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American Society of Civil Engineers - Texas Section

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:
  • Sean P. Merrell PE
    Sean P. Merrell PE
    President
    Phone: (972) 464-4834
  • Susan K. Roth PE, PMP
    Susan K. Roth PE, PMP
    Past President
    Phone: (512) 796-6692
  • Patrick M. Beecher PE
    Patrick M. Beecher PE
    President Elect
    Phone: (713) 939-6438
  • Natalie Chaney PE, ENV SP
    Natalie Chaney PE, ENV SP
    VP Educational
    Phone: (281) 589-7257
  • Clay A. Forister PE
    Clay A. Forister PE
    VP Educational Elect
    Phone: (903) 595-4421
  • Griselda Gonzales PE
    Griselda Gonzales PE
    VP Professional
    Phone: (713) 951-7951
  • Patricia Frayre PE
    Patricia Frayre PE
    VP Professional Elect
    Phone: (713) 320-2163
  • Robert D. Stevens PhD, PE
    Robert D. Stevens PhD, PE
    VP Technical
    Phone: (682) 237-7573
  • Ron Reichert
    Ron Reichert
    VP Technical Elect
    Phone: (832) 205-9068
  • Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
    Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
    Treasurer
    Phone: (915) 533-6811
  • Alik McCoy PE
    Alik McCoy PE
    Senior Director at Large
    Phone: (817) 729-0570
  • Lindsay A. O’Leary PE, CAE, LEED AP
    Lindsay A. O’Leary PE, CAE, LEED AP
    Executive Director (Ex Officio)
    Phone: 512-593-8155
  • Mike Sosa
    Mike Sosa
    Secretary (Ex Officio)
    Phone: (512) 910-2702

Assistant Treasurer

  • Glenn A. Goldstein PE, PMP
    Glenn A. Goldstein PE, PMP
    Assistant Treasurer
    Phone: (512) 279-5437

Directors at Large

  • Larijai “LJ” Francis PE
    Larijai “LJ” Francis PE
    Second Year Director at Large
    Phone: (361) 826-1872
  • Alik McCoy PE
    Alik McCoy PE
    Senior Director at Large
    Phone: (817) 729-0570
  • Yan G. Linwood PE
    Yan G. Linwood PE
    First Year Director at Large
    Phone: (281) 552-2732
  • Michael Schneider PE
    Michael Schneider PE
    First Year Director at Large
    Phone: (347) 385-8690

