I am so honored! A big thank you to Michigan State University for selecting me to be one of the proud recipients of this award.
Here’s the full press release:
Bellandra Foster to receive Distinguished Alumni Award at Michigan State University
EAST LANSING, Mich., May 5, 2022 – Bellandra B. Foster of Greensboro, N.C., president and owner of BBFoster Consulting, PC, will receive the Civil and Environmental Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award at Michigan State University (MSU) during ceremonies on Saturday, May 7.
She is one of eight distinguished alumni of the MSU College of Engineering who will be honored during the 2022 Alumni Awards banquet at MSU’s Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.
Engineering Dean Leo Kempel said the college is proud to honor outstanding graduates for their professional and personal accomplishments.
“The world-class achievements of these alumni exemplify how Spartan Engineers change our communities and world,” Kempel said. “I’m so glad we will celebrate together this year, so we can extend our heartiest congratulations to each of them.”
Civil and Environmental Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award
Bellandra B. Foster, PhD, PE, F.ASCE, is the president and owner of BBFoster Consulting, PC. Her company provides professional services to public and private sector clients in the field of civil engineering, including facilities management, program management, quality control, site safety, owner’s representative, and utility coordination.
She began her career as a structural engineer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and transitioned to infrastructure and transportation engineering as a design engineer with the Oakland County Road Commission and positions within design, construction and utilities/permits with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). She was later appointed the Director of Highways and Streets for the City of Atlanta, Georgia, Department of Public Works.
Foster and her companies have received awards and accolades for contributions to civil engineering and entrepreneurship, including the U.S. Department of Transportation Minority Business Enterprise of the Year, MDOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise of the Year, National Society of Black Engineers Award for Outstanding Entrepreneur, Michigan Chronicle Woman of Excellence, Dwight D. Eisenhower Fellow, King-Chavez-Parks Fellow, Great Lakes Center for Truck and Transit Research Scholar, profiles in Black Enterprise and Essence publications, and initiation into the Order of the Engineer. She was named an American Society of Civil Engineers Fellow in 2021.
Her philanthropic and volunteer contributions include founding the Michigan State University Benefield-Foster Spartan Scholarship, the Help House non-profit, donating a home to Grace Centers of Hope (Pontiac, MI), serving two terms on the Michigan State University Civil Engineering Advisory Board, and the College of Engineering Alumni Board, and serving as a board member on the Michigan State University Broad Executive Forum Board.
She is an International Coach Federation (ICF) ACC Certified Coach. She is OSHA 30 certified and has earned her Construction Management Diploma from North Carolina State University.
She is a licensed professional engineer in Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina.
Recipients of the CEE Distinguished Alumni Award are graduates of the department; national leaders in their profession; contributors to the department, the college, or the university in some meaningful way; and community leaders whose actions reflect favorably on MSU. Nominations are made by faculty, alumni, and other supporters of the department. The department’s professional advisory board selects the winner.
For more on the 2022 Engineering Alumni Award recipients, visit:
https://www.egr.msu.edu/news/2022/05/05/alumni-awards-2022
The Michigan State University College of Engineering is a founding discipline of the university and among the three largest academic units at MSU. The strength of Spartan Engineering is found in its eight departments, one interdisciplinary program, 235 tenure-system faculty, $47 million in research expenditures, and more than 7,000 students. Degrees granted by the college are among the most valued in the marketplace. Strong connections to industry and government help MSU Engineering develop the technology talent needed to drive the economy of Michigan and beyond.