Texas Section Leadership

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Meet Our Leadership Team

Without the efforts of our hardworking volunteers, our programs and events wouldn’t happen. Meet the incredible members who work behind the scenes to ensure Texas civil engineers are leaders in their communities:

Executive Committee

  • Kimberly Cornett PE, CFM, F.ASCE
    Kimberly Cornett PE, CFM, F.ASCE
    President
    Phone: 210-710-5795
  • Mark K. Boyd PhD, PE, D.WRE
    Mark K. Boyd PhD, PE, D.WRE
    President Elect
  • Travis N. Attanasio PE, CFM
    Travis N. Attanasio PE, CFM
    Past President
  • Julia P. Clarke PE
    Julia P. Clarke PE
    Vice-President for Educational Affairs
    Phone: 713-996-8990
  • Andres Salazar PhD, PE
    Andres Salazar PhD, PE
    Vice-President for Professional Affairs
  • Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
    Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
    Vice-President for Technical Affairs
    Phone: 915-533-6811
  • Glenn A. Goldstein PE, PMP, PMI-RMP
    Glenn A. Goldstein PE, PMP, PMI-RMP
    Treasurer
    Phone: 512-279-5437
  • Julie Jones PE, CFM
    Julie Jones PE, CFM
    Vice-President for Professional Affairs Elect
  • Genest Landry PE, PMP
    Genest Landry PE, PMP
    Vice-President for Educational Affairs Elect
  • Mark Mann PE
    Mark Mann PE
    Vice-President for Technical Affairs Elect
  • Rebecca L. Rice PE
    Rebecca L. Rice PE
    Senior Director at Large
    Phone: 713-329-2542
  • Jenni Peters, CAE
    Jenni Peters, CAE
    Executive Director (Ex Officio)
    Phone: 512-910-2272
  • Mike Sosa
    Mike Sosa
    Secretary (Ex Officio)
    Phone: 512-472-8905

Board of Direction

The Board of Direction includes all Executive Committee Members and the following individuals:

Assistant Treasurer

  • Anna Olveda
    Anna Olveda
    Assistant Treasurer
    Phone: 210-241-6124

 

Directors at Large

  • Rebecca L. Rice PE
    Rebecca L. Rice PE
    Senior Director at Large
    Phone: 713-329-2542
  • Victor Murillo PE
    Victor Murillo PE
    Second Year Director at Large
  • Adam Eaton PE, CFM, ENV SP
    Adam Eaton PE, CFM, ENV SP
    First Year Director at Large
  • Angie Fealy PE
    Angie Fealy PE
    First Year Director at Large

 

Section Directors

  • Austin Messerli PE
    Austin Messerli PE
    Austin Branch Section Director
  • Robert Lys Jr. PE
    Robert Lys Jr. PE
    Brazos Branch Section Director
    Phone: 281-931-9832
  • OPEN
    OPEN
    Caprock Branch Section Director
  • Jacob Hinson PE
    Jacob Hinson PE
    Central Texas Branch Section Director
  • Joe W. Alvarez
    Joe W. Alvarez
    Corpus Christi Branch Section Director
    Phone: 361-661-7069
  • Carlos Balderrama PE
    Carlos Balderrama PE
    Dallas Branch Section Director
  • Marvin Gomez PE
    Marvin Gomez PE
    El Paso Branch Section Director
    Phone: 915-313-3680
  • Andrea Taylor PE
    Andrea Taylor PE
    Fort Worth Branch Section Director
    Phone: 817-469-1671
  • Rodolfo Mireles PE
    Rodolfo Mireles PE
    High Plains Branch Section Director
  • Sarah Alvarez PE, CFM
    Sarah Alvarez PE, CFM
    Houston Branch Section Director
  • David D. Stanley PE
    David D. Stanley PE
    Northeast Texas Branch Section Director
    Phone: 903-553-0500
  • Edwin Manrique EIT
    Edwin Manrique EIT
    Rio Grande Valley Branch Section Director
    Phone: (956) 800-2112
  • Mike Bratten PE
    Mike Bratten PE
    San Antonio Branch Section Director
  • Liv M. Haselbach PhD, PE
    Liv M. Haselbach PhD, PE
    Southeast Texas Branch Section Director
    Phone: 409-880-7740
  • OPEN
    OPEN
    West Texas Branch Section Director

Committee Chairs

  • Kimberly K. Cornett PE, F.ASCE
    Kimberly K. Cornett PE, F.ASCE
    Office and Personal Committee Chair
  • Sean P. Merrell PE
    Sean P. Merrell PE
    Past Presidents Council Committee Chair
  • Art Clendenin PE
    Art Clendenin PE
    Nominating Committee Chair
  • Travis Barnett PE
    Travis Barnett PE
    Branch/Section Relations Committee Co-Chair
  • Stephen Archer PE
    Stephen Archer PE
    CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
  • Carlos Balderrama PE
    Carlos Balderrama PE
    CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
  • Rebecca L. Rice PE
    Rebecca L. Rice PE
    Editorial Committee Co-Chair
    Phone: 512-777-4596
  • Victor Murillo PE
    Victor Murillo PE
    Editorial Committee Co-Chair
    Phone: 713-777-5337
  • Adam Eaton, PE, ENV SP, CFM
    Adam Eaton, PE, ENV SP, CFM
    Government Affairs Committee Co-Chair
    Phone: 361-205-1552
  • Michael Bloom PE, CFM, ENV SP
    Michael Bloom PE, CFM, ENV SP
    Government Affairs Committee Co-Chair
    Phone: 832-952-1685
  • Michael P. Gurka PE
    Michael P. Gurka PE
    Honors Committee Chair
    Phone: 713-353-7288
  • Melinda Luna PE, CFM
    Melinda Luna PE, CFM
    History & Heritage Committee Chair
  • Patrick J. Williams PE, LEED AP
    Patrick J. Williams PE, LEED AP
    Branch/Section Relations Committee Co-Chair
  • Clint Hoover PE
    Clint Hoover PE
    Membership Committee Co-Chair
  • Carlos A. Martinez PE, ENV SP
    Carlos A. Martinez PE, ENV SP
    STEM Committee Chair
  • Sarah DeBerry PE
    Sarah DeBerry PE
    Strategic Planning Committee Chair
  • Shannon Jungman PE
    Shannon Jungman PE
    Student Competition Coordinator
  • Eva Reynal EIT
    Eva Reynal EIT
    Student Activities Committee Chair
    Phone: 713-742-6170
  • Paola Wagnon EIT
    Paola Wagnon EIT
    Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair
  • Austin Messerli PE
    Austin Messerli PE
    Texas Infrastructure Report Card Committee Co-Chair
  • Farrah Rawashdeh EIT, ENV SP
    Farrah Rawashdeh EIT, ENV SP
    Younger Members Committee Chair
  • Chad M. Ballard PE
    Chad M. Ballard PE
    Subject Matter Experts Bureau Co-Chair
    Phone: 972-996-5719
  • Joe W. Alvarez
    Joe W. Alvarez
    Membership Committee Co-Chair
    Phone: 361-661-7069
  • Griselda Gonzales PE, LEED AP, ENV SP
    Griselda Gonzales PE, LEED AP, ENV SP
    Texas Infrastructure Report Card Committee Co-Chair
    Phone: 210-838-1659