Section Directors

  • Russell R. Carter PE
    Russell R. Carter PE
    Caprock Branch Section Director
    Phone: (806) 834-1397
  • Kat Lauer EIT
    Kat Lauer EIT
    Austin Branch Section Director
    Phone: (512) 904-0505
  • Robert Lys Jr. PE
    Robert Lys Jr. PE
    Brazos Branch Section Director
    Phone: (281) 931-9832
  • Trey D. Simpson EIT
    Trey D. Simpson EIT
    Central Texas Branch Section Director
    Phone: (254) 899-0899
  • Joe W. Alvarez
    Joe W. Alvarez
    Corpus Christi Branch Section Director
    Phone: (361) 661-7069
  • Phillip A. Alcorn PE
    Phillip A. Alcorn PE
    Dallas Branch Section Director
    Phone: (214) 638-0145
  • Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
    Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
    El Paso Branch Section Director
    Phone: (915) 533-6811
  • Kimberly K. Cornett PE
    Kimberly K. Cornett PE
    Fort Worth Branch Section Director
    Phone: (972) 233-2288
  • Rodolfo O. Mireles EIT
    Rodolfo O. Mireles EIT
    High Plains Branch Section Director
    Phone: (806) 374-2756
  • Luis A. Gonzalez PE
    Luis A. Gonzalez PE
    Houston Branch Section Director
    Phone: (713) 968-9378
  • David D. Stanley PE
    David D. Stanley PE
    Northeast Texas Branch Section Director
    Phone: (903) 553-0500
  • Aldo I. Garcia
    Aldo I. Garcia
    Rio Grande Valley Branch Section Director
    Phone: (956) 687-9421
  • Amy Stone PE
    Amy Stone PE
    San Antonio Branch Section Director
    Phone: (830) 837-0242
  • Liv M. Haselbach PhD, PE
    Liv M. Haselbach PhD, PE
    Southeast Texas Branch Section Director
    Phone: (409) 880-7740
  • Jason K. Kelliher PE
    Jason K. Kelliher PE
    West Texas Branch Section Director
    Phone: (432) 848-4397
  • Austin Messerli PE
    Austin Messerli PE
    Government Affairs Committee Co-Chair
  • LeAnne M. Napolillo PE
    LeAnne M. Napolillo PE
    CECON Site Selection Committee Chair
    Phone: (713) 354-1553
  • Lawrence D. Goldberg PE
    Lawrence D. Goldberg PE
    Past Presidents Council Committee Chair
    Phone: (832) 653-3399
  • Jessica Hilscher PE
    Jessica Hilscher PE
    Student Competitions Coordinator
  • Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
    Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
    Budget & Finance Committee Chair
    Phone: (915) 533-6811
  • Jennifer E. Bohlander PE
    Jennifer E. Bohlander PE
    CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
    Phone: (713) 206-6780
  • Andrew J. Domke PE
    Andrew J. Domke PE
    CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
    Phone: (214) 683-5931
  • Alik McCoy PE
    Alik McCoy PE
    Editorial Committee Chair
    Phone: (817) 729-0570
  • Kenneth M. Struzyk PE
    Kenneth M. Struzyk PE
    Evaluation & Repair of Residential Foundations Committee Chair
    Phone: (210) 930-5355
  • Tiffany Reed-Villarreal PE, ENV SP
    Tiffany Reed-Villarreal PE, ENV SP
    CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
    Phone: (817) 600-9330
  • Phillip G. King PE, D.GE
    Phillip G. King PE, D.GE
    Foundation Investigation & Design Committee Chair
    Phone: (806) 470-0638
  • Audra N. Morse PhD, PE
    Audra N. Morse PhD, PE
    Nominating Committee Chair
    Phone: (906) 487-3240
  • Augustine Verrengia III PE
    Augustine Verrengia III PE
    Government Affairs Committee Chair
    Phone: (737) 228-6171
  • Melinda Luna PE, CFM
    Melinda Luna PE, CFM
    History & Heritage Committee Chair
  • Chad M. Ballard PE
    Chad M. Ballard PE
    Honors Committee Chair
    Phone: (972) 996-5719
  • Patrick J. Williams PE
    Patrick J. Williams PE
    Membership Committee Chair
    Phone: (214) 499-9271
  • Sean P. Merrell PE
    Sean P. Merrell PE
    Office and Personnel Committee Chair
    Phone: (972) 464-4834
  • Robert F. Pierry PE
    Robert F. Pierry PE
    Residential Foundations Oversight Committee Chair
  • Joe W. Alvarez
    Joe W. Alvarez
    Younger Members Committee Chair
    Phone: (361) 661-7069
  • Kacey C. Paul PE
    Kacey C. Paul PE
    Strategic Planning Committee Chair
    Phone: (830) 798-6265
  • Heather Guillen PE, ENV SP, LEED AP
    Heather Guillen PE, ENV SP, LEED AP
    Student Activities Committee Chair
    Phone: (713) 394-5635
  • Larijai “LJ” Francis PE
    Larijai “LJ” Francis PE
    Tellers Committee Chair
    Phone: (361) 826-1872
  • Mark K. Boyd PhD, PE
    Mark K. Boyd PhD, PE
    Texas Infrastructure Report Card Committee Chair
  • Christina Kim PE
    Christina Kim PE
    STEM Committee Chair
    Phone: (512) 493-0261
  • John F. Obr PE
    John F. Obr PE
    Construction Institute Chapter Chair
    Phone: (972) 464-4800
  • Curtis B. Beitel PE, CFM, ENV SP
    Curtis B. Beitel PE, CFM, ENV SP
    Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter Co-Chair
  • Russell Erskine
    Russell Erskine
    Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter Co-Chair
  • Fadi N. Faraj PE
    Fadi N. Faraj PE
    Geo-Technical Institute Chapter Chair
    Phone: (214) 678-0227
  • James T. Brown PE
    James T. Brown PE
    Structural Engineering Institute Chapter Chair
    Phone: (214) 583-8458
  • Surya Bhandari EIT
    Surya Bhandari EIT
    Transportation & Development Institute Chapter Chair
    Phone: (469) 801-8553
  • Sandee Khoury PE
    Sandee Khoury PE
    Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute Chapter Chair
    Phone: (512) 834-9798
  • Jesse H. Aguilar PE
    Jesse H. Aguilar PE
    Forensics Group Institute Chapter Chair
ASCE Texas Section supports and encourages the equitable opportunity for participation of all people within the civil engineering profession without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or physical challenges.
Sean P. Merrell PE
President

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, Canstruction 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 14 years leading the traffic group for three North Texas offices.  Sean been married to his wife Elizabeth for 25 years and they have two children, Sasha & Declan.

Susan K. Roth PE, PMP
Past President

Susan K. Roth PE has 25+ years of experience in the water and wastewater field. Her career includes experience with both private and government entities, including the Lower Colorado River Authority. For the past 13 years, she has served as President of Susan Roth Consulting, LLC. Susan works with a number of municipalities, river authorities and water districts in Texas. Her firm primarily specializes in developing water and wastewater master plans, especially identifying regional solutions on a county-wide level. She also focuses on water resource planning, including water conservation and drought management, and secures attractive financing through TWDB for water/wastewater infrastructure projects. Located in Austin, her firm is exceptionally well-positioned to understand not only the engineering complexities of a project but also the public relations aspects of effectively communicating with surrounding communities.

Susan holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University, respectively. She conducted her graduate research at Cornell University and presented her findings at the 1999 International Water Quality Conference in Paris, France. She is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas and is registered as a Project Management Professional. Susan is a graduate of Leadership Austin and has served on a number of board appointments and task forces for the City of Austin. She currently serves as President of the Onion Creek Metropolitan Park District Board.

