Larry M. Summers, PE

Engineer. Strategist. Storyteller for the civic soul.

Larry M. Summers is a municipal engineer with a national voice, known for weaving together technical mastery, systems thinking, and moral clarity. With over two decades of experience working across cities, counties, tribal nations, and departments of transportation, he has built a career—and a calling—around one central idea:

Infrastructure is never neutral. It either builds trust, or it breaks it.

Currently serving as Director of Engineering for the City of New Albany, Indiana, Larry leads a small but catalytic public department that balances long-range vision with everyday delivery. His work spans sidewalks and stormwater, procurement and pavement systems, climate adaptation and civic accessibility—all guided by the belief that infrastructure should reflect the dignity of every person it touches.

Before stepping into city leadership, Larry worked in consulting, transportation planning, and metropolitan infrastructure policy. He has reviewed development plans, shaped capital improvement programs, and helped communities navigate the moral and practical tradeoffs behind the systems they build.

He is also the author of Ethical Infrastructure: Restoring Trust, Belonging, and the Soul of Public Systems and The Ethical Infrastructure Field Guide, a toolkit for practitioners navigating complexity in the public realm. These works blend field-tested tools with narrative depth, designed for everyone from engineers and planners to elected officials, educators, and citizens.

Larry holds a BS in Civil Engineering, a BS in Engineering Management, and an MS in Civil Engineering, with additional doctoral coursework in transportation systems. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE), a neurodivergent advocate for structured creativity, and a believer that systems with soul require both rigor and heart.

He lives in southern Indiana with his partner, Tyler, and a spirited pack of dogs and cats. When he’s not planning sidewalk networks or revising ethical toolkits, you’ll find him exploring small towns, cheering for the Atlanta Falcons, or sketching out the next chapter in a more just civic story.

You can also find Larry’s broader work, reflections, and projects at larrymsummers.com.