Chester Allen

A native of Buckhannon, West Virginia, Chester L. Allen graduated from Buckhannon-Upshur high School in 1966. He then attended West Virginia University and received both bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering in 1970 and 1972.

After graduating from WVU, Mr. Allen began working at Gannett Fleming, Inc., headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is a 37-year veteran of Gannett Fleming and continues working there today. He began working as a structural/bridge engineer in the Harrisburg office in 1972 and rose through the firm's ranks, serving as a project manager (1980), structural section leader/vice president (1985), and director of the Transportation Division/senior vice president/member of the Board of Directors (1995). He also oversees the firm's Facilities Division as well as the national structural, transportation planning and vertical transportation practices. He is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and six other states.

Mr. Allen belongs to a number of professional organizations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Highway Engineers, the Engineers' Society of Pennsylvania and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

He was president of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association's Planning and Design Division in 2001-2002 and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of this national organization. He is currently the president of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania and chairs the Executive Committee for this organization.

Mr. Allen has been married to Kay for nearly 36 years. He has three children: Jeffrey, Kelli and Kristen, and seven grandchildren.