Name: Kim Morrison
Title: President & Principal Engineer Organization: Morrison Geotechnical Solutions, Inc. Background: Ms. Morrison is the President of Morrison Geotechnical Solutions, Inc. Kimberly has seventeen years of consulting experience on a variety of geotechnical, civil, environmental and construction projects, specializing in the geotechnical and environmental design of mine waste facilities for clients worldwide, including the US, Africa, Canada, Mexico, South America, Asia, and Australia. Her consulting specialty is the management of large inter-disciplinary mining projects that require high levels of team coordination, cost and schedule control, and frequent interaction with decision makers. Name: NatashaGonzalez
Title: Design Engineer Organization: Jirsa Hedrick Structural Engineers Background: Background: I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life in High School. I knew that I loved math, being creative and wanted to leave in impact on the world. Senior year I decided I wanted to study Architectural Engineering. I was accepted into the Engineering program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. At first it was a bit intimidating because there are not many women in the Engineering field, but after that quick thought…. I realized I can do anything anyone else can do. I graduated in 2009 with my Bachelor of Science and then in 2010 with a Master’s of Science in Civil engineering with a focus on Structures. Upon my graduation, the recession was barely starting to pick up. There was not very much work in the construction industry, so I went to work as a Quality Assurance Engineer for an oil and Gas company. During the year that I was there, I knew that was not my forte. I continuously looked and applied to several structural engineering firms, never giving up. In 2012 I was offered a position with Jirsa Hedrick and have enjoyed working with them since that day! Name: Brie Laffey
Title: CO-Area Manager Organization: Play-Well TEKnologies Background: Brie Laffey is the Colorado Area Manager for Play-Well TEKnologies. Play-Well is a STEAM based national organization that teaches basic engineering, architecture, and physics concepts to students ages 5-12 using LEGO. Brie oversees 14 Colorado educators (most engineers) in 80+ Colorado schools, community centers, and rec centers. Brie has degrees in Communication and Education fro CU-Boulder. Brie loves seeing students learn STEAM education with LEGO! Name: Jamie Prochno, P.E., CFM,
Title: Community Assistance Program Coordinator Organization: Play-Well TEKnologies Background: Jamie serves as the State Coordinator for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and manages the Community Assistance Program for the CWCB. Other areas of responsibility include: Providing assistance for communities regarding the NFIP. Conducting public outreach, education and training through workshops, newsletters and public meetings. Coordinating with FEMA and other State programs to emphasize the importance & progress of the NFIP and related activities. Providing general technical assistance and engineering support for communities and for mitigation grant programs. Name: Katrina Myers
Title: Former President Organization: Engineers Without Borders USA Background: Graduated cum laude from the University of North Florida (UNF), where she gained valuable experience in water resources engineering through traditional coursework as well as through several international service learning trips to Southeast Asia, South America, the Caribbean, and Africa. She founded and led the first UNF Engineering international service project, which has given past and present students the opportunity to travel to Ghana to design and build infrastructure improvements at a children’s home. She has continued her involvement with the Ghana Project as the Engineers Without Borders – USA professional mentor, leading students each year to complete additional projects. Ms. Myers continued her education at the University of Florida (UF), where she focused on water resources planning and management. She gained knowledge about environmental law, coastal wave theory, stormwater, and water supply modeling. Ms. Myers has been a member of Taylor Engineering’s Water Resources group since 2008. She focuses on detailed hydrologic, hydraulic, and coastal modeling for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Studies. She has completed projects in Florida, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Louisiana. She applies various modeling programs to assess flooding conditions and associated risks. She has also gained project management experience as well as experience communicating and interacting with clients and the public. While at Taylor Engineering, Ms. Myers founded the Jacksonville Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders – USA, and has served in local, regional and national leadership positions within the organization. She remains actively involved in several other professional organizations and received the Northeast Florida Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2011. Name: Hilary Anderson
Title: President Organization: Leeward Concepts LLC Background: When in high school there was no such thing as the personal computer, the internet, the mouse or the app. So in college I majored in Business (i.e. I had no clue what I wanted to do, just knew that I needed to get a college degree). When I graduated in 1988, the country was in a recession and jobs were hard to find. So I went into Real Estate (told you I had no clue). When that didn't pan out, I ended up doing office admin/management work. Part of this work included using a computer which I took an interest in. One thing led to another and I ended up going back to college at night and getting my Computer Science degree. Name: Christine Buckler
