Mr. Sánchez is a distinguished member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) with over 30 years of dedicated service to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In June 2022, he assumed the role of Director of Engineering and Business for the Pacific Ocean Division. In this capacity, Mr. Sánchez leads a diverse workforce of approximately 1,700 active-duty military personnel, U.S. civilians, and foreign nationals. He provides executive direction and management for the Division and its four subordinate Districts in Hawaii, Alaska, Japan, and Korea, overseeing an annual program exceeding $2.0 billion across the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions, which includes civil works, engineering, construction, resource management, and strategic planning.
Mr. Sánchez's leadership is informed by a deep background in research and development. From December 2017 to May 2022, he served as the Deputy Director of Research and Development and Deputy Chief Scientist for USACE, where he was instrumental in developing strategies and providing oversight for research supporting both military and civil works projects. His tenure as an SES began in 2013 when he was appointed Director of the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory. There, he led a team of over 250 researchers and was responsible for a multi-million-dollar research program in specialized coastal and hydraulic fields until 2017. His versatile career also includes service as the acting Business Director of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, interim Chief of the Installation Readiness Division and acting Director of Contingency Operations and Homeland Security at Headquarters USACE.
A registered Professional Engineer and Board-Certified Navigation Engineer, Mr. Sánchez has authored numerous technical publications on critical infrastructure topics such as navigation locks, hydropower dams, computational fluid dynamics, and asset management. He holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and has pursued doctorate-level studies at Mississippi State University. He is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute. His expertise is recognized globally, having served as a consultant and technical advisor on international research efforts.
Mr. Sánchez is an active member of the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC), the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Army Engineer Association. In recognition of his contributions to the nation and the engineering field, he has received numerous accolades, including the Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal, Superior Civilian Service Medals, the Army Superior Unit Award, and the University of Puerto Rico’s Distinguished Alumni Award.