2023-24 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
President
Jose Ramirez
Kimley-Horn
Jose Ramirez is a Senior Engineer and Project Manager at Kimley-Horn and Associates. With over 14 years of professional experience specializing in the design of structures, Jose’s main focus has been on the design of bridges, retaining walls, and miscellaneous structures for highway/roadway and light and heavy rail transportation projects. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Structural Engineering from UC San Diego and has been involved with ASCE since college, participating in the Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge competitions. Jose has served in the ASCE San Diego YMF board as Treasurer, Scholarship Chair, and Webmaster. In the ASCE San Diego Section, Jose has served as President-Elect, Secretary and has been a member of the ASCE Awards Event Planning Committee. Jose has also served in the ASCE Transportation Group board as Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary and looks forward to continuing to serve on the ASCE board and to the Civil Engineering profession.
President Elect
Matt Brash
Parsons
Matt is a Program Director at Parsons specializing in the design of road and highway projects. He has 17 years of experience and has managed the design of over half of a billion dollars of road and highway projects throughout the state. In addition to his Project Manager responsibilities, he is also the Engineering Manager for Parsons’ San Diego Office responsible for staffing and training of our staff over 70 transportation engineers. He is currently serving in the Director A position for the ASCE San Diego Section.
Vice President
Amin Azimi
Michael Baker
Dr. Amin Azimi is an accomplished project manager at Michael Baker International with extensive expertise in various fields of engineering, including structural engineering, trenchless technologies, earthquake engineering, material engineering, and finite element analysis. With over 14 years of experience, he has made significant contributions to national and international consulting, research, teaching, and professional practices. Previously, Dr. Amin served as a Professor at the College of Engineering and Science (COES), Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) in LATech University. He also held a faculty position at the University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) in the past. Throughout his career, Dr. Amin has played key roles in numerous engineering projects, most notably as the Project Leader/Project Manager for the underground robotic project in collaboration with the engineering department of FB. He was also instrumental in the development of Appendix B - Earthquake Applications for the AWWA M55 manual, PE Pipe Design and Installation M55, during his time as one of the Chair Assistants for American Water Works Association. Additionally, Dr. Amin's contributions to the field extend to publications. He was the main author for updating the manual "Trenchless Construction and Rehabilitation Methods" under the National Utility Contractors Association NUCA and has more than 100 publications in journals, conferences, books, and book chapters. Notably, Dr. Amin Azimi holds expertise in utilizing FEM software like ANSYS and has earned certification in Machine Learning: From Data to Decisions from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Professional Education. Furthermore, he has been actively involved in various professional organizations, including serving as the UESI-ASCE Louisiana Chapter Vice Chair for the Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute, ASCE, Louisiana. His achievements have garnered significant recognition, with over 25 national and international awards for his innovative engineering inventions and products. Notably, he received the prestigious "Best American Inventor" title, as well as a Gold and Special Award from SVIIF-Silicon Valley, USA. As part of his commitment to professional engagement, Dr. Amin is an esteemed committee member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), member of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT), and Board member of ASCE San Diego Section.
Secretary
Olga Reyes
County of San Diego
Olga is a senior civil engineer currently working for the Department of Public Works at the County of San Diego. She has over ten years of design experience working throughout the state of California. She began her career as a bridge engineer, assisting with bridge design, including plan preparation, specification writing, and cost estimates. She then continued her work in general civil engineering-related projects, including drainage design and analyses, along with project management. Olga earned her Bachelor of Science degree with emphasis in structures from UC Irvine and her Master of Science degree also with emphasis in structures from UW Madison. She has served on the ASCE San Diego section board as secretary for the past year and will continue with this position for the upcoming year.
Treasurer
Sean McCarty
West Coast Civil
Mr. McCarty is a licensed civil engineer in the State of California with 20 years of experience. He has designed, led, and managed a variety of projects and programs. He holds Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University with specialties in Construction Management and Hydraulic Engineering, respectively. Mr. McCarty has served as a consultant to the Pure Water Program as Deputy Project Manager for Conveyance since October 2015.
