BOARD
MEMBERS
BOARD
MEMBERS
Sam Potts
Sam (he/him) is a Project Engineer in the Transportation Engineering group at MNS Engineers, Inc. He takes pride in designing more livable and sustainable streets for a variety of local Southern California public agencies. Sam graduated from California State University, Northridge where he first joined ASCE during his freshman year. Outside of ASCE, Sam enjoys volunteering as a music educator, biking, and spending time with friends. Sam also currently serves as the chair on ASCE's Committee on Student Conferences and Competitions.
Claris Purasinghe
Claris is a Civil Engineering Associate in the Water System’s Project Management Office at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. She graduated from CSUN with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Structural Engineering. As a freshman in college, she first became involved with ASCE through the student competitions and has stayed active ever since! Claris is a major foodie and loves traveling, spending time with her baby & fur baby, and going to Disneyland.
Ani Sarkissian
Ani is a Civil Engineering Associate at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. She's been involved with ASCE since her freshman year of college, and served as the PSWC Environmental Competition Project Manager at UCI and participated in the mentorship program and was involved with Concrete Canoe. In her spare time, Ani enjoys spending time with family and friends, finding new dessert places, and going to the beach.
Matthew Jacobson
Matthew is a Civil Analyst with Kimley-Horn, working on development services and transportation projects across California. He has worked on projects through data collection, design, and construction documents. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in 2021. Matthew is involved locally with ASCE LA YMF, ASCE LA Branch and serves nationally on the ASCE Committee on Younger Members and ASCE Committee on Governing Documents with the Society-Level ASCE. In his free time, Matthew enjoys running, photography, golfing, and music festivals.
Metehan Gumustekin
Metehan is an experienced civil engineer with a demonstrated background in the field of water/wastewater, transportation, and project management/construction management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University. He is currently working as an Associate Civil Engineer at TKE Engineering, Inc. He has developed leadership and organizational skills through active involvement in some of the recognized engineering organizations such as ASCE, APWA and Chi Epsilon. Outside of work, he is very interested learning, reading and researching about many different topics. Metehan loves to travel and meet new people.
Bryan Orozco
Bryan is a Civil Engineering Associate at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where he contributes his expertise to the Water System's Project Management Office. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from UC Irvine and a Master of Science in Structural-Earthquake Engineering from UCLA, Bryan is well-versed in his field. During his time at UC Irvine, he actively participated in the ASCE UCI chapter, showcasing his commitment to staying engaged with the industry. Outside of work, Bryan enjoys exploring diverse food and dishes, enjoys dancing, and cherishes moments spent with family and friends.
Megan Watt
Megan is a Civil Engineer for Hazen and Sawyer in Downtown Los Angeles, where most of her work focuses on wide variety of water resource projects. She has been with the company 6 months. Megan graduated from Rutgers University in 2019 with a BS in civil and environmental engineering where she was on the equestrian team. Megan began her journey with ASCE in 2021 as the community service chair and is exciting to see what the 2022-23 board year brings! In her free time Megan enjoys snowboarding, horse back riding, traveling and hiking.
Melene Agakanian
Melene is an Assistant Engineer for Hazen and Sawyer in Downtown Los Angeles, where most of her work focuses on wide variety of water resource and reuse projects. She has been with the company for over 2 years. Melene graduated from Santa Clara University in 2017 with a BS and San Jose State University in 2019 with an MS, both in Civil & Environmental Engineering. Melene began her journey with ASCE in college as a member of the student chapter and is excited to be a part of the 2023-2024 Board as the Community Service Co-Chair. In her free time Melene enjoys reading, crafting, and trying new restaurants in the LA area.
Felipe Vazquez
Felipe is a project manager in the Surface Water team at Michael Baker International. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. He started his ASCE involvement by serving as president and treasurer of the ASCE West Tennessee Branch Younger Member Board. He currently sits on the board of the ASCE Committee on Younger Members. His hobbies include weight training, traveling, live music and spending time with friends, family, and his dog, Benito.
Liane Reyes De Leon
Liane is Transportation Engineer for the Transportation Planning division at Arcadis IBI Group. She graduated from UC Irvine with a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Transportation Systems Engineering. Her depth and breadth of experience includes traffic impact analysis, project study reports, and the preparation of conceptual design and engineering plans, specifications, and estimates. In her free time Liane enjoys working out and spending time with her Frenchie, Zeus.
Maryn Santiago
Maryn is a Civil Analyst in Development Services at Kimley-Horn. She recently graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Maryn has been involved with ASCE since her first year of college and continued to hold various roles until her senior year where she served as the student chapter's President. She is excited to continue her involvement in ASCE and give back to the local community. In her free time, Maryn enjoys listening to podcasts and spending time with friends.
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Mahsa Sheykhsoltan
Mahsa is a Transportation Engineer, PE at HNTB in the downtown LA office. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in Civil Engineering and Urban Planning and received her Masters in Transportation Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle. She got involved with ASCE and concrete canoe her freshman year at UCLA and held many leadership positions throughout her four years, including president. Mahsa enjoys traveling and exploring new cities and their transportation systems. She's also an avid concert and movie-goer and enjoys hiking, cycling, baking, and exploring Los Angeles.
Jeff Loredo
Jeff is currently a Masters in Structural Engineering student at California State University, Northridge.
Jackie Lim
Jackie is a Project Engineer at DPR Construction. She just graduated this past June from UCLA with her Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering. She was involved with her ASCE chapter at UCLA serving in various roles such as Vice President and President as well as being a member of Sustainable Solutions and the Team Lead for the ASC 67 Construction Management Mixed Use Competition Team. She is excited to continue her involvement in ASCE to keep paying it forward for all that ASCE has done for her. In her free time, you can catch her doing anything active or outdoorsy such as hiking, skiing, backpacking, playing soccer or exploring National Parks.
