Jalal Masumi
Jalal Masumi is set to lead the Society of Afghan Engineers as President for 2024-2026, following a remarkable tenure as Vice Chairman. With a vision rooted in collaboration, he aims to modernize operations and prepare the next generation of leaders while fostering a spirit of teamwork and ethics in engineering.
We are fortunate to have Jalal Masumi leading our organization as the President of the Society of Afghan Engineers for the 2024-2026 term. Before assuming the presidency, he served as the Vice Chairman of our Board of Directors under the chairmanship of Abdul Manan Khalid during the 2021-2023 term. He has consistently remained an active member of our Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
Throughout his time with us, he has been instrumental in modernizing our operations. For instance, during a 2021 Board Meeting, he initiated the updating of the SAE website by inviting a young Afghan proficient in website design to help improve its overall functionality, addressing a platform that had not been updated for almost a decade. Furthermore, he has actively addressed gatherings, such as the 2024 Faculty of Engineering Alumni reunion in California, to discuss our past, present, and future, and to solicit the valued involvement of attendees moving forward.
His vision for our Society is rooted in collaboration and ethical practice. He believes that our success materializes when our members genuinely embrace a teamwork spirit and abide by the code of conduct and ethics of the engineering profession. As we look toward the future, his heartfelt goal is to prepare a group of young members to succeed the incumbents in 2026, steering our administration on a productive course to continue benefiting the people of our dear homeland, Afghanistan.
Education and Early Career in Afghanistan
Jalal Masumi graduated from Kabul University as a civil engineer in 1972. In July 1972, shortly before his graduation in August, he was recruited by Fazel Ahmad, the vice president of the construction division of the Ministry of Education, to join the Ministry as a civil servant. Following his foundational education in Afghanistan, he pursued graduate studies in structural engineering at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom.
Professional Career in the United States
In the United States, Jalal Masumi built a robust career in civil and structural engineering. He worked with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for 28 years. During his long tenure at VDOT, he notably served as the Assistant Project Manager for the $2.54 billion Woodrow Wilson Bridge Replacement Project. He later shared his extensive knowledge of this mega project by delivering a detailed presentation alongside an ex-colleague at our 2025 General Assembly Meeting.