Susan has also been a long-time member of ASCE, starting during her undergraduate years and throughout her professional career. She has held numerous committee and board positions at both the Branch and Section level. She is a Past-President of the Austin Branch (2003-2004) and previously served as Vice-President of Education for ASCE Texas Section. She also served as the primary consultant on the 2017 ASCE Texas Section – Infrastructure Report Card Update and previously developed the 2012 Infrastructure Report Card for the Section’s Centennial.

Susan is a past recipient of the National ASCE Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award for Professional Achievement (2006) and TSPE Young Engineer of the Year (2003, Travis County Chapter). She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Austin Women’s Symphony League. Susan resides in Austin with her husband and teenage daughter.

Patrick M. Beecher PE
President Elect

Patrick Beecher PE is a Senior Principal with Terracon Consultants, Inc. He serves as the Geotechnical Department Manager for Terracon’s Houston office. Patrick is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas with over 19 years of experience providing geotechnical engineering consulting for a variety of projects in Texas.

Patrick received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1997 and 1999, respectively. He is married and has two girls.  He has been a member of ASCE since 1994 and currently serves as a Section Director for the Houston Branch.  He is actively involved in Kinsmen Lutheran Church, Heatherwood swim team, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Lutherhill Ministries.

Natalie Chaney PE, ENV SP
VP Educational

Natalie Chaney P.E., ENV SP works as a Project Manager with RPS in Houston, Texas with 11+ years of experience.  Her experience is in a variety of projects ranging from water and wastewater planning, utility relocation/design, roadway design, trail design, park design, and low-impact, sustainable site development.

Natalie has been an active member of ASCE for over eight years and currently serves as the VP for Educational Affairs Elect for the Texas Section.  She has previously participated in special committees as well as serving as the Houston Branch VP Technical, Secretary, VP Education, Younger Member Forum Chair and Community Services Chair.  She also serves on committees with ACEC and the West Houston Association.

Natalie is a graduate from the University of Texas with a Civil Engineering degree.  She has received multiple ASCE awards including the national 2014 New Faces of Civil Engineering. Outside of the workday, Natalie wrangles her feisty 3-year old twin boys, which is much harder than any workday!

Clay A. Forister PE
VP Educational Elect
Griselda Gonzales PE
VP Professional

Griselda Gonzales P.E., LEED AP, ENV SP is a Principal Engineer at the Goodman Corporation (TGC). She joined in the TGC team in 2018 with a diverse background in her engineering experience to include land development, water and wastewater planning studies, drainage studies and designs, traffic, transportation and roadway reconstruction.  She has worked for public and private sector clients in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston area. Griselda is a San Antonio native and a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio. She moved to the Houston area in 2013 and has since plugged herself in to serve and participate where growth and community exist.

Griselda’s personal values translate to her professional commitments as she volunteers for organizations that align with her personal beliefs and serve her community and profession. While living in San Antonio she was a Board Member for the Hispanic Society of Professional Engineers (SHPE) and was a mentor and speaker for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. She initiated the Houston Chapter Transportation and Development Institute (T&DI) for and has served on the CECON Planning Committee. Griselda recently served as the Government Affairs Committee Chair for the ASCE Texas Section. Personally, she serves as Committee Chair for her son’s Boy Scout Troop. She believes in leading by example and has always done what needs to get done, personally and professionally.

She is an alumni of the 2014 Greater Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GHHCC) Emerging Leaders Institute and Leadership Houston Class XXVI.

Patricia Frayre PE
VP Professional Elect
Robert D. Stevens PhD, PE
VP Technical

Robert D. “Bob” Stevens Ph.D., P.E., AICP, F.ASCE, is UEF President, EVP Arcadis, and member UEF BOD and ARTBA BOD. He was ASCE 2015 President and BOD member 2013-16, EWB-USA BOD member 2010-13 and 2015-18, and ASCE BOD Technical Region Director 2009-12.

Bob’s 50+ year engineering career includes transportation, water, and wastewater projects. He performed environmental assessments, planning, design, and construction management for road, bridge, rail, port, transit, and dam projects. He managed the first design/build/supply transit project in North America. He’s worked in both the public and private sectors.

Besides living and working in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, California, Colorado, and Texas, he worked on projects in 21 countries including 2 that he lived in (Canada and Taiwan) and 19 he did projects in including Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, and 7 other African countries.

He taught undergraduate and graduate transportation courses at The University of Akron, Cleveland State, and The University of Michigan.

Bob was a founding governor and officer of ASCE’s T&DI. He was on many ASCE committees including Technical Advancement, Audit, Society Award, Program, Strategic Planning, Professional Practice, Journal of Management in Engineering Editorial Board, Branding, and Paraprofessional.

He is a registered PE in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas. Since retiring from full-time work as Transportation Practice Director, he moved to Texas to be closer to his grandson, Robbie, where he continues his association with Arcadis in Fort Worth.

Ron Reichert
VP Technical Elect
Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
Treasurer

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.

