Hunkele III

Lester M. (Les) Hunkele III is retired as a construction and program manager, now living in Myrtle Beach, SC.  He holds a masters in civil engineering (construction management) from Purdue University and a bachelor’s from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

His varied career in construction includes military service (lieutenant colonel) with the Army Corps of Engineers, civil service (deputy assistant secretary) with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation (executive director and executive program manager), and private practice with AECOM (senior vice president) and Clark Construction (project executive).

He led or contributed to in many community service projects and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Pearl Harbor. He is a certified LEED AP and is a Fellow of the Construction Managers Association of America (CMAA). He has been honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) with its prestigious Roebling Award for Outstanding Contributions to Construction Engineering. He also has been recognized with the Pentagon Boundary Marker Award for his efforts on 9/11. Les is well known for guiding complex federal projects to successful completion, and for his efforts at mentoring young engineers.

He is married to Diane and they have one daughter.