As President/CEO of Urban Engineers of New York, D.P.C., William T. Thomsen, PE directly oversees our New York State Company’s growth and operations. Also, as Senior Vice President /COO National Services for Urban Engineers, Inc., a member of the Board of Directors, he oversees all of our offices and national geography. He continues to serves as principal in charge on major national transportation programs. In this role, he directs all major public transportation, national consulting, and Mega Project program management services in addition to supervising all office leadership.
William has played a key role in the growth of the firm’s Program Management Oversight division and is a national leader in the management of large-scale projects, including New York City’s high-profile One World Trade Center, LA Metro, East Side Access, and Second Avenue Subway. The latter two are the largest public works projects ever built in America. A registered Professional Engineer in four states, his extensive experience encompasses the management and engineering of major infrastructure projects including tunnels, railways, and transportation systems. He has been with Urban for more than 30 years.
William is inspired by his personal hero, his father, a construction company president. He describes his personal motto as never give up. William actively gives back and serves on numerous national societies, committees, and boards, including the Construction Management Association of America, Transportation Research Board, Civil Engineering Advisory Board, Society of American Military Engineers, New York Building Congress, American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). A former adjunct professor for Temple University, he remains active in Philadelphia and other academic and civic activities in Treddyfrin Township, Jenkins Aboretum and his local church. He is a past president of ASCE, Philadelphia, past chairperson of the APTA Capital Projects national committee on design and construction, and Transportation Engineer of the Year in Philadelphia in 1993.
He earned his bachelor's degree in civil/environmental engineering from Clarkson University and master's degree in engineering management from Drexel University. When William is not traveling nationally for Urban, he enjoys not taking himself ‘too seriously’ and spending time with his wife Kim at the beach, running family marathons, playing golf and playing pond hockey with his son and friends.