Texas Section Leadership

Home > About Us > Texas Section Leadership

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

  • Julia Clarke PE
    Julia Clarke PE
    President
  • Patricia Frayre PE
    Patricia Frayre PE
    President Elect
  • Russell Carter PE
    Russell Carter PE
    Past President
  • Alexa Nichols PE
    Alexa Nichols PE
    Vice-President for Educational Affairs
  • Cindy Landez PE
    Cindy Landez PE
    Vice-President for Educational Affairs Elect
  • Andrea Taylor PE
    Andrea Taylor PE
    Vice-President for Professional Affairs
  • Fadi Faraj PE
    Fadi Faraj PE
    Vice-President for Professional Affairs Elect
  • Carlos Balderrama PE
    Carlos Balderrama PE
    Vice-President for Technical Affairs
  • Mahsa Arastoo PE
    Mahsa Arastoo PE
    Vice-President for Technical Affairs Elect
  • Mark Mann PE
    Mark Mann PE
    Treasurer
  • Oreoluwa Adedapo PE
    Oreoluwa Adedapo PE
    Sr Second Year Director at Large
  • Jenni Peters, CAE
    Jenni Peters, CAE
    Executive Director (Ex Officio)
    Phone: 512-910-2272
  • Melissa Reed
    Melissa Reed
    Board 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

  • Genest Landry
    Genest Landry
    Assistant Treasurer

 

Directors at Large

  • Oreoluwa Adedapo PE
    Oreoluwa Adedapo PE
    Sr Second Year Director at Large
  • Ricardo Peña EIT
    Ricardo Peña EIT
    Second Year Director at Large
  • Karina Esquivel
    Karina Esquivel
    First Year Director at Large
  • Alejandra Jimenez
    Alejandra Jimenez
    First Year Director at Large

 

Section Directors

  • Clint Smith PE
    Clint Smith PE
    Austin Branch Section Director
  • Luke Ratliff
    Luke Ratliff
    Central Texas Branch Section Director
  • Joe Alvarez
    Joe Alvarez
    Corpus Christi Branch Section Director
  • Javier Acosta PE
    Javier Acosta PE
    El Paso Branch Section Director
  • Andrew Wilson PE
    Andrew Wilson PE
    Fort Worth Branch Section Director
  • Yolanda De La Torre PE
    Yolanda De La Torre PE
    Rio Grande Valley Branch Section Director
  • Vacant
    Vacant
    San Antonio Branch Section Director
  • Kate Osborn PE
    Kate Osborn PE
    Southeast Texas Branch Section Director
  • OPEN
    OPEN
    Western Texas Branch Section Director

Committee Chairs

  • Julia Clarke PE
    Julia Clarke PE
    Office and Personal Committee Chair
  • Patrick Beecher PE
    Patrick Beecher PE
    Nominating Committee Chair
  • Patrick J. Williams PE
    Patrick J. Williams PE
    Branch/Section Relations Committee Chair
  • Julie Jones PE
    Julie Jones PE
    Government Affairs Committee Chair
  • Kameron Boggan PE
    Kameron Boggan PE
    Diversity Equity & Inclusion Chair
  • James Zapata PE
    James Zapata PE
    CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
  • Hussein Hachem PE
    Hussein Hachem PE
    CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
  • Kenneth Leitch
    Kenneth Leitch
    Educational Council Chair
  • Kimberly Cornett PE
    Kimberly Cornett PE
    Past Presidents Council Committee Chair
  • Robert “Bob” Pierry PE
    Robert “Bob” Pierry PE
    Residential Foundations Oversight Committee
  • Gilbert Portillo PE
    Gilbert Portillo PE
    STEM Committee Chair
  • Elizabeth Livergood PE
    Elizabeth Livergood PE
    Collegiate Activities Committee Chair
  • Isamary Abrego
    Isamary Abrego
    Collegiate Activities Committee Vice Chair
  • Melinda Luna PE
    Melinda Luna PE
    History & Heritage Committee Chair
  • Travis Attanasio PE
    Travis Attanasio PE
    Honors Committee Chair
  • Hope Newton PE
    Hope Newton PE
    Younger Members Committee Co-Chair
  • Joe Alvarez
    Joe Alvarez
    Membership Committee Chair
  • Austin Messerli PE
    Austin Messerli PE
    Texas Infrastructure Report Card Committee Co-Chair
  • Griselda Gonzales PE
    Griselda Gonzales PE
    Texas Infrastructure Report Card Committee Co-Chair

