Sharp Elected to buildingSMART International Board of Directors

HDR Transportation Digital Delivery Expert Joins Leadership of Prestigious International Standards Organization 

Will Sharp has been elected to the global board of directors for buildingSMART International. Serving as vice chair, he will be among 12 board members from Europe, Asia, South America and North America steering the influential organization for the next two years.

Much of today’s infrastructure design is completed in proprietary formats, which complicates the long-term use of digital data generated during planning, design, construction, and operations and maintenance. BuildingSMART International is the worldwide industry body driving the digital transformation of the built asset industry through the creation and adoption of open, international standards. Asset owners across the globe use the organization’s ISO-adopted open standards to implement life cycle digital workflows and interoperability.

The board elections took place during the annual general meeting of buildingSMART’s international council, which concluded in London on Aug. 6, 2026. Sharp will serve as a representative of buildingSMART USA.

“I’ve dedicated much of my career to the advancement of digital delivery and invested years of effort to addressing the challenges and embracing the opportunities of open data standards,” Sharp said. “I’m excited and humbled to serve on the board of directors of this amazing organization as we work at the global level to refine and implement open data standards for infrastructure.” 

Sharp, a highways leader at HDR, has spent more than 40 years in the transportation industry. He has partnered with U.S. state departments of transportation (DOTs), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and national transportation industry organizations. Together, they have helped move the industry toward open data standards, Model as a Legal Deliverable (MALD) and digital workflows. In particular, Sharp has worked closely with the AASHTO Joint Technical Committee on Electronic Engineering Standards (JTCEES) and assisted DOTs in developing U.S. national openBIM standards for bridges and structures.

“Will’s selection is continued proof of his extraordinary leadership in the transportation industry’s digital transformation, not only across the U.S. but internationally,” said HDR Highways and Roads Director Victoria Sheehan. “His participation is another example of HDR’s dedication to innovation and its leading role in the organizations that are foundational for our industry.”