Derek Crider

"The best solutions often arise from the greatest challenges."

Derek Crider earned his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in 1978. As an undergraduate, he participated in a study abroad program in Hamburg, Germany, where he gained a solid appreciation of integrated transportation planning. After graduating, Derek was awarded a Fulbright grant for transportation system studies at the Technical University in Braunschweig, Germany. Thereafter, Derek returned to Purdue and completed a Master’s degree in 1980.

Derek’s 40-year career focused on transportation project design, planning and operations. He held key positions at public sector agencies and private consulting firms. He began his career in Portland, Oregon, with light rail planning and design. He then worked on increasingly comprehensive and complex projects and managed various aspects of planning, design, operations and environmental analysis for agencies in Houston, San Diego, and Minneapolis.

Early in his career, Derek recognized that successful project implementation requires clear and meaningful explanation of technical findings and coordinated outreach with project stakeholders. He embraced a management approach to meld engineering and extensive public outreach to address citizen concerns. He was adept at achieving solutions to mutually benefit the project sponsor and local communities. This approach led to his philosophy that the best and brightest solutions arise from the most challenging situations.

As a consultant, Derek managed projects and multidisciplinary teams for planning and design endeavors in the United States and in Abu Dhabi. Career highlights for Derek include the implementation of notable projects in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, and the Washington, D.C. area. He retired in 2021 as an Associate Vice President at AECOM where he led the Strategic Planning Services group that provided economic analysis, planning, governance and contracting support for transportation and transit projects nationwide.

Derek is a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers and was president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the Fulbright Alumni Association. He lives in Washington, D.C. and has three grandchildren, one a 2023 graduate from Purdue.