Institute Chapter Chairs

  • Joe W. Alvarez
    Joe W. Alvarez
    Construction Institute Chapter Co-Chair
    Phone: 361-661-7069
  • John Mudd PE
    John Mudd PE
    Construction Institute Chapter Chair
    Phone: (713) 338-8005
  • Russell Erskine
    Russell Erskine
    Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter Co-Chair
  • Curtis B. Beitel PE, CFM, ENV SP
    Curtis B. Beitel PE, CFM, ENV SP
    Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter Co-Chair
  • Robert H. Lawrence PE
    Robert H. Lawrence PE
    Geotechnical Institute Chapter Chair
    Phone: 214-630-9745
  • Marcelo F. DaSilva PhD, PE
    Marcelo F. DaSilva PhD, PE
    Structural Engineering Institute Chapter Chair
    Phone: 512-975-7863
  • Surya Bhandari PE, M.ASCE
    Surya Bhandari PE, M.ASCE
    Transportation & Development Institute Chapter Chair
    Phone: 281-912-8115
  • Jesse Cooper RPLS
    Jesse Cooper RPLS
    Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute Chapter Chair
  • Anna Olveda
    Anna Olveda
    Forensics Group Institute Chapter Chair
Kimberly Cornett PE, CFM, F.ASCE
President

Kimberly K. Cornett, PE, F.ASCE, is the Regional Stormwater Manager for Lockwood, Andrews, and Newnam, Inc. (LAN).   She has more than 20 years of experience in the water resource infrastructure industry and handles all phases of a project from analysis to design.  She is responsible for connecting North Texas communities with innovative solutions for their stormwater requirements.

Ms. Cornett has been active in ASCE since 2002 and served the ASCE Texas Section in a variety of roles.  She has served as President of the San Antonio Branch and the Section Director for the Fort Worth Branch. She was the recipient of the Texas Section Professional Service Award in 2018.

During her career and time with ASCE, she has been actively involved in STEM-related activities engaging students to get involved with engineering. She has presented the Hydrologic cycle and the water/wastewater cycle to students from kindergarten to high school.   As a hydrology major, she recognizes how much society takes water resources for granted and believes it is important children understand at a young age that water is a privilege and not a gift.

Ms. Cornett graduated with Bachelor of Science in Hydrology and Water Resources from Tarleton State University and Master of Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her spouse, Cameron, and son, Kayden.  She is currently a University of Houston Cougar supporter, where her daughter, Taylor attends.  As a fun fact, she loves to sew in her spare time.

Mark K. Boyd PhD, PE, D.WRE
President Elect

While working as Principal Engineer of LCA Environmental, Inc since 1998, it has been Mark’s pleasure to serve ASCE in many formal and informal leadership roles supporting worthy branch and section missions, including the Section’s Centennial Celebration and the past four eventful years on the Dallas Branch Board of Direction.  Curiously, Mark started life a very long way from my ASCE friends and colleagues in Texas.  Born in Lahore, Pakistan, he is always so close but never right at the end of the line at ASCE leadership training distance competitions!

Mark lives in Richardson with his family.  He gets through every day with the loving support and unending patience of his sweet wife of 34 years, Monica Fatima.  He gets life inspiration and takes great pride in his daughter Natalie Nassim (newly graduated with an MBA from UNT) and son Stephen Hickel (Eagle Scout, SMU Economist, and Finance Officer extraordinaire!).

Travis N. Attanasio PE, CFM
Past President

Mr. Attanasio brings his 20 year professional experience currently serving as a Senior Civil Engineer for the City of Burleson Public Works-Development, which is south of Fort Worth in Johnson County, Texas. He is also the ASCE Texas Section President, the Texas Section being the largest Section in ASCE with over 10,000 members. Prior to his current engagement he was the first full-time City Engineer for the City of Haslet from 2016-2021 and also worked with several private consulting engineering firms ranging in employee size from 6 to over 500 employees with projects across many States. This career path has led Mr. Attanasio to understand the infrastructure needs of Texas from both a private investment point of view and the demand of public needs in differing regions and environments. Mr. Attanasio holds a B.S. degree in Engineering – Civil Specialty from the Colorado School of Mines graduating in 2002.

Julia P. Clarke PE
Vice-President for Educational Affairs

Julia P. Clarke, P.E. is an Associate, Geotechnical Engineering Department Manager at Raba Kistner, Inc. She manages the Houston Engineering Department, supervising staff members, including project managers and engineering professionals. Clarke oversees the department’s annual budget and is responsible for meeting profit targets set by the Chief Operating Officer of the Consultants group. She maintains client relationships with school districts, university systems, and local governments to procure geotechnical engineering services. Clarke monitors external client feedback for department projects and addresses clients’ concerns. Clarke provides engineering services as Principal Geotechnical Engineer on highway improvement projects. She provides training and mentoring opportunities for young engineering professionals by developing technical training videos and creating the Professional Development Series program. Through this program, she fosters relationships between young engineering professionals and Operational and Corporate Leaders.

Throughout her career, Clarke has been an active leader in the Houston Area and the State of Texas. She serves as the FY24 Vice President for Education Affairs for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Texas Section. Clarke promotes STEM education and programs for future Civil Engineers, engineering students, and young engineering professionals. She served as the FY17 Vice President Technical, FY18 Vice President Administration, FY19 President Elect, FY20 President and FY21 Past President for the ASCE Houston Branch. During her Presidency, Clarke participated in an interview entitled, “Meet a Local Leader in Engineering Supporting STEM Education for Houston Girls,” for the Houston Life TV Show. She expressed her passion for attracting African American girls and young women to pursue STEM careers. Clarke received the 2017 Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award and the 2023 Award of Honor for her dedicated service to the ASCE Houston Branch. She has a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in 2008 and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of South Florida in 2005.

Andres Salazar PhD, PE
Vice-President for Professional Affairs

Andres Salazar is the Director of Water Resources Engineering for Walter P Moore. He is a water resources engineer with more than 22 years of experience in steady and unsteady modeling, river basin and reservoir operations, and water resources planning. He is an expert with planning and feasibility studies for drainage and water supply projects. He joined Walter P Moore in 2009 and is a resident of Pearland, Texas. His education includes a Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Civil Engineering from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia and a Doctoral Degree from Texas A&M University in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering.  He is a professional engineer licensed in four states. Dr. Salazar was the first chair of the EWRI Houston Chapter and has served in the Board of the ASCE Houston Branch and the ASCE Texas Section as VP of Technical Affairs.

Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
Vice-President for Technical Affairs

Christopher J. Nance, P.E., M.ASCE, ENV SP is an Associate and Project Engineer for Parkhill, Smith & Cooper’s Water Resources Sector. Since joining PSC in 2004, he has focused on hydraulic analysis, master planning, and wastewater treatment for small communities. He has developed expertise in GIS, asset management, CIP development, and water distribution and wastewater modeling. Chris is a licensed professional engineer in Texas and New Mexico and is an Envision Sustainable Professional.

Chris is a Past President of the ASCE El Paso Branch and has served on its board since 2011. He was recognized by the branch and named Young Civil Engineer of the Year in 2013. During 2019’s E-Week, Chris was recognized by ASCE as an outstanding volunteer for Region 6.

In 2018, Chris was selected for and completed the El Paso Chamber’s Leadership El Paso program. Chris also participated in PSC’s Leadership Academy in 2014, facilitated by the CrossGroup, which has served as a template for NSPE-TX’s Leadership Institute. An El Paso native, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated in 2003.

Glenn A. Goldstein PE, PMP, PMI-RMP
Treasurer

Glenn Goldstein PE, PMP, PMI-RMP began his ASCE journey as an undergraduate on the student steel bridge team and competed at the regional level for two years. He joined the Austin Branch in 2002 and was active with local leadership for ten years. During his tenure, Glenn chaired several committees and was a branch board member for seven years, including roles as Younger Member Director, Treasurer and President.