Institute Chapter Chairs

  • Vacant
    Vacant
    Structural Engineering Institute Chapter Chair
  • Open
    Open
    Construction Institute Chapter Chair
  • Curtis B. Beitel PE, CFM, ENV SP
    Curtis B. Beitel PE, CFM, ENV SP
    Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter Chair
  • Yatish Jakatimath PE
    Yatish Jakatimath PE
    Geotechnical Institute Chapter Chair
  • Amanda Koif PE
    Amanda Koif PE
    Transportation & Development Institute Chapter Chair
  • Lauren Allen PE
    Lauren Allen PE
    Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute Chapter Chair
Julia Clarke PE
President

Julia P. Clarke, P.E., F.ASCE, is an Associate, Geotechnical Department Leader at Raba Kistner, Inc. She manages the Houston Engineering Department, supervising staff members, including project managers and engineering professionals. Juia 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. Julia monitors external client feedback for department projects and addresses clients’ concerns. Julia provides engineering services as Principal Geotechnical Engineer on highway improvement projects.

Throughout her career, Julia has been an active leader in the Houston Area and the State of Texas. She served as the 2023-2024 Vice President for Educational Affairs for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Texas Section. She served as the 2016-2017 Vice President Technical, 2017-2018 Vice President Administration, 2018-2019 President Elect, 2019-2020 President, and 2020-2021 Past President for the ASCE Houston Branch. Julia received the 2017 Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award and the 2023 Award of Honor for her dedicated service to the ASCE Houston Branch.

Julia is a Life Member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and served as the 2014-2015 President of the SWE Houston Area Section, responsible for the overall direction, communication, and coordination of the section’s activities. Prior to becoming President, Julia held numerous officer and committee chair positions at the local and regional levels within the organization. Julia received the 2024 SWE Distinguished Engineer Award for demonstrating professional excellence in engineering, engineering management, leadership in SWE, as well as professional and technical organizations.

Patricia Frayre PE
President Elect

Patricia Frayre, founding principal of Frayre Engineering & Consulting, has experience in the management of private and public sector clients for site development, public works projects and program management. With more than 30 years of experience in the general civil engineering professional services industry, her experience includes site development projects and public works infrastructure projects. Her Project Management experience includes multi-phase parks and green spaces construction, street reconstruction projects, pedestrian realm improvements on transit corridors, shared-use pedestrian and bicycle trails, stormwater drainage improvements, and water main and wastewater collection system improvements. Her Program Management experience includes disaster recovery support services.  Ms. Frayre is a contributing member of the community and engaged in various professional organizations and societies including:

**Financial philanthropy

Texas Department of Transportation Certified (5 categories)

Russell Carter PE
Past President

Russell Carter is a professional engineer in the State of Texas focused on structural design and forensic engineering.  He graduated from Texas Tech University with bachelor’s degrees in architecture and civil engineering and his master’s degree in civil engineering. He has over 25 years of research, design, and construction experience.

Mr. Carter has worked for several regional architecture and engineering firms in West Texas.  He currently works for MWM Architects, Inc. and consults through Carter Consulting & Engineering, LLC.  He has been an Instructor for the Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering Department at Texas Tech University for over 12 years, often serving as the structural expert for the senior capstone design course.

Early in his career, Mr. Carter worked as a researcher and principal investigator with the Wind Engineering Research Center (WERC) at Texas Tech University designing and constructing laboratories and equipment to study debris impact and full-scale structural testing.  He led teams performing damage investigations of tornadoes and hurricanes as part of WERC and the Florida Costal Monitoring Program with Clemson University.  He was part of the design and development team for FEMA Publication 320, FEMA Publican 361, and International Code Council ICC-500 providing guidance for the design of storm shelters.

Mr. Carter is very active with ASCE. He is the Practitioner Advisor to the ASCE Texas Tech Student Chapter. He has been the Caprock Branch President and Section Director.  For the Texas Section he has served as Vice President for Educational Affairs, Chair of the Student Activities Committee, and serves on numerous committees. At the ASCE Global level, he is on the Committee for Student Conferences and Competitions and the Timber Strong Design Build Committee.

