As engineers around the U.S. were honored in February during National Engineers Week, a former area resident was selected as the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 2025 Engineer of the Year.

The son of Kingfisher residents Brad and Cyndi Ice, Shane Ice, P.E. serves as the State Conservation engineer for NRCS in Texas and was awarded the honor at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Ice was also nominated for the National Society of Professional Engineers Federal Engineer of the Year Award.

Currently living in Temple, Texas, with his wife, Erin, and daughter, Norah, Ice graduated from Watonga High School in 2000 and earned his degree from Oklahoma State University in 2005.

With 23 years of service to the NRCS, Ice began his career in conservation engineering in 2002 as a NRCS student intern.

Like many conservation engineers of his generation, Ice was schooled in a dedicated land ethic at his family’s farm in Oklahoma, a NRCS representative said.

His academic choices were influenced by a happenchance encounter with the NRCS internship program in 2002, which jump-started his career in conservation engineering as a student.

Since then Ice has served in various roles within the NRCS.

“His dedication to conservation engineering has led him to positions in Louisiana, North Dakota and Texas in roles such as field engineer, acting assistant State Conservation engineer, Dam Safety engineer, and State Construction engineer,” said Louis Aspey, acting chief of the NRCS.

As the head of the Texas Watershed Construction program, Ice oversaw watershed infrastructure projects valued over $97.5 million and personally managed projects valued at $54.5 million, Aspey said.

Ice has also been instrumental in reviewing and updating the National Engineering Handbook (NEH) Part 645, ensuring technical accuracy and Americans with Disability Act Section 508 compliance, Aspey added.

Additionally, he demonstrates leadership in technical education by organizing and conducting regular training sessions for Texas engineering staff, as well as providing specialized instruction to the NRCS Central Region Dam Consortium and Employee Development Section, Aspey said.

Currently, Ice oversees critical conservation engineering initiatives across the state.

With each project presenting unique challenges, Ice said leading watershed construction projects is “where you can witness watershed conservation work put on the ground to the extent that we do. Most of our work is building major infrastructure that you don’t see within the work environment of a typical NRCS field office.”

Ice said he considers solving on-site project challenges with “hands on” effort to be the best part of his job.

Ice’s success is also attributable to his ability to work with people, whether it’s the contractor, sponsor or NRCS to “get things done” for the benefit of everyone, a NRCS representative added.

“Conservation work is a great motivator for collaboration,” Ice said. “Technicians, district conservationists and other engineers have been pivotal in molding my career. Without them, I would not be in the position I hold now.”

Ice said he wants to mentor individuals with agricultural backgrounds that are passionate about conservation because they’re already invested in the NRCS mission.

“We are the ‘go to’ agency for conservation and I consider myself lucky to be a part of it,” Ice said.