Samuel G. Bonasso
| Samuel George Bonasso | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Deputy, then Acting Administrator of the Research and Special Programs Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation | |
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In office November 2002 – March 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Ellen Engleman |
| Succeeded by | Last |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 12, 1939 Wyatt, W.Va. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy L. Mowrey |
| Residence | Morgantown, W.Va. |
| Alma mater | University of Miami, West Virginia University |
| Profession | Civil Engineer |
Samuel George Bonasso (born December 12, 1939) is a career civil engineer, entrepreneur and inventor, who also worked as a public servant in the transportation sector at the state and federal levels and contributing innovations in his industry. Bonasso has founded three businesses and is the holder of five U.S. patents, Bonasso was West Virginia Secretary of Transportation from 1998 to 2000 in the Governor Cecil H. Underwood administration. He then served as deputy administrator (Nov. 2002 - March 2003), then acting administrator (March 2003 – March 2005), of the Research and Special Programs Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation under Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, during the presidency of George W. Bush.
Bonasso was born in Wyatt, W.Va. to Pietro G. Bonasso (1895 Italy – 1947 W.Va.) and Chiara Bonasso, née Morasco (1903 Italy – 1971 W.Va.).
Bonasso obtained his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Miami in 1962 and earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from West Virginia University in 1964.
After finishing graduate school, Bonasso, with a group of European investors and manufacturers, co-founded Ski Lift International in Alexandria, Va., serving as its president and chief engineer until 1969. He became a ski lift engineer and builder and an engineering specialist in the operation of large diameter cable driven equipment. He built on his experience into the 1990s and contributed as committee member and secretary to the early 1980s revision of the American National Standards Institute B77.1 American National Standard for Passenger Ropeways.
In 1969, Bonasso founded Alpha Associates in Morgantown, W.Va., which became a regional architectural and engineering design firm. He served as president and managing principal there until 1998. The firm specialized in architecture in K-12 and higher education and health care facilities. Engineering included highways, bridges, ski lifts and aerial tramways, subdivisions, real estate development and utilities. Between 1984 and 1987 Bonasso was awarded four U.S. patents for the Tension Arch structural systems used in bridges, buildings and other structures.
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