David F. Bastian has more than forty years' experience in flood control, navigation, dredging, and water-resource-related activities, most with the US Army Corps of Engineers. His career has included work in both practical research and project implementation, including fifteen years as a hydraulic engineer for the Corps' Waterways Experiment Station. The author of more than thirty technical reports and papers, Bastian has also made many presentations to national and international professional organizations. He served as a consultant to the Republic of Panama and the State of Florida, a liaison to the Panama Canal Commission, Suez Canal Authority, and Columbian government, and negotiated engineering contracts in Japan. Bastian served twice in the USACE HQ Civil Works Directorate as the assistant director of civil works, central region, and was the technical director of the tri-national Commission for the Study of Alternatives to the Panama Canal. He concluded his career with the Corps of Engineers as deputy chief of staff with broad oversight of USACE HQ functions, including budget and union issues. In 2006, Bastian began working as a consultant in the New Orleans District Corps of Engineers' office, contributing to various projects concerning the rehabilitation and rebuilding of New Orleans hurricane defenses, coastal restoration, and protection of southeast Louisiana against hurricane surges. Bastian continues to serve as a consultant in this capacity.