William L. Bailey, Jr.

BSCE 1988, MSCE 1989
President
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourself, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4

Bill, originally from Chesterton, Indiana, is a graduate of Chesterton High School where he enjoyed the study of math and science, including Physics, where his father was his teacher for two years. Bill developed a special penchant for industrial arts and particularly drafting where he learned the “art” of architectural and engineering plan production.

Destined to be a Boilermaker, Bill only applied to Purdue University and came to campus in the fall of 1983, enrolling in Freshman Engineering. That first semester was a challenge, and there were days when the pursuit of an engineering degree seemed out of reach, but his passion for Civil Engineering helped him overcome any doubts. Bill would later go on to apply for the Cooperative Education Program and was hired by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Bill graduated with his BSCE in May 1988. Although he received a job offer from Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, he decided to remain at Purdue where he received his Master’s degree the following May.

When CMT again came calling, Bill accepted and went to work for them in Springfield, IL. He spent the first 15 years of his career focusing on structural engineering projects ranging from major river and interchange bridge designs to buildings and water and wastewater treatment projects. In 2004, CMT opened a branch office in Indianapolis and asked Bill to return to his home state and serve as manager. In the years that followed, the firm’s presence in Indiana grew considerably under his leadership. In 2018, Bailey became the sixth President of CMT in its 72-year history.

Attending Purdue not only prepared Bill for a distinguished career in engineering, it also was instrumental in his personal life. He met his future wife, Cheryl, while living in Harrison Hall. The couple celebrated their 31st anniversary last November. Bill and Cheryl have four children: Kelly, who is an Audiologist; Kyle, who is a Physical Therapist in West Lafayette; Kendall, who is working on her Master’s in School Counseling; and Kara, who earned a Psychology degree at Purdue and is enrolled in the accelerated nursing program at Purdue. Bill couldn’t be prouder of his family’s accomplishments.