Glenn is the Risk Management Technical Director at Foresight where he provides risk management support for public and private sector programs through all phases of project delivery. He develops risk management guidelines and tools, facilitates risk workshops, provides risk training, and develops risk-based cost estimates for traditional and alternative delivery projects. Glenn serves as Risk Manager for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Expansion and Development Program (AEDP).

Glenn received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Glenn and his wife, Beth, have two children and he enjoys playing water polo and underwater torpedo league and being a foster for displaced labrador retrievers. Glenn is a native Floridian but has called Texas home for over 20 years.

 

Julie Jones PE, CFM
Vice-President for Professional Affairs Elect

Julie has been active in many roles at the Branch levels. She is a dedicated ASCE leader continuing to be an active member of the Dallas Branch for 2 years since she rolled off the board.  She received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Civil Engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2005 and 2007 where she began her ASCE involvement.   

 

In the Dallas Branch, Julie has served as Past-President Chair, Girl Scouts Champion, Engineers Without Borders Liaison, Past-President, President, Interim President, President Elect, Vice President, Texas Section Director, Branch Director, and Program Chair.  She has served in the Dallas Branch since 2012 and has been a member there since 2008.  She served on the 2014 National Program Committee for the 144th Annual Conference.  She was previously active and served as President of the University of Arkansas Student Chapter. 

 

Julie has worked developing relationships with other professional organizations within Dallas and for the Dallas Branch (as well as Engineers Without Borders Chapters Nationwide) and coordinating on matters of mutual concern.  She has helped prepare articles for publication in the Texas Civil Engineer magazine. 

 

She has held the following EWB-USA Chapter positions: Northwest Arkansas Professional Secretary/Treasurer and Co-Founder; University of Arkansas Founder and President; North Texas Professional President and Past-President, Guatemala and Bolivia Project Lead; Southern Methodist University Mentor.  At the regional level for the South Central Regional Chapter (Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma) she has served as Arkansas State Representative, Vice-President, Workshop Chair, President, Past-President and Texas State Representative.  At the national level, she has served as Global Leadership Design Global Engineer Local Pathway Leader, Global Leadership Design Global Engineer Local Planning Committee, Council of Regional Presidents, Domestic Project Committee, Mentor Committee, State Representative Committee Chair, Conference Planning Committee, and Mentor Committee. 

 

She has been honored to receive the following awards: EWB-USA Founders Award, ASCE Texas Section John A. Focht, Jr. Citizen Engineer Award, and ASCE Dallas Branch Young Engineer of the Year. 

 

Julie is the Director of Water Resources at Nathan D. Maier Consulting Engineers, Inc. in Dallas Texas.  Julie professionally works on large projects as the hydrology and hydraulics project engineer/manager. These types of projects include roadway and guideway drainage, hydrology and hydraulics studies, and FEMA studies. Julie has also performed technical reviews and serves as the District Engineer for two flood control districts. She has completed designs for erosion control projects, completed 2-D hydrologic/hydraulic models, and performed client coordination and project management services. 

Genest Landry PE, PMP
Vice-President for Educational Affairs Elect
Mark Mann PE
Vice-President for Technical Affairs Elect

Mr. Mark Mann, P.E. has over 20 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment facilities, pump station facilities, water and sanitary sewer utilities, roadway design, drainage, and bridge inspection.  He has experience in the conceptual and preliminary engineering phases, selection of treatment equipment, design of treatment structures, and construction administration of projects.  Mr. Mann has experience in routine inspection of TxDOT on-system and off-system bridge facilities throughout the State of Texas. 

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 

PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS 

SOFTWARE SKILLS 

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

 

Volunteer Organizations 

Rebecca L. Rice PE
Senior Director at Large

Rebecca L. Rice, P.E. is a geotechnical engineer within Terracon’s Conroe office. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas and has 7 years of experience providing geotechnical engineering and consulting services for public works and transportation projects in the greater Houston area. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science (2014) and a Master of Engineering (2015) both in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. Rebecca has been a member of ASCE since her undergraduate program at Texas A&M University, where she first became involved with the steel bridge team. Since graduation, she has been an active member of the ASCE Houston Branch and the local Geo-Institute chapter and has served ASCE in various committee positions at the Branch level. Rebecca has also volunteered in the annual Texas-Mexico and Region 6 ASCE Student Symposium as a competition judge since 2017. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys spending time outside gardening or hiking and camping with her husband.

Jenni Peters, CAE
Executive Director (Ex Officio)

Jenni Peters is the Executive Director of ASCE Texas Section. In this full-time role, she is devoted to the advancement of the civil engineering profession, the leadership of the Section, and passionate about growing the engagement and membership of the Section’s 15 Branches. She regularly works with the Section’s leaders on the Board of Direction and Executive Committee to implement the strategic plan and ensure the Section continues to be one of the most active sections within ASCE.

Jenni’s responsibilities include:

More About Jenni

Before joining the ASCE Texas Section team, Jenni has worked with associations for more than 6 years, and before that in the for-profit world, more than 15 years focused on marketing, sponsorship, and event promotion in mostly the telecommunications industry, also dabbling in personalized license plates (MyPlates.com). Fulfilling a goal set in college to return to the community service sector, her career led her back to her alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, where she began her work with non-profits/associations, coordinating membership for an international higher education trade association. It was with his amazing, passionate staff team that she decided to take the leap into making association management her new career path, which lead to a move to managing marketing, membership, and communications for a statewide pharmacy society.

“In getting to know the ASCE Texas Section members and our colleagues within the civil engineering industry, I continue to be inspired and humbled to be a part in helping them build a better quality life for our communities,” said Jenni. “I am honored to lead the Section as we further engage and grow our amazing membership community.”

Jenni graduated with a BS in Sociology and Communications from UT Austin and has earned her CAE (Certified Association Executive) designation. She also “earned her ears” completing two semesters in the Disney College Program, as well as earning Disney Institute’s Approach to Leadership Excellence Certificate and completing their Leadership Essentials: Collaboration course.

She is a native Texan, growing up in the Houston area as an Astros and Oilers fan (you cannot beat a baby blue oil rig). As a Texas Ex Life Member, she will forever bleed orange. Jenni is also a life member of Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed community service organization. Jenni, her husband Jonny, and their daughter June (the JPs as they call themselves) are avid Disney fans and try to vacation at either Land or World at least once a year.

“I am always open to receiving feedback and encourage all members to reach out with suggestions and hurdles you are currently facing in your professional activities that the Section may be able to offer assistance.” – Jenni

Mike Sosa
Secretary (Ex Officio)

Mike’s responsibilities include:

More about Mike

Mike Sosa joined ASCE Texas Section as the Data Coordinator in June of 2017. He is very detail-oriented and has experience working with member-driven associations. He enjoys interacting with members of the Section and helping them benefit from the Section’s resources.

Prior to joining ASCE Texas Section, he spent time working as an executive assistant for companies located in Columbus, OH and San Diego, CA. He is a 2010 graduate of the College of Business at Ohio University with a B.S. in Sport Administration. Before that, he was raised in sunny San Diego and spent the vast majority of his free time on a baseball field or at the beach.

Shortly before joining the team at the Section Office, Mike relocated to Austin from Columbus, OH with his girlfriend, Keah, and their adorable Pitbull/Lab puppy, Nollie. Since moving to Austin, they have expanded the family by adopting a two-year old Australian Cattle Dog named Ziggy.

Outside of work he enjoys finding new places around town to try unique craft beer, catching a baseball or football game on the weekend, exploring local parks and trails with his dogs, and playing slow-pitch softball or a round of golf on a nice Sunday afternoon.

