Photo By Leon Roberts | Lt. Col. Guillermo Guandique, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District...... read more read more
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 2, 2025) – Retiree Jeff Ross, who culminated a lengthy career as a regional technical specialist in support of the regional fleet within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division before retiring in 2022, received the Distinguished Civilian Award yesterday, highlighting exceptional achievements with the Nashville District.
In presenting the award and unveiling a brass nameplate outside the executive office, Lt. Col. Guillermo Guandique, Nashville District commander, praised Ross for his notable service as a civil engineer supporting both the division’s and district’s navigation projects over a 38-year federal career.
Guandique said Ross’s legacy as a recognized technical expert regionally and as Navigation Branch chief with the Nashville District is notable because he kept navigation locks serviceable for commerce and recreation for decades during his distinguished career.
The commander stressed that there is "not a lot of glory in public service" because much of what individuals do is overshadowed by the overall accomplishment of the enterprise.
“We build and maintain locks and dams, but they don’t have our names on them. They don’t have a statue of us, or the designer of record listed anywhere you can find it. But it is not about the glory for those who have served 38 years. They don’t do it for glory. They do it for selfless service,” Guandique said. “Really what we are honoring today is Jeff’s 38 years of selfless service – not just to the Nashville District, but to the nation.”
A career in navigation
Ross began his career with USACE as a co-op from Tennessee Technological University. Immediately following his graduation as a civil engineer, he joined the Nashville District Operations and Readiness Division. He developed a passion for working on navigation infrastructure facilities. His abilities, potential, and work ethic were recognized early, and he was quickly promoted to positions with greater responsibility.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, it was common to perform multiple navigation lock chamber dewatering maintenance projects each year, with each of the 18 navigation lock chambers on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers dewatered, inspected, and repaired on a recurring cycle. This afforded Ross, a maintenance engineer, the opportunity to work on a variety of unique lock maintenance projects, while also learning the features of each lock chamber in the district.
With each project, he learned about different techniques and materials, utilizing that information to plan future projects. With a passion for problem-solving and developing maintenance and repair techniques, Ross developed plans for critical infrastructure to keep lock chambers in service to support the Corps’ navigation mission and industry.
After building a reputation of hard work, dedication, and technical knowledge, Ross became chief of the Navigation Branch in 2001, a position he held for roughly 15 years. In this role, he managed a group of engineers and technicians that provided key technical planning and advice to the various operations project managers at Tennessee and Cumberland River projects. He also oversaw the Maintenance Repair Section, which was comprised of a floating plant and a land-based repair crew.
His expertise helped managers prioritize and plan future maintenance projects, while also overseeing the work being completed. The Navigation Branch also oversaw the channel maintenance of more than 1,175 miles of commercially navigable waters within the Nashville District. His efforts in this role were critical to the operation, maintenance, and repair of critical navigation infrastructure in the Tennessee and Cumberland river systems.
Legacy of dedication
“Starting out as that young co-op, Jeff had and still has a real passion for engineering, for problem-solving, for trying to diagnose and figure out what’s wrong with components and assets,” said Tim Dunn, Operations Division deputy chief.
Dunn lauded Ross’s desire to figure things out, to learn and teach, and for being a leader. He said Ross did a superb job as Navigation Branch chief supervising the fleet and leading the district’s transition to a regional fleet in 2016.
In support of the navigation mission, Ross accomplished many vital assignments with skill and professionalism. He projected a positive image while building valuable relationships with stakeholders, partners, customers, and other agencies. He also deployed to Afghanistan twice in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
“The thing I remember most – Afghanistan, here, or whatever – everybody was willing to show me what they were doing,” Ross said during the award ceremony. “Nobody tried to hide anything, and it made me very competent in many, many things. And it was always so much fun.”
In accepting the recognition, Ross said he relished the personal and professional relationships he built over his career and loved working with teammates in the Nashville District.
The Nashville District has now honored a total of 54 retirees with this award since the district’s inception in 1888. Every recipient has a nameplate added to a bronze plaque at the headquarters to honor the employee’s distinguished career.
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/Nashville-District/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on X (formerly Twitter) at www.x.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.
| Date Taken: | 12.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.02.2025 13:19 |
| Story ID: | 552746 |
| Location: | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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