EIU Media Relations

EIU Alumnus to Discuss His Role in Hurricane Cleanup

Col. Robert Sinkler, an Eastern Illinois University alumnus, will return to his alma mater to discuss, in part, his leadership role in the reconstruction of the New Orleans levee system in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

His presentation, “Solving the Nation’s Toughest Geology and Geography Problems,” will be presented at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, in Phipps Lecture Hall, Physical Sciences Building.  It will be followed at 5 with a reception.

The free event is open to all those with interest.

Upon his graduation from EIU in 1983 with a degree in geology, Sinkler received a commission with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Since then, he has furthered both his career and his education.

He earned several post-baccalaureate degrees, including a master's degree in UGeographic Information Systems from Kansas State University, a master's degree in administration from Central Michigan University, a master's degree in military art and science from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and a master's degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Sinkler has also worked on the “other side of the podium” as a faculty member of the U.S. Army Engineer School.

In more recent years, he has been named to top positions in the Army Corps of Engineers.  In 2006, Sinkler became commander of the Corps’ Rock Island Office which boasts 950 employees and handles work in a five-state portion of the U.S. Midwest.

In 2009, he was designated the leader of the Hurricane Protection Office, and charged with oversight of a multi-billion dollar project designed to reduce the risk of storm damage in the greater New Orleans area.

Presently, Sinkler is stationed at the Pentagon and is the Department of the Army’s chief of environmental programs in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.

His presentation is being sponsored by EIU’s Department of Geography/Geology.