Phillips, Vice-President Marketing, OVO Innovation, Raleigh, NC and NetCentrics, Herndon, VA, March 2017.


Walesh dives into teaching creativity from a number of angles geared to young engineers. His treatment covers why creativity is important and includes a primer on the brain. Readers learn about “whole-brain” methods of thinking, strategies for overcoming obstacles to creativity, and much more. The text is admirably designed to equip students with the tools they need to succeed.

Review of Introduction to Creativity and Innovation for Engineers, Pearson, by Ray Bert and published in Civil Engineering, April 2016.

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This book is a celebration of engineering accomplishments and the human brain’s capacity to conceive and build them…The underlying theme permeating the book is the idea that creative thought need not be an unpredictable bolt of inspiration; it is a learnable skill that must be cultivated deliberately by engineers to successfully tackle grand challenges now and in the future.

- Ranjit S. Sahai, P.E., President, RAM Corporation, Dulles, VA reviewing Introduction to Creativity and Innovation for Engineers, Pearson, February 2016.


... an essential guide for students and young practitioners on the nontechnical aspects that can advance or derail an engineering career...While part of the book's strength is much of the advice and wisdom that applies to any vocation, its conception and execution as a work tailored to the needs of engineers make it far more valuable than most of the titles populating the "getting ahead" shelves at the bookstore.

- Review of Engineering Your Future: The Professional Practice of Engineering - Third Edition, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ in Civil Engineering - ASCE, April 2012.


The book is compelling and comprehensive. Professors who choose to implement your book are wise and their students more fortunate than they will initially realize...Your personal reflections were lessons in themselves to young practitioners.

- Robert Boller, former high school principal, commenting on Stu's 2012 book Engineering Your Future: The Professional Practice of Engineering - Third Edition.


This is an excellent reference for anyone in the business of managing people or one’s own personal and professional career. The advantage of this book over other business materials is that the authors give real-life scenarios based on their experiences.  

- Dr. Joseph E. Mazur, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC in his review of the 2008 book, co-authored by Dr. Paul W. Bush and S. Walesh, entitled Managing and Leading: 44 Lessons Learned for Pharmacists. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, October, 2008.


A must read for all students currently majoring in civil engineering as well as young technical professionals…[with] so many helpful tips and practical nuggets, even the experienced practitioner will benefit from reading this book.

- Dr. Jeffrey S. Russell, P.E., Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI commenting on Stu Walesh’s 2000 book Engineering Your Future: The Non-Technical Side of Professional Practice in Engineering and Other Fields—Second Edition, ASCE Press, Reston, VA.


If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to make yourself a more effective leader, both personally and professionally, here is a tool for you. Managing and Leading: 52 Lessons Learned for Engineers is a fun and easy-to-read compilation of vignettes, each illustrating a specific point or goal and followed by practical steps for applying the ideas presented…the book is written to engineers, yet applicable to anyone.

- May 2004 review of Stuart G. Walesh’s book by AIArchitect, American Institute of Architects.

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Award Citations

Awarded to an engineering practitioner for distinguished service to or support of civil engineering education.
Glen L. Martin Practitioner Service Award from the Civil Engineering Division of the American Society for Engineering Education, 2016.


Recognizes a Professional Engineer who has been a successful engineering leader and a positive role model for other engineers during one’s career.
Thomas A. Morris Leadership Award, Indiana Society of Professional Engineers, 2014.


Outstanding achievement in chosen area of professional life.
Valparaiso University Alumni Achievement Award, 2013.


Stuart G. Walesh was named a Fellow member of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) in 2010. Fellow status honors NSPE members who have demonstrated exemplary service to their profession, their Society, and their community.


For sustained and distinguished service to the Civil Engineering Division of ASEE, support of its activities, and notable contributions to  civil engineering education.

George K. Wadlin Distinguished Service Award, Civil Engineering Division, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), 2009


For his active and engaged leadership in promoting engineering as a profession by articulating the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century and by composing and editing major sections of the aspirational Vision for Civil Engineering in 2025.

- Statement by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2008 recognizing Stuart G. Walesh with the William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award “for leadership in promoting engineering as a profession.”


Stuart G. Walesh received the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Distinguished Service Award in 2007. The award recognizes NSPE members for their exceptional contributions to the engineering profession, to their communities, and to NSPE.


In recognition for his exceptional technical contributions to the engineering profession and contributions to his community, to the National Society of Professional Engineers, and to the Indiana Society of Professional Engineers.

- Engineer of the Year, Indiana Society of Professional Engineers, 2007.


 For more than four decades of distinguished leadership and service in the civil engineering profession as a professor, dean, consultant, and author, and for outstanding contributions to the reformation of the future of civil engineering education.

- Statement by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) on elevation of Stuart G. Walesh to the grade of Distinguished Member, 2004.


Exemplary leadership and dedication to educational activities in the American Society of Civil Engineers and its mission to support Excellence in Civil Engineering Education.

- ExCEEd (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) 2003 Leadership Award, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).


Civil engineer and administrator who has provided leadership and management training to undergraduate students and continuing education for professional civil engineers.

- Distinguished Service Citation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1998.


In recognition of outstanding contributions to the practice of engineering.

- Consulting Engineers of Indiana, Public Service Award, 1995.

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Whether working as an employee, independent consultant, entrepreneur, or volunteer, I have interacted with, assisted, and learned from a rich variety of individuals in the private, public, academic, and volunteer sectors. The thoughts of a sampling of those individuals and their organizations, as presented above, are most appreciated.


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Do you have a question, suggestion, idea, or other concern? If so, contact me at stu-walesh@comcast.net or 219-242-1704

Engineering’s Public-Protection Predicament
Engineering’s Public-Protection Predicament

Introduction to Creativity and Innovation for Engineers
Introduction to Creativity and Innovation for Engineers

Managing and Leading: 52 Lessons Learned for Engineers
Managing and Leading: 52 Lessons Learned for Engineers

Engineering Your Future
Engineering Your Future

Introduction to Creativity and Innovation for Engineers – Global Edition
Introduction to Creativity and
Innovation for Engineers -
Global Edition

Managing and Leading: 
44 Lessons Learned for Pharmacists
Managing and Leading:
44 Lessons Learned for
Pharmacists

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