Title: Module Engineer Organization: Integrated Teaching and Learning Laborator (University of Colorado Boulder) Background: Engineering is in my genes. My parents are both Mechanical Engineers and have inspired me since I was a little girl. I also enjoyed math and science so engineering seemed like a natural choice for me when it came time to choose a college major. I have worked in the packaging manufacturing industry for 7+ years and recently made a career change to focus on academia where I get to work with students and faculty every day. I am also beginning to pursue a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and serving in a leadership position with the local Society of Women Engineers RMS section. Name: Shannon Power
Title: Product Development Coordinator Organization: Geotech Environmental Equipment, Inc. Background: Growing up I was always drawing and designing signs and booths for various events. In college, I decided to major in Architectural engineering, as it seemed to include enough “art” and “technical” forces to balance out my interests. I like to build functional things that don’t sacrifice aesthetics. After college, I taught grades K-5 about building concepts with Lego, and eventually found myself in a drafter position with Geotech Environmental Equipment. After learning the lean manufacturing concepts and R&D project management, I worked hard and now do product improvements & design for environmental equipment. Name: Terri Fead, P.E., CFM
Title: Project Manager Organization: Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (http://udfcd.org) Background: Terri is a graduate of Colorado State University (BSCE, 1981; MSCE, 1984). She has over 34 years of experience in water resource engineering, primarily related to floodplain and stormwater management including analysis, planning, project design and construction, and regulation. Terri’s career has been divided between the private sector and public agencies. She has significant experience in all facets of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Terri is responsible for technical review of local floodplain delineation studies, and as part of the Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) program works with Region 8 of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to obtain updated Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs). |
Name: Melissa Montgomery
Organization: Engineers Without Borders USA Background: Melissa is Project Engineer and part of the International Community Programs team which ensures that EWB-USA projects are sustainable and of high quality. In this role, Melissa is responsible for providing guidance and technical assistance to volunteer chapters working on EWB- USA projects throughout the assessment, design, implementation, and monitoring process. This assistance is provided primarily through review of project reports and consistent communication with project teams. Melissa has thirteen years of experience in the water and wastewater, civil and sustainability engineering fields. From 1999-2009, Melissa worked for Kimley-Horn and Associates and Wallace Roberts and Todd on various engineering projects including international master utility planning, commercial and residential site development, sustainable LEED projects, and wastewater treatment plant design. Melissa served as a Peace Corps volunteer in northern Peru from 2009-2011, and also served as a Professional Mentor for the EWB-Princeton Chapter from 2011-2012. Melissa became a project engineer for Engineers Without Borders USA in 2014. Name: Janet Yowell
Title: Associate Director, K-12 Engineering Education Organization: University of Colorado Background: Janet Yowell is Associate Director of K-12 Engineering Education for the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. Involved in the program’s ambitious and nationally-renowned K-12 engineering initiatives since 2000, Janet oversees their extensive capacity-building and school partnerships programs. Ms. Yowell coordinates the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program’s NSF-funded TEAMS Program (Tomorrow’s Engineers… creAte. iMagine. Succeed.), which engages more than 3,000 high-needs K-12 students in engineering each year, through extensive in-class engineering education, afterschool engineering clubs at 12 schools and summer programming at many Title I schools. She is also a curriculum author and editor for the NSF-funded, online TeachEngineering digital library, which supports more than 2M K-12 educators annually to infuse engineering into their science and math instruction. Janet holds a master’s degree in Information and Learning Technology from the University of Colorado Denver and a bachelor’s in Communication from the University of Colorado Boulder. Name: Mindy Zarske
