Strategic Development Council announces chair and Board of Direction members

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – The concrete industry’s Strategic Development Council, a Council of the ACI Foundation, announces its new Chair and Board members.

New SDC Chair is Mike Schneider, Sr. Vice President and Chief People Officer at Baker Concrete Construction, Inc. He has been with Baker Concrete in Monroe, Ohio for over 33 years. He started at Baker as a Project Manager in 1978 and helped open Baker’s Houston, Texas, office in 1982. During his career, he has been involved in a multitude of projects ranging from high-rise offices to automotive plants to mainline concrete paving.

He has been active in the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) for the past 15 years and served as President during 2005 and 2006. During 2001 and 2002, he was a member of the Board of Directors for the National Center of Construction Education and Research (NCCER). In addition, he is Co-Chair of a Board appointed Joint ACI/ASCC Task Force, Chairman of the National Steering Committee for the Construction Industry Management Program (CIM), has served as Co-Chair of the Contractor Task Group for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s P2P Task Force, and Board Member and Past Chair for the Concrete Promotion Council of Southwest Ohio. In 2005, Concrete Construction magazine named him as one of the ten most influential people in the concrete industry.

Mr. Schneider was selected as an ACI Fellow in 2006, received the Roger M. Corbetta award in 2011, served on the ACI Board of Direction from 2008 to 2010, and is currently a member of the following ACI committees: Financial Activities Committee, 117 Tolerances Committee, Responsibility in Concrete Construction Committee, Chapters Committee, and Convention Committee. He received his Bachelor’s in personnel management from Miami University (Ohio) and a Bachelor’s in construction management from the University of Cincinnati.

The four new Board members, who have begun three year terms, include Kevin Cail, Brian Green, Charles Hanskat, and Claudio Manissero.

Kevin Cail is Director of Sustainability and Innovation for Lafarge North America located in Washington, DC and is responsible for Lafarge North America’s sustainability efforts. As Director, his main role is to work on key corporate sustainability initiatives throughout the four Business Units of Lafarge North America, Cement Division. In addition, he is also responsible for the commercial development of various innovation projects and product changes. He also manages and develops policy and direction related to those activities.

Mr. Cail serves on the Board of Directors for the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) working on issues related to industry and sustainability.

A graduate of the University of New Brunswick in Civil Engineering, Mr. Cail has worked with Lafarge since 1980. During this time he has held various positions in manufacturing operations, sales, research, marketing and most recently, sustainability and innovation.

Mr. Cail is active in code work of various Canadian Standards Association (CSA) technical committees related to cement and supplementary materials in Canada. He recently was elected to the executive committee of the CSA cement and supplementary cementitious materials committee. He also participates in a number of trade organizations in both the U.S. and Canada, and represents Lafarge as the Co-Chair of the Sustainability Committee for the Portland Cement Association.

A native of Eastern Canada, he has lived and worked throughout Canada and U.S., as well as Europe. During his career with Lafarge he has had the opportunity to travel extensively in North America and Europe working and speaking on issues related to cement, concrete and supplementary cementing materials. He has co-authored a number of papers on concrete performance and innovation. Mr. Cail is currently a resident of Northern Virginia.

Brian Green, ACI Fellow, is a Research Geologist specializing in grout and concrete materials research in the Concrete and Materials Branch, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), located in Vicksburg, Miss.

Mr. Green serves as chair of the SDC Cracking Accelerated Implementation Team and is the current secretary of ACI Committee 552, Cementitious Grouting; a member of ACI Committees 229 and 239; and an Associate Member of 236, 236-D, and 630. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the ACI Mid-South Chapter.

He is a member of Sigma Xi International and is a Registered Professional Geologist with the State of Mississippi.

His research interests include the development of structural grouts, high-strength concretes, fiber-reinforced concretes, controlled low-strength materials, roller-compacted concrete, mass concrete, and ultra-high performance concretes. He coordinates and teaches in the Corps of Engineers’ PROSPECT Courses, "Concrete Fundamentals" and "Concrete Maintenance and Repair," that provide the Corps of Engineers, Army, Navy, Air Force, and other federal agencies a week-long intensive course of study.

Mr. Green has extensive field and laboratory work experience providing past research and development support and collaboration to the Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has also supported the Defense Nuclear Agency, Defense Special Weapons Agency, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and Department of Homeland Security.

Charles Hanskat is Managing Principal at Concrete Engineering Group, LLC, a firm he founded in 2008 located in Northbrook, Ill. He is a licensed professional engineer in 22 states. He has been involved in the design, construction, and evaluation of environmental concrete and shotcrete structures for nearly 35 years.

Mr. Hanskat is a Fellow of ACI and is a founding and current member of ACI Committees 371, 372, 373, and 376. He also currently serves on ACI Technical Committees 301, 334, 376, 350, and 506, as well as several ACI Board committees. He is a Board member of the American Shotcrete Association (ASA) and Chair of the ASA Sustainability Committee.

Mr. Hanskat has been active in professional and technical engineering societies since engineering school. His service to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and the Florida Engineering Society (FES) in over 50 committee and officer positions at the national, state, and local level was highlighted when he served as state president of FES and then as a national director of NSPE. He served as a District Director for Tau Beta Pi for 25 years from 1977 to 2002.

He received national recognition from ACI with the Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award in 2001. For his dedication and service to the engineering profession, while in Florida he was named the Young Engineer of the Year by FES, and Engineer of the Year by the Florida Section of ASCE, and from Tau Beta Pi with their Distinguished Service Award. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida.

Claudio E. Manissero is President of Premier Construction Products Group in Huntersville, N.C. and is launching novel technologies to decrease cracking of concrete and increase its durability, and developing new technologies for magnesia-based board and decorative panels. Previously he was Sales and Marketing Manager for FMC Lithium Division in Charlotte, N.C., where he managed construction additives and remediation projects including lithium-based products for ASR (Alkali Silica Reactivity).

He has participated as an Expert Task Group (ETG) member on Strategic Highway Research Project (SHRP) programs on alkaline silica reaction (ASR) and Electrochemical Chloride Extraction; was a member of the American Association of State and Highway Officials (AASHTO) SHRP Implementation ASR Lead State Team; and has been a speaker at several of the SHRP ASR Showcases. He served on the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) ASR Long-term Pavement Performance (LTPP) ETG, and served on the American Concrete Pavement Association/Portland Cement Association Concrete Durability Task Force.

Mr. Manissero participated in in developing Vision 2020 for the industry. He was a Board member of the National Safe Skies Alliance, which conducted ASR projects for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He was also involved through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on ASR projects involving military airfields, and worked with the U.S. Military Tri-Services Group on new ASR specs. He was a member of the FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) Lithium Implementation program, a member of the engineering technical committee for the ACC (Airport Consultants Council), and a member of NIST team on nuclear specs.