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Ray A. Wilkerson, Chairman James H. Mills, Jr., Vice-Chairman Robert L. Bennett, Jr., Treasurer
David B. Armbrust David Singleton Nikelle S. Meade Charles Heimsath Mike Heiligenstein, Executive Director
May 27, 2016
RE: Letter of Recommendation – Sharif Abou Sabh
To whom it may concern:
I am pleased to offer this letter of recommendation of Sharif Abou Sabh. Sharif is a person of integrity
who and the ultimate professional. His knowledge of program management and project delivery is
unmatched. I first met Sharif in 2003 when I was the Chief Engineer of the Illinois Tollway. During my
tenure asChief Engineerfrom2003 through2008, he reportedtome inthe role of ProgramManager and
wasresponsibleforthe strategicdirection,activitiesandperformanceof the HNTBProgramManagement
Office on the Illinois Tollway $6.3 billion congestion-relief program (Open Roads for a Faster Future).
The goal of OpenRoadsfora FasterFuture wastorebuild,widen,andrestore274 milesof tollwayserving
12 countiesinnortheasternIllinois. Hisexpertise,leadership,andcommitmentwereinstrumentalinour
ability to deliver this program and its projects on schedule and within budget during a time period of
unprecedentedconstructioncostescalation. There were noclaimsandchange orders were lessthan2%
of the awarded amounts. Sharif also led the implementation of the ISO 9001-2008 certified quality
management systemthat helped inraising our Bond Rating. The IllinoisTollway and its staff wonmany
awards including the CMAA Program Management project of the year award for Open Road Tolling in
2006.
AfterleavingtheIllinoisTollway,Ihave workedonotherlarge andcomplex programsandprojects. Sharif
imparted on me the principles of program management. I have called on him on multiple occasions to
advise, implement program management systems, and to solve the most complex problems. He is the
best in his profession and I trust him implicitly.
I recommend Mr. Abou-Sabh as a Program Manager for major infrastructure programs without
reservation.
Jeff Dailey.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey S. Dailey, Deputy Executive Director
c: Mike Heiligenstein, CTRMA