Meet the Board of Directors
Nate Strout, PE (President) (E-Mail)
Nate is a 2011 graduate of the University of Maine, where he earned a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Nate joined S. W. Cole Engineering, Inc. in 2008, initially as a seasonal technician while attending the University of Maine. He is currently a senior geotechnical engineer and branch office manager of the firm’s Bangor office. Nate’s engineering responsibilities include coordination and monitoring of subsurface exploration programs, geotechnical analysis and design, and the preparation of engineering reports and proposals.
Justin Yaitanes, PE (President Elect)
Justin spent most of his life in Massachusetts and relocated to Portland, Maine in 2018. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in 2005 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and the University of Massachusetts, Lowell in 2015 with a Master’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a concentration in structural engineering. He started his career at MassDOT as a bridge engineer and transitioned to HNTB in 2013. Outside of the office he enjoys the great outdoors and all the great things Maine has to offer with his family. He has been a member of the Boston and now Maine ASCE sections since starting his career and looks forward to becoming more involved.
Lynn Frazier, PE, PTOE (Treasurer)
Lynn is a traffic operations engineer who recently moved away from the design desk and began a construction company: Frazier Signal Technologies. She graduated from the University of Maine in 2006 with her BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Lynn has 18 years’ experience focused in Maine with the majority of her time spent on signal design, construction phasing and operational analysis. This is her 4th year serving as the Treasurer and she is also a Past-President of the Maine Section. Lynn is originally from Medway and currently resides in Enfield with her husband, Charles, and their two children.
Ben Shaw, PE (Vice President)
Ben is a project engineer for Gorrill Palmer’s municipal group. He joined Gorrill Palmer after graduating from the University of Maine in Orono with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2017. He has assisted in the design of many municipal projects including roadway and sidewalk design, pavement management plans, culvert replacement, sewer separations, and wastewater pump stations. Ben was a member of the ASCE through college and has continued attending meetings through his professional career. He looks forward to taking on a larger role on Maine ASCE board and working with the amazing previous and new board members. Ben’s favorite place to be outside of work is at his camp on Sebago swimming, boating, and playing with the dogs.
Ben Smith, PE (Secretary)
Ben grew up in Old Town, Maine. He graduated from the University of Maine in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. During his time there, he was a member of the concrete canoe team and served as the vice president of the ASCE student chapter. He then continued at UMaine to complete a Master’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus in structural engineering and mechanics in 2019. During this time, he was a research assistant at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, developing a hybrid thermoplastic composite and concrete deck system. Ben currently lives in Topsham, Maine and is a bridge engineer for the Falmouth branch of T. Y. Lin International.
Thomas Rioux, PE (Director Year 3)
Thomas Rioux is a structural engineer at VHB. He grew up in Scarborough, Maine, and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Vermont. As of January 2024, he is a licensed Professional Engineer. Thomas has assisted in numerous state and private projects throughout New England, including construction inspection for the Middlebury Tunnel in Vermont, mapping natural gas systems in Massachusetts, and bridge design for Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley. Thomas joined the board in May 2024 and has been a member since December 2022. He is looking forward to planning the Technical Seminar next spring and becoming a valuable part of the Maine ASCE Chapter. In his free time, Thomas enjoys surfing at Higgins Beach, reading on Mackworth Island, and fishing in Casco Bay.
Skyler Wright, EIT (Director Year 2)
Skyler is a Staff Civil Engineer at the James W. Sewall Company. He graduated with a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Maine in 2022. His project experience thus far includes assisting in road and site design for solar and wind-energy sites, shoreline stabilization along coastal Maine, cost and material estimation for road rehabilitation/reconstruction projects, site inspections, and commercial site design. He looks forward to joining the ASCE as a first-year Director and becoming familiar with the inner-workings of the Chapter. Outside of work, he enjoys finding new local walking trails. Skyler currently resides in Old Town with his wife, Lily, their son, and two dogs.
Heather Hayes, PE (Editor: The Informant)
Heather is a structural and project engineer at James W. Sewall Company. She graduated from the University of Maine in 2011 with her BS and 2013 with her MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Sewall Company has provided her the opportunity to work on a variety of projects to improve our local communities, including structural design, pavement scoping and quality assurance and project management. At the University of Maine she worked at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center doing research on the Bridge in a Backpack ProjectTM. Prior to working for Sewall, she worked Louis Berger for 5 years as a structural bridge engineer working on transportation projects in various states. She has been the Informant Editor since 2014.
Nate Powelson, PE (Past President) (E-Mail)
Nate is a project engineer at Thornton Tomasetti. He graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from Clarkson University in 2007 and a MS in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Structural Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2010. He has worked on projects throughout the country. His experience includes failure investigation, repair and rehabilitation design, bridge design, property condition assessments, and structural analysis and evaluation. He currently lives in Gorham with his family. He is an active member of Structural Engineers of Maine and ASCE.