Alumni Hall of Fame
Academic / Professional Achievement (2024)

Rick L. Poeppelman, a native of St. Marys, Ohio, is a member of the St. Marys Memorial High School Class of 1979. He was on the football and basketball teams and was a member of the National Honor Society. After high school, Rick attended The Ohio State University, graduating Cum Laude in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.  

After college graduation, Rick started working for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in Sacramento, California. While working full-time, Rick pursued a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from California State University in Sacramento in 1991. 

Rick was named Chief of the Engineering Division for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, in 2010. In his position, he oversaw 360 engineers and scientists that provided design support for the military program, civil works program, dam and levee safety program, and emergency response for the geographic area that included California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming. During his tenure as Engineering Division Chief, Rick and his team led the engineering and design efforts for $8 billion in dam and levee projects: $1.5 billion of Veteran Affairs health care facilities; and $10 billion of military facilities. One highlight includes the $900 million Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project in California that was completed in 2017 and took approximately twelve years to plan, design, and construct. The auxiliary dam and spillway more than tripled the level of flood risk reduction for the one million plus residents in the city of Sacramento. Another highlight was the $650 million Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project in Central California that was completed in 2022. That project remediated the dam and spillway to prevent dam failure due to large flood events and seismic events, protecting the 400,000 residents in the city of Bakersfield.

As an expert in seismic analysis of dams, Rick was invited to Japan in 2005 to present his published work at the 37th Joint Meeting of the U.S.-Japan Panel on Wind and Seismic Effects. In addition to his other duties, Rick oversaw the design and safety of 20 dams and 1,700 miles of federal levees as the Dam Safety Officer and Levee Safety Officer for the Sacramento District. During his career, Rick was nominated three times by the USACE Sacramento District for the Federal Engineer of the Year award. When he retired in December 2022 after 39 years of federal service, Rick was honored by the USACE at a ceremony at District headquarters. The event was hosted by Sacramento District Commander Colonel Chad Caldwell and attended by the South Pacific Division Commander Brigadier General Toni Gant. Rick was presented with the prestigious “The Army Engineer Association’s Silver Order of the de Fleury Medal.” The award is “in recognition of [Rick’s] superior service to the United States Army Engineer Regiment … [where his] efforts have significantly contributed to the overall readiness of the Army and reflect great credit upon the United States Army Corps of Engineers.” Rick was recognized for his impactful career, his quality technical work and excellence in leadership as well as his extraordinary commitment to the agency, his colleagues, their projects, and their careers. Rick was also recognized with the “Lewis A. Whitney Leadership Award” in 2022.

In January 2023, Rick was named the Lieutenant General Elvin R. Vald Heiberg III Engineer of the Year. The award was presented in Washington D.C. by USACE Commanding General Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmom, Chief of Engineers.



Rick has been a registered Professional Engineer in California since 1986. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Society of American Military Engineers, and the United States Society of Dams.

 For his outstanding service, dedication and contributions to the United States Army Corp of Engineers and to our country for 39 years, for excellence as Chief of the Engineering Division in the Sacramento District overseeing the design and study of civil works, military projects, and dam safety over an eight-state region, the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation inducts Rick L. Poeppelman into the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation Hall of Fame for Academic / Professional Achievement.