Director A
Jacob Monroe
Advanced Drainage Systems
Jacob Monroe is the Southern California Regional Engineer for Advanced Drainage Systems, managing ADS’ municipal and public agency relationships and overseeing the territory’s polypropylene pipe market. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Jacob moved into San Francisco’s high-rise construction management industry, where he was part of the on-site project management team on over a dozen high-rises in San Francisco. Jacob has since overseen high-rise construction projects in Southern California, Seattle, Houston, and Denver. In his current capacity, Jacob works closely with consulting design engineers and city, county, and state agencies to ensure proper specification, design, and installation of ADS’ storm and sanitary sewer water management systems.
Director B
Yazmin Arellano-Torres
City of El Cajon
Yazmin Arellano-Torres is the Director of Public Works for the City of El Cajon, California. Yazmin is a Registered Civil Engineer and Land Surveyor in California with over 20 years of experience in municipal engineering. Yazmin holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, President of the ASCE Imperial Valley Branch, Vice-President, and President of the ASCE San Diego Section.
Director C
Michael Drennan
NV5
Michael is the VP and Director of Water Resources and Green Infrastructure for NV5. Michael has spent most of his career in Los Angeles, but now lives in Carlsbad. He provides leadership in the development of integrated sustainable solutions which help communities meet their water resources and public infrastructure needs, while protecting and enhancing their natural ecosystems. He helped found a nonprofit in Los Angeles called the Council for Watershed Health and served on the Board for many years, including serving as President. During his time in Los Angeles, he served on ASCE’s EWRI Committee and was privileged to receive the “Engineer of the Year” award from the LA Section for his work advancing watershed management principles. His career in Civil Engineering has been extremely rewarding and he is passionate about inspiring young people to consider joining us and help us lead into the future! He is committed to helping advance ASCE’s Future World Vision.
Director D
Isaac Kontorovsky
BKF Engineers
Isaac is an accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in both private and public projects throughout California. With an impressive track record in the Civil Engineering & Construction Industry, he has actively contributed to a diverse range of challenging developments. His portfolio boasts an array of residential, academic, civic, and commercial projects, performed for a large client list that includes several government agencies as well as Fortune 500 companies. Isaac has been actively engaged with various ASCE sections, sharing his expertise in Career Advancement, Innovation, and Sustainability through presentations at various universities. His strong leadership is branded on disruptive innovation, challenging the status quo in extremely collaborative ways, helping development teams reach highly efficient solutions that hinge on the use of new technologies and industry trends.
YMF Director
Chase Lawson
Psomas
Chase Lawson is a registered professional civil engineer in the state of California with 7 years of experience. He works for Psomas, focusing on land development in the Southern California region. He has experience in public transportation, water and wastewater utilities, and stormwater management design, working with a diverse group of both private and public clients. He maintains active involvement in the professional community through service in the ASCE YMF San Diego Chapter and is pursuing a Master of Engineering Degree at SDSU, focused on Water Resources and Business Administration.
Past President
Molly Amendt
City of Carlsbad
Molly Amendt has 19 years of professional experience and is currently a Senior Engineer in the City of Carlsbad Public Works Department, specializing in Facilities projects. Molly served on the San Diego ASCE YMF board for several years and is pleased to extend her contributions to the local section for her fifth year while bringing the perspective of a female leader locally in the industry. While studying for her undergraduate degree at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo she joined the student section of ASCE and was immediately hooked on the group's comradery and learning opportunities. She spent several years on the student board and captained the concrete canoe team her senior year. Landing at San Diego Gas and Electric after college, she supported electric transmission projects, had the opportunity to be a construction manager for the Sunrise Powerlink Project, and take roles in distribution operations, fire-hardening efforts, and the company's first electric vehicle charging station program. She then spent five years in the private sector, supporting utility clients with their transportation electrification initiatives.
Webmaster
Justin Thornber
Dokken
Justin is a licensed civil engineer currently working for Dokken Engineering. He has over 10 years of civil design experience specifically working on roadway design, complete streets, public transit, site development, mass/precise grading, and construction support. Justin holds a Bachelor Degree of Science in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University and has been involved with ASCE since college. He has served as the San Diego section webmaster for the past 5 years.