Dr. Zinta S. Byrne, Ph.D.
Professor of Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Colorado State University
Employee Engagement Consultant
KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Professor Zinta Byrne facilitates learning by bridging the research to practice gap, providing insight into how to best use theory and research for practical solutions in organizations. In her practice, she challenges the way people think, working closely with individuals and groups to develop their insight and critical thinking to create best-in-class solutions. As a professional coach, she helps people to create innovative science-based solutions essential for business success. Zinta has authored a book called, "Understanding Employee Engagement: Theory, Research, and Practice" focusing on engagement for practitioners. 
Zinta is President of Atniz Consulting, LLC, which specializes in organizational diagnoses and culture assessment, coaching managers and executive leaders, and in developing communication and leadership skills. She provides support to organizations to help create a productive workforce, maximizing organizational capability and talent, and diagnosing organizational problems that create morale and leadership issues related to talent management. She works with professionals to develop strategies to cultivate an engaged culture, relying on rigorous scientific-based defensible solutions. Zinta develops customized solutions to solve business and leadership challenges, bringing energy, enthusiasm, creativity, skill, knowledge, and collaboration to my work. 

Rose McClure, P.E., S.E., LEED AP
Senior Staff II, Simpson Gumpertz Heger
SE3 CO-FOUNDER & 2018 NCSEA SE3 CHAIR

Rose McClure is a Senior Engineer in Simpson Gumpertz & Heger’s Chicago office.  She has ten years of experience on new and existing commercial, institutional and residential projects across the United States and Canada. She specializes in the analysis and design of foundation systems, and in the repair and rehabilitation of existing structures. Rose is passionate about structural engineering, and believes strongly in engagement, teaching, and mentorship. Through clear communication and effective team building, she brings a collaborative approach to all of her projects. Having worked in NY, NC, CA, and now IL, she has a unique perspective on the state of practice within the industry, and brings this knowledge to ongoing efforts regarding engineering engagement and equity. Active within the AEC community, Rose is the current chair of the NCSEA SE3 Committee, member of the SEAOI continuing education (CE) and women in structural engineering (WISE) committees, member of the Chicago Building Congress, member of the SEI public relations committee, and past member and chair of several committees in SEAONC. Rose received a BS from Cornell University in 2008, and a MEng from MIT in 2009. In 2016, she was awarded the Giles Scholarship and the Edwin Zacher Award for her contributions to the community. 

Zahraa Saiyed, P.E.
Principal + Co-Founder, Scyma Design & Consulting
​2018-2019 SEAONC SE3 CO-CHAIR & SYMPOSIUM EMCEE

Zahraa Saiyed, P.E., is a co-founder of Scyma Design + Consulting, a research associate with MIT’s Urban Risk Lab, and Adjunct Professor of Architecture and Community Design at the University of San Francisco. Zahraa’s work in disaster risk reduction includes projects with the Urban Risk Lab and the World Bank in Peru, Haiti and San Francisco. Zahraa is a promoter of seismic safety legislation and leads the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute's Public Policy and Advocacy committee and sits on the Resilience Education Working Group with the American Institute of Architects and is a Board Director of the Northern California Chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. In addition, she works with the City of San Francisco’s Earthquake Safety Implementation Program on shelter-in-place and building safety for post-disaster scenarios in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Zahraa has lectured both domestically and internationally on the built environment and disaster risk reduction. In the past, she has in taught at Stanford University in the Geophysics department and at M.I.T.'s Civil and Environmental Engineering department. Zahraa holds a B.A. in Architecture from UC Berkeley, an M.S. in Building Technology and an M.Eng in Structural Engineering from M.I.T.    ​​

Hayley Dickson, P.E.
Engineer, Forell/Elsesser
​2017-2019 SEAONC SE3 CO-CHAIR

Hayley Dickson, P.E. is an Engineer at Forell/Elsesser Structural Engineers in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a licensed civil engineer in the state of California, and earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil and Structural engineering from Santa Clara University. Since joining the firm in 2013, she has worked on a variety of new construction and retrofit projects in the higher education, government and corporate sectors. These projects have included a range of materials and analyses, including nonlinear and response spectrum analysis of concrete shearwalls, steel moment frame, buckling restrained braced frames, and base isolation. She is involved in several industry organizations, including EERI, SPUR, and SEAONC. This is Hayley's second year co-chairing the SEAONC SE3 committee.