Title: Faculty, General Engineering and CU Teach Engineering Organization: University of Colorado Boulder Background: Malinda Zarske is the Engineering Master Teacher for the General Engineering Plus program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Zarske teaches engineering design to first-year and sophomore-level students, focused on entrepreneurial product development and humanitarian engineering. In addition, she teaches introductory education courses through CU Teach Engineering, a program specifically designed to prepare engineering majors to earn secondary math or science teacher licensure. She is also part of the TEAMS K-12 engineering initiative, the TeachEngineering digital library team, and is faculty advisor for CU Boulder's Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Name: Jackie Sullivan
Title: Program Director Organization: CU College of Engineering & Applied Science Background: Dr. Sullivan is founding co-director of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program and the General Engineering Plus degree program at the University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Science. She received her PhD in environmental health physics and toxicology from Purdue University and held leadership positions in the energy and software industries for 13 years. She founded CU’s extensive K-12 engineering initiative and spearheaded the Engineering GoldShirt Program for high potential students now quite prepared for the standard engineering program. Sullivan led the founding of the ASEE K-12 Division in 2004, was awarded ASEE’s 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award, was conferred as an ASEE Fellow in 2011 and was awarded NAE’s 2008 Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education. She has served on several National Science Foundation and National Academy of Engineering advisory boards. Dr. Sullivan is a founding board member for the Denver Schools of Science and Technology, and currently is launching a CU Teach Engineering initiative targeted at producing 20-30 secondary science or math teachers annually, all with design-based engineering degrees. Name: Sarah Marvez
Title: Project Architect Organization: Gensler Background: I graduated from Northglenn High School in 2000. At that time, I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I went to the University of Colorado in Boulder as an undecided major. After taking a variety of classes during my freshman year I discovered I really enjoyed Architecture, and I formally enrolled in the school of architecture my sophomore year. After that, I was hooked. I currently work for a company called Gensler, and we do projects all over the world. My job is always interesting, and I am never bored! I really enjoy both the technical and artistic side of my work, and also the ability to work with really talented designers, engineers and contractors. Name: Stephanie Adams-Ball
Organization: D.L. Adams Associates Background: Stephanie Adams-Ball received her BS in Electrical Engineering Technology from Metropolitan State University of Denver while working at D. L. Adams Associates. As Vice President and Associate, she has responsibility in all areas of consulting, including design of theatre systems, sound reinforcement systems, Audio/Video (A/V) systems and acoustical analysis, as well as administrative duties. During her career, Ms. Adams-Ball has provided design services for performance lighting, stage rigging, studio rigging, draperies, pit lifts, orchestra shells, and A/V presentation systems, for auditoria, lecture halls, performing arts centers, conference centers, and other public spaces. Name: Kate Seppala
Title: Student Services Assistant Organization: University of Colorado Denver –Bioengineering Department Background: After graduating from The University of Texas with a BS in mechanical engineering, I moved to Colorado to work as a field service engineer in electrical systems and services. In this role, I learned a great deal about our electrical infrastructure in the United States, and ultimately decided it wasn’t the best career path for me. After reevaluating my passions and interests, I decided to transition to a career in higher education. In my role, I have the opportunity to devleop the next generation of engineers. I greatly enjoy helping students navigate the rigor of an engineering curriculum and help prepare them for life after graduation. As an engineer, you are a public servant working to make a better world for all of us, and I want my students to realize the potential for positive change in their careers. Name: Sarah Al-Mutlaq
Title: Creative Content Engineer Organization: SparkFun Electronics Background: Though I never knew what an Engineer was until I started college, I got two degrees in Engineering from CU Boulder in Environmental Engineering and Electrical Engineering. After that I started working for SparkFun as their Sustainability Coordinator, but quickly moved into the Creative Content Engineer since I was more interested in making and showing off projects. Name: Malinda Reese
Title: Transportation Engineer Organization: Apex Design, PC Background: I majored in Engineering Physics at Westmont College and upon graduation got a job with the City of Santa Barbara in their Public Works Department under the Streets Design Group. I started as an Engineering Technician for a few years until I worked my way up to a Project Engineer, all the while designing sidewalk and intersection improvement projects. Upon moving to Colorado I got my current job with Apex Design as a Transportation Engineer where I’ve worked on both the planning and design side of transportation. In addition to my day job, I am involved with the volunteer organization Engineers Without Borders and currently am leading a project in Tanzania where we will be improving the sanitation facilities at a primary school. |