The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA)—the global authority for the tilt-up concrete construction industry—announced Karen S. Hand, PE, as the newest president of the TCA Board of Directors. TCA also released the 2023 slate of directors.

Karen was appointed president of Needham DBS in July 2018. With a master’s degree in engineering management, Karen has a passion for business development, marketing, and sales. She leads engineering management, project management, and engineering for Needham DBS. Karen began working with tilt-up construction upon joining the firm in 1998. She attended her first TCA event in Baltimore, Maryland, at the 2001–2002 TCA Symposium. This is when she first met former TCA President, David Kelly, FTCA. Jeff Needham, FTCA, trained Karen and was a David Kelly–protégé, so Karen sought out David to introduce herself. David has served as an inspiration and mentor to the tilt-up industry, and Karen has continued to spend time with him throughout the past 20 years of her involvement in the TCA.

Attending the Symposium in 2002 inspired her to make tilt-up construction her primary design focus, and led her to acquire the education and training necessary to become an expert in her field. Karen has experience with the design and detailing of specialty applications for tilt-up panels, and she understands construction methods thanks to extensive, hands-on experience and the close relationships she develops with her design-build clients and contractors.

Karen has served on the TCA Board of Directors since 2018 and the Executive Committee since 2020. For each of the past four years, she was named a “Top 20 Influencer in the Tilt-Up Industry” by the TCA and was the 2022 recipient of the David L. Kelly Distinguished Engineer Award.

“I am excited to kick off the year with a strong group of board members,” said Hand. “We continue to advance the tilt-up industry with research to bring new technologies to design and construction. I am particularly excited about the growth and leadership of our TILT young professionals and hope to shine a spotlight on them throughout the year.”