Joseph Collins, P.E., S.E.
Associate Principal, ARUP
SESSION B1 THOUGHT LEADER

Joe Collins is the Building Practice Leader in Arup’s Oakland office. He specializes in seismic engineering, long-span structures, hospitals, sports facilities, and projects overseas. In Oakland, his focus is on total building design — the delivery of comprehensive complex designs with seamless integration of all disciplines. Starting with the award-winning Newport Beach Civic Center project in 2009, Joseph has been involved in well-coordinated multidisciplinary projects, which have provided him with an in-depth knowledge of the building service systems. This, in conjunction with his education in structural engineering, allows him to create innovative solutions to clients’ problems through the use of multidisciplinary integration. Joseph has been able to share his expertise as a speaker at the ASCE Structures Congress and the Structural Engineering Association of California Convention, and has published multiple articles, most recently on the future of stadia roofs. Joseph has led the design of a diverse portfolio of buildings: an innovation campus in China, an airport terminal in Saudi Arabia, a manufacturing factory in India, multiple hospitals in California and Canada, a corporate restaurant in California, and retail developments in California and China.

Kenneth O'Dell, S.E.
Partner, MHP
​SESSION B1 THOUGHT LEADER

Ken O’Dell joined MHP in 1989. With over 25 years’ experience in structural engineering and risk management, Ken has been involved with and responsible for a number of significant projects including entire school campuses (K-12 schools as well as higher education facilities), major hotels, housing, civic projects, and commercial and retail structures throughout the western United States. Following the 1994 Northridge, 2010 Haiti, and 2013 Napa earthquakes, Ken provided on-site post event assessments, reported on observed structural damage, and developed reconstruction plans. These experiences are behind his passion for seeing structural solutions not in terms of building support, but rather in terms of lives impacted. His strong desire to look beyond the fine lines of engineering in providing solutions is supported by an equally strong commitment to quality, and dedication to all members of the project team including clients, architects, other consultants, and contractors.

Lisa Cassedy, S.E., LEED AP
Senior Associate, HOK
SESSION B1 COORDINATOR 

Lisa Cassedy, S.E., LEED AP, is a Senior Associate at HOK. She has approximately 15 years of experience in structural engineering. At the start of her professional career, she worked at DASSE Design, where she gained exposure to a wide range of project types and building materials. Her experience includes working on many DSA and OSHPD projects. After 3 years at DASSE, she joined Rutherford + Chekene, where she had the opportunity to work on some larger scale projects, including a hospital bed building, a research laboratory, and a convention center. Since Lisa joined HOK in 2013, she has worked as the in-house structural engineer for the firm on a large variety of projects in education, residential, retail/commercial, civic and corporate sectors. Lisa’s most notable project while working at HOK has been the Salt Lake City Airport Replacement which will open in 2020. This $3 billion project is by far the biggest and most complicated project of Lisa’s career to date. Lisa enjoys working in a multidisciplinary environment and being involved in projects from their inception.

Lisa has been an active member of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California for the past 14 years, serving on the SEAONC Board of Directors from 2013-2014, chair of the Continuing Education Committee, a core member of the SEAONC SE3 committee, the activities coordinator for the 2016 SEAOC convention committee, and lead program director for the annual Rebuilding Together volunteer effort. She is the recipient of the SEAOC Giles Scholarship, for her significant contributions to the profession. 
​Lisa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Rice University and her Master’s degrees in Structural engineering from University of California, Berkeley. Outside of work, Lisa can be found on a soccer field or in the mountains, either snowboarding or hiking. 

Gina Tesser Phelan, ACC,
Associate / Strategic Development Director, Tipping Structural Engineers
SESSION B2 THOUGHT LEADER

For almost twenty years, Gina Phelan has been studying what makes leaders effective and how teams and organizations thrive. Today, she works to develop conscious, embodied, self-generative leaders who view the world with expansiveness and generosity and who inspire those around them to work and create for the betterment of all.

Gina serves as an internal consultant, helping to guide Tipping Structural Engineers’ strategic direction in the areas of organizational, leadership, and employee development, as well as branding, marketing, and business development. Her goal is to nurture the firm’s continued growth as a business and as a community, where new and expansive patterns of thinking, generative learning, and higher levels of engagement are cultivated. Gina is a certified professional Integral Coach® with a focus on leadership embodiment, an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation, and an Integrative Enneagram Accredited Practitioner. She is also a trained facilitator in Inner Relationship Focusing, based on the work of psychologist Eugene Gendlin. Gina is enrolled in a two-year Zen Buddhist chaplaincy program with a concentration on systems chaplaincy. Lastly, Gina studied and trained for more than twenty years with some of the world’s leading experts on mindfulness meditation, and bring the principles and practices of mindfulness to my work in leadership development.