Mike is also an avid fan of the San Diego Padres, San Diego Chargers (he knows they moved, but he refuses to acknowledge the change), New York Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team.

Anna Olveda
Assistant Treasurer

Anna Olveda is VP of Engineering for Wafflemat in Grapevine, TX. In the past 8 years of her Engineering career, she has worked on numerous commercial and residential projects across the state of Texas that vary in size and complexity. She received her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from Texas A&M University in Kingsville, TX (TAMUK) in 2013 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (TAMUK) in 2015 with an emphasis in Structures.

Anna’s involvement with ASCE began in 2012 with the ASCE TAMUK Student Chapter (sponsored by ASCE- Corpus Christi Branch) and has continued her commitment to the organization throughout her professional career. She has served on the ASCE Board in San Antonio since 2015, where she previously served as the ASCE- San Antonio Branch President, as well as a volunteer for the ASCE San Antonio Branch Scholarship Committee. She has also been published in the ASCE-AEI Journal (2017) for her continued research in floor vibrations.

When she is not busy with work, learning, or volunteering, she enjoys traveling the world with her supportive and extremely patient husband.

Rebecca L. Rice PE
Senior Director at Large

Rebecca L. Rice, P.E. is a geotechnical engineer within Terracon’s Conroe office. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas and has 7 years of experience providing geotechnical engineering and consulting services for public works and transportation projects in the greater Houston area. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science (2014) and a Master of Engineering (2015) both in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. Rebecca has been a member of ASCE since her undergraduate program at Texas A&M University, where she first became involved with the steel bridge team. Since graduation, she has been an active member of the ASCE Houston Branch and the local Geo-Institute chapter and has served ASCE in various committee positions at the Branch level. Rebecca has also volunteered in the annual Texas-Mexico and Region 6 ASCE Student Symposium as a competition judge since 2017. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys spending time outside gardening or hiking and camping with her husband.

Victor Murillo PE
Second Year Director at Large

Victor E. Murillo, P.E. of Escondido, California currently lives in Corpus Christi, Texas where he serves as President of the ASCE Corpus Christi Branch. He received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University Kingsville in 2015. Thereafter, he received his Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University – Kingsville in 2019. He has been a part of the American Society of Civil Engineers since the Fall of 2012. He was heavily involved in the Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe Competitions where he gained a passion for the profession. He served as Vice President and President of the Texas A&M University – Kingsville student chapter in 2014 and 2015, respectively. He currently serves as the President of the Corpus Christi Branch. Victor became a licensed professional engineer in Texas in April 2020 and has 7 years of industry experience.  He is a Civil Engineer at Hanson Professional Services Inc. and was promoted to a supervisory role in 2020. Victor has worked on numerous projects involving ADA improvements, land and site development, roadway, city parks, traffic control plan design, stormwater, utility coordination, structural design, and bicycle/pedestrian trails. He also has experience in the preparation of construction plans for private commercial developments, including parking lots, grading, underground stormwater drainage systems, detention ponds, and water/wastewater improvements. He has developed detailed designs, plans, specifications, contract documents, and cost estimates for various municipal projects which have allowed him to become well-versed in design standards and regulations at municipal and state levels. 

Adam Eaton PE, CFM, ENV SP
First Year Director at Large

Adam Eaton serves as a Senior Project Manager and resiliency and sustainability subject matter expert for Ardurra, focused on climate-resilient solutions for water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. His professional experience spans the breadth of water resources and includes planning and implementing flood mitigation and storm drainage improvement analyses, municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment, and policy and planning for aquifer storage and recovery in Texas. He also has experience in policy and regulatory projects with the TCEQ and the Michigan DOT, as well as international financing for sustainable and energy-efficient projects through an INGO in Vienna, Austria. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas, a Certified Floodplain Manager, and an Envision Sustainability Professional and Envision Trainer. He received a Master of Public Service and Administration from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University. 

Angie Fealy PE
First Year Director at Large

Angie has been passionately involved in ASCE since she joined her junior year of undergrad at Texas Tech. She enjoys being involved in the ASCE community and learning about the project and ideas that the community is taking on. Angie ensures continued development and public access by broadcasting the local branch meetings and branch opportunities to her work colleagues. She has persuaded two of her colleagues to join their local branch meetings. She is flexible with her time and offers to help out the branch section members and chance she gets. She volunteers with the Region 6 Student Symposium and advocates for her company to partake in the career fair during the event each year. 

Austin Messerli PE
Austin Branch Section Director

Austin Messerli is a Senior Engineer/Project Manager with K Friese & Associates. Originally from Oklahoma, he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. Relocating to Central Texas over four years ago and is now happy to call it home. He has over nine years of experience with Municipal, County, and DOT transportation projects across Texas, Oklahoma, and the surrounding States.

The most exciting part of this work is seeing all the various components of transportation projects come together to form a positive and lasting impact on the public. Austin is an active member of ASCE, first participating in the University of Oklahoma Chapter, where he eventually became president, then holding various positions professionally across Oklahoma and Texas.

He serves as Austin Branch Section Director and Texas Section Infrastructure Report Card Co-Chair. Previously, he served as Government Affairs Chair/Co-Chair for Austin Branch and Texas Section, helped Chair the Highway and Roads Committee, assisted the Parks and Rec Committee with the 2021 Texas Infrastructure Report Card, and participated in the National Legislative Fly-In, the Texas State Drive-Ins, MLRC, and student mentoring programs for UT.

Robert Lys Jr. PE
Brazos Branch Section Director
Carlos Balderrama PE
Dallas Branch Section Director

Carlos is a graduate of Texas A&M University and has over 10 years of experience in the transportation industry. He grew up in El Paso TX, where most of his family still resides, but has moved all over Texas throughout his career. He finds it boring to do just one thing, so he has worked in design, maintenance, and CEI and enjoys learning and trying new fields and projects. The farthest he has traveled for work has been Oslo, Norway, where he designed facilities and roadways for the Rygge Air base for a federal contract.

He has experience with PS&E, Design-Build, and CEI projects for municipalities in Texas and for NTTA and TxDOT. His top project highlights include Design-Build experience, having worked on the North Tarrant Express Segment 3A project in Fort Worth and on the IH 35 NEX Central project in San Antonio; and serving as project engineer for the IH 35 and US 183 Interchange reconstruction projects in Austin.

Carlos has been involved with the ASCE Dallas Branch since 2019, and has served in multiple positions including Programs Chair, Technical Director, and Younger Member Co-Chair. In his spare time Carlos enjoys planning tennis and running. He loves traveling and tries to visit at least two new countries every year.

Marvin Gomez PE
El Paso Branch Section Director
Andrea Taylor PE
Fort Worth Branch Section Director

Andrea Taylor is a Professional Engineer and Principal at mma inc, where she is manages the engineering design and City Permitting of various project types, including single family and multifamily residential, commercial, industrial, schools, and entertainment across the DFW Metroplex.  Second to her passion of engineering is sharing her love of engineering and will take any opportunity to present to students.

Andrea attended the University of Texas at Arlington, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and Master’s of Engineering Degree in Civil Engineering. She is married to Shane Taylor, mom to a toddler. Andrea is a Board Member of CREW Fort Worth, is the Fort Worth Branch ASCE Texas Section Director,  and serves on the City of Hurst Planning and Zoning Commission. In her spare time, Andrea enjoys a good book or practicing her amateur baking skills.

