Abdul Manan Khalid, P.E., LEED AP (BD+C)

Mr. Abdul Manan Khalid is a dedicated civil engineer, a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in New York, and a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction who currently serves as the Director of Architecture and Engineering at the New York City School Construction Authority. Born in Kabul in 1958, he began his engineering education and teaching career in Afghanistan in the late 1970s and early 1980s before gaining international experience in India and Saudi Arabia. Relocating to the United States, he joined the New York civil service in 1999, managing complex infrastructure and building portfolios. Within our Society of Afghan Engineers (SAE), we recognize him as an integral leader who has served as the Chairman of our Board of Directors, a founding member of our eNewsletter, and a continuous champion of capacity-building efforts in Afghanistan.

Early Life and Education

Born in Kabul in 1958, Mr. Khalid completed his high school education at the Afghanistan Institute of Technology (AIT) in the winter of 1975. He subsequently attended the Faculty of Engineering at Kabul University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in January 1981. He was awarded a scholarship for postgraduate studies at Roorkee University (now Roorkee IIT) in India, where he completed his Master’s Degree in Hydrology in the fall of 1984 and received the university’s Gold Medal for his academic excellence. After immigrating to the United States, he furthered his education by completing postgraduate studies in Infrastructural Rehabilitation at Polytechnic University in New York in 1996, and in Leadership at Baruch College in New York in 2008.

Engineering Career in Afghanistan and Abroad

Mr. Khalid’s dream was to teach, and he was given the opportunity to serve as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of Kabul University while he was still completing his studies. He continued to teach at the university until July 1983. Following his graduate studies in India, he was hired in 1984 by an electromechanical company involved in the construction of power stations and distribution systems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During his nearly decade-long tenure in Saudi Arabia, he worked as a structural engineer designing numerous buildings and eventually served as the projects coordinator reporting directly to the General Manager of the 1,400-employee company.

Professional Achievements in the United States

After immigrating to the United States, Mr. Khalid joined the civil service with the City of New York in 1999. He initially worked for the Bureau of Bridges at the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), contributing to the rehabilitation of landmark structures such as the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, while also focusing on traffic planning and construction mitigation.

He subsequently served as an administrative engineer and Assistant Chief Structural Engineer with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), where he managed a $300 million portfolio of rehabilitation projects across the city’s low- and high-rise buildings. Currently, he works as a Managing Engineer and Director of Architecture and Engineering at the New York City School Construction Authority. In this capacity, he manages a portfolio of about a billion dollars worth of projects, oversees the design of new school buildings and rehabilitations, and sits on building code and standards committees. Over the past two decades, he has acquired extensive knowledge and experience in the forensics and rehabilitation of bridges and buildings.

Service to the Society of Afghan Engineers and Afghanistan

At the Society of Afghan Engineers, we have greatly benefited from Mr. Khalid’s extensive leadership and volunteer service. He has served our organization in multiple capacities, including as a member and Chairman of our Board of Directors, and as our Local Chapter Coordinator for New York and New Jersey. He is a founding member of the SAE eNewsletter and has been a dedicated member of our Editorial Board since its inception in 2010, assisting in the regular publication of technical news and articles for our community.

Since 2007, Mr. Khalid has made several trips to Afghanistan to facilitate technical capacity-building initiatives. During these trips, he has conducted training sessions and seminars for the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW), the Ministry of Public Works (MPW), and the students and faculty of Kabul University on subjects such as Project Management, Quality Control, and Construction Monitoring and Evaluation. He continues to represent our mission by sharing his expertise at SAE conferences, presenting practical engineering solutions to critical issues like urban flooding and accessibility challenges for disabled populations in Afghanistan.