Dr. Norma Jean Mattei is a professor and Interim Dean of the University of New Orleans College of Engineering and has been active in the American Society of Civil Engineers for more than 20 years, most recently serving as president for 2017. For the past five years, Mattei has served as one of three civilian members of the Mississippi River Commission, formed by Congress in 1879 to oversee issues pertaining to the Mississippi River basin from navigation to flood protection.