Rodolfo Mireles PE
High Plains Branch Section Director
Sarah Alvarez PE, CFM
Houston Branch Section Director

Sarah N. Alvarez, P.E., CFM, has over ten years of experience as a hydrologic and hydraulic engineer working on transportation projects in both the public and private sector. Sarah obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and her Master’s degree from University of Houston. She has been in leadership roles with the ASCE Houston Branch since 2014 and has been on the board of direction since 2016. She has previously volunteered on committees and as a committee chair with the ASCE Texas Section.

David D. Stanley PE
Northeast Texas Branch Section Director

David Stanley, PE has been an active member of ASCE since 2013. He currently serves as the Northeast Texas Branch Section Director and Practitioner Advisor for LeTourneau University. David has previously served under all Officer positions at the NET Branch. His degrees include a BS in civil engineering from LeTourneau University and a BA in political science from the University of Texas at Austin.

David is an Associate and East Texas Group Leader for CP&Y, Inc. and has over eight years of experience in civil engineering design and construction oversight for multiple facility types including water distribution systems, water and wastewater treatment plants, spillways and dams, and well sites. His experience includes new construction, rehabilitation and improvements, inspections, hydraulic analyses, and environmental permitting for municipalities and utility districts, as well as industrial clients and private developers.

David and his wife, Sarah, live in Kilgore, Texas where they are both active members of their community serving on various non-profit and municipal boards

Edwin Manrique EIT
Rio Grande Valley Branch Section Director
Mike Bratten PE
San Antonio Branch Section Director
Liv M. Haselbach PhD, PE
Southeast Texas Branch Section Director

Dr. Liv Haselbach is a professor and chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lamar University in Texas. She authored the McGraw-Hill book, The Engineering Guide to LEED- New Construction, Sustainable Construction for Engineers, served as an Associate Director of the USDOT University Transportation Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates (CESTiCC) and was the 2015 Fulbright/Alcoa Distinguished Chair in the Environmental Sciences and Engineering in Brazil. She previously was an associate/full professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Washington State University, an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, and a lecturer at Yale University.

She has authored numerous papers on sustainability related to site issues, concrete carbon sequestration, metal mitigation technologies, life cycle assessment and low impact development. Her degrees include a BS with Distinction in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell, an MS in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley, and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Connecticut. Liv is a licensed professional engineer and a LEED AP (BD+C). Prior to her academic career she founded an engineering consulting company in the New York – Connecticut area, which specialized in permitting and site development for major US companies.

OPEN
West Texas Branch Section Director
Kimberly K. Cornett PE, F.ASCE
Office and Personal Committee Chair

Kimberly K. Cornett PE, F.ASCE, is the Regional Stormwater Manager for Lockwood, Andrews, and Newnam, Inc. (LAN).   She has more than 20 years of experience in the water resource infrastructure industry and handles all phases of a project from analysis to design.  She is responsible for connecting North Texas communities with innovative solutions for their stormwater requirements.

Ms. Cornett has been active in ASCE since 2002 and served the ASCE Texas Section in a variety of roles.  She has served as President of the San Antonio Branch and the Section Director for the Fort Worth Branch. She was the recipient of the Texas Section Professional Service Award in 2018.

During her career and time with ASCE, she has been actively involved in STEM-related activities engaging students to get involved with engineering. She has presented the Hydrologic cycle and the water/wastewater cycle to students from kindergarten to high school.   As a hydrology major, she recognizes how much society takes water resources for granted and believes it is important children understand at a young age that water is a privilege and not a gift.

Ms. Cornett graduated with Bachelor of Science in Hydrology and Water Resources from Tarleton State University and Master of Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her spouse, Cameron, and son, Kayden.  She is currently a University of Houston Cougar supporter, where her daughter, Taylor attends.  As a fun fact, she loves to sew in her spare time.

Sean P. Merrell PE
Past Presidents Council Committee Chair

Sean P. Merrell, P.E., PTOE has served ASCE on many levels over the past 21 years.  As a student at Texas A&M University, he served as the Student Chapter President. He has impacted the Houston and Dallas Branches as an officer and committee chair continuously for 17 years.  He served as the Dallas Branch President and chaired the Texas Section Centennial Committee in 2013. He has served on numerous committees and as an officer for ASCE Texas Section and has served as a Region 6 Governor. On the societal level, Sean served on the Membership Committee and as a corresponding member for the Leadership Training Committee for many years.  

 

Sean has been recognized as the Young Engineer of the Year by the Houston Branch, the Engineer of the Year by the Dallas Branch, and was a Edmund Friedman Young Engineer in 2008. Sean has given back to his community while serving as a mentor to high school students at the Civil Engineering Club, a steel bridge and concrete canoe judge at regional and national competitions, and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, Mathcounts, Construction, and Future Cities. In his community, Sean is serving on the City of Frisco Parks & Recreation Board and the Collin County Planning Board. 

 

Sean has served as a Traffic Engineer at BGE, Inc. for 16 years leading the traffic group for three North Texas offices. Sean has been married to his wife Elizabeth for 27 years and they have two children, Sasha & Declan.   

 

Art Clendenin PE
Nominating Committee Chair

Art Clendenin began his involvement with ASCE as a student at Texas Tech University. He was the Concrete Canoe Chairman for three years and also served as the Student Chapter President. He spent the first 15 years of his career at TxDOT in the Corpus Christi District, where he worked up through the ranks from Engineer Assistant to Area Engineer.  During this time he was an active participant in ASCE at the Corpus Christi branch’s activities where he served in all branch leadership roles.  He served as the Corpus Christi Branch Director completing the term as he moved to the Northeast Texas area in 1998. 

While settling into East Texas as a consultant project manager, Art continued his involvement at the state level serving two sequential terms as the Vice President of Technical Programs.  His professional service continued at the Branch level, where he has served on numerous volunteer committees and has participated as a practitioner-advisor to the UT Tyler Civil Engineering program, numerous terms as the Northeast Texas Branch Director and substitute director.  Art is the Quality Control Director and Product Development Engineer for Del Zotto Products of Texas, Inc. , a precast concrete and form manufacturing company with locations in Gladewater, TX; Sealy, TX; and Wrenshall, Minnesota.  Art has supported the UT Tyler Civil Engineering Program as an adjunct instructor and assisted the Civil Engineering Department with various class projects.  Most recently he helped the student branch host the ASCE National Concrete Canoe competition.  Within the precast realm, Art is currently serving as a financial analyst for the Texas Concrete Pipe Association and is a Program Advisor to the Kilgore College Industrial Maintenance Program.  

Some highlights of Art Clendenin’s 34 year career include the development of the first pre-cast bent caps used in Texas bridge construction, creating the first mitigation plan for inclusion into a roadway project for leaking underground storage tanks, providing design and construction expertise for the Loop  

363S/IH35 multi-level interchange in Temple and schematic corridor design and review for the IH35 expansion from Belton to Salado.  

 Art is a member of the Executive Board of “We the People- Longview” which is an information conduit for local citizens regarding a wide range of current event issues.  He serves as a lead usher and deacon at his church, where he and his wife are active members.  Art and his wife, Mary Lou, have raised three daughters and now enjoy three precious granddaughters whenever possible.   When time permits they play hard at various water activities or enjoy long rides and trips on his motorcycle.    

Travis Barnett PE
Branch/Section Relations Committee Co-Chair
Stephen Archer PE
CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair

Stephen Archer is the COO for GeoSolutions Inc., the largest wholesale distributor of geosynthetic solutions in the states of Texas and Oklahoma. He is based at their Grand Prairie, TX locale where he started this role in 2017. He started his professional career in 1993 as a technical sales engineer at Contech Construction Products. Stephen grew in his knowledge of the geosynthetic industry during his 17-year career at the Tensar Corporation where he served in various roles including sales, marketing, sales management, and key accounts. He was a major contributor to the commercialization of Tensar’s TriAx Geogrid in the United States in 2008, when he served as the company’s product manager.