Alik McCoy PE
Senior Director at Large

Alik McCoy PE graduated from Texas A&M University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Originally from Fort Worth, Alik now lives in Houston and works as a Project Engineer at 5engineering, llc. Alik has 5 years of experience in water resources engineering with 5engineering. Her experience includes extensive hydrology and hydraulic modeling, drainage impact analysis, detention/mitigation analysis, storm sewer design, force main analysis, and lift station design.  Alik obtained her PE License in 2018.

Alik was active in ASCE at Texas A&M as a member and captain of the Concrete Canoe Team and continued her involvement with the ASCE Houston Branch after graduating. Alik served as an ASCE Houston Branch Sandcastle Committee co-chair for two years and has been the Younger Member Social Activities Chair for the last two years. In her free time, Alik enjoys playing sand volleyball and camping.

Lindsay A. O’Leary PE, CAE, LEED AP
Executive Director (Ex Officio)

Lindsay O’Leary 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 growing the membership of the Section’s 15 Branches. She regularly works with the Section’s Board of Direction and Executive Committee to implement the strategic plan and ensure the Section continues to be one of the most active sections of ASCE.

Lindsay’s responsibilities include:

More About Lindsay

Lindsay previously worked in the fields of civil and environmental engineering for 10 years, providing a comprehensive range of consulting services to private and public sector clients. She has worked for Geosyntec Consultants (Austin, Texas) and MSCW, Inc. (Orlando, Florida). Her experience includes: waste containment facility design, permitting, and performance evaluation for various waste streams; water resources and mixed-use land development engineering; environmental compliance monitoring; environmental site assessments; oil and gas litigation; and health and safety implementation. She is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas, a Certified Association Executive, and a LEED Accredited Professional.

Some of her favorite projects have included the preparation of storm water pollution prevention plans for industrial facilities, the development of groundwater monitoring plans for waste containment facilities, assisting graduate students with the collection of landfill data using T-Rex (a truck that simulates earthquake waves – operated by [email protected]) in order to evaluate the dynamic properties of municipal solid waste, and collecting groundwater samples at various Superfund sites.

Lindsay previously volunteered for ASCE’s Austin Branch and Younger Member Forum, holding several positions from 2011 to 2015. She is passionate about STEM education and continues to attend pre-college and college outreach events whenever possible. She currently serves on the External Advisory Committee for the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin.

Lindsay holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Central Florida.

She has been married to her husband Kevin since 2009 and enjoys cooking, gardening, practicing yoga, running, swimming, and, when vacation time allows, snowboarding.

She Florida native but has come to love and appreciate all that is Texas. Big Bend National Park tops her vacation list and you can often find her swimming in Barton Springs pool. In addition to ASCE, she is a member of the Austin Cactus and Succulent Society.

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.

Glenn A. Goldstein PE, PMP
Assistant Treasurer

Glenn Goldstein PE, PMP 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 over ten years. Glenn has served several committees as chair and was a branch board member for seven years, including roles as Younger Member Director, Treasurer and President.

Glenn is a structural engineer and project manager within RS&H’s procurement engineering practice in Austin, Texas. He serves as an owner’s representative in the development of planned public-private partnership agreements including innovative delivery methods such as concession and design-build. He facilitates transportation risk workshops across Texas and manages a subconsultant contract for a local government’s General Engineering Consultant (GEC) program.

Glenn received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology 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 swimming and water polo. Glenn is a native Floridian but has called Texas home for over 20 years.

Larijai “LJ” Francis PE
Second Year Director at Large

How has ASCE helped you in your career?

ASCE has provided an opportunity to conveniently satisfy the professional development hours needed to maintain my professional engineering license.  It has given me a platform for advocacy among my fellow engineers to promote the ethical practice of engineering and ASCE helps to provide the framework for best practices in the civil engineering disciplines.  I am an avid reader of The Society’s monthly Civil Engineering magazine, as well as the Texas Section’s Texas Civil Engineer (TCE) online news, published online bi-monthly.  ASCE is a family at all levels and I like that the members are always willing to help.  This provides me with a wealth of resources that can only be gained from a group of people committed to the same goal; to see the field of civil engineering continually evolve; reaching and exceeding previous goalposts.  Through networking with ASCE members, I have found two mentors who have been particularly instrumental in my progressive career advancements.

What do you love the most about being a civil engineer?

Being on a team that is responsible for building and maintaining the community’s infrastructure and environment—I am so honored to serve in this capacity because it affects generations.

Give us three words to describe what a civil engineer does:

Innovate. Inspire. Evolve.

What is the biggest challenge civil engineers face today?

Engineers are called upon to solve problems.  To become and remain a great problem solver, one must be able to fully understand all the nuances of each problem, propose and execute repeatable solutions. We must also be conscientiously aware of histories and trends and be able to constantly evolve to remain relevant. Civil engineers must also be able to foresee the challenges and be ready to respond as the world’s advisors.

What is your go-to calculator?

I love the TI-89. The best $200 I spent back in 2010 and still have it. I have used it in all my math and engineering courses in which calculators were allowed.  For the PE exam I bought the best approved calculator, the Casio fx-115ES PLUS. I still use both today at work.

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas, I love the smells of Christmas and eggnog!

