DBIA honors Craig Unger with a surprise award, heartfelt tributes and a family’s proud moment at Federal Design-Build Industry Days
Craig Unger, FDBIA, almost stayed home, but his son Tobias Unger, Assoc. DBIA, made sure he was there.
When Craig considered skipping the 2025 DBIA Federal Design-Build Industry Days to get some well-deserved rest, Tobias urged his father to come along as his partner in crime or at least someone to sit with at the sessions. It’s a good thing the tactic worked.
Craig figured he was just another face in the crowd at the traditional networking lunch during Industry Days. He didn’t realize Tobias’s persistence was part of a bigger plan, one that would leave him stunned, surrounded by family and — for once in his long career — at a loss for words.
A Surprise Detour
Laura Stagner, FAIA, NAC, DBIA, opened the networking lunch with the usual welcome, thanking sponsors and recognizing DBIA’s volunteer leaders as true “champions” of design-build. Then she began describing an individual DBIA leader “whose vision and persistence had transformed the federal design-build marketplace.” For a moment, the audience didn’t know who she meant. It was only when she asked Unger to stand and be recognized that both he –– and the crowd –– realized he was the leader she had been describing.
Unger was visibly stunned, but that was only the beginning.
Just as the applause began to settle, in walked Craig’s wife Candace, his three daughters and other members of his family, another complete surprise to the unwitting man of the hour. What Craig thought was simply a father–son lunch and a bit of networking had turned into a personal and memorable recognition of his long career.
Again, there was more to come.
A Chorus of Voices
Several colleagues stepped forward to share Craig’s impact, accompanied by a slideshow mixing career highlights with humorous shots. The celebration blended humor with heartfelt gratitude, a reflection of Craig’s own personality.
Rich Formella, PMP, DBIA, began by recalling an unusual pilot project Craig led in 1986: opening a Wendy’s‑style fast food restaurant inside a federal prison commissary. Procurement delays kept them short on stock, so Craig gave him a contracting officer’s warrant to bypass red tape, inventing a just‑in‑time system before it was mainstream. Within 15 months the venture was profitable, proving Craig’s vision was innovative. That same tenacity, Formella said, later helped him pull skeptical Bureau of Prisons architects and engineers toward design‑build. He summed Craig up as a leader who “will not take no for an answer and has the grit and determination to move those who are entrenched out of the way to make vision a reality.” Jim Whitaker, FAIA, FDBIA, and Greg Gidez, FAIA, NAC, FDBIA, followed with their own reflections.
Dave Triplett, DBIA, and Jim Ropelewski, JD, DBIA, added their anecdotes about Craig’s career with a playful touch that included visual aids in the form of oversized cards featuring a grand piano, an exploding cat and a disclaimer assuring everyone that no cats were actually harmed in the making of Unger’s career. (Next time you see Craig, you’ll have to ask him about the piano and the cat.)
The Unrelenting Navigator
Finally, DBIA ED/CEO Lisa Washington, CAE, stepped to the podium to share her experience working with Unger, and the surprises kept coming. During Washington’s remarks, she and colleagues presented Craig with a framed tee shirt that read: “If at first you don’t succeed, try doing what Craig told you to do the first time.”
Laughter captured the spirit of the moment before Washington announced one final twist: the creation of the Unrelenting Navigator for Governmental Excellence and Results (UNGER) Award, named after and dedicated to Unger in recognition of his extraordinary leadership and lasting impact on the industry.
“What a surprise and honor,” he said later. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this prestigious award and, for once, at a loss for words to express my appreciation for DBIA putting up with me all these years.”
A Lasting Legacy
Craig’s leadership journey spans decades of service and accomplishment. He is Principal and CEO of Unger Security Solutions, LLC, a firm he founded after retiring from the federal government in 2003. He served 26 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as Procurement Executive for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, before being appointed the Justice Department’s Federal Detention Trustee in 2001. He reached the Senior Executive Service level, served as DBIA President from 2003–2004 and was honored with DBIA’s highest award, the Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2014. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, published author, lecturer and expert in acquisition management and alternative dispute resolution, Craig has shaped the industry in countless ways.
Washington called Unger’s vision and leadership unmatched. “Craig’s vision and leadership have shaped design-build in the federal marketplace like few others,” she said. “The UNGER Award not only honors his extraordinary contributions but also ensures his sharp insight, deep knowledge and unwavering commitment will serve as an enduring reminder of the tremendous impact of this remarkable leader and of the high bar he has set for us all.”
By naming this award after him, DBIA recognizes what so many already knew: Craig Unger is an unrelenting navigator. He has charted new paths for design-build in the public sector, guided colleagues and protégés with loyalty and confidence and insisted on possibilities where others saw only barriers.
“Craig is an exceptional leader who I have had the privilege to observe and learn from in my 30+ year career,” Ropelewski reflected. “The confidence he instills in those he mentors, the loyalty he gives and earns, and his unbelievable work ethic are unparalleled.”
Honoring Unger in front of his peers and with his family by his side was a fitting tribute to a leader whose impact will continue to guide the industry for years to come.
