Joseph Rogers began his illustrious 30-year career with the Corps of Engineers at Savannah District in 1969 as an engineer intern assigned to the Ft. Bragg Resident Office in support of the Tarheel Army Missile Plant. He also worked as chief in the soils design section of the geotechnical and materials branch and as branch chief. His large and diverse workload included critical civil works projects such as, the Richard B. Russell Dam, Falls Lake and Dam, and the Cooper River Re-Diversion Powerhouse and Canal projects.



Perhaps his most pivotal role was in securing approval to proceed with the design and construction of the Russell Project, which was embroiled in political controversy over design, safety, and funding. As a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers team charged with evaluating the design strategy and providing a thorough report and recommendation to the board of consultants, Mr. Rogers worked tirelessly to ensure the investigative analysis was flawlessly performed. The board recommended approval of the Richard B. Russell Project to President Carter and the Savannah District received immediate authorization to proceed with construction of the $638 million project, which is the largest hydropower project east of the Mississippi River and one of the largest pumped storage facilities in the world.



In 1990, he was promoted to chief of engineering division for the Savannah District. Always forward looking and highly innovative, he expanded the mission and services of the engineering division in several areas including establishing a section to provide creative, highly advanced, and competitive CADD and GIS services.



Mr. Rogers was one of the first to recognize the vast potential in the rapidly growing field of hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste. His involvement in the development of proposals and negotiations would have a profound and long-term effect for Savannah District in securing this significant mission.



Throughout his career, Mr. Rogers was recognized for the many program initiatives he developed that focused on employee morale, mentoring, development, and community involvement. At his retirement in 2000, he was awarded the Department of Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award and the Prestigious Army Engineer Association Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal. And in 2008, he was inducted into Savannah District Gallery of Distinguished Civilian Employees.



Mr. Rogers has served on the CEE Alumni Board at Virginia Tech.



He has served the Presbyterian Church USA in Savannah as member, deacon, elder and clerk of session and as chairman on two building programs. From 2000 to the present, Mr. Rogers has served as elder, church treasurer, and Sunday school teacher for the Chatham Presbyterian Church. From 2001 to 2005, he was the chairman of the Town of Chatham Planning Commission and is currently a councilman for the Town of Chatham.



Joe and Kitty, his wife of 43 years, have two daughters and three grandchildren