Ayse Hortacsu, P.E., SE3 Symposium Emcee ​

​Ayse Hortacsu is the Director of Projects at the Applied Technology Council, a structural engineering organization focused on technology transfer from research into practice. Her current and past projects include: development of next-generation performance-based seismic design guidance, guidance for nonlinear modeling of building systems, and postearthquake safety evaluation of buildings in Bhutan.
 
Ayse currently serves on the Board of Directors of SEAONC and is an active member of the SE3 committee. In 2014, Ayse was named as an EERI Housner Fellow; she also served on the board of the Northern California chapter of EERI between 2009 and 2011. In 2010, Ayse founded the Women in Structural Engineering (WiSE) in San Francisco networking group, which communicates mainly via a LinkedIn group page (contact her to join!) where ideas and interesting articles are discussed and shared.
 
At home, Ayse manages the violin/swimming/soccer schedule of her two young boys with the help of her husband, also an engineer. Her hobbies include saying yes too often: She is the chair of the School Site Council of her son’s elementary school, the president of the board for her local park support organization, and of course, a volunteer on the earthquake committee of her younger son’s preschool.

Maryann Phipps, S.E.

​Maryann Phipps is President of Estructure, a small woman-owned firm of highly competent and collaborative structural engineers.  Maryann has 35 years of experience evaluating, designing and renovating buildings in California. The mainstay of her practice is structural design to provide continuity of operations after an earthquake, particularly in hospitals and research laboratories.
 
Maryann is an expert in the seismic protection of nonstructural components. She is the lead technical author of FEMA E-74 Reducing the Risks of Nonstructural Earthquake Damage, and is currently leading the ATC-120 Project, Seismic Analysis and Design of Nonstructural Components and Systems. She is a Past President and Fellow of the Structural Engineers Association of California, and currently serves on the CSU Seismic Review Board, the UCSF Seismic Review Committee and the California Hospital Seismic Safety Board. Maryann has been professionally active throughout her career, and along the way, raised two vibrant children.

Natalie  Tse, S.E., LEED AP, 2015-2016 SE3 Co-chair & Co-Founder

​Natalie is a Senior Structural Engineer at KPW Structural Engineers with a broad range of experience in educational, commercial, residential, and pharmaceutical sectors.  Having lived and worked in the Bay area for more than 12 years, her portfolio includes the structural assessment, seismic retrofit and modernization of several existing school campuses, a new wood-framed cathedral over concrete podium, and mission critical lab and office buildings.  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.   Natalie received her BSE in Engineering and Mathematics from Queen’s University in 2002.  She is a recipient of the SEAOC Giles Scholarship and the Edwin G Zacher Award.  

Rose McClure, S.E.,  LEED AP BD+C, 2015-2016 SE3 Co-chair & Co-Founder

Rose is an energetic structural engineer, whose passion for the built environment drives her every day interactions with other design professionals. She specializes in the analysis and design of foundation systems, and the seismic repair and rehabilitation of existing structures. Rose earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Cornell University and her Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering from MIT. She has 8 years of structural engineering experience on commercial, institutional, and residential projects across the United States and Canada. Having worked in New York, North Carolina, and California, Rose has a unique perspective on the current state of practice within the AEC industry, and she brings this knowledge to her latest endeavors regarding engagement and gender equity in the structural engineering profession.
 
Rose is an active member of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) where she currently serves as chair of the Continuing Education Committee (CEC), past chair of the Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity Committee (SE3), and as member of the Existing Buildings Committee (EBC). She was recently awarded the Giles Scholarship and the Edwin Zacher Award for her contributions to the community.

Emily Guglielmo, S.E.

​Emily Guglielmo earned her Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from UCLA and her Master's Degree in Structural Engineering from UC Berkeley. She has nearly 15 years of structural engineering experience, all with Martin/Martin, Inc. She began her career in their Denver, CO area office, and is currently a Principal with the firm, managing their San Francisco Bay Area office.
 
