ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters, selected St. Paul, Minnesota, resident and recently retired St. Paul District Regional Planning Division North plan formulation branch chief Craig Evans for its Corps of Engineer’s Lifetime Planning Achievement Award.
This award recognizes personnel whose careers have made outstanding contributions to civil works planning and environmental stewardship.
“Craig Evans set the gold standard for public service. For over four decades, his sharp intellect and steady leadership helped solve our region’s toughest water resource challenges,” said Trevor Popkin, Evan’s former supervisor. “More importantly, he poured his time into mentoring the next generation of planners, leaving a legacy that will shape the Corps of Engineers for years to come.”
As chief of the Plan Formulation Section and later the Plan Formulation Branch, Evans guided multidisciplinary teams on some of the region's most significant water resource challenges, Popkin’s shared. His leadership was instrumental in advancing major efforts including the Fargo-Moorhead Metro and Souris River Flood Risk Management studies, the Marsh Lake Dam Ecosystem Restoration, and numerous Upper Mississippi River Restoration and Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program projects.
“Over Evans’ 41-year tenure with the Corps of Engineers, his expertise, integrity and mentorship have left an unparalleled legacy on the Army’s Civil Works program,” Popkin’s said.
Popkin’s said Evans distinguished himself as a devoted leader and a champion for leadership development. He proactively invested in the next generation of Corps of Engineers professionals by serving as a leadership education and development facilitator and teaching the planning essentials course.
The St. Paul District serves the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood risk management, water and wetlands regulation, recreation and disaster response. Our employees work at 49 sites in five Upper Midwest states.
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