Jeffrey Katz, P.E. , (age 29) division manager, The Vertex Companies, Long Island City, N.Y., has managed con- struction of numerous complicated projects throughout the world, specializing in completion of distressed projects following termination of the original contractor. Projects include construction of an $80 million U.S. Government facility in Germany; construction of a multi-level post-tensioned concrete parking structure at Fort Hood, Texas; construction of two $16 million service plazas in Ohio; and completion and closeout of multiple projects throughout the country, including state police facilities, schools/universities, community and public works buildings, high-rise housing developments, and more. Katz is comfortable consulting on both vertical and horizontal construction, and has prepared claims and expert reports related to project completion costs, unforeseen conditions, design issues, project delays, overpayment, construction defects, and more. In addition to his normal project management responsibili- ties, for two years Katz guided development of a company program for loss control services for a global insurance provider. Working with two others at Vertex, he is in the process of forming a surety claims professional association for the Northeast region Christine H. Kirby, P.E. , (age 39) project manager and standards engineer, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), Houston, has focused on management and design of water lines ranging in diameter from 8 inches to 108 inches. As part of the program management team for the City of Houston’s Surface Water Transmission Program (SWTP), which includes more than $400 million in construction of large-diameter water lines, she has been involved in all project phases from preliminary engineering through construction. She serves within LAN as a technical cham- pion and is considered to be a company-wide expert for design of pipelines using horizontal directional drilling. As liaison for the SWTP, Kirby oversees multidiscipline design teams consisting of consultants and experts. Within LAN, she organized a graduate rotation program that allowed new hires to work on projects in various markets over a three-month period. She also established a mentorship program that assigned senior engineers as mentors to young graduate engineers. Kirby serves on three standards committees for the American Water Works Association, as well as for a number of community organizations. Matthew J. Manges, P.E., CFM , (age 34) team leader and regional stormwater manager, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), Houston, is an industry expert