Gillespie Elected to Chair International Bridge Board for Remainder of 2015

Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority news release…
May 26, 2015 — Helen Gillespie of Vancouver, British Columbia, was elected to replace the late James McIntyre as the 2015 chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority (SSMBA) board of directors, the bi-national body that supervises operations of the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge. Her election took place at the board’s regular meeting May 21.
McIntyre, a longtime Canadian SSMBA board member, died in February as the result of an accident. Gillespie was vice chair of SSMBA in 2010 and chair of SSMBA in 2011.
The SSMBA board consists of eight members, four Michigan members appointed by the governor and four Canadian members appointed by the Federal Bridge Corporation Ltd. (FBCL).
Nicholas White of Petoskey is the panel’s vice chairman for 2015. The other U.S. representatives are Scott Shackleton and Linda Hoath of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.; and Thomas Buckingham of Newberry; the other Canadian representatives on the board are Rick Talvitie of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; and Glenn Hewus of Ottawa, Ontario.
In other business, the SSMBA board acknowledged Phil Becker, general manager at the International Bridge Administration (IBA) for his long service with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). MDOT Chief Administrative Officer Laura Mester presented Becker with a certificate of appreciation from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recognizing his “meritorious public service.”
Becker, a licensed professional engineer, holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich. He assumed the position of IBA general manager in February 2001, following various engineering management positions he held in northern Michigan during his 28-year career with MDOT.
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