BOSTON, MA — VHB welcomes Mike Lowder, PE, to its Boston office as the Director of Signal Engineering. In this new role, Lowder will be instrumental in positioning the Transit and Rail team for continued success. Lowder will identify new business opportunities and will help expand Transit and Rail service offerings for new and existing clients across the east coast. Project teams working on complex transit and railroad projects will likewise benefit from his technical oversight of signal design components.

In a previous role, Lowder served as the Signal Lead for the Program Management/Construction Management team on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Red Line/Orange Line Signals Systems Upgrades Project. Acting as the MBTA’s representative, he provided project management and technical oversight, working closely with VHB’s signals staff assigned to the project.

“Mike’s strong industry relationships, technical excellence, and owner-side experience make him an outstanding addition to our team as he helps lead our growing signals practice,” said Steve McElligott, PE, Transportation Agencies Market Leader. “With his reputation, commitment to clients, and vast signals experience, Mike will significantly contribute to VHB’s efforts to deliver safe, future-focused transit and rail solutions throughout the east coast.”

Lowder has earned recognition as a technical leader in the industry, actively participating in American Public Transportation Association and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers committees. He has built relationships with not only the MBTA, but also the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), where he worked for 13 years. Starting as a CTA Signal Engineer 1, he later took on management of the Signal Maintenance group for five years and then became Manager of Signal Engineering for five more years, gaining a depth of experience in signal engineering from the owner side. During his tenure with the CTA, Lowder managed a diverse signal engineering staff and oversaw all signal design and installation projects, including the signal design for the $2.1-billion Red and Purple Modernization Program.

Lowder is a licensed Professional Engineer in Connecticut, New York, Illinois, and Texas, and a licensed Electrical Engineer in Massachusetts. He holds a Master of Engineering Management and a Certificate of Specialization in Project and Process Management from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Science in electrical and electronic engineering from Marquette University.