ET Design-Build is pleased to announce that Bill Higginbotham, PE, LEED AP, Chief Executive Officer of ET Design-Build, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI). The appointment recognizes Bill’s five decades of leadership across earth sciences, engineering, construction management, and entrepreneurship.
Founded in 1994 by the late Dr. Robert Koerner, GSI has become the leading independent authority for geosynthetics research, testing, education, and standards development. The Institute plays a critical role in ensuring that geosynthetic materials—used extensively in environmental containment, transportation infrastructure, water resources, and energy projects—are designed, specified, and installed to perform reliably over the long term.
In early 2025, GSI entered a new chapter. After decades of stewardship connected to Drexel University, GSI transitioned to new leadership under Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), which emerged as the selected institution to lead the Institute’s next phase of growth. The move brings expanded research capabilities, enhanced laboratory infrastructure, and deeper academic integration, while preserving GSI’s independent mission and industry-facing role.
Bill was nominated as an outside director during this transition by David Frost, a Georgia Tech professor and leader in geotechnical engineering. He joins a distinguished Board that includes senior industry and academic leaders, reflecting GSI’s role as a bridge between research, manufacturing, design, and construction.
Bill’s appointment reflects a career defined by the integration of engineering expertise, entrepreneurial leadership, and academic engagement. He has spent 50 years working across solid waste, industrial, and renewable energy markets, including more than 30 years building ET into a nationally recognized engineering and construction firm. A Georgia Tech alumnus and Professor of the Practice, he serves in advisory leadership roles and endowing multiple academic initiatives through the Bill and Elizabeth Higginbotham Foundation.
Bill’s involvement with geosynthetics dates back to the mid-1980s when he first began applying these materials in engineering practice. His hands-on experience with real-world performance, constructability, and risk management brings a valuable owner-and-builder perspective to GSI’s Board. As GSI expands its laboratory testing capabilities and research agenda under Georgia Tech’s leadership, Bill’s insight will help ensure that innovation remains grounded in practical application and industry needs.
“Geosynthetics have fundamentally changed how we design and build critical infrastructure,” Bill noted. “GSI’s role in advancing credible research and performance-based standards has never been more important, and I’m honored to support the Institute as it enters this next phase.” Bill Higginbotham’s appointment reinforces ET’s commitment to technical leadership, industry stewardship, and the advancement of proven, science-based solutions for complex environmental and infrastructure challenges.