Gina's previous organizational experience includes management and design positions at Cahners Publishing and the McGraw-Hill Companies’ School Division, as well as managing the publishing arm of a nonprofit organization.

Theresa Curtis, S.E.
Vice President, Thornton Tomasetti
SESSION B2 COORDINATOR, PAST SEAONC SE3 CO-CHAIR

Theresa Curtis, S.E. joined Thornton Tomasetti at the San Francisco office in 2006. She is a Vice President and leader of in the firm’s structural Engineering Practice and brings extensive experience in structural analysis and design for new buildings as well as renovations and retrofits to existing structures. Her portfolio includes healthcare and education projects for private sector and local and state government clients.
Theresa is a licensed civil and structural engineer in California and a LEED Accredited Professional. She is also a Registered California Emergency Management Agency Safety Assessment Program Evaluator. Theresa earned her master’s in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley and her bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Rice University in Houston, Texas. Theresa has published multiple articles and papers throughout the course of her career.

Zander Sivyer, S.E., LEED AP
Principal & CEO, Holmes Structures
SESSION B3 THOUGHT LEADER

Zander Sivyer is the Principal & CEO, Holmes Structures. When Zander Sivyer transitioned to the CEO role at Holmes Structures in 2005, he wanted to grow the company without losing the fun of engineering. From kicking the dirt in Utah while Adobe selected its campus site to floating under a San Pedro pier as AltaSea negotiated its lease, Zander prioritizes technical inquiry and the pursuit of design excellence. He continues to lead numerous key Holmes Structures projects.
With a conscious effort to ensure that engineering is as much an art as it is a science, Zander works to infuse all projects with a design orientation. A New Zealand native, he spent time in the UK before putting down roots in the Bay Area, where he and his wife raise three daughters. 

Zander received his BE (Honors) in Civil Engineering from the University of Auckland and an Executive Leadership Program Degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Ji Su Lee, EIT
Structural / Risk Analyst, ​Arup
SESSION B3 COORDINATOR, SEAONC SE3 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CO-LEAD

Ji Su is a structural/risk analyst with Arup's Advanced Technology + Research team. 
She primarily works in the area of probabilistic risk assessments and nonlinear structural analysis, delivering resilient solutions that can save lives and communities in the face of natural disasters. She is also exploring digital tools that can help our society prepare for natural disasters and enable more efficient recovery.

Ji Su received her master's in Structural Engineering from Stanford University and her bachelor's in General Engineering from Harvey Mudd College. With respect to SE3, she is deeply passionate about creating and maintaining diverse and inclusive work environments. In particular, she is focused on expanding the conversation beyond gender to focus on intersectional definitions of diversity and inclusion.

Maito Okamoto, EIT
Engineer-in-Training, Martin/Martin, Inc
​SESSION B3 COORDINATOR, SEAONC SE3 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CO-LEAD

Maito Okamoto is one of the co-leads of the SEAONC SE3 ​Diversity & Inclusion Subcommittee. He is working as an Engineer in Training at Martin/Martin in the Bay Area office.

Maito is a graduate from the Colorado School of Mines with a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, and a Master's Degree in Structural Engineering. He has been active in a number of committees, board members and societies, including Associate General Contractors (AGS), and Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), and the Colorado School of Mines Chapter of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Simin Naaseh, S.E., SEAONC Fellow
CEO President, Forell / Elsesser
SESSION C PANELIST

Simin serves as the CEO and President of Forell/Elsesser. While building on the firm’s tradition of technical excellence and exceptional service, she takes special interest in advancing the firm as one of the most innovative structural engineering firms in the nation. Constantly striving to improve, Simin has reinvigorated the firm’s long-standing tradition of investing in Research & Development.

Simin is well recognized for her experience in the implementation of innovative seismic protection technologies such as seismic isolation, and has lectured internationally sharing her knowledge on the subject. She thrives on building strong relationships with clients and professional colleagues and applies this strength internally to foster a collaborative working environment. She enjoys design/build, large-scale, and complex projects particularly because of their intrinsically collaborative nature. With a history of managing both large and small projects since 1983, Simin also recognizes that the key to a project’s success is working closely with clients to create a customized solution to suit each client’s goals, whether that means attention to seismic performance, cost-effectiveness, or a fast schedule. Simin received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Azar Abadegan in Tabriz, Iran, and a Master’s degree from the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor.