Stephen is a 1993 graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. Stephen is a registered professional engineer in the State of Tennessee.

Stephen has extensive experience in designing with geosynthetics for pavement applications on highly plastic clays and saturated silts common to Texas & Oklahoma. He has published white papers on the applicability of geosynthetics over expansive subgrades as well as the value of performance-based specifications for geosynthetics in pavement applications.

Carlos Balderrama PE
CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair

Carlos is a graduate of Texas A&M University and has over 10 years of experience in the transportation industry. He grew up in El Paso TX, where most of his family still resides, but has moved all over Texas throughout his career. He finds it boring to do just one thing, so he has worked in design, maintenance, and CEI and enjoys learning and trying new fields and projects. The farthest he has traveled for work has been Oslo, Norway, where he designed facilities and roadways for the Rygge Air base for a federal contract.

He has experience with PS&E, Design-Build, and CEI projects for municipalities in Texas and for NTTA and TxDOT. His top project highlights include Design-Build experience, having worked on the North Tarrant Express Segment 3A project in Fort Worth and on the IH 35 NEX Central project in San Antonio; and serving as project engineer for the IH 35 and US 183 Interchange reconstruction projects in Austin.

Carlos has been involved with the ASCE Dallas Branch since 2019, and has served in multiple positions including Programs Chair, Technical Director, and Younger Member Co-Chair. In his spare time Carlos enjoys planning tennis and running. He loves traveling and tries to visit at least two new countries every year.

Rebecca L. Rice PE
Editorial Committee Co-Chair

Rebecca L. Rice, P.E. is a geotechnical engineer within Terracon’s Conroe office. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas and has 7 years of experience providing geotechnical engineering and consulting services for public works and transportation projects in the greater Houston area. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science (2014) and a Master of Engineering (2015) both in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. Rebecca has been a member of ASCE since her undergraduate program at Texas A&M University, where she first became involved with the steel bridge team. Since graduation, she has been an active member of the ASCE Houston Branch and the local Geo-Institute chapter and has served ASCE in various committee positions at the Branch level. Rebecca has also volunteered in the annual Texas-Mexico and Region 6 ASCE Student Symposium as a competition judge since 2017. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys spending time outside gardening or hiking and camping with her husband.

Victor Murillo PE
Editorial Committee Co-Chair

Victor E. Murillo, P.E. of Escondido, California currently lives in Corpus Christi, Texas where he serves as President of the ASCE Corpus Christi Branch.. He received his Bachelor of Science of Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University Kingsville in 2015. Thereafter, he received his Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University – Kingsville in 2019. He has been a part of the American Society of Civil Engineers since Fall of 2012. He was heavily involved in the Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe Competitions where he gained a passion for the profession. He served as Vice President and President of the Texas A&M University – Kingsville student chapter in 2014 and 2015, respectively. He currently serves as the President of the Corpus Christi Branch. Victor became a licensed professional engineer in Texas in April 2020 and has 7 years in the industry experience.  He is a Civil Engineer at Hanson Professional Services Inc. and was promoted to a supervisory role in 2020. Victor has worked on numerous projects involving ADA improvements, land and site development, roadway, city parks, traffic control plan design, storm water, utility coordination, structural design, and bicycle/pedestrian trails. He also has experience in the preparation of construction plans for private commercial developments, including parking lots, grading, underground storm water drainage system, detention pond and water/wastewater improvements. He has developed detailed designs, plans, specifications, contract documents and cost estimates for various municipal projects which have allowed him to become well versed in design standards and regulations at municipal and state levels. 

Adam Eaton, PE, ENV SP, CFM
Government Affairs Committee Co-Chair

He currently serves as WSP USA’s Texas Senior Water Resiliency Planner focused on climate-resilient solutions for water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure and policy and planning for urban resilience and sustainability. His previous professional experience includes planning and implementation of flood mitigation and storm drainage improvement analyses with Houston Public Works, and municipal industrial water and wastewater treatment with CDM Smith. He also has experience in policy and regulatory projects with the TCEQ and the Michigan DOT, as well as international financing for sustainable and energy-efficient projects through an INGO in Vienna, Austria. I am a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas, a Certified Floodplain Manager, and an Envision Sustainability Professional and Envision Trainer. I received a Master of Public Service and Administration from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University.  

 

Michael Bloom PE, CFM, ENV SP
Government Affairs Committee Co-Chair

Michael Bloom, P.E., AICP, ENV SP, CFM
Sustainability Practice Manager

5engineering, LLC

Michael provides sustainability and resilience consulting services with 5engineering, LLC. located in Houston, Texas.  Michael helps restore environmentally impacted sites, plans and designs resilient public infrastructure facilities, and assists communities deliver projects with enhanced economic, social, and environmental project outcomes – also called enhancing the “triple bottom line.”

Michael helps communities leverage nature-based solutions to manage stormwater.  He serves on the Texas Water Development Board’s Flood Technical Advisory Group, which provides input to the Board’s new state-wide planning efforts.  Michael is an expert in the application of the Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework (Envision), which provides a guide to enhance triple bottom line outcomes generated by public infrastructure projects.

He currently chairs the Government Affairs Committee of the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), he is a member of ASCE’s Committee on Sustainability, and he serves the Sustainable Infrastructure Committee of the West Houston Association.

He is an Envision Sustainability Professional, a Certified Planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners, a Certified Floodplain Manager, a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer, and a Professional Engineer in Texas and six other states.

Michael P. Gurka PE
Honors Committee Chair

Michael Gurka is a Professional Engineer licensed in the State of Texas and resides in the Greater Houston Area. He holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Graduating Class of 2010. He has been a member of ASCE since his undergraduate studies at UTSA and is active with the ASCE Houston Branch. Michael previously served as Director at Large for the ASCE Texas Section.  

Professionally, Michael has 13 years of experience in Water and Wastewater Industry while providing design and construction oversight on $100+ Million Dollars of public infrastructure projects while at Quiddity Engineering, LLC. Michael operates as a Engineering Manager over the Permitting Group and CAD Design Team in the Water Practice. His technical expertise is focused on large and small diameter water and wastewater projects, surface water canal systems, lift stations, reclaimed water systems, water and wastewater utility relocation and rehabilitations, water distribution system modeling and analysis, asset management, capital improvement planning and impact fee studies.  Michael specializes in water and wastewater utility rehabilitation projects. He has designed and overseen construction valued at $10M on 25 miles of underground water and wastewater utility rehabilitation projects over the past few years.  

Personally, Michael is married to his wife Kristina and they have 2 children, Landon and Presley. The Gurka family enjoys traveling, sports, and enjoying the great outdoors.  

Melinda Luna PE, CFM
History & Heritage Committee Chair

Melinda Luna, PE, GISP, CFM has been a civil engineer for almost 30 years. A graduate of Texas A & I University, she has been interested in Texas history since childhood.  She has been very active with the American Society of Civil Engineers serving as the History and Heritage chair for 17 years as well as serving as local branch officer, scholarship committee member, National committee member on the Environmental Water resource Institute History & Heritage committee, and volunteering her technical skills to solve questions.

She shares her research in Texas civil engineering via a History column – Texas Civil Engineering History in the Texas Civil Engineer magazine.  She also gets contacted by the public for help answering questions and is helpful to authors, genealogist, ASCE members, and others interested in Texas Civil Engineering history.  Along with being a Professional engineer, Melinda has other certifications as a Geographic Information Systems professional and a Certified Floodplain manager.

