John Hiltz Receives 2024 U-M CEE Alumni Merit Award
Recognizing a Distinguished Career in Community Advancement and Engineering Excellence
This year, U-M CEE proudly presents the 2024 Alumni Merit Award to alumnus John Hiltz. The award recognizes our alumni whose actions and achievements inspire U-M CEE students to embody the motto “leaders and best.” Alumni Merit Award recipients must exhibit a deep passion for improving both their own communities and the world — a characteristic that Hiltz has shown to possess in spades.
As Executive Director, former Chairman of the Board and former President at OHMAdvisors, Hiltz dedicated himself to transforming the architecture, engineering and planning firm from a Michigan-based engineering business to a twenty-office Community Advancement firm that serves an array of public and private communities across five states. Hiltz has long been passionate about and committed to engineering and infrastructure improvements, innovation and investment. During his time with OHM Advisors, Hiltz and his partners were integral in 5 years of planning the State’s first Diverging Diamond Interchange.
“It was a very impactful project to the City of Auburn Hills and State”, said Hiltz of the Diverging Diamond Interchange. “Since then, other DDI interchanges have been built in the state of Michigan. Bringing it forward and working closely with the city and the DOT was really a labor of love.”
To further support community, he is the current president of the Livonia Community Foundation, served on the Plymouth Road Development Authority (PRDA) for 19 years, and is a past president of ACEC Michigan.
While originally beginning his time at U-M as a mechanical engineering student, Hiltz would eventually make the switch to civil engineering to pursue a construction management path, a decision that was much more aligned with his passions.
“It was perfect for me,” Hiltz said. “Light switches turned on in my brain, and things started to really take a turn for me.”
Hiltz credits his CEE professors with having a large impact on his academic and engineering career, mentioning Professors Glysson, Webber and Carr as influential figures. “There were so many influential professors, and I think back fondly of all of them,” said Hiltz.
Over the years, Hiltz has maintained a strong connection with U-M and CEE, bringing meaningful contributions to the department through his continued engagement. Hiltz served on the CEEFA Board for 6 years, followed by another 7 years with the Michigan Engineering Alumni Board (MEAB), acting as the department’s liaison to the MEAB throughout that time.
One of Hiltz’s most memorable and impactful contributions to CEE was his role in securing funding for the CEE Pelham Scholars Program, a department scholarship and mentorship program that provides full tuition to master’s students for two terms. Through his position at OHM Advisors, the firm became one of the first significant partners and donors to the program, providing support to students traditionally underrepresented in the profession.
“Diversity is very important to our organization,” Hiltz said. “I’m proud that OHM is so well-connected with the University of Michigan and the CEE department. Our goals and vision are very closely aligned.”
Reflecting back on his CEE experience, Hiltz would advise students today to take their time with their academic and engineering journey. “Don’t be in a big hurry,” he said. “Focus your attention on the right things, and the rest will follow. Your career is long — take your time and do it right.”
Hiltz was honored at a department luncheon on September 13th, 2024 alongside the recipient of the 2024 College of Engineering Michigander Award Chris Cook.
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