Timothy Coss, president of Microtunneling Inc., started the Microtunneling Short Course in 1994 at a time when microtunneling was still gaining acceptance in the utility construction industry. A former contractor, Coss recognized the need for an educational venue to help owners, contractors and engineers better understand the emerging technology. Since its founding, the Microtunneling Short Course has become the premier event for the microtunneling community worldwide, offering first-class educational and networking opportunities.

Levent Ozdemir, Ph.D. , PE, is President of Ozdemir Associates and spent 32 years as Professor of Mining and the Director of the Excavation Engineering and Earth Mechanics Institute (EMI) at the Colorado School of Mines. During his tenure at Mines, he developed and taught courses in tunnel design and construction, mechanized rock and soil excavations, site investigations, excavation project management and underground mining. He built EMI to a world-class research organization and directed pioneering research in all aspects of mechanized tunneling and underground construction. His outreach activities at Mines have also included the development of several short courses for the tunneling industry. He currently serves as a consultant to the tunneling and the underground construction industries worldwide.

Jim Rush is editor/publisher for Benjamin Media Inc. (BMI), where he oversees titles including Trenchless Technology, TBM: Tunnel Business Magazine and Water Finance & Management. He has been with BMI since 1998, previously working as a newspaper reporter in Maryland, North Carolina and Ohio. He has a bachelor of science degree in communications from the E.W. Scripts School of  Journalism at Ohio University.