IL HR1515

Illinois House of Representatives expresses sorrow at the death of Deborah M. Sawyer, who passed away on August 7, 2016 at age 60.

Sawyer founded, led, and served as President and CEO of Chicago-based Environmental Design International (EDI), an engineering and environmental consulting firm that grew to over 70 employees and served government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.

Sawyer earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Emory University and a Master of Science in petroleum microbiology from Eastern New Mexico University; she broke barriers for Black women in engineering and environmental science fields.

EDI won a major prime contract for the Illinois Department of Transportation's I-90/94 Dan Ryan Expressway reconstruction project, one of the first major African American-only prime engineering contracts for a highway project in the United States, with construction costs exceeding $100 million for 5.1 miles of improvements.

Sawyer received numerous awards including the 2012 Chicago Magazine Green Award, 2013 Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business of the Year Award, and U.S. Small Business Administration Minority Small Business of the Year Award; she served on charitable boards and mentored students at Young Women's Leadership Charter School of Chicago.