Al Nichols attended Lynchburg (Virginia) College in his hometown for two years before beginning Civil Engineering studies at Virginia Tech, where he was elected a member of Chi Epsilon honor society. After graduating in 1963, Mr. Nichols went to work for the Norfolk District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He soon began his four years of active-duty military service in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps with public works assignments in Norfolk and Alaska.



In 1967 Mr. Nichols returned to the Norfolk District as a Hydraulics Engineer; two years later, he began his long association with Wiley & Wilson, an engineering, architectural, and planning firm.



During his 31 years with Wiley & Wilson, Mr. Nichols has supervised the civil engineering design on a variety of projects, including industrial buildings, two metro subway projects, drainage projects, flood plain studies, earth fill dams, highway studies, and sewerage and water systems.



He has managed the design of projects with civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and architectural work, including a multiple-project contract for the Navy with a construction cost of $51 million. The project included design and construction support services for aircraft hangars, airfield facilities, and a 200,000 square-foot communications and administrative building.



In 1994 Mr. Nichols was elected Senior Vice President of Wiley & Wilson, and three years later he became President of the firm, which currently has 120 employees and offices in Lynchburg, Richmond, and Virginia Beach.



A licensed Professional Engineer since 1968 and quite active in professional organizations, Mr. Nichols served as President of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers in 1986 and was named Engineer of the Year by the society in 1993. He was elected President of the Virginia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 1990 and has received the section's Outstanding Service Award. He also was elected a Fellow of ASCE. In addition, he is a member of the Hampton Roads and Washington Posts of the Society of American Military Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the James River Basin Association.



Mr. Nichols has served as Sunday School Director, Deacon, and Chairman of Deacons of Rivermont Avenue Baptist Church in Lynchburg. He has coached both girls and boys basketball teams in his community and has managed Little League baseball teams.



An active Virginia Tech alumnus, he was a member of the CEE Alumni Board for six years and served as Chairman in 1998. He also is a member of the College of Engineering Committee of 100.



Al has been married for 34 years to Sue Thompson Nichols. The couple have two children, Dr. Stephen A. Nichols and Mrs. Diane N. Reid, and two grandchildren. Al enjoys several personal interests, including basketball, fishing, golf, hunting, and gardening.