Alexa Nichols PE
Vice-President for Educational Affairs

Alexa is currently employed by EHRA Engineering as a Senior Project Manager for Hydrology and Hydraulics. She has over thirteen years in the civil engineering industry and is a proud graduate of Texas A&M University. Her service to the ASCE Houston Branch has spanned many years and six years on the Board, including this year as President. During her service to ASCE, she was awarded Outstanding Younger Member in Community Activities by the Central Region in 2023, Young Engineer of the Year for the Houston Branch in 2022, and Outstanding Younger Member in the Private Sector by the Central Region in 2020.

She enjoys volunteering in her community with the Red Shoe Crew and at the Houston Food Bank. In her free time, you can find her playing volleyball with friends, watching football and basketball whenever her favorite teams are playing, and travelling across the world.

 

Cindy Landez PE
Vice-President for Educational Affairs Elect

Cynthia received her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&I University in Kingsville in 1992. She had a 23-year career at TxDOT where she started in the Pharr District as a summer intern and completed her career at the Design Division in Austin.  She has been a Project Manager in Utility Coordination at KCI Technologies for 6 years.

Cynthia has been an active American Society of Civil Engineers Member (ASCE) for numerous years.  In

Cynthia has been an active National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) panel member for the past 20 years at Transportation Research Board (TRB) in Washington DC.  She is currently serving on eight panels where she provides guidance on the technical aspects of the research and works towards incorporating into TxDOT’s roadway guidance.  This year she was honored to be selected as a member of the TRB Standing Committee on Utilities and Rights of Way (AKL16) for a term of August 16, 2025-April 14, 2028.

Cynthia is active member in Women in Transportation.  For 2025, Cynthia became a committee member and presenter of the WTS – Leadership Connections Series.  It is a four-class series that focuses on career goals, creating a fractional mentorship network and creating a story/narrative so that we understand where we come from, our experiences and goals, and aspirations and the impact we have from the lessons we learned along the way.

Cynthia has also been the facilitator for the Las Comadres para Las Americas – San Antonio Region since 2016. Las Comadres para Las Americas is a non-profit organization, but in 2024 Cynthia created the 2025 Cooking with Las Comadres Cookbook as a fundraiser to help with the administration costs.  Cynthia was also asked to be the Hostess for 2025-2026 Las Comadres Kitchen Series. She will interview chefs while they cook their recipes from the cookbook, videotape the interviews and add them to the Las Comadres YouTube Channel.

Cynthia has been serving as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Advocate for local foster children since 2021. She has been advocating on behalf of the children who have experienced abuse or neglect and ensuring that the children are safe and that all involved are working towards a permanent home. On her visits with the children and parents, she gathers information, documents findings, and appears in court to advocate for the child’s best interests.

Cynthia has served as an Austin Community Foundation Grant and Scholarship Reviewer since 2022.

Andrea Taylor PE
Vice-President for Professional Affairs

Andrea Taylor, P.E., is a licensed Civil Engineer in the State of Texas. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, where she now continues to serve the University as a member of the Civil Engineering Advisory Committee.

Since graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 2012, Mrs. Taylor has built her career with mma, inc., where she currently serves as a Principal. She has led and supported a wide range of land development projects across the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, with extensive experience in the planning, design, and management of residential, commercial, multi-family, industrial, and institutional (K–12) developments.

Mrs. Taylor has been actively involved in ASCE since her time as a student at UT Arlington. As a professional member, she has held numerous leadership roles within the Fort Worth Branch, including President, Vice President, Treasurer, Director, Texas Section Director, and Hospitality Chair. At the Texas Section level, she has served as Vice President – Professional Affairs Elect and as a member of the Government Affairs Committee.
Andrea resides in Hurst, Texas with her husband, Shane, and their two energetic children. Outside of her professional and volunteer commitments, she enjoys spending time outdoors and keeping up with her young family

Fadi Faraj PE
Vice-President for Professional Affairs Elect
Carlos Balderrama PE
Vice-President for Technical Affairs

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.

Mahsa Arastoo PE
Vice-President for Technical Affairs Elect

Mahsa Arastoo, P.E., is the Structures Team Lead and Principal Partner at Aguirre & Fields. Her thirteen years of civil engineering experience includes design of multi-level interchange, direct connectors, urban and rural bridges, pedestrian bridges, overhead sign structures and highway retaining walls. She has extensive experience in developing plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) for new structures, phased replacements, widenings, and rehabilitation projects. Mahsa received her B.S. from the University of Tehran and her M.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. She was named the ASCE Houston Branch Young Engineer of the Year in 2021 and Outstanding Young Civil Engineer in the Private sector by ASCE central region (CRYMC) in 2025.

