HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Mike Lanier, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project director and team lead for the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville Medical Facilities Center of Expertise and Standardization, was named a Modern-Day Technology Leader at the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Awards.
The award is given to women and men who are shaping the future of engineering, science and technology. The nomination packages go through a rigorous review and recommendation process by a panel of leaders from industry, government and academia.
Lanier, who has served as a senior project director for the Medical Facilities MX since 2011, is currently the team leader of the Project Management Branch. According to Brian Prediger, deputy chief of the Medical Facilities MX, Lanier played a vital role as the Huntsville Center Project Director for USACE’s national response to the COVID-19 crisis.
“[His] leadership and strategic communications were critical for the rapid implementation of alternate care facilities to support surge clinical populations,” Prediger wrote in his nomination letter. “Mike’s team led technical response to the crisis that was briefed to the President and was implemented successfully in such locations as the Javits Center (New York) and McCormick Place (Chicago).”
In recent years, Lanier has also contributed his leadership and technical expertise to numerous projects including the Infectious Disease Facilities replacement at Fort Detrick, Maryland, and a future Defense Health Agency project to replace a hospital at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath in Suffolk, England.
Lanier said the life-saving potential of the projects he leads serves as daily inspiration for his work.
“These buildings are made to heal, but if done incorrectly, they can kill,” said Lanier. “Seeing firsthand the importance of what we do and seeing the impact of the finished product is really an honor.”
Lanier not only strives for success in his own life, he fosters it in others by serving as a mentor to junior employees and volunteering with community service organizations.
He is currently the president of the Prince George’s County, Maryland, chapter of 100 Black Men, an organization whose mission is to encourage, engage, and challenge African-American youth to exceed their expectations. His work with 100 Black Men has involved the creation of a coding boot camp and an award-winning robotics team for students.
“Historically, these underserved communities have not had the resources or exposure to STEM education, so we’ve tried to provide that in various ways. We also provide mentoring services to teach them the soft skills that are so important for success,” said Lanier. “These students are our future, so I take great pride in what we’re doing.”
Huntsville Center’s greatest strength is its people — the intelligent and adaptable professionals who, like Lanier, deliver vital public and military engineering solutions and services to the nation and its partners. Our more than 1,000 employees manage nearly 3,000 ongoing projects at any given time. These projects fall into five portfolios: Medical, Facilities and Base Operations, Energy, Operational Technology, and Environmental. Learn more at hnc.usace.army.mil/media/fact-sheets.