Ryan Breier and May ElKhattab Named ENR Top Young Professionals
Two rising stars from our Railroad and Transit division are on a roll. Congratulations to Ryan Breier and May ElKhattab for their recognition among the Engineering News-Record (ENR) Class of 2021 Mid-Atlantic Top Young Professionals.
Outstanding representatives of the Burns core values, May and Ryan have long distinguished themselves through their collaborative response to resolving challenging projects and for their tremendous commitments to the community. Both are consistently fulfilling the Burns promise to “Inspire. Create. Deliver.”
Each year ENR selects among the “best and brightest emerging design and construction leaders” from the region. Burns is proud to see Ryan and May recognized for their accomplishments within the February edition of ENR Mid-Atlantic.
As a Director of Signals, Communications & Train Control, Ryan provides vision and leadership to tackle Positive Train Control (PTC) interoperability and implementation on the busiest areas of the 457-mile Northeast Corridor (NEC). His solution for line boundary transition has become a go-to approach across the region.
Ryan is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Operation Enduring Freedom. His experience as an avionics specialist on a cargo aircraft instilled a deep understanding of mission-critical project delivery.
A Project Manager based out of our Washington, D.C. office, May has established a reputation for overcoming the complexities of transportation and infrastructure projects. May recently secured design approval for train control, fiber communications and electric traction power facilities at the new Potomac Yard Metrorail Station in Alexandria, Virginia.
May is a native of Lebanon. When she was 15 years old, her brother suffered a severe injury caused by a traffic accident. The incident inspired May to dedicate her career to improving transportation systems around the globe.
In addition to leading her team at Burns, May contributes time and energy to industry and community groups such as Deep Foundation Institute and Engineers Without Borders, providing pro-bono expertise on tunneling, excavation and geotechnical engineering.
Burns is thrilled to see May and Ryan receive their much-deserved recognition. Take a look at the ENR Class of 2021 Mid-Atlantic Top Young Professionals to meet their accomplished peers from across the region.