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A native of Cincinnati, Bill studied pre-engineering at Xavier University then moved to the University of Detroit civil engineering program where he received a B.S.C.E. degree in 1962. While at Detroit Bill worked as a co-op student at Vogt, Ivers, Seaman & Associates in Cincinnati gaining 23 months of fulltime engineering office experience as a draftsman, engineering technician, highway designer, surveyor and survey crew chief.
Bill entered the master’s degree program at Northwestern University in 1962 receiving an M.S.C.E. degree in 1964 and completing doctoral coursework in 1965. While in Chicago Bill worked full time as a traffic engineer and transportation planner at the Chicago Area Transportation Study from 1963 to 1965.
In 1966 Bill returned to Cincinnati as President of a new firm, Transportation Planning Associates. Then in 1967 he came to Columbus as a transportation engineer with Franklin County Regional Planning Commission, which evolved into Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) in 1969.
He served with MORPC for 39 years, becoming Executive Director in 1971. As such, he is oversaw a staff of 70 and a budget of $8 million.
During this time Bill completed the Franklin County Comprehensive Plan, developed numerous rail transit plans for COTA, negotiated the Flying Tiger cargo freight hub deal for Rickenbacker sought by Governor Celeste in the 1980’s, played a major role in the ten year community process that led to successful approval of I-670 from 1973-1983 and worked on many other highway and multimodal projects.
He has extensive experience working with local government officials as the CEO of a multi-county association of governments, MORPC.
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Bill left MORPC in February, 2006 and formed his new company. Through it he serves public agencies and private firms as a consultant on planning, transportation engineering, land development and governmental relations issues.
Bill is a registered professional engineer in Ohio and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, Women’s Transportation Seminar, Institute of Transportation Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, Engineer's Club of Columbus, Urban Land Institute and the Columbus Metropolitan Club.
The Columbus Jaycees honored him as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of 1972. In 2002, 2003 & 2004 he was named to SBN Magazine’s Columbus Power 100. MORPC granted him the first annual William C. Habig Regional Collaboration Award in 2006.
Bill is twice past president of the Columbus Metropolitan Club. He has chaired the Jazz Arts Group, Leadership Columbus and the Red Herring Theater Ensemble boards. He currently serves as a board member of 1000 Friends of Central Ohio, a member of the Columbus Chamber’s Government Affairs Steering Committee, and a member of the new statewide ODOT 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force.
Bill has two grown children and two grandchildren. He lives with his wife Linda on a farm in Granville Township in Licking County while also maintaining a work/live condo in the Hartman Building in downtown Columbus.
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