Dan Heilman, P.E., D.CE

Over the past 20 years, Dan has been pursuing his passion for beaches and estuaries through a professional career as a coastal engineer. As our coastal program technical lead based in Corpus Christi, Texas, Dan oversees the design of projects focusing on coastal ecosystem restoration, beach nourishment, flood protection, shoreline stabilization, channel improvements, scour mitigation, and other engineering challenges in the coastal zone. Although his career has primarily focused on projects located along the Gulf Coast, he has also worked on projects along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Great Lakes coastlines of the U.S., in Alaska, and outside of the U.S.

Dan’s interest in coastal engineering is rooted in a fascination of the natural environment where water meets land, particularly with waves, currents, sand transport, and the flora and fauna that thrive in near-shore and intertidal habitat. His goal has always been to pursue a work environment that puts him in the same places he seeks for recreation and fun. With personal activities like fishing and surfing in mind, coastal engineering provides Dan the opportunity to work and play in the same space. His professional accomplishments include design of Texas’ largest-ever beach nourishment along the historic Galveston seawall, widening the deep-draft ship channel at the entrance to Freeport Harbor, and functional design for reopening a historical tidal inlet at Packery Channel.

Since graduating from Texas A&M University with a master’s degree in ocean engineering in 1995, Dan has continued to be active in the research side of coastal engineering, including publishing technical papers and presenting at conferences. He serves on the board of directors for the Texas Chapter of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association and holds a Diplomate certification in Coastal Engineering from the Academy of Coastal, Ocean, Port & Navigation Engineers.