Emily serves on the NCSEA Board of Directors, is the secretary of the NCSEA Wind Engineering Committee, and is an associate member on the ASCE 7 seismic committee.  A licensed SE, Emily has received a number of awards, including SEI Fellow and the Susan M. Frey NCSEA Educator Award, for effective instruction for practicing structural engineers.
 
Emily believes that a fulfilling existence requires a meaningful balance of success stories across the areas of life.  While she deeply enjoys working within the profession, she equally enjoys activities outside the profession, including coaching youth soccer and participation in Habitat for Humanity.  The unconditional support offered by her family (7-year-old son, 5 year-old daughter, 3-year-old daughter) allows her to achieve a healthy work-life balance, for which she is eternally grateful.  She finds that balancing work and personal life is greatly simplified by the fact that she truly loves structural engineering and is invigorated daily by her work.

Janiele Maffei, S.E.

Janiele Maffei is Chief Mitigation Officer of the California Earthquake Authority in Sacramento, California. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she obtained her AB degree in architecture and an MS in civil engineering. Maffei is a registered structural engineer who has worked in the earthquake engineering industry for over 30 years.  Her experience includes the design of new building structures and seismic strengthening of existing structures.  She designed, launched and is now operating the Earthquake Brace + Program for the CEA, which provides resources and knowledge to homeowners trying to retrofit their wood-frame homes.
 
Maffei is a former president of the Northern California Chapter of EERI. She worked on the organizing committee of the 2010 EERI Annual Meeting in San Francisco. She is currently on the National Board of EERI. She is a member of the Structural Engineers Association of California and served on their Board from 1995-1997. She participated in post-earthquake reconnaissance investigations following the Loma Prieta, Northridge, and South Napa earthquakes.

Joel Villamil, S.E.

​Joel Villamil is a Senior Associate in the Structural Engineering Group of Marx Okubo Associates.  He is a project leader of property condition assessments for commercial real estate transactions and asset refinancing as well as retrofit design and forensic and constructability reviews.
 
Joel has been in structural engineering and construction management for over fifteen years.  His prior engagements include consulting and design firms evaluating and designing buildings, retrofitting masonry and concrete structures, and incorporating structural green-building materials.  His projects in the educational, commercial, and residential sectors had construction costs ranging from $2,000 to over $135 Million.
 
He is a licensed Structural Engineer in California, Nevada, and Utah, a LEED Accredited Professional, and a graduate of both Cal and Stanford.
 
More importantly, Joel is married to a beautiful and talented, licensed Structural Engineer who, together, are raising three young children in the Bay Area.

Taryn Williams, S.E.

​Taryn Williams is a Senior Project Manager at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) in San Francisco.  She has over fifteen years of experience in building technology and structural engineering.  Clients and colleagues value Taryn's grasp of both disciplines, as well as her diverse project experience, which includes building envelope investigations, construction claim investigations, condition assessments and repair designs for historic structures, seismic evaluations of existing buildings, and probable earthquake loss evaluations.  Taryn's collaborative approach to project management results in clear communication and productive meetings with clients, colleagues, and team members.  Her knowledge of and enthusiasm for engineering principles make her a natural teacher, and she enjoys writing and speaking engagements aimed at educating clients, colleagues, industry professionals and the public.  Taryn is a longtime active member of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) and a Board member for the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI).  She received her BS and M.Eng degrees in Civil Engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

Angie Sommer, S.E., 2016-2017 SE3 Co-chair

​Angie Sommer is an Associate at ZFA Structural Engineers, a 60-person firm with five offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she currently focuses on projects in the educational and senior living sectors. She graduated from the Architectural Engineering (ARCE) program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (SLO) in 2005 and has since worked in SLO; Melbourne, Australia; and San Francisco. She is involved in a variety of industry organizations, including the SEAONC Seismology Committee Concrete Subcommittee and the San Francisco chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW SF), where she was the 2015-16 chair of the Communications Committee and is incoming managing editor for the quarterly publication, The VIEW. She is also 2016-17 co-chair of the SEAONC Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee and is the lead author of the report being issued in mid-December 2016. In her spare time, she helps people write wedding vows, speeches, and ceremonies via her business, Vow Muse, which was featured in the New York Times in June 2015. 

