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Welcome to the ASCE Houston Branch Newsletter of upcoming events, articles, jobs and more from our membership.  

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President's Message

Hello ASCE Houston Members!

I can’t believe it is June! They say time flies when you’re having fun, so that explains why this year is passing so quickly.

At the beginning of May every year, the Branch hosts a dinner during the Offshore Technology Conference that gives our volunteers the opportunity to eat, meet, and mingle with our Society Leadership. This year, the Houston Branch had the pleasure of hosting the ASCE President Marsia Geldert-Murphy (Shown in the vertical photo with yours truly) and the ASCE Executive Director, Tom Smith. We had a good time showing them some of the best food that Houston has to offer (Tex-Mex, of course!) and some of the best volunteers in the entire ASCE organization. I know that I say this a lot, but the ASCE Houston organization is only successful because of the hard work of all of it’s volunteers. The photo below shows some of our many volunteers and student leaders in the Houston area. Can you believe that this room full of people doesn’t even include all of our volunteers? I think I can speak for the whole Board when I say thanks to our Branch volunteers for your hard work, we truly appreciate it and couldn’t do it without you.

Special thanks to Johnny Kim, our current President-Elect, who did a great job planning this event!  

Our May Branch meeting included Harris County Precinct Commissioner Adrian Garcia giving the Branch a progress update on the projects funded from the recent bond election. Our Technical speaker, Ron Reichert, gave us a lesson on real world Ethics. Thanks to both of these interesting speakers, this Branch Meeting had one of the highest attendance rates of any the Houston Branch has ever hosted with nearly 200 people!  

For the Branch Meeting in June, I look forward to hearing about what is going on in Waller County from Precinct 3 Commissioner Kendric Jones. I also look forward to sitting in the crowd during the June Meeting, since our Younger Member (YM) forum will be leading this meeting!

I am incredibly excited to be hosting our inaugural International Women in Engineering Day Dinner and Panel Discussion International Women in Engineering Day Dinner and Panel Discussion on June 24^th. This should be an interesting event where we discover more about our panelists and their careers.

Thanks,

Alexa Nichols, P.E., CFM, ENV SP

President

[email protected]

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Calendar of Events

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Articles

June 2024 Keynote Speaker

Kendric D. Jones

Precinct 3 Waller County Commissioner

June 2024 Technical Session

Javed Budhwani, P.E., CFM

Presenting on: Considerations in Culvert Analysis & Design

Javed is a senior project manager at Quiddity Engineering. With over 18 years of expertise in managing and designing drainage projects across Texas, Javed has led numerous statewide projects spanning from metro to urban and rural areas. His portfolio encompasses a diverse range of projects which includes roadway drainage, bridge hydraulics, culvert analysis, channel design, site development, light rail drainage design and railroad yard drainage design. He has gained valuable experience managing both design and design-build projects.

ASCE meeting information link with registration information: https://ascehouston.org/meetinginfo.php?id=798

Member Spotlight

Get to Know Your Board Member - Anna Chamberlain, P.E., CFM, ENV SP

Get to Know Your Board Member - Tim Smelcer, P.E., ENV SP

2024 Government Civil Engineer of the Year

The Houston Branch is proud to announce that Ms. Carol Haddock has been selected as the 2024 Government Civil Engineer of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Haddock was selected for her exemplary performance and dedication as a civil engineer with the City of Houston and for her contributions to the civil engineering profession.

Haddock led as Director of Public Works for the City of Houston, and was the first woman to be appointed to this role. As Director, she led the organization through multiple natural disasters and oversaw the department’s 4,200 employees and $2.9B annual budget. She has served as a subcommittee expert for President Biden’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council, negotiated utility rate restructuring and cost of service, and has been an advocate for infrastructure at the local, state, and federal levels.

Haddock received a B.S. in Civil Engineering at Rice University and an M.A. in Public Administration at the University of Houston.

2024 Charles Martin Duke Lifeline Earthquake Engineering Award

The Houston Branch is proud to announce that Dr. Jamie Padgett has been selected to receive the 2024 Charles Martin Duke Lifeline Earthquake Engineering Award. She is receiving this award for contributions to fragility, risk, and resilience modeling of multi-modal transportation systems and their infrastructure components when subjected to earthquakes and other hazards.

