2021 40 Under 40: Doug Nelsen, PE, LC, Assoc. IALD, 40

Director of Electrical Engineering, LEO A DALY MS, Architectural Engineering/Electrical and Lighting, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

By Gary Cohen, Chris Vavra and Amara Rozgus May 17, 2021

Nelsen is all about improving and enhancing whatever he works on, no matter whether that’s at work or at home. He uses this skill with the teams he coaches and the engineers he mentors, but also when teaching his children useful life skills. Nelsen has proven to be a leader as well as an improver and enhancer and has a special skill for working and collaborating with clients. This has progressed as he moved on to use his special talents for large design projects. In 2014, he was promoted to lead electrical engineer for LEO A DALY’s health care market sector, which is an industry where precision and technical accuracy are the norm. His successes have led him to be the director of electrical engineering for the entire firm. His current responsibilities are vast and cross multiple design-studio locations and markets, bringing his penchant for improvement to discipline standards, the advancement of electrical engineering practice and ultimately the growth of electrical engineering services across his firm. He does all this while still acting as the lead electrical engineer for important projects, such as a massive new Veterans Affairs hospital in Los Angeles. Through it all, Nelsen continues helping people and companies get better in the health care industry, which is the primary goal in the health care industry. When he’s not in lockdown, Nelsen enjoys traveling to new places with his family and going hunting.