Before beginning his own consulting business in 1991, Chuck Hughes worked for 32 years as a research engineer for the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC). His investigations have helped the Virginia Department of Transportation develop important and innovative quality assurance criteria for the construction and pavement of the Commonwealth's highways.



As an undergraduate studying civil engineering at Virginia Tech, Chuck was elected to the Chi Epsilon and Tau Beta Pi honor fraternities. After earning his B.S. in 1958, he entered the Virginia Department of Highway's Engineer Training Program. The next year, the department assigned Chuck to the VTRC's Bituminous Section in Charlottesville as an engineer trainee and also sent him to the University of Virginia to pursue a master's degree in civil engineering. While in graduate school, he was elected to Sigma Xi honor society.



With his M.S. in hand, Mr. Hughes was promoted by the VTRC to Research Engineer B, and six years later, in 1965, he was promoted to head of the Pavement Section. He returned to the Bituminous Section in 1968 and eight years later was named Senior Research Scientist, the council's highest research position. During his career with the VTRC, Chuck was instrumental in a number of efforts to modernize Virginia's highway system. He worked extensively in the area of quality assurance specifications, particularly in regards to statistically based specifications for the quality of bituminous concrete pavement.



Mr. Hughes has taught more than 90 short courses on the subject of quality assurance for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the University of Virginia and various trade organizations throughout the United States-including Alaska and Hawaii-as well as in Puerto Rico and Saudi Arabia. He also has lectured on quality assurance at the University of Florida, Purdue University, Memphis State University, Arizona State University and the University of Nevada-Reno.



Other topics that Mr. Hughes has researched, written about and lectured on include highway construction practices, aggregate-asphalt mix design, vibratory compaction, nuclear testing of density of bituminous concrete and the use of membranes to retard reflection cracking. In addition, he conducted the first pavement survey of the Virginia Interstate system and developed a design procedure for emulsion mixes.



In 1985 Mr. Hughes received the Distinguished Service Award from the Asphalt Institute. Other honors include his being named the Crom Lecturer at the University of Florida and being profiled in TR News, the national publication of the Transportation Research Board (TRB).



An active member of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT) for more than 20 years, Mr. Hughes served as the organization's President in 1983, was declared a Life Member in 1994 and was elected an Honorary Member in 1999. He has served on a number of technical committees of the TRB and in 2000 was selected as an Emeritus Member of the Committee on the Management of Quality Assurance. In addition, he has worked on several National Cooperative Highway Research Program projects.



A prolific author, Mr. Hughes has contributed 37 papers to the publications of national organizations, including the TRB, AAPT, American Society of Civil Engineers, FHWA, American Society for Testing and Materials, American Society for Quality and the National Asphalt Pavement Association. In addition, he has been the author or co-author of more than 40 VTRC publications.



As a consultant, Chuck continues to develop quality assurance and performance-related specifications. He recently completed a project for the FHWA entitled Optimal Procedures and Quality Assurance Specifications.



Always a staunch Virginia Tech supporter, Chuck was a charter member of CEE's Alumni Board and served for five years. He has been a member of the Hokie Club for many years and is now a Silver Hokie.



Chuck and his wife, Diane, have four children-Sharon (Virginia Tech class of '82), Steve (class of '83), Susan (class of '84), and Sean. The family also boasts another Virginia Tech graduate, Susan's husband, Jim Hillary (class of '82). Chuck and Diane also have eight grandchildren. Chuck is a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood, Virginia. He enjoys gardening and is an avid hiker and a trail overseer for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.