Julia Mandell, AIA, LEED AP

Julia is an experienced architect and planner with broad project experience in architecture, urban design, and landscape design. Currently designer and project manager at Wilson Associates, a design/build/development firm in Oakland, Julia's recent work focuses on innovative commercial and residential projects that serve as urban catalysts. Julia is also very involved with AIASF's Equity by Design, serving as the group's 2017 Co-Chair. Previously, Julia worked for four years with SWA Group on large-scale urban design and landscape work in China and Houston, Texas. She received her Master of Architecture from Rice University and her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Columbia University.

Saskia Dennis-Van Dijl

​Saskia’s love of design and the people who practice it drive her work. Applying highly strategic thinking and her knowledge of the design industry, she helps clients improve their competitive messaging and compete successfully for projects. Her clients rely on her intent listening and honest counsel. Passionate about supporting the role of women in the workplace, Saskia has channeled her beliefs into diversity consulting, helping firms better understand their challenges and opportunities in those areas. This focus carries over into her work with the AIA San Francisco’s Equity by Design Committee for which she is an active spokesperson. Saskia also works with clients—often on an ongoing basis—on strategic marketing planning, positioning, and marketing assessments, as well as retreat and planning-meeting facilitation. Saskia lives in Portland and is building a house in the Columbia River Gorge, strategically located within hiking distance of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Emily Loper, MPA

​Emily Loper is a Policy Manager at the Bay Area Council, where she leads the Council’s Gender Equity policy work. The Bay Area Council is a regional business-sponsored public policy advocacy organization, and its Gender Equity Committee advocates for policies that promote women in the workforce and enhance workplace cultures of equality. In 2016, Emily helped drive the passage of the San Francisco Paid Parental Leave Ordinance, which made San Francisco the first city in the nation to guarantee that nearly all employees have access to fully paid leave for the purposes of bonding with a new child. Emily holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the USC Price School of Public Policy where she was a Dean’s Merit Scholar, and graduated with honors from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and International Relations. 

Krista Looza, S.E.

​Krista is a licensed Structural Engineer and works for Buehler & Buehler, Structural Engineers, Inc. where she is an Associate Principal and Regional Office Manager of their Los Angeles office.  She has been at B&B since graduating from Cal Poly, SLO, in 2004 with a B.S in Architectural Engineering.  Krista has been involved in all phases of design, coordination, and construction administration for health care, school, retrofit and aviation projects.  She has a broad background and working knowledge in wood, steel, concrete, masonry, and seismic design for various types of structures. 
Krista has served on various committees for SEAOCC and on the Board of Directors for SEAOCC (Structural Engineers Association of Central California) for the last six years and is currently serving as Past President.  Krista also serves on the board of directors for the SEAOC State Association.

Nick Sherrow-Groves, P.E. 2016-2017 SE3 Co-chair

​Nick Sherrow-Groves is a Senior Engineer at the San Francisco office of Arup, where he has worked since shortly after he graduated from UC Berkeley in 2010. During his time at Arup, he has worked on a wide variety of projects, from large-scale infrastructure projects like the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to small boutique projects like the Reflected Loop (an art installation in a San Francisco Muni station) and SOAK (an urban bathhouse constructed out of shipping containers). Before his time at Arup or his master’s degree at Berkeley, Nick spent a year abroad with the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, interviewing people who had been affected by earthquakes in El Salvador, Peru, Japan, and India. Nick was a core member of the 2015-16 SE3 team and is currently the 2016-17 committee co-chair.