One of the oldest and most-respected awards program in the environmental field, the Feinstone Awards program was established by Sol Feinstone, a widely known historian and author who was a 1915 graduate of ESF. His goal was to reward people and organizations that exemplified his belief that the best insurance for a free society lay in people’s desire to do voluntarily the things that need to be done for the good of all. The program recognized leaders who care for the environment, encourage volunteerism and add to society’s understanding of environmental issues and their solutions. Learn more about the program and to support this year’s recipients.
David Gerber ’88 epitomizes the ESF motto, “Improve Our World.” With a 35-year career in engineering and construction, various volunteer roles, and substantial philanthropic contributions, he has consistently demonstrated his commitment to preserving and enhancing the environment.
A Rural Ohio Beginning
Growing up in rural Northeast Ohio, near Cleveland, Gerber spent his summers working on local farms, enjoying the outdoors, and vacationing at a family camp on Cayuga Lake. This early connection to Upstate New York combined with his desire to attend a large school led him to Syracuse University. Inspired by an older cousin who was an airline pilot, Gerber initially pursued aerospace engineering. However, after three years of struggling with the theoretical aspects of flight dynamics, he realized his true passion lay elsewhere. This realization brought him to ESF and its Forest Engineering (FEG) program, now known as the Department of Environmental Resources Engineering (ERE). The College was an upper-division institution at the time and Gerber was able to earn his engineering degree in two years. Reflecting on this course of action, he says, “It was the best career decision I ever made.”
Finding His Environmental Calling
When asked about his early interest in the environment, Gerber explains, “I am not sure at what age I really grasped what environmentalism meant. Unlike many of today’s students who are passionate about specific areas of environmental concern, that just wasn’t the culture I grew up with.” However, his rural upbringing and love for water and forests fostered a general affinity for the natural world.
Upon graduating in 1988, Gerber was hired by James Long ’80, a fellow alumnus from ESF’s FEG program, to work for a small engineering firm in Maryland in the growing suburbs of Washington, D.C., where he spent the first seven years of his career. Gerber began working as a civil engineer but quickly transitioned to environmental work. “In the late ’80s, there really wasn’t an established environmental engineering field, but the idea was beginning to take off, driven by new governmental regulations,” Gerber recalls. In 1988, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced comprehensive policies for underground storage tanks, requiring stringent leak prevention, detection, and cleanup measures. This regulatory shift propelled Gerber into groundwater and soil cleanup and stormwater treatment, cementing his career in the environmental sector. During his seven years in Maryland, Gerber balanced his professional growth with personal milestones, earning a Master of Engineering Management from George Washington University, obtaining his professional engineering license, getting married, buying a house, and welcoming his first child.
Returning to Central New York
Yearning to return to Central New York, Gerber applied for a position with Blasland, Bouck & Lee (BBL), a Syracuse-based firm with strong ESF ties, and was hired by Lowell McBurney ’85, another FEG alum. He moved back to Syracuse with his family in 1995. As he puts it, “Sometimes life just happens, and you have to jump in. It was the best thing we ever did. We are super happy, and I have had a great career here ever since.”
When Gerber joined BBL, the company was an employee-owned nationwide firm primarily providing environmental services for large industrial clients such as GM, GE, and Lockheed Martin. In 2005 BBL was acquired by Arcadis and became the anchor of Arcadis’ environmental restoration business in the United States. Gerber states that while Arcadis is a global design and consulting company, “my career has always been in environmental restoration with my roots being in environmental construction – physically going out and cleaning up legacy impaired properties and ideally making them better.”
Arcadis and Gerber share a purpose: improving quality of life. When speaking of his role as a senior vice president at Arcadis, Gerber stated “We are being thoughtful and conscious in the type of work that we do. We want to have everything that we do contribute to improving quality of life, which has always been our mission at Arcadis. This translates to being deliberate in the choices we make as a business to ensure that what we are doing is good for the planet and for people now and long into the future.”
Arcadis is a global company with over 36,000 employees where the value of an ESF education is clearly recognized. ESF alumni are among the top five groups employed by Arcadis nationally, with many company leaders having connections to the College.
A Passion for Teaching and Volunteering
Gerber recognizes the quality of education at ESF and has stayed connected to the College throughout his career. He has periodically worked as an adjunct professor since returning to the area. Most recently, he assisted the ERE Department in creating the Master of Engineering degree program and currently teaches two graduate courses. His passion for the College and the environment also extends to his volunteer service. Gerber served for many years on the ERE Department Advisory Council and nine years as a member of the ESF College Foundation Board. He is vice president of the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation, a land trust in Cazenovia, N.Y., that preserves local historical architecture and nearly 3,700 acres of area farmland, habitat, and open space.
Recognition and Continuing Impact
In recognition of his significant contributions, Gerber has been named as a 2024 recipient of ESF’s prestigious Sol Feinstone Environmental Award. “There are some phenomenal people who have received this award,” he says. “I am incredibly humbled and grateful for the recognition.” Viewing this honor not as a culmination but as a motivator, he adds, “This award will spur me on to do more.”
David Gerber’s career and life truly embody ESF’s core mission. His ongoing dedication serves as an inspiration for future generations committed to environmental conservation and sustainability.