Patrick J. Williams PE, LEED AP
Branch/Section Relations Committee Co-Chair

Patrick is an Associate Vice President and the Southwest Regional Leader for Urban Engineers.  He is a licensed professional engineer and a U.S. Green Building Council’s certified ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’ (LEED) Accredited Professional.  A graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA, Class of 2004, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and concentration in Construction Management, his current position includes overseeing the operations of Urban’s Dallas County office’s multi-million-dollar annual revenue and the planning, engineering, program/construction management, and inspection services for the Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico areas.  He balances construction management & inspection and oversees the employees within the office for the major markets of Aviation, Rail & Transit, Surface Transportation, and Facility projects. 

His past projects in the area include his leadership for Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport.  For a single ongoing delivery order under one contract, Patrick currently leads the efforts for Urban in the civil engineering and utility design critical for the $200 Million+ program in the development of Garage C and the surrounding area at Terminal C.  Further, for many years he has served as the main project manager and leader for the numerous infrastructure improvement projects for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART); including but not limited to facility/station improvements; management, inspection, and implementation of a cutting edge digital kiosk system along the various transportation modes; and risk assessment services for the $2 Billion+ Silver Line program.  Patrick has extensive experience serving the City of Dallas, as managing multiple projects under the Department of Public Works, Dallas Water Utilities, and the Dallas Airport System which serves Dallas Love Field, Dallas Enterprise, and the Dallas Vertiport. 

Patrick is the upcoming Vice President of the ASCE Dallas Branch for 2023-2024; has recently been the Branch’s Golf Tournament Chair in 2023; and served as the Membership Chair for the ASCE Texas Section for the past two and a half years.  For the Dallas Branch, he has previously served as Texas Section Director, Secretary, and Treasurer (2 years). His decision to become involved in ASCE stemmed from his passion for construction projects and connecting with his peers to benefit the public welfare in his home community.  He started within the Young Member Forum (YMF) of the ASCE Philadelphia Section.  He is on the Engineering Committee for the Airports Consultants Council (ACC) to dedicate his knowledge on construction materials and procedures to the aviation industry.  He is a member and on committees for the Southwest and South Central Chapters of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).  He is also an active member of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). 

He has started and led a number of 501 (c)(3) nonprofit charities, he is a certified Horticultural Society “Tree Tender”, he is a certified Health & Wellness Coach, and is an Ordained Minister.  Patrick’s other honors and awards include being the proud recipient of Drexel University’s Top 40 Under 40 globally in 2021.  Engineering News Record (ENR) also awarded him Top 40 Under 40 in the Texas & Louisiana Region; and then Top 20 Under 40 in the nation.  Patrick has a passion for volunteerism and charity and notes how whatever you put into an initiative that helps others, you receive fulfillment back ten-fold.  He is the recent recipient of the ASCE Dallas Branch’s prestigious “Engineer of the Year” award. 

 

Clint Hoover PE
Membership Committee Co-Chair
Carlos A. Martinez PE, ENV SP
STEM Committee Chair

Carlos Martinez is a Corpus Christi native who earned his Master of Science in Construction Management from the University of Texas at El Paso, his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University – Kingsville, and his Real Estate Salesperson license from Del Mar College. He is currently the Vice President of N. Martinez & Associates, Inc. which is a woman-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned small business where he serves as Senior Project Manager for design projects, construction management and professional training. Mr. Martinez daily tasks include project negotiations, project planning, client relations, on top of project design. Over the last 27 years, he has been responsible for numerous multimillion dollar development projects and supervised real estate construction. Mr. Martinez shares his knowledge in the field of engineering and project management through adjunct teaching, and shares his knowledge of Leadership Training and Coaching by providing customized training programs. When Carlos is not working, you can find him on the Ironman triathlon circuit or road tripping the great state of Texas with his wife and son.

Sarah DeBerry PE
Strategic Planning Committee Chair
Shannon Jungman PE
Student Competition Coordinator
Eva Reynal EIT
Student Activities Committee Chair

Eva Reynal EIT is a Project Engineer in the H&H Division at Elevation Land Solutions. She has 3 years of experience in hydraulics and hydrology in Houston and the surrounding areas. Eva earned a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering with a focus in water resources from Texas Tech University.

Paola Wagnon EIT
Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair

Paola Wagnon EIT is an Engineer II on the Land Development team at Pape-Dawson Engineers. Paola earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Tyler in the Spring of 2022. She has been involved in student engagement throughout her career and time with ASCE. She enjoys encouraging young adults and children from a variety of backgrounds to find and follow a passion for STEM.

Austin Messerli PE
Texas Infrastructure Report Card Committee Co-Chair

Austin Messerli is a Senior Engineer/Project Manager with K Friese & Associates. Originally from Oklahoma, he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. Relocating to Central Texas over four years ago and is now happy to call it home. He has over nine years of experience with Municipal, County, and DOT transportation projects across Texas, Oklahoma, and the surrounding States. The most exciting part of this work is seeing all the various components of transportation projects come together to form a positive and lasting impact on the public. Austin is an active member of ASCE, first participating in the University of Oklahoma Chapter, where he eventually became president, then holding various positions professionally across Oklahoma and Texas. He serves as Austin Branch Section Director and Texas Section Infrastructure Report Card Co-Chair. Previously, he served as Government Affairs Chair/Co-Chair for Austin Branch and Texas Section, helped Chair the Highway and Roads Committee, assisted the Parks and Rec Committee with the 2021 Texas Infrastructure Report Card, and participated in the National Legislative Fly-In, the Texas State Drive-Ins, MLRC, and student mentoring programs for UT.

Farrah Rawashdeh EIT, ENV SP
Younger Members Committee Chair

Farrah Rawashdeh, EIT, ENV SP has four years of experience in the civil engineering industry. She holds a dual Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering and Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where she began her involvement with ASCE. Her involvement with the ASCE Houston Branch includes YM Community Services Chair (2019-2022), Social Media Chair (2020-2022), 2022-2023 Branch Director, and currently serves as Vice President of Communications for the 2023-2024 term.

She is currently employed by DE Corp as a Project Engineer for the transportation group. Farrah is a native Houstonian, former expatriate, enjoys travelling, music, fashion, books, and volunteering in her spare time.

Chad M. Ballard PE
Subject Matter Experts Bureau Co-Chair

Chad Ballard PE is a licensed Civil Engineer holding a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and has experience using a variety of hydrologic and hydrodynamic solvers and modeling platforms. In both an advisory and consulting role, Mr. Ballard has helped hundreds of engineering firms around the world apply different numerical modeling solutions to their specific projects. Currently, he works as a consultant at Plummer Associates as well as a previous adjunct faculty member teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in hydrology and hydraulics.

He is a past board member of the local chapter of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) and is involved currently with EWRI at the national level as part of the Calibration/Validation of Free-Surface Hydraulic Models Task Committee. Mr. Ballard also has been involved as a previous board member of a professional chapter of Engineering Without Boards (EWB) as well as being involved with other non-profit flood modeling work in developing countries. He currently lives in Dallas-Fort Worth area with his wife and five daughters.

Joe W. Alvarez
Membership Committee Co-Chair

Joe Alvarez has been active in ASCE since his freshman year at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.  While in school, he was on the steel bridge team that qualified for nationals in Salt Lake City, UT, as well as a member of the concrete canoe team and eventually serving as student branch president.  In 2008 and 2009 he helped the Corpus Christi Branch and Rio Grande Valley Branch as they hosted the Spring Section Meetings.  He served under Keith McBride and coordinated all registration and secured all facilities associated with the concrete canoe competitions that occurred during and in conjunction with those section meetings.  In addition, he served in a similar role for the 2013 Spring Section Meeting and Centennial Celebration.  Upon graduation, he has served the Corpus Christi Branch in various roles and is currently the Younger Members Committee Chairman of the Texas Section and the Section Director for the Corpus Christi Branch.