​

Mahsa currently serves as ASCE Houston Section Director and Board of Directors of the Infrastructure Advancement Institute (IAI). In past years, she has held numerous leadership positions, including Past President, President, President-Elect, V.P Administration, V.P. Technical, Branch Director, and Younger Member Forum Committee Technical Activity Chair with ASCE Houston and Chair and Vice Chair of the Professional Development Committee with IAI. In 2017, she served as the Outreach Chair with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Central Houston Chapter.

Mark Mann PE
Treasurer

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

Oreoluwa Adedapo PE
Sr Second Year Director at Large
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

Melissa Reed
Board Secretary (Ex Officio)

Melissa’s responsibilities include:

  • Data collection, entry, and dissemination of local association contacts
  • Regularly reviewing membership data and preparing monthly reports
  • Assessing information requirements; creating and modifying forms and reports; and refining the end-user experiences of data and reference materials tailored to multiple stakeholders
  • Planning, scheduling, and executing virtual meetings and monthly webinars
  • Coordination with the local Branches, Institute Chapters, Student Chapters, and Committees
  • Assisting in the planning of Board of Direction and Executive Committee meetings
  • Assisting ASCE regional members (volunteers) during the planning and execution of annual Student Symposium
  • Assisting in management of accounts receivable, accounts payable, and general ledger
  • Assisting in preparing annual tax returns, annual reports, and periodic audits

More about Melissa

A proud native of Fort Worth, Texas, Melissa has always valued strong community ties and southern hospitality. While attending The University of Texas at Austin, she discovered both her passion for people and her love for the city she calls home. Melissa brings an extensive background in client relations and hospitality to her newest professional chapter. With a career that has spanned hotels, resorts, country clubs, and (her personal favorite) theme parks, she has built a reputation for delivering exceptional service experiences in a variety of dynamic environments.
Now embarking on an exciting new path in the association industry, Melisa looks forward to bringing her enthusiasm for learning, relationship-building, and service excellence to her role. She thrives in collaborative environments and is always eager to connect with others and take on new challenges.
Outside of work, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family, typically watching the Longhorns or Cowboys! She and her husband, Chris, stay busy with their daughter, Josie, and their three dogs: Corbin, Sergeant, and Hercules.
Genest Landry
Assistant Treasurer
Oreoluwa Adedapo PE
Sr Second Year Director at Large
Ricardo Peña EIT
Second Year Director at Large
Karina Esquivel
First Year Director at Large

Ms Esquivel is a Water & Wastewater Conveyance Engineer for Jacobs.

ASCE experience includes:

I am committed to supporting the ASCE Texas Section Strategic Plan through active involvement and leadership. My experience spans both the student and professional levels, giving me a unique perspective on the needs of emerging engineers and the professional community. I continue to engage with student initiatives because I believe in nurturing the next generation of civil engineers.

Stewardship & Service: Through roles such as President of ASCE at UTRGV and National Student Ambassador, I have cultivated outreach partnerships and promoted STEM programs. I will continue creating opportunities for mentorship and collaboration between students and professionals.

Professional Development & Leadership: As part of the Frontier Student Symposium Planning and Sponsorship Committees, I have helped organize events that strengthen leadership and professional development. I aim to expand these efforts to provide continuing education and leadership resources for members.

Advocating Civil Engineering: Serving as Bridge Champion Committee Chair and participating in advocacy-related activities through the ASCE Dallas Chapter, I will continue to show the importance to student, professionals, and community practices, and continue to bring awareness.

Alejandra Jimenez
First Year Director at Large

Alejandra Jimenez is a Structural Engineer-in-Training at Pape-Dawson Engineers, driven by a passion for creating infrastructure that serves and uplifts every community. As an emerging professional, she is committed to continuous growth and actively seeks mentorship both within her job through project managers, project engineers, as well as with the broader engineering community through her involvement with ASCE.

