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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

President’s Message – June 2026

Dear Houston Branch Members,

May was an exciting month with us officially kicking off our local ASCE Houston Construction Institute! I really enjoyed getting to hear from each of our panelists during the May Branch Meeting about common challenges and disconnects between design and construction, and it gave me a greater appreciation for the work it takes to bring engineering designs to life!

The day after the branch meeting my husband, daughter, and I embarked on a big camping roadtrip with an ambitious goal to take my daughter to 6 national parks before she turns 6 months (along with several state parks along the way). At the time of writing this, we’ve already visited 4 - Mesa Verde, Canyonlands, Arches, and Capitol Reef. By the time you’re reading this, we will have hopefully completed the remaining two parks on our list - Bryce Canyon and Zion.

Visiting Mesa Verde after listening to the construction panel discussion gave me a whole different perspective on how impressive it was for the Ancestral Puebloan people to undertake such massive cliff dwelling construction projects without a wheel and with only stone tools…truly mind-blowing how much work was put into building these structures 800+ years ago.

As we’ve continued to travel across the Utah desert we’ve seen impressive canyons and rock features, all of which are outstanding examples of the power of wind, water, and time. Water out here is a double edged sword, it’s such a precious resource and rain rarely comes, but when it does it can be so destructive with flash floods frequently washing out roads and other infrastructure. Visiting places like this is an important reminder that nothing we’ll ever build will last forever, but designing with resiliency in mind can help set future generations up for success.

I’m looking forward to completing this big trip just in time to join you all back for our June Branch Meeting, which is our annual Younger-Member led meeting! Please invite your summer interns to join us! This meeting will feature a keynote presentation from Dr. Ifeanyi Okpala, PhD, PMP, ExxonMobil Beaumont Area Construction Manager, along with a technical session presented by the ASCE Houston COPRI chapter.

Sincerely,

Anna Chamberlain, PE, CFM, ENV SP

President

[email protected]

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Calendar of Events

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Articles

ASCE June Houston Branch In-person & Virtual Meeting

📅 Tuesday, June 16, 2026 | 11:00 – 1:00 PM
📍 The Ballroom at Tanglewood - 5430 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77056
💻 In-Person & Virtual Event

Online registration closes at 12pm the day before the event. Walk-ins may register onsite on the day of the event. 

MEETING SPONSORED BY

AGENDA

• 11:00 AM - Technical Session
• 12:00 PM - Lunch / Keynote Address

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Dr. Ifeanyi Okpala, PhD, PMP, ExxonMobil Beaumont Area Construction Manager
Topic: “It Starts with Civil: Redefining Infrastructure for a Changing World”

TECHNICAL SESSION

Dr. Sohaib Alahmed, PhD, Anchor QEA - Coastal Engineer
Topic: Engineering Resilient Coasts: Islands, Breakwaters, and the Future of Shoreline Protection

NOTES:

1. Lunch will be a chicken dish. If you would like a vegetarian or gluten-free option, please indicate this in the registration comments. We cannot guarantee that these options will be available for walk-ins.

2. VIRTUAL MEETING REGISTRATION: A link will be sent to you the day before the event, with a reminder one hour prior to the start time.

2026-2027 ASCE Houston Branch Officer Election Now Open!

The ASCE Houston Branch Nominations Committee received officer nominations in May and has completed the nominations process.  The following positions are up for election as part of this ballot.

Voting closes Monday, June 8. Click here to vote!

Note - Login to the Houston Branch website to read the biographies in the Branch Officer Elections webpage.

Proposed ASCE Houston Branch 2026-2027 Officer Slate:

Returning Board Members (the following positions are not eligible for election and are not included in the ballot):

YM Sandcastle Competition Kickoff Recap

Our Sandcastle Kickoff Meeting, hosted on May 21st, was a great success with 17 people in attendance. During the meeting, we discussed our team theme along with ideas for our shirts, hats, and poster design. We also talked about upcoming events and reflected on some of our past accomplishments. Overall, it was a fun and productive kickoff that got everyone excited and ready for the season ahead.

Summer Volunteer Opportunity

Give back to the community and beat the heat this summer by joining EWRI at Houston Food Bank!

Signup and register with Houston Food Bank:

http://houstonfoodbank.civicore.com/index.php?section=indGpRegistrations&action=conditional&fwID=116877

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Member Spotlight

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Membership Report

June 2026 Membership Report

Currently, adjusted assignments to the Houston Branch include 3,366 members. 96% of all renewals elected to pay their Texas Section Dues. Thank you for your ASCE participation!

Who do I contact with Membership questions?

 Houston Branch - President Elect:  Aaron Orozco

Email: [email protected]

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

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