Joe is currently employed with the Texas Department of Transportation. In his spare time, Joe serves in roles for other civic organizations in the South Texas area.

Griselda Gonzales PE, LEED AP, ENV SP
Texas Infrastructure Report Card Committee Co-Chair
Joe W. Alvarez
Construction Institute Chapter Co-Chair

Joe Alvarez has been active in ASCE since his freshman year at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.  While in school, he was on the steel bridge team that qualified for nationals in Salt Lake City, UT, as well as a member of the concrete canoe team and eventually serving as student branch president.  In 2008 and 2009 he helped the Corpus Christi Branch and Rio Grande Valley Branch as they hosted the Spring Section Meetings.  He served under Keith McBride and coordinated all registration and secured all facilities associated with the concrete canoe competitions that occurred during and in conjunction with those section meetings.  In addition, he served in a similar role for the 2013 Spring Section Meeting and Centennial Celebration.  Upon graduation, he has served the Corpus Christi Branch in various roles and is currently the Younger Members Committee Chairman of the Texas Section and the Section Director for the Corpus Christi Branch.

Joe is currently employed with the Texas Department of Transportation. In his spare time, Joe serves in roles for other civic organizations in the South Texas area.

John Mudd PE
Construction Institute Chapter Chair
Russell Erskine
Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter Co-Chair

Russell Erskine serves as the co-chair of the Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) for the ASCE Texas Section and has served in this position since 2017.  He is an active member in the Dallas Branch of ASCE.

For over 20 years, Russell worked for the consulting engineering firm of Halff Associates, Inc. where he worked on floodplain reclamation projects, performed floodplain reviews for several communities in the Dallas area, and served as District Engineer for several levee districts in the Dallas area.  A little over a month ago, Russell went to work for the City of Plano where he will serve as their floodplain reviewer, a Community Rating System contact, and help with drainage and stormwater related issues.

Russell graduated from Tarleton State University in 1995 with a B.S. in Hydrology and Water Resources. Russell went back to school in 2001 and graduated from Colorado State University in 2004 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering.

In his free time, Russell enjoys camping and fishing on property that he co-owns with his brother down in Central Texas, dove hunting, playing pool, playing golf, model railroading, planting a vegetable garden, traveling, attending Texas Aggie football games with his family, and watching his CSU Rams play.

Curtis B. Beitel PE, CFM, ENV SP
Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter Co-Chair

Curtis Beitel has been active in ASCE since he graduated from Texas A&M University in 1993.  In 1996 he served as the Continuing Education Chair of the Fort Worth ASCE Branch, organizing several CPD classes on HEC-RAS and Bioengineering.  He continued to serve the Fort Worth Branch in several officer positions including Branch President in 2001-02.  Curtis served as the Water Resources Chair of the Texas Section from 1999 to 2001 and was Vice President-Technical in 2002-2003.  He continued to serve on the Texas Section Board as the Section Director from the Fort Worth Branch from 2003 to 2005.  He was the Budget Chair for Fall 2007 Meeting of the Texas Section in Fort Worth, and served as the General Co-Chair of the Texas Section/CI/ICSDEC Fall 2012 Conference in Fort Worth.

Curtis received the Fort Worth Branch’s Young Engineer Award for Professional Achievement in 1998.  He is also active in the Texas Floodplain Management Association, serving as their Newsletter Editor since 2004, and is a member of the Society of Military Engineers.  To help community leaders understand the risk that flooding poses to their local economy, Curtis conceived and led the development of the FloodManager game for the ASFPM Foundation, and teaches the “Experience a Town At Risk” classes at various conferences.  The ASFPM Foundation presented him with an award for Outstanding Contributions in 2010.  HDR presented him with a Pathfinder Award for External Client Service in 2013.

Curtis is currently the North Texas Water Resources Program Manager for HDR Engineering, and was named a Professional Associate of the company in January 2013.  He is leading the development of the Bexar County Flood Warning System for the San Antonio River Authority, and works on projects for public clients across Texas.  He has been married to his wife Leanne since 1996 and they have two daughters – Katherine and Ellie.

 

Robert H. Lawrence PE
Geotechnical Institute Chapter Chair

Mr. Lawrence graduated with a BS in civil engineering in 2009 and MS in geotechnical engineering in 2011 from the University of Texas at Austin. He has worked as a geotechnical engineer across the United States on a variety of transportation, water resource, and other public infrastructure projects. He is currently the geotechnical operations director for Rone Engineers leading a geotechnical team with a focus industrial, commercial, and residential development.

Mr. Lawrence lives in Richardson, Texas now with his wife and 2 children where he enjoys UT football, golfing, brewing beer and serving his community.

Marcelo F. DaSilva PhD, PE
Structural Engineering Institute Chapter Chair

Marcelo DaSilva PhD, PE is a Senior Structural Engineer for Burns & McDonnell, a top 10 ENR Design Firm and one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. He started his career in the oil and gas industry then had a short tenure in the façade design (glazing/building) industry, and he is now fully engaged in the transportation industry as a bridge engineer. With nearly a decade of strong technical experience and background, Dr. DaSilva has become a national resource to Burns & McDonnell for delivering complex analyses and innovative solutions to clients across the nation.

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and a Master and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil. He has been a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas since 2015.

He has been a member of ASCE since 2013 and recently he is serving as co-chair with Austin Chapter on the “UT Austin Mentoring Committee” as well as being a mentor to UT students himself. Dr. DaSilva is also a reviewer for the ASCE Structural and Bridge Engineering Journals. Some of his previous volunteer work includes participating in the ASCE K-12 outreach program, showing UNL’s structure laboratory to K-12 students, building bicycles with CYCLE Houston, and helping cyclists during MS 150. He embraces the chance to chair the SEI-TX section as an opportunity to increase his leadership skills while contributing to his community and peers.

In his free time, Dr. DaSilva enjoys cycling, pump workouts, playing soccer, watching sports, enjoying a sunny beach, and spending time with his future wife and two sons.

Surya Bhandari PE, M.ASCE
Transportation & Development Institute Chapter Chair

EDUCATION

 

CERTIFICATION AND LICENSES

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

ASCE INVOLVEMENT

    National Level

 

Texas Section Level

 

     Branch Level

 

OTHER VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

 

AWARDS/HONORS

 

Jesse Cooper RPLS
Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute Chapter Chair
Anna Olveda
Forensics Group Institute Chapter Chair

Anna Olveda is VP of Engineering for Wafflemat in Grapevine, TX. In the past 8 years of her Engineering career, she has worked on numerous commercial and residential projects across the state of Texas that vary in size and complexity. She received her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from Texas A&M University in Kingsville, TX (TAMUK) in 2013 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (TAMUK) in 2015 with an emphasis in Structures.

Anna’s involvement with ASCE began in 2012 with the ASCE TAMUK Student Chapter (sponsored by ASCE- Corpus Christi Branch) and has continued her commitment to the organization throughout her professional career. She has served on the ASCE Board in San Antonio since 2015, where she previously served as the ASCE- San Antonio Branch President, as well as a volunteer for the ASCE San Antonio Branch Scholarship Committee. She has also been published in the ASCE-AEI Journal (2017) for her continued research in floor vibrations.

When she is not busy with work, learning, or volunteering, she enjoys traveling the world with her supportive and extremely patient husband.