Jan Ash, PE, manager of Ayres Associates’ Southeast Operations Municipal and Utilities group, has received the 2017 Malcolm Yancey Award from the Florida Utilities Coordinating Committee (FUCC) – the organization’s most prestigious honor.

The award, which was presented Aug. 3 at the 2017 FUCC Summer Meeting, recognizes Ash for “outstanding leadership during the previous years and the year under consideration.” Other criteria for the recipient include:

• Receiving unanimous approval of the Awards/Nominations Subcommittee
• Serving as an active member of FUCC for at least five years

Ash is the 14th recipient of the award, which recognizes outstanding liaison activities and a commitment to excellence in utility coordination. The organization was founded in 1932.

“The FUCC is the outstanding organization it is today because of the hard work and selfless dedication shown by members like Jan,” said Kris Hayes, chair of the Awards/Nominations Subcommittee. “Her contribution to the FUCC over these many years in sincerely appreciated.”

Ash began attending FUCC meetings in the late 1980s. In addition to serving as FUCC chair, she is a long-time chair of the Permitting Subcommittee and has chaired several other subcommittees, including Conference Planning, Programs, and Steering. In the past, Ash also led the AutoCAD/MicroStation Translation Subcommittee.

Ash holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of South Florida and founded The Ash Group, which became part of Ayres Associates in 2016 and has been an emeritus sponsor of FUCC for more than 20 years. Her expertise is built upon more than three decades of work in civil engineering for public and private sector infrastructure; subsurface utility engineering; utility infrastructure design, construction management, and inspection; and water resources, marine, ecological, and environmental engineering. Her municipal experience includes over 300 miles of water transmission and distribution lines, upgraded booster pumps, and modified water treatment facilities.

Yancey, after whom the award is named, was a civil engineer who served with the State Road Department as district engineer and later as engineer right-of-way, with a 12-year stint as city manager of Tallahassee in between. Yancey retired after 48 years of public service. He was active in the American Right-of-Way Association and FUCC during his career.