Alejandra earned her B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Rice University in May 2025. During her time at Rice, she served as both Secretary and later President of the ASCE Student Chapter. In these roles, she strengthened the chapter’s connection to industry by establishing the inaugural Alumni Mixer and introducing a Civil Engineering-focused Night with Industry. These events provided students with valuable opportunities to engage with professionals in both relaxed and formal networking environments. Through her leadership, Alejandra emphasized the importance of communication, collaboration, and active participation within a system.

As the Director at Large, Alejandra will ensure clear and consistent communication between Section leaders and the President or President-Elect. Partnering with the second Director-at-Large, she will also help ensure that the Texas Civil Engineer magazine highlights timely, compelling content that showcases the innovation and accomplishments of civil engineering professionals across the state.

ASCE experience includes:

Clint Smith PE
Austin Branch Section Director
Javier Acosta PE
El Paso Branch Section Director
Andrew Wilson PE
Fort Worth Branch Section Director
Yolanda De La Torre PE
Rio Grande Valley Branch Section Director
Vacant
San Antonio Branch Section Director
Kate Osborn PE
Southeast Texas Branch Section Director
OPEN
Western Texas Branch Section Director
Julia Clarke PE
Office and Personal Committee Chair
Patrick Beecher PE
Nominating Committee Chair
Patrick J. Williams PE
Branch/Section Relations Committee Chair
Julie Jones PE
Government Affairs Committee 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.  

 

Kameron Boggan PE
Diversity Equity & Inclusion Chair
James Zapata PE
CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
Hussein Hachem PE
CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
Kenneth Leitch
Educational Council Chair
Kimberly Cornett PE
Past Presidents Council Committee Chair

 

 

Robert “Bob” Pierry PE
Residential Foundations Oversight Committee

Robert F. Pierry, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE is the founder and President of Pierry Consulting, Inc., a firm specializing in the evaluation of existing foundations, and the design of remedial measures for them. Mr. Pierry has performed thousands of foundation performance investigations of residential and low-rise commercial structures, both in his current position and in his former position as a principal of a foundation remediation contracting firm. Mr. Pierry also performs construction phase observations of remediation projects he has designed to verify design compliance.

Mr. Pierry has authored hundreds of expert reports for use in mediation, arbitration, and litigation and has provided expert witness testimony in dozens of such matters. Mr. Pierry is highly active in the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (“ASCE”) and serves as the current Chair of the Texas Section Residential Foundations Committee. He previously served the Texas Section as Chair of the Residential Foundation Oversight Committee, Chair of the Residential Foundation Evaluation and Repair Subcommittee and as a member of the Residential Foundation Investigation and Design Subcommittee. He also previously served the Texas Section as Vice President for Technical Affairs, as well as Chair of the Geotechnical Committee where he facilitated the transition to the Texas Section Chapter of the Geo-Institute. On a Society-wide basis, Mr. Pierry serves as a member of the ASCE Design Guidelines of Residential Structures on Expansive Soils Standards Committee and has served as a member of a Standards Committee that developed the ASCE publication “Standard Guidelines for the Design and Installation of Pile Foundations”.

Mr. Pierry earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Duke University in 1976 and has attended and taught at numerous career-related conferences, short courses, and seminars over the years. Mr. Pierry has also authored and co-authored several technical papers and articles. Mr. Pierry is a licensed Professional Engineer in ten states, although he currently has either retired or inactive status in several of them.

Mr. Pierry volunteers with the Denton County affiliate of Habitat for Humanity as a member of their Building Committee and supervises their lot drainage activities. He formerly served the affiliate as a member of the Board of Directors, as Treasurer and as Vice President.

Gilbert Portillo PE
STEM Committee Chair
Elizabeth Livergood PE
Collegiate Activities Committee Chair
Isamary Abrego
Collegiate Activities Committee Vice Chair
Melinda Luna PE
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.

Travis Attanasio PE
Honors Committee Chair
Hope Newton PE
Younger Members Committee Co-Chair
Joe Alvarez
Membership Committee Chair
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.

Griselda Gonzales PE
Texas Infrastructure Report Card Committee Co-Chair
Vacant
Structural Engineering Institute Chapter Chair
Open
Construction Institute Chapter Chair
Curtis B. Beitel PE, CFM, ENV SP
Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter 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.

 

Yatish Jakatimath PE
Geotechnical Institute Chapter Chair
Amanda Koif PE
Transportation & Development Institute Chapter Chair
Lauren Allen PE
Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute Chapter Chair