The Gateway Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (GSITE) honored Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) Interim Director of Surface Transportation and Business Development Lead Brian Eads, PE, PTOE, with the 2026 Transportation Professional of the Year Award during its recent annual conference. The award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of transportation engineering through service to GSITE and ITE, as well as through achievements within the profession.

Brian has dedicated more than 27 years to serving the St. Louis regional transportation industry. Upon completing his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his master’s degree at North Carolina State University, he launched his career with CMT, where he has remained since. Throughout his tenure, Brian has led and supported high-impact transportation projects across CMT’s footprint, leveraging his expertise in traffic engineering, roadway geometry, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. He has authored numerous access and interchange justification reports, earning accolades for his technical excellence within the profession.

Beyond project work, Brian has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to ITE. An active member since early in his career, he has served on the GSITE Board of Directors and as president in 2017. He has also contributed to multiple committees, including legislative action efforts, and currently serves as a GSITE website administrator and section representative to the ITE District Board.