Welcome Shawn L. Sersland to the AASHTOWare BrDR Task Force!
September 24, 2026The AASHTOWare Bridge Design & Rating (BrDR) Task Force is pleased to welcome Shawn L. Sersland, P.E., of the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) as its newest member.
Shawn has nearly 11 years of experience with the Iowa DOT Bridges and Structures Bureau and currently serves as Bridge Rating Engineer. In this role, she oversees Iowa’s load rating program and leads the department’s load rating team. Her experience includes implementing federal and state load rating policy changes, leading the statewide implementation of AASHTOWare Bridge Rating (BrR), expanding BrR access for local agencies, and supporting oversize/overweight permitting. She has also served as a Technical Advisory Committee member for several research projects related to rating and bridge service life.
Shawn oversees load rating more than 4,100 state-owned bridges and culverts, including complex bridges, reviews inspection reports, evaluate load-rating software, audit local agency bridge ratings, and support oversize/overweight permitting. This extensive hands-on experience with bridge rating and evaluation will provide a valuable perspective to the BrDR Task Force.
Shawn has also been actively involved in technical initiatives including serving on Technical Advisory Committees for numerous bridge-related research projects, including the Implementation of AASHTOWare BrR Program for Rating Iowa Bridges, as well as projects addressing increased legal loads, bridge service life, load ratings for standard bridges, and bridge impact factors. She has also participated on NCHRP panels focused on load rating and posting of long-span bridges and updating the bridge evaluation roadmap.
In addition to her practical experience, Shawn holds a Master of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering with a Structural Engineering specialization from Iowa State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Iowa.
Shawn fills the vacancy created by Jeff Ruby’s (Kansas DOT) completion of his term and departure from the Task Force. We thank Jeff for his many contributions to the BrDR software and welcome Shawn’s valuable perspectives as we continue development of AASHTOWare BrDR.
Please join us in welcoming Shawn to the AASHTOWare BrDR Task Force! We look forward to her contributions and the expertise she will bring to the continued development and advancement of AASHTOWare BrDR.