Daniel Schroeder might be the ultimate Southwest Florida resident. Born and raised in the area, he is a Florida Gulf Coast University alum with two degrees and a prestigious alumni award. Today, he serves as a vice president at AIM Engineering & Surveying, where he focuses on sustainable water projects — a vital concern in Southwest Florida. It’s hard to imagine how someone could get more deeply invested in a community.
Schroeder decided to pursue engineering toward the end of high school, attracted to a career that would enable him to use his strengths in math and problem-solving. The timing could not have been better: When he enrolled at FGCU in 2005, the university had just launched its engineering program, and he became one of its inaugural students.
“That class was kind of cherry picked from the community because they didn’t have their accreditation yet,” recalled Schroeder. “The accreditation was contingent on the success of the students graduating.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering with a minor in civil engineering in 2009, Schroeder joined the local firm AIM Engineering & Surveying, starting in the construction management group before transitioning to the engineering side.
After about a decade with AIM, he decided to return to FGCU to pursue a master’s degree in sustainable water engineering.
“I’m always looking for the next challenge in my career or ways to learn,” said Schroeder. With Florida being an ideal place to study water — coastal areas, swampland, hurricanes, urbanization and many other factors combine to make Florida a unique water environment — his alma mater was a natural choice to continue his studies.
Staying involved at FGCU
“If you want to study water, you have to come to Florida,” said Seneshaw Tsegaye, chair of FGCU’s Department of Bioengineering, Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering. “Water is the main issue in Florida.”
Tsegaye taught Schroeder in the graduate program and quickly recognized that he was “one of the brightest students that we ever had.” Tsegaye went on to co-author two papers on sustainable urban drainage systems with Schroeder while he was in the graduate program, and said that they evolved from being a teacher and a student to being friends.
At the time, FGCU’s sustainable water engineering master’s program was still relatively new. Tsegaye said Schroeder made a lasting impact on the fledgling program through his leadership in the classroom, and he has continued to influence it as a member of the advisory board for the civil and environmental engineering programs since he completed his master’s in 2021.
“He provides guidance on the curriculum, he provides guidance on the job market and how the industry is evolving so that we can align our curriculum to the needs of the region and the nation,” said Tsegaye.
Award-winning work
Last August, Schroeder was promoted to vice president at AIM, becoming the youngest officer at the company. In his new role, he oversees a team of engineers and manages business development and client relations.
The work Schroeder does in sustainable water engineering is especially critical in Southwest Florida.
“Especially in the past decade or two, we’ve seen a lot of changes in the impact of extreme events in the region,” said Tsegaye. “And knowing that our infrastructure has to be resilient and understanding the impact of extreme events like hurricanes is very critical.”
Among many other initiatives, Schroeder has led and contributed to projects such as a water quality treatment park in Sanibel and flood mitigation plans in Lee County. Most notably, the Caloosahatchee River Estuary storage and treatment project he managed earned the Sustainable Project of the Year award in 2024 from the Southwest Florida branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Giving back to the community
Outside of his work with AIM, Schroeder remains an active presence in his church, where he serves as a pianist and participates in the Handyman Ministry — completing home improvement projects for community members in need. He also volunteers with the American Society of Civil Engineers, which raises funds to support students pursuing engineering degrees, and the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute, which is working on a project to bring science, technology, engineering and mathematics books to young Floridians.
In recognition of his contributions to FGCU and the local community, Schroeder received one of the FGCU Alumni Association’s Soaring Eagle awards, given to graduates who demonstrate exceptional achievement in their professional or volunteer lives.
“It was a long, interesting journey with being part of the first class, trying to get the engineering program started, and then in a way helping to get a master’s program going as well. So I’m just honored to be a part of those early stages and being able to help where I can,” said Schroeder.