Cullen College of Engineering alumnus Daniel Wong, Ph.D., P.E., has been elected the First Vice President of the Texas Municipal League (TML), Region 14.
The TML is a private, non-profit association that provides services to Texas cities through legislative, legal, and educational efforts. Region 14 represents more than 150 municipalities in Southeast Texas. Wong’s new role will help Sugar Land to effectively address its legislative needs through TML. He also represents Sugar Land intergovernmental interests as a current Board member of the 13-county Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). His involvement includes transportation, homeland security, flood control, local work force and other issues that H-GAC helps fund.
Recently Wong was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to serve on the Texas Board of Professional Engineers. The Board is responsible for licensing qualified engineers, enforcing the Texas Engineering Practice Act and regulating the practice of professional engineering in Texas.
Wong graduated from the University of Houston with a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering in 1983, 1985 and 1988, respectively. Following graduation, he took a position at McBride-Ratcliff and Associates, Inc. before partnering with colleague Zeki Tolunay to form Tolunay-Wong Engineers, Inc., a company that specializes in geotechnical studies to evaluate structure interaction, soil dynamics, modeling of earth materials and the design of foundation and earth retaining structures. The company has completed several projects in the Houston area for the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDot), the Harris County Tollroad Authority and the University of Houston. In addition, they have been involved in shallow- and deep- foundation design, urban development and waste-management projects.
Wong’s success as an entrepreneur and civil engineer earned him the honor of being named the Distinguished Young Engineering Alumnus by the UH Engineering Alumni Association in 2000.