LESTER EDELMAN

Lester Edelman, Senior Counsel/Senior Advocate, is an attorney with over 40 years of legal and legislative experience with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the United States House of Representatives. He retired from Federal service in 1998 as Chief Counsel of the Corps of engineers, a position he held for 19 years. Prior to that he was Counsel to the above-mentioned Congressional Committee for 11 years. Awards include the Presidential Ranking of Distinguished Executive in the Senior Executive Service. This was personally presented by President George Bush in a ceremony at the White House. Among numerous other awards, he received the Center for Public Resources “Outstanding Practical Achievement Award for Excellence in Alternative Dispute Resolution”, the Engineering News Record Award for Exceptional Services to the Construction Industry, and the National Performance Review “Hammer Award” for his ADR/Partnering Teams “contribution to building a government that works better and costs less”.

Additional awards and recognition include “Captain of the Industry” by the Construction Business Review, the “William R. Murden Lifetime Public Achievement Award" by the Dredging Contractors of America, the “Marvin M. Black Lifetime Public Achievement Award for Pioneering Cooperation with the Construction Industry and Exemplifying the Highest Ideals of Partnering” by the Associated Contractors of America, twice awarded the Department of the Army’s “Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service” and the United States Court of Federal Claims “Lifetime Achievement Award” presented at a Special Session of the Court on May 11, 2000. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the American College of Construction Lawyers, the Advisory Committee of the United States Court of Federal Claims and is a Principal to the Council for Excellence in Government. Mr. Edelman has been a frequent speaker and published extensively on the subjects of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Dispute Avoidance, Partnering, Water Resources, Water Quality, Environment, Government Procurement and “Pride in Public Service.”