Dr. Padgett is the Stanley C. Moore Professor in Engineering and Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University. She was the founding Chair of the SEI technical committee on Multiple Hazard Mitigation and is serving on several national technical committees for ASCE. She is also on the editorial boards for the ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, Natural Hazards Review, and Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure.

Dr. Padgett received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida at Gainesville and a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

2024 Outstanding Public Official Award

The Houston Branch is proud to announce that Commissioner Tom S. Ramsey has been selected as the 2024 Outstanding Public Official by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Commissioner Ramsey has dedicated his career to serving the public and positively impacting the lives of individuals, families, and businesses throughout his 45 years of experience, and is the current Precinct 3 County Commissioner for Harris County, Texas.

Ramsey strongly advocated for I-45 improvements, which includes $1.2B in drainage enhancements, and assisted in getting the expansion back on track. He also carried the torch in obtaining $750M for Harris County from the Texas General Land Office for Hurricane Harvey recovery.

Ramsey is a native of Crockett, Texas, a resident of Harris County for over 35 years, and a graduate of Texas A & M University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He and his wife, Marsha, have three children and seven grandchildren.

2024 Young Engineer of the Year Award

"A Guide to Becoming a Texas PE" Webinar

When: June 12 at 12:00 – 1:00 PM CT

Where: Microsoft Teams

Presenters: Akshay Dumbre PE; Kamlesh Khatri PE, PMP; Sulieman Naser MS, EIT, ENV.SP; and Zahraa Khuraibet

Are you an aspiring engineer in Texas? Wondering about the steps to becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE)? The ASCE Texas Section Younger Members Committee is excited to present a comprehensive webinar covering “Becoming a Texas PE: A Comprehensive Guide from Student to Licensed Engineer.” In this informative session, we will guide you through the entire journey of obtaining your PE license in Texas, starting from your student days. Learn about the education requirements, the FE and PE exams, work experience, and the application process. Gain valuable insights and tips from experienced professionals who have successfully navigated this path. Don’t miss this opportunity to get all your questions answered and take a significant step towards achieving your professional goals!

CECON 2024: Registration Now Open

The Texas Civil Engineering Conference (CECON™) offers a snapshot of the best in Texas civil engineering, while providing unique opportunities to learn and build relationships across the state and beyond, contributing to the industry’s technical diversity as never before. With the upcoming 2025 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card it is only fitting that for this year’s CECON program we showcase, celebrate, and highlight the engineering communities’ work and accomplishments over the last four years within most infrastructure foundations that has contributed to continual improvement and betterment of our state’s infrastructure, covering including transit, aviation, water, energy, and many others.

TOP 4 REASONS TO ATTEND CECON:

Register online for CECON 2024 here.

Texas Section Officer Election and Nominee Forum

Voting for the 2024-25 Texas Section Election will open June 1. All Texas section members in good standing at the grade of distinguished member, fellow, member, associate, or affiliate member are eligible to vote. While login is not required, you will be asked to provide your ASCE Member ID to verify your Texas Section dues status is current. If you would like to vote via paper ballot, please contact [email protected].

For a chance to hear from the two nominees, please join us for the ASCE Texas Section President Elect Candidate Forum on Thursday, May 30 at 12:00 PM CT. Register for the forum here.

Due to contested positions on the ballot, per the ASCE Texas Section Rules of Operation, Board-approved election rules are in place. All candidates, members, and organizational entities should adhere to these guidelines before, during, and after the election. View the Election Guidelines (including campaigning rules).

Nominees

June 2024 Membership Report

Currently, adjusted assignments to the Houston Branch include 3,223 members. 85% of all renewals elected to pay their Texas Section Dues. Thank you for your ASCE participation and keep up the good work!

Who do I contact with Membership questions?

 Houston Branch Membership Co-Chair:  Abigail Borders

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 281-703-1475

Houston Branch Membership Co-Chair:  Ashlyn Ortiz

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 713-337-7461

National Membership Contact - [email protected] or call 800-548-2723

Membership Information - http://www.asce.org/membership/

Online Application - https://join.asce.org/default.aspx

Renew Your Membership - http://www.asce.org/renewal

April 2024 Treasurer's Report

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