Marlon Yanez
Marlon is a Assistant Engineer at MNS Engineers, Inc. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in 2022. His involvement with ASCE began at CPP where he participated as construction project manager for the timber strong build competition. In his free time Marlon enjoys working on cars, taking on home DIY projects, and just recently picked up fishing.
Lluvia López Garces
Lluvia is a Civil Engineering Associate at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Mathew Gutierrez
Mathew (he/him, they/them) graduated from UCLA in 2020 and 2021, holding Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering with emphases in water resources and environmental engineering. Their involvement with ASCE began at UCLA within multiple student competitions. Their professional experience spans stormwater and potable water distribution with experience in modeling, GIS, and Python. They look forward to working with their IBD co-chair to host events that remind engineers of the broader societal context of their work and how to more directly improve on it. Outside of ASCE, they are involved with Engineers Without Borders. They enjoy hiking and reading during any spare time.
Tracy Oteng-Kusi
Tracy (she/her) is a Civil Engineering Associate at the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works. She graduated from University of California Davis with a major in Civil Engineering with minors in Sustainability in the built environment and Construction management and engineering in 2023. Tracy served as the Female Association of Civil Engineers Coordinator with ASCE in college and is excited to serve as the K-12 outreach chair with the aim of providing a bridge for students to get access to STEM resources and opportunities.
Osbaldo Ortiz
Osbaldo is currently a Project Surveyor at PBLA Surveying working on numerous land surveying and land development projects across Califronia, focusing on ALTA/NSPS land title surveys, topographic surveys, boundary surveys, sUAS (drone) surveys, and construction staking. HE is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor and Cal Poly Pomona alumnus earning his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 2020. Osbaldo has been actively involved with the California Land Surveyors Association (CLSA) and ASCE since his undergrad at CPP. On his free time, he enjoys traveling and spending time with family & friends.
Michael Lanzone
Michael is currently a Structural Engineering Associate at the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. His passion towards shaping the built environment began at California State University, Long Beach, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with a focused emphasis on structural engineering.
Post-graduation, Michael's commitment to the field only deepened. He actively engaged with prominent engineering associations, notably the ASCE and the American Public Works Association (APWA). Through his volunteer contributions, he played a pivotal role in coordinating conferences, organizing professional development events, and managing discretionary budget spending for the benefit of younger members.
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Nicole Aquino
Nicole Aquino is a Traffic Designer at RailPros and works on traffic design and analysis at highway-rail grade crossings. She recently graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Civil Engineering. Nicole was actively involved in CPP's ASCE and ITE student chapters and held various leadership positions. She's looking forward to continuing her involvement with ASCE by inspiring students to consider a career in engineering. In her free time, Nicole enjoys reading, finding new places to eat, and going to Disneyland.
David Vo
David is currently a Civil Engineering Associate at the City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering. He graduated with his Bachelor's at Cal State Los Angeles in 2021. He joined ASCE back in his junior year of his undergrad and was involved in Concrete Canoe. His hobbies include finding new places to eat and playing video games.
Pauline Nguyen
Pauline is a Water Resources Engineer at Craftwater Engineering, Inc. She has worked on delivering full-spectrum services for stormwater management projects throughout California from providing regulatory support to clients to strategic planning of infrastructure investments to designing multi-benefit stormwater infrastructure. She graduated with a Master of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University in 2021 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from UCLA in 2019. At UCLA, she was actively involved with ASCE's technical projects since her freshman year, notably serving as project manager of the Environmental Design project in her senior year. In her free time, Pauline enjoys exploring scenic places, traveling to different countries, trying out new food places, swimming, and playing the piano.
Samuel Saldivar
Samuel is a Civil Engineering Associate at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Ingrid Spielbauer
Ingrid (she/her) is a Civil Engineering Associate at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where she helps manage Eastern Sierra ground and surface water to sustainably support LA's potable water supply. She graduated from UCLA in 2020 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a minor in Environmental Systems and Society, and she was involved with ASCE at UCLA as PM for the Environmental Design project. In 2023, she obtained her M.S. in Sustainable Water Engineering from UCLA. Outside of engineering, she enjoys traveling, powerlifting, trying new plant-based foods, listening to live music, and hiking with her dog.
Isabella Salgado
Isabella is a Civil Engineering Associate I at the City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering. She has a BS in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University and has experience in both the private and public sectors. She enjoys traveling, playing pickleball and tennis. As a foodie, one of her favorite pastimes in Los Angeles is trying different restaurants.
Christopher Patron
Chris is a Structural Designer with Holmes US, working on a variety of projects that are bolstering the LA skyline across multiple sectors ranging from high-end residential to multi-family. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Cal State Northridge in 2021 and his Master of Science in Structural Engineering from Stanford University in 2022. Chris first got involved with ASCE in 2018 as a member of the steel bridge team and continued his involvement into his senior year, ultimately becoming the chapter's vice president. As this year's university outreach chair, Chris' goals are to serve as a mentor to the students and demonstrate to them the benefits of staying involved with ASCE after graduating. Outside of work, you can find Chris golfing, running, or traveling.
Gurjot Kohli
Gurjot is a Civil Engineer - EIT with Stantec in their Pasadena Office, focusing on stormwater and water/wastewater infrastructure projects. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a Masters in Environmental Engineering in May 2020 and a B.S. in Environmental Science from UCLA in June 2019. He has always been incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about environmental and water resources engineering and worked as a Project Director for the Environmental Design project and was Founder/President of the UCLA American Water Works Association at UCLA. In addition to engineering, Gurjot has worked on climate change related earth science projects for three summers and in grad school for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Gurjot is an amatuer photographer, vinyl enthusiast, loyal LA foodie and eager hiker!