Peter L. Lee, PE, SE, SECB, LEED® AP
Associate Director, Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP
SESSION C PANELIST

Peter Lee is an Associate Director and Structural Engineer with the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.  In practice at SOM since 1980, he is a lead senior project structural engineer for large office, commercial, residential, mixed-use, embassy, airport terminal and university buildings, as well as institutional courthouse, medical and laboratory facilities.  Peter’s career focus has been a demonstrated commitment to pursuing an integrated design practice of architecture and engineering achieving reliable, efficient, innovative and resilient building design.  Recent completed projects include 111 Main office tower in Salt Lake City, San Diego Central Courthouse and San Bernardino Justice Center. 

During his career, he has been fortunate to have worked on challenging projects with some of the best and brightest in the structural engineering profession.  He has sought to engage colleagues and staff in the design process to solve complex challenges while both furthering individual professional growth and development, and, fostering the vitality and renewal of the SOM multi-discipline design practice.  He has published papers and articles on project work featuring related innovation and applied research. Peter has served as SEAONC past president and is an active member of ASCE, EERI and USRC.

Jami Lorenz, P.E.
Principal, DCI Engineers, Bozeman
SESSION C PANELIST

Jami Lorenz, who joined the DCI Bozeman office in 2005, specializes in renovations and often utilizes her passion for “Engineering C.S.I” to find creative solutions for unique historical buildings. Her ability to maintain the architectural vision while fact checking against real-world physics has helped the firm deliver client satisfaction time and again. Jami’s higher education resume includes the first new 400 bed freshman residence hall at Montana State University (MSU) since 1965, one of the state's largest projects with a $35 million construction cost.

“Born and bred” in Helena, Montana, Jami graduated from MSU in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and enjoys the ultimate work-life balance in the mountains and streams surrounding Bozeman.

One of the things Jami loves the most about the DCI work environment in their Montana offices is that the engineers are highly intelligent, creative and well-rounded. 

Randy Collins, S.E. 
Founder, President, FTF Engineers
SESSION C PANELIST

Randy Collins founded FTF Engineering, Inc. in 2002, determined to provide industry-leading engineering and client service that he learned at internationally prominent firms in Seattle and San Francisco for projects and clients in Northern California. Randy is passionate about developing people and communities, is committed to partnering with architects to push the boundaries of design, and loves collaborating with contractors to develop systems that are efficient and economical to construct.

In 2015, FTF opened a satellite office in San Luis Obispo to serve clients on the central coast, and strengthen connections to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. As of 2019, FTF employs 21 staff members, including over 50% women engineers and a diverse cultural mix – something that isn’t easy to accomplish in the profession but that Randy deeply values.

Randy holds a B.S. in Structural Engineering, Magna cum Laude, from the University of California, San Diego and a M.S. in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials from the University of California, Berkeley where he received a Regent’s Fellowship.

Randy’s personal interests include cooking and entertaining friends with his wife, enthusiastically supporting his daughter’s academic, athletic and travel adventures, coaching his son’s baseball team, biking with friends and colleagues, surfing at Ocean Beach, and the occasional swim in the Bay. And wine – especially Italian wine.

Natalie Tse, P.E., S.E., LEED AP
Project Manager, Tipping Structural Engineers
SE3 CO-FOUNDER & PAST SEAONC SE3 CO-CHAIR NCSEA SE3 OUTREACH
SESSION C COORDINATOR / MODERATOR

​Natalie is a California Licensed Structural Engineer with a broad range of design experience in educational, commercial/retail, residential, science and technology sectors.  She joined Tipping Structural Engineers in Berkeley, California as a Project Manager in 2017.  

Natalie's portfolio includes the structural design, assessment, and seismic retrofit of over 35 school campuses, a mission critical laboratory and office building, and the design of a new wood-framed cathedral over concrete post-tensioned podium. Natalie is deeply passionate about innovative solutions, well-integrated and cost-effective designs, responsiveness during construction, and open communication.  She is profoundly committed to learning, mentoring, building strong relationships, family, and giving back to the community.  

In 2015, she co-founded the SE3 Project, a project established to understand and mitigate issues of employee engagement/retention, advancement, work/life balance, and gender equity, and the promotion of diversity and inclusion in the structural engineering profession. Natalie received her BSE in Engineering and Mathematics from Queen’s University in Canada in 2002.  She is a recipient of the SEAOC Giles Scholarship and the Edwin G Zacher Award.