Mr. Derrick A. Shelton has accomplished much in his career in private engineering practice, including active participation in professional societies. He has also maintained his connection with Virginia Tech as a representative to the Center for Geotechnical Practice and Research.



During his undergraduate years majoring in civil engineering at Virginia Tech, Mr. Shelton recognized the importance of gaining reallife experience through participation in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department's co-op program. He worked two semesters for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority in Alexandria, Va., where he assisted with contract procurement and the development and management of the Authority’s contract database. In his third and final semester of the co-op program, Mr. Shelton worked for Parsons Management Consultants during the construction of the new main terminal at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.



While at Virginia Tech, Mr. Shelton was a member of Chi Epsilon and Virginia Tech's student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. During the final summer of his undergraduate career, he assisted with geotechnical research focused on the factors that govern shear strength mobilization at the interface between compacted clay soils and geomembrane liners for waste repositories. His research was funded by a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates award.



After obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1996, Mr. Shelton received the Commonwealth Fellowship, which is awarded to outstanding minority students by the Virginia Council of Higher Education.



After receiving his master's degree in 1997, Mr. Shelton joined Haley & Aldrich as a geotechnical engineer in its Washington, D.C. office. During his early years at Haley & Aldrich, he worked on a variety of projects including the Woodrow Wilson Bridge replacement and the 58-story Comcast Building in Philadelphia. While working diligently as a staff engineer, he found time during evenings and weekends to enroll in Virginia Tech’s MBA program, and he received his degree in 2002 while working full time.



Mr. Shelton has completed several complex and challenging projects during his tenure with Haley & Aldrich. One example is the redevelopment of a municipal solid waste landfill for Loyola University in Baltimore, Md. His innovative and creative thinking helped Loyola construct a state-of-the-art NCAA athletic facility over a 180- ft. thick municipal solid waste landfill. His work as Project Manager resulted in the project being awarded Haley & Aldrich’s prestigious Pinnacle Award.



In 2006, Mr. Shelton served on the organizing committee for the Deep Foundation Institute 31st Annual Conference. He has also published and presented technical papers at other conferences. In 2007, the American Society of Foundation Engineers asked Mr. Shelton to serve on the Young Leader’s Panel during their Winter Leadership Forum. Shortly thereafter, he became one of the youngest employees at Haley & Aldrich to be recognized for leadership potential and to complete the company’s Leadership Development Program.



Mr. Shelton currently serves as the primary Project Manager for signature projects in Haley & Aldrich's Washington, D.C. office. Notable recent projects include the I-495 and I-95/395 HOT Lanes and the Dulles Corridor Rail Project.