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love playing tennis.  If I weren’t an Engineer, I would have loved to play tennis professionally.

Mountains or beach?

Beach. I love the water. Everywhere I have ever lived was within a few minutes from a natural body of water.

Alik McCoy PE
Senior Director at Large

Alik McCoy PE graduated from Texas A&M University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Originally from Fort Worth, Alik now lives in Houston and works as a Project Engineer at 5engineering, llc. Alik has 5 years of experience in water resources engineering with 5engineering. Her experience includes extensive hydrology and hydraulic modeling, drainage impact analysis, detention/mitigation analysis, storm sewer design, force main analysis, and lift station design.  Alik obtained her PE License in 2018.

Alik was active in ASCE at Texas A&M as a member and captain of the Concrete Canoe Team and continued her involvement with the ASCE Houston Branch after graduating. Alik served as an ASCE Houston Branch Sandcastle Committee co-chair for two years and has been the Younger Member Social Activities Chair for the last two years. In her free time, Alik enjoys playing sand volleyball and camping.

Yan G. Linwood PE
First Year Director at Large

Yan Linwood PE is a licensed structural engineer in Texas and Florida who holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from the Purdue University at West Lafayette, Indiana. Yan Linwood has approximately 10 years of experience in the Bridge Engineering field. Most of his experience revolves around design, project management and construction engineering services for highway bridges Design-Build projects in the USA. Throughout his career, Yan had served both Private and Public sector projects. Yan worked as one of the segment-leads for the Texas High Speed Rail project as well as several state Department of Transportation including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. Yan had also worked on some complex bridge designs in Canada, USA and India, including the Ganga River Bridge that spans approximately 2 miles between Sultanganj and Aguwani Ghat in Bihar, India.

Throughout his undergraduate years in college and his professional career, Yan has been a long-time member of ASCE. Yan has served ASCE in various committee and board positions at both the Branch and Section level. He was part of the ASCE executive board as Outreach Coordinator when he just started his career in Indianapolis. Next, he moved to Tampa Bay and he participated as the Vice President of the ASCE Florida West Coast Branch YMG for the year 2017-2018. Due to a local Texas project, Yan moved to Houston in 2018 and he was immediately involved as the Younger Member Technical Activities Chair for the ASCE Houston Branch and he is now also serving in the Editorial Committee as a First Year Director at Large for the ASCE Texas Section. Yan Linwood has insatiable hunger for network building, leadership opportunity as well as serving other Civil Engineering professionals. When he can take a break from work, Yan enjoys spending time at his garage working on carpentry projects or hanging out with his girlfriend and his 2 dogs doing outdoor activities including biking, hiking, and traveling.

Michael Schneider PE
First Year Director at Large

Michael Schneider PE, a Beaumont Texas resident, has spent the last seven years working on many port and industrial projects on the Texas Gulf Coast.  Working in the petrochemical and shipping industry in the Golden Triangle area afforded him the ability to be very active in the engineering community, including being a board member of both his Texas Society of Professional Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers chapters.

He received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Manhattan College, and had the opportunity to work as both a design and field engineer on many high-profile projects in the New York City area such as the World Trade Center Recovery and Rebuilding; the Barclay Center in Brooklyn; 432 Park Avenue; and several other bridges, high rise buildings, and stadiums.

After moving to Texas, Michael received the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, Sabine Chapter Young Engineer of the Year, as well as the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce 40 Professionals Under 40 recognitions.  He currently holds the position of Regional Manager of Texas and Louisiana at Collins Engineers, Inc.

When not working, Michael enjoys expanding his knowledge and skills in his many hobbies including fishing, horseback riding, and SCUBA diving.

Robert Lys Jr. PE
Brazos Branch Section Director
Phillip A. Alcorn PE
Dallas Branch Section Director
Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
El Paso Branch Section Director

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.

Rodolfo O. Mireles EIT
High Plains Branch Section Director
Luis A. Gonzalez PE
Houston Branch Section Director
David D. Stanley PE
Northeast Texas Branch Section Director
Aldo I. Garcia
Rio Grande Valley Branch Section Director
Amy Stone PE
San Antonio Branch Section Director

Amy Stone is a licensed Professional Engineer registered in the state of Texas with more than 20 years of experience as a structural engineer. She specializes in providing multi-faceted design and assessment services to clients. Ms. Stone is an active member and officer of American Society of Civil Engineers, San Antonio Branch.

I have been a member of ASCE for approximately 15 years and an active member of the San Antonio Branch for almost 10.  It has been my pleasure to serve in disparate roles from Newsletter Editor to Past President.  As Section Direction, I will endeavor to connect our Branch with other Branches and with our Section.

Ms. Stone’s experience spans all phases of projects from recognizing and assessing need, to design, to construction phase, to close out. She has provided proposals, reports, recommendations, and estimates as work products during these phases. Her primary responsibilities at M&S are to communicate with clients and oversee projects while confirming client standards are met and their expectations exceeded.

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.

Jason K. Kelliher PE
West Texas Branch Section Director
Austin Messerli PE
Government Affairs Committee Co-Chair

Austin Messerli P.E. is an active member of ASCE, first participating in the in the University Chapter, in which he eventually became president, then holding various positions professionally. Currently, he servers as ASCE Texas Section Government Affairs Co-Chair and Austin Branch Government Affairs Chair. He helped Chair the Highway and Roads Committee and assisted the Parks and Rec Committee of the 2021 Texas Infrastructure Report Card. He has participated in national Legislative Fly-In, Drive-Ins, MLRC, and student mentoring programs

Austin is a Professional Engineer and has both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Oklahoma. He is as a Project Manager who works in Municipal, County, and DOT transportation projects with over 7 years of experience across Texas, Oklahoma, and the surrounding States. The most exciting part of his work is seeing all the various pieces of transportation projects come together and form a positive and lasting impact the on the public.

LeAnne M. Napolillo PE
CECON Site Selection Committee Chair
Lawrence D. Goldberg PE
Past Presidents Council Committee Chair

Lawrence (Larry) Goldberg PE has 37 years of experience as a civil engineer and has been actively involved with ASCE throughout his career. He currently serves as the Director of Infrastructure for CivilTech Engineering. Currently responsible for City Infrastructure, County Infrastructure, residential and commercial developments projects.

Prior to taking his current role he served as the Regional Sales Director for GATORBAR by Neuvokas Corporation, and as Executive Vice President of Land Development for Landev Engineers, and Senior Project Manager for Landtech Consultants, Inc.

Association Involvement:

Mr. Goldberg is a graduate of Texas A&M University and a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas.

Lawrence has received the following awards: John Focht Jr. Citizen Award 1994, Houston Branch Award of Honor 2011, Texas Section –Professional Achievement Award 2015, and American Cancer Society Jr. Board President 1992/1993.

Jessica Hilscher PE
Student Competitions Coordinator
Christopher J. Nance PE, ENV SP
Budget & Finance Committee Chair

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.

Jennifer E. Bohlander PE
CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
Andrew J. Domke PE
CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair
Alik McCoy PE
Editorial Committee Chair

Alik McCoy PE graduated from Texas A&M University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Originally from Fort Worth, Alik now lives in Houston and works as a Project Engineer at 5engineering, llc. Alik has 5 years of experience in water resources engineering with 5engineering. Her experience includes extensive hydrology and hydraulic modeling, drainage impact analysis, detention/mitigation analysis, storm sewer design, force main analysis, and lift station design.  Alik obtained her PE License in 2018.

Alik was active in ASCE at Texas A&M as a member and captain of the Concrete Canoe Team and continued her involvement with the ASCE Houston Branch after graduating. Alik served as an ASCE Houston Branch Sandcastle Committee co-chair for two years and has been the Younger Member Social Activities Chair for the last two years. In her free time, Alik enjoys playing sand volleyball and camping.

Kenneth M. Struzyk PE
Evaluation & Repair of Residential Foundations Committee Chair
Tiffany Reed-Villarreal PE, ENV SP
CECON Planning Committee Co-Chair

Tiffany Reed-Villarreal, PE is the President of InfraTex Consulting, a structural engineering firm located in Aledo, Texas. Tiffany is an advocate for sustainable construction projects across the Nation. She is passionate about sustainable development and design, and is committed to keeping our Nation’s infrastructure resilient and strong for future generations. Tiffany is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas and a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.

Prior to founding InfraTex Consulting, Tiffany served as the Texas Regional Engineer for Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) for more than two years. That role allowed her to partner with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), county and municipal agencies, sanitary districts, and water management districts on the development of specifications and product acceptance in the civil engineering industry. Tiffany also served as a Project Manager for JM Structural Engineering in Austin, Texas for five years. As the Structural Project Manager for high end residential and mid-sized commercial projects, she oversaw several well-known projects including Torchy’s Tacos on South Congress, which replaced the iconic Frans Hamburgers, and Live Oak Brewery,  a 26,000 SQFT brewery, tasting room, and distribution center near the Austin airport.

Outside of her professional practice, Tiffany revived the Texas Section’s dormant Government Affairs Committee in 2016 and led the committee through tremendous growth and onto a valuable relationship between ASCE Texas Section members and the Texas Legislature. Tiffany’s leadership of the committee led to her winning the 2018 ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineer Advocate award. This society-level recognition was bestowed upon her in Washington, DC as part of ASCE’s Legislative Fly-In program. Since then, she was elected by her peers to serve as ASCE Texas Section’s 2020 Vice President for Professional Affairs.

Outside of her professional life Tiffany enjoys spending time with her husband and five children. Her Motto is “God, Family, and Character. ”

 

Phillip G. King PE, D.GE
Foundation Investigation & Design Committee Chair
Audra N. Morse PhD, PE
Nominating Committee Chair

Dr.  Audra Morse, P.E., BCEE, F.ASCE, is Professor and Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Michigan Technological University.  Her research focuses on wastewater reuse and engineering education.

Prior to Michigan Tech, Dr. Morse was a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering at Texas Tech University, where she served as Associate Dean. She received the two highest teaching honors and the President’s Excellence in Gender Equity Award.

Audra is currently a member of the Upper Peninsula Branch and the Michigan Section of ASCE.  She is a past president of the Texas Section.

Augustine Verrengia III PE
Government Affairs Committee Chair

Augustine Verrengia PE has over 10 years of experience in civil engineering design, project management and construction administration duties gained through assignments in mixed-use, residential, municipal and commercial projects. Highlights of his professional career include being featured in Civil Engineering magazine for his work on memorializing the Space Shuttle Independence & Boeing 747 at Space Center Houston, working on Park West (the largest P3 Student Housing project ever built in the US), and a variety of other monumental assignments including the Holocaust Museum in Houston. Throughout his career Augustine has been involved in ASCE beginning at University of Texas – San Antonio where he served as Vice President of his student chapter. After graduation he served on the Education Committee for the ASCE Houston Branch. Augustine became involved at the ASCE Texas Section level through the Government Affairs Committee and has been directly involved in committee assignments such as assisting in the preparation of the Texas Infrastructure Report Card and planning the Texas Legislative Drive-in. Most recently, he worked with the ASCE Austin branch and created the branch-level Government Affairs Committee. He is currently employed by Stantec where he continues to apply his skills and experience every day in his mission to Design with Community in Mind.

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.

Chad M. Ballard PE
Honors Committee Chair

Chad Ballard P.E. 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.

Patrick J. Williams PE
Membership Committee Chair

Patrick Williams, PE, LEED AP has served ASCE on various levels over the past 16 years.  His decision to become involved stemmed from his passion for engineering and connecting with his peers to benefit the public welfare in his home community.  Playing an active role in the Young Member Forum of the Philadelphia, PA Branch early in his career, he volunteered for such efforts as the biannual “Soup Squad” initiative to prepare and deliver food for elderly and immobile citizens; as well as being an annual judge for multiple Future Cities competitions for students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, which he recognizes as crucial for the sustainability of the engineering profession.  Arriving to his new home in Dallas, Texas in 2017, he has served as the Texas Section Director and Secretary for the Dallas Branch.  He continues his latest contribution of service as Treasurer for the branch for the next two years; in addition to leading multiple committees.  He is the new Membership Committee Chair for the Texas Section.

Mr. Williams serves on the Board of Governors of the Alumni Association of his alma mater; volunteering time throughout the year due to his interest in engaging with students and assisting them in the transition after graduation.  His firm awarded him distinction for his dedication to improving the firm and is highlighted in the company’s “Faces of Urban” initiative.  He is a certified personal trainer through the American Sports & Fitness Association, and he is also a practicing ordained minister.  He is on the Engineering Committee for the Airports Consultants Council (ACC) to dedicate his knowledge on funding and regulations to the aviation industry, and also donated his time and knowledge this year as the civil engineering lead in a community outreach project for a local Baptist church in a low-income area in North Texas to help design improvements for their facility and qualify for the funding they need.  Mr. Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of Awareness, Inc; a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization founded in Irving, Texas.  Awareness, Inc’s mission is to serve as an advocate for those who are unable to help themselves, with a focus on philanthropy and fundraising for those in need.

Mr. Williams maintains his license as a Professional Engineer in numerous states and has also earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s certification as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional.  He is the current Southwest Regional Manager for Urban Engineers, an engineering and construction management firm with the regional office located in Irving, Texas.

 

Sean P. Merrell PE
Office and Personnel 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, Canstruction 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 14 years leading the traffic group for three North Texas offices.  Sean been married to his wife Elizabeth for 25 years and they have two children, Sasha & Declan.

Robert F. Pierry PE
Residential Foundations Oversight Committee Chair

Bob Pierry P.E. has been the President and principal owner of Pierry Consulting, Inc., a firm specializing in evaluating existing residential and light commercial foundations since 2005.  Bob’s other experience includes 23 years in the foundation repair contracting business, preceded by 6 years with an asphalt paving contractor.  Bob earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Duke University in 1976.

Bob has been an active member of ASCE for many years.  In addition to his current role as Chairman of the Residential Foundations Committee for the Texas Section, he has served as Chairman of the Texas Section Geotechnical Committee, which became the Texas Chapter of the Geo-Institute during his tenure, as well as Section Vice President – Technical.  Bob has also served on two national ASCE technical committees.

Bob currently volunteers regularly for Habitat for Humanity of Denton County, formerly serving on the Board of Directors as both Treasurer and Vice President.  Bob has been very happily married for nearly 40 years, and has 2 sons and 2 grandchildren.  He enjoys traveling and scuba diving.

Joe W. Alvarez
Younger Members Committee 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.

Kacey C. Paul PE
Strategic Planning Committee Chair
Heather Guillen PE, ENV SP, LEED AP
Student Activities Committee Chair

Heather Guillen P.E., ENV SP, LEED AP BD+C is a Team Director in the civil engineering services group at Walter P. Moore & Associates, Inc. in Houston, TX.  She has over 19 years of experience in civil engineering and project management.  She has worked on a variety of infrastructure projects, including planning and design for educational, institutional, healthcare, commercial, and park projects.  Ms. Guillen is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas.

Ms. Guillen is a graduate of the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.  Heather currently serves as Student Activities Committee Chair for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Texas Section.  She served as Vice President of Administration for the ASCE Houston Branch 2016-2017 Board.  She served as served as Secretary of the ASCE Houston Branch 2013-2014 Board and as Treasurer of the ASCE Houston Branch 2014-2016 Board.  Heather received the 2016 Rising Stars Award from Civil + Structural Engineer Magazine and was selected into ENR Texas & Louisiana 2016 class of Top 20 Under 40.

Ms. Guillen and her husband Wesley have been married for over 15 years and have three sons, Jordan (11), Jonah (8) and Jalen (1).  They reside in Sugar Land, Texas.

Larijai “LJ” Francis PE
Tellers Committee Chair

How has ASCE helped you in your career?

ASCE has provided an opportunity to conveniently satisfy the professional development hours needed to maintain my professional engineering license.  It has given me a platform for advocacy among my fellow engineers to promote the ethical practice of engineering and ASCE helps to provide the framework for best practices in the civil engineering disciplines.  I am an avid reader of The Society’s monthly Civil Engineering magazine, as well as the Texas Section’s Texas Civil Engineer (TCE) online news, published online bi-monthly.  ASCE is a family at all levels and I like that the members are always willing to help.  This provides me with a wealth of resources that can only be gained from a group of people committed to the same goal; to see the field of civil engineering continually evolve; reaching and exceeding previous goalposts.  Through networking with ASCE members, I have found two mentors who have been particularly instrumental in my progressive career advancements.

What do you love the most about being a civil engineer?

Being on a team that is responsible for building and maintaining the community’s infrastructure and environment—I am so honored to serve in this capacity because it affects generations.

Give us three words to describe what a civil engineer does:

Innovate. Inspire. Evolve.

What is the biggest challenge civil engineers face today?

Engineers are called upon to solve problems.  To become and remain a great problem solver, one must be able to fully understand all the nuances of each problem, propose and execute repeatable solutions. We must also be conscientiously aware of histories and trends and be able to constantly evolve to remain relevant. Civil engineers must also be able to foresee the challenges and be ready to respond as the world’s advisors.

What is your go-to calculator?

I love the TI-89. The best $200 I spent back in 2010 and still have it. I have used it in all my math and engineering courses in which calculators were allowed.  For the PE exam I bought the best approved calculator, the Casio fx-115ES PLUS. I still use both today at work.

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas, I love the smells of Christmas and eggnog!

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love playing tennis.  If I weren’t an Engineer, I would have loved to play tennis professionally.

Mountains or beach?

Beach. I love the water. Everywhere I have ever lived was within a few minutes from a natural body of water.

Mark K. Boyd PhD, PE
Texas Infrastructure Report Card Committee Chair

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!).

Christina Kim PE
STEM Committee Chair
John F. Obr PE
Construction Institute Chapter Chair
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.

 

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.

Fadi N. Faraj PE
Geo-Technical Institute Chapter Chair

Fadi Faraj P.E. is a Vice President for HVJ Associates, a leading specialty engineering firm in Texas.  Previously, he filled in the roles of Branch Manager, Department Manager, Project Manager, and Staff Engineer.  He has strong managerial and leadership skills combined with extensive technical experience in geotechnical engineering over the last 18 years.  He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas since 2005.

He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the American University of Beirut.  He has been a member of ASCE since 2002, and he served as chair with the Houston Chapter on the “Hospitality” and “Primary and Secondary Education” committees.  Some of his volunteer work with ASCE includes presenting to high school students about being a civil engineer, engaging kids in engineering activities at the Children Museum, helping with supplies at the Food Bank, judging projects at Future City Competition, and maintaining clean highways through TxDOT’s “Adopt a Highway” program.

James T. Brown PE
Structural Engineering Institute Chapter Chair
Surya Bhandari EIT
Transportation & Development Institute Chapter Chair
Sandee Khoury PE
Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute Chapter Chair
Jesse H. Aguilar PE
Forensics Group Institute Chapter Chair

Mr. Aguilar is responsible for overseeing and promoting the facilities engineering practice in the San Antonio and surrounding areas. This includes coordinating efforts with staff, other service lines, and technical experts to ensure that all services are responsive to the client needs, including being on time and within an identified scope and budget. He provides technical direction and training to professional staff to enhance individual capabilities for advancement and promotion along career paths, and provides assistance in promoting other services and projects whenever possible. His responsibilities include ensuring that department projects feature quality construction produced on schedule and within the budget. His forte is attention to the details surrounding facility assessments, the preparation, design, and review of plans, specifications, reports, and cost and quantity estimates for commercial, residential, and educational projects, as well as public/infrastructure developments with local, state, and federal agencies.  Mr. Aguilar has more than 20 years of experience in Forensic and Facilities Engineering Services.

Mr. Aguilar’s specialization includes Forensic Engineering, Building Enclosure Consulting, Foundation Movement Studies, Property Condition Assessments, Facility Condition Assessments, Vibration Monitoring, Building Air Tightness Testing, Floor Slab Moisture Consulting.