Mr. Heckelman is the Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management for the Philadelphia District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He is responsible for providing program and project management and oversight services to support the District’s diverse civil works and military construction programs. Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Heckelman served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District in the following roles: Chief of the Missile Defense Program, the District Deputy Engineer for Knowledge Management and Business Improvement, the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff.
Mr. Heckelman earned a B.S. degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1985 and a M.E. degree in Engineering Administration from the George Washington University in 1990. Mr. Heckelman is a Registered Professional Engineer in Michigan and Maryland and a registered Project Management Professional. He is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps, the Society of American Military Engineers, and a graduate of the Department of the Army’s Leadership Development Program and the Army Management Staff College.
Mr. Heckelman began his career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1998 as a Design Team Leader for the Baltimore District. He has held numerous positions with the Corps to include Resident Engineer at the Central Washington (DC) Area Office, Baltimore District; Resident Engineer, Fayid Resident Office, Transatlantic Programs Center, Fayid, Egypt; Area Engineer and Chief, Egypt Area Office, Transatlantic Programs Center, Cairo, Egypt; Acting Director, Engineering and Construction, Technical, Transatlantic Programs Center, Winchester, Virginia. From June of 2007 to March of 2008, Mr. Heckelman served as the Deputy District Engineer and Chief, Programs and Project Management Division, Gulf Region North District, Tikrit, Iraq He served as Chief, Korea Relocations Program for the Far East District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in Seoul, Korea from May 2008 to August 2011. He served as Deputy District Engineer for the USACE Philadelphia District from 2011 to 2014. He then deployed to serve as Deputy for Program Management for the USACE Afghanistan District from May 2014 to June 2015.
Prior to entering federal service, Mr. Heckelman served in engineering, construction, and program management positions with Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA; The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI, and Stone and Webster Engineering, Bel Air, MD.
Mr. Heckelman’s awards include the Bronze DeFleury Medal, LTG Raymond A. Wheeler Award, LTG John W. Morris Outstanding Civilian Engineer Award, the GRD Combat Pin for Civilian Service in Iraq and several Superior Civilian Service Awards.
Mr. Heckelman is a native of Milan, Ohio. He is married to Karen Zamperini. They have three children.