Laura McGovern Honored with ACEC Illinois Chair Award

Chicago, IL – As Benesch Chief Innovation Officer Laura McGovern stepped into her new role as American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-IL) Board Chair, she was honored with the 2026 Chair Award by outgoing-chair Jerry Payonk. The award recognizes her outstanding service to the organization during her tenure on both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

Laura has been a dedicated member of ACEC-IL since 1996 and has since held several leadership roles within the organization, including Director, Chair of the Innovations Committee and the Chicago Agencies’ Committee, Vice Board Chair and Secretary. She currently serves as Executive Liaison and Senior Sponsor for the ACEC-IL e-squared initiative, which promotes awareness of the engineering profession among students.

As Chair, Laura will work alongside ACEC-IL leadership and member firms to continue to advocate for the industry, maintain and expand the organization’s relationships with agency partners and strengthen the profession’s ability to attract, develop and retain the next generation of engineers. Her leadership reflects her continued commitment to advancing innovation, collaboration and public awareness within the engineering industry.