Bio
Mike Toole has had a 30-year career as an entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary leader in the military, industry and academia. From 2017-2024, Dr. Toole served as the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Toledo. His responsibilities included overseeing enrollment of ~2400 undergraduate and ~200 master’s and PhD students, six academic departments offering 23 degree programs, ~70 full-time faculty, ~35 part-time instructors, a dedicated Career Development Center that placed ~1500 full-time co-ops per year, and an industrial testing and research center. Research expenditures averaged $10M per year, including by seven research engineers who work full-time at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Managed a budget of ~$40M and fundraising with individual and corporate donors were important components of his leadership.
Toole previously worked 18 years at Bucknell University, where his positions included Associate Dean of Engineering, Professor of Civil and Env. Engineering, Director of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, and Director of the Institute for Leadership in Technology and Management. Previous employment includes Vice President with a multidisciplinary engineering firm, Purchasing Manager with a national homebuilder, and five years of active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps that included serving as a Company Commander in a Seabee Battalion.
A professional civil engineer (PA), Toole received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Bucknell University, and an M.S. in Civil Engineering and Ph.D. in Technology Strategy from M.I.T. His scholarship has focused on construction innovation, project management, and Prevention through Design, in which designers explicitly consider the safety of construction and maintenance workers. He initiated and maintains https://designforconstructionsafety.org. His Google Scholar Citations are 3000+ with an h-index = 22 and an i10-index = 30.
Toole’s recent board memberships include the Executive Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education Engineering Deans Council, the Better Business Bureau of NW Ohio and SE Michigan, and the Toledo Society of Professional Engineers. He served a three-year term as the Chair of the Ohio Engineering Deans Council. Previous professional service included serving as Vice Chair of the ASCE/Construction Institute Prevention through Design Committee and the Site Safety Committee and as Co-Chair of the NIOSH NORA Construction Sector Council Prevention through Design workgroup.
Past honors include being named the 2024 Engineer of the Year by the Toledo Regional Society of Professional Engineers, elected a Fellow within ASCE, receiving Best Paper awards from an ASCE journal and an ASCE conference, receiving the Bucknell Class of 1956 Teaching Award, and being nominated by Bucknell for the U.S. Professor of the Year award. He is a member of the Order of the Engineer and six national honor societies.
Contact Information
My Linked In Page email: tmichaeltoole@gmail.com
CVs and Bios
Toole half page bio April 2025
Select Presentations and Webinars (since 2019)
Toole, T. M, “Ethical Issues in Marketing, Bidding and Negotiating.” Invited presentation to the Association of Highway Engineers Delaware Valley, Nov. 12, 2025.
Toole, T. M. “Ethical Issues in Prevention through Design.” Invited presentation to the ASCE Philadelphia Section, Oct. 7, 2025.
Toole, T. M. “Applying the LAPELS, NSPE and ASCE Codes of Ethics to Construction Site Safety.” Invited keynote presentation at the Louisiana Civil Engineering Conference, Kenner, LA, Sep. 24, 2025.
Toole, T. M. “WTF PtD?” Invited keynote presentation at the 2025 Construction Safety Conference, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, Aug 6, 2025.
Toole, T. M, “Applying the DAPE, NSPE and ASCE Codes of Ethics to Business Development and Construction Site Safety.” Invited presentation to the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers, Newark, DE, June 9, 2025.
Toole, T. M, “Ethical Issues in Marketing, Bidding and Negotiating.” Invited presentation to the ASCE Central PA Section, Harrisburg, PA, Sep. 18, 2024.
Toole, T. M., “Ethical Issues in Prevention through Design.” Invited webinar presented to the ASCE Central PA Section, Sep. 13, 2023.
Toole, T. M., “Ethics of Prevention through Design.” Construction Institute Summit, St. Louis, March 4, 2023.
Toole, T. M. “Prevention through Design.” Invited presentation to the AIA-Master Builder Association Pittsburgh Chapter Joint Committee, Feb. 22, 2023.
Toole, T. M. “Ethics of Prevention through Design.” Invited presentation at the American Concrete Pipe Association Conference, St. Louis, Feb. 9, 2023.
Toole, T.M. “Electronic Vehicles Overview.” Presented at Opportunities for Northwest Ohio in Electric Vehicle Technology, hosted by the Toledo Chamber of Commerce, September 29, 2022.
Toole, T.M. “UToledo College of Engineering’s Pandemic Challenges and Successes.” Keynote presentation at the IEEE Toledo Section Institute Night, November 18, 2021.
Toole, T. M. “Toole Prevention through Design presentation.” Western Council of Construction Consumers Safety Summit, May 19, 2021.
Toole, T. M. “Toole Ethical Issues in Marketing Bidding Negotiation.” Keynote presentation during the All-Ohio Engineering Conference (held virtually), June 11, 2021.
Toole, T. M. “Toole Applying NSPE Code of Ethics to Campus Reopening” and “Toole EFO Ethics ASCE comparison.” Presentations during the Engineers Foundation of Ohio Professional Development Conference (virtual), November 6, 2020.
Toole, T. M. and R. O’Callaghan, “Introduction to Safety by Design in Electric Transmission & Design.” Invited webinar presented to the CEATI Intl. SEP Workgroup, Sep. 15, 2020.
Toole, T. M. “Opportunities and Challenges for PtD Education.” Invited plenary presentation at the Arizona State University/NIOSH Prevention through Design Workshop, Tempe, AZ, Mar. 11, 2020.
Toole, T. M. “Achieving the Triple Bottom Line through Integrated Design and Construction.” Invited presentations at the FECON Project S.A.F.E. conference, Jacksonville, FL, Mar. 10, 2020.
Toole, T. M. “Leveraging Industry Trends to Facilitate PtD Adoption.” Invited presentation at the Northern Ohio Chapter of ASSP Workshop Design-In-Safety for Sustainable Business Results, Oct. 11, 2019, Independence, OH.
“Introduction to Safety by Design in Electrical Construction.” Invited presentation to Toledo Chapter of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Sep. 25, 2019.
“Integrated Lifecycle Engineering,” All Ohio Engineering Conference, Perrysburg, OH, June 7, 2019.
Publications
(those with links to non-copyrighted text files)
Refereed Journal Articles
Toole, T. M. and Erger, K. (2018). “Prevention through Design: Promising or Perilous?” ASCE Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)LA.1943-4170.0000284.
Gambatese, J. A., T. M. Toole and D. Abowitz (2017). “Barriers to Prevention through Design.” J. of Construction Engineering and Management. DOI 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001296.
Toole, T. M., J. A. Gambatese and D. Abowitz (2016). “Owners’ Role in Facilitating Prevention through Design.” J. of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice. DOI 10.1061/(ASCE)EI.1943-5541.0000295.
Toole, T. M. and G. Carpenter (2013). “Prevention through Design as a Path Towards Social Sustainability.” J. of Architectural Engineering 19(3):169-173.
Toole, T. M., M. R. Hallowell, and P. S. Chinowsky (2013). “A Tool for Enhancing Innovation in Construction Organizations.” Engineering Projects Organization Journal 3(1):32-50.
Toole, T., M. P. Heckel, and M. R. Hallowell (2013). “Public and Organizational Policy: A Key Factor Enabling Prevention through Design.” Professional Safety 58(1):41-49.
Toole, T. M. (2011). “Internal Impediments to ASCE Vision 2025.” Leadership and Management in Engineering 11(2):197-207.
Abowitz, D. and T. M. Toole (2010). “Mixed Method Research: Fundamental Issues of Design, Validity and Reliability in Construction Research.” J. of Construction Engineering and Management 136(1): 108-116.
Hallowell, M. R. and T. M. Toole (2009). “A Contemporary Design-Bid-Build Model.” J. of Construction Engineering and Management 135(6): 540-549.
Toole, T. M. and J. Gambatese (2008). “The Trajectories of Construction Prevention through Design.” J. of Safety Research 39(2): 225-230.
Toole, T. M. (2007). “Design Engineers’ Responses to Safety Situations.” J. of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice 133(2): 126-131.
Toole, T. M. (2005). “Increasing Engineers’ Role in Construction Safety: Opportunities and Barriers.” J. of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice 131(3): 199-207.
Toole, T. M. (2002). “Construction Site Safety Roles.” J. of Construction Engineering and Management 128(3): 203-210.
Toole, T. M. (2001). “The Technological Trajectories of Construction Innovation.” J. of Architectural Engineering 7(4): 107-114.
Toole, T. M. (1998). “Uncertainty and Homebuilders’ Adoption of Technological Innovations.” J. of Construction Engineering and Management 124(4): 323-332.
Refereed Proceedings
(since 2008, excludes papers that were expanded into published journal papers)
Toole, T. M. and J. A. Gambatese (2017). “Levels of Implementation of Prevention through Design in the United States.” Proceedings of the CIB W099 and TG59 International Safety, Health, and People in Construction Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, June 11-13, 2017.
Toole, T. M. (2016). “Strengthening Sustainability Rating Credit for Off-Site Construction.” Proc. of the 2016 Modular and Offsite Construction (MOC) Summit, Univ. of Alberta, Canada.
Hallowell, M.R., J.A. Gambatese, and T.M. Toole (2008). “A Systems Model of Construction Innovation.” Proc. of the 2008 Conference for Leadership and Management in Engineering, October 2008.
Selected Non-Refereed Publications
Toole, T. M. (2018). “PEs should Pursue Integrated Lifecycle Engineering.” PE. Published by the National Society of Professional Engineers. May/June. Page 8.
Toole, T. M. (2017). “Adding Prevention through Design to Civil Engineering Educational Programs.” J. of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice. DOI 10.1061/(ASCE)EI.1943-5541.0000344
Toole, T. M. and J. Gambatese (2014). “Prevention through Design: a Path to Social Sustainability.” COAA Owner’s Perspective Fall/Winter 2014. Pages 22-25.
Toole, T. M., J. Gambatese and D. Abowitz (2011). “Owners’ Role in Facilitating Designing for Construction Safety.” Research report published by the CPWR/NIOSH.
Toole, T. M. and R. Marshall (2006). “Designing for Geoconstruction Safety.” Invited paper presented at the ASCE “Trends Affecting the Geo-Community” workshop held in Reston, VA December 5-8, 2006.
Toole, T. M., N. Hervol and M. Hallowell (2006). “Designing for Construction Safety.” Modern Steel Construction 46(6): 55-59.
Toole, T. M. and J. Gambatese (2002). “A Primer on the Federal OSHA Standards.” ASCE Practice Periodical in Structural Design and Construction. 7(2): 56-60.
Toole, T. M. (2002). “A Comparison of Site Safety Policies of Construction Industry Trade Groups.” ASCE Practice Periodical in Structural Design and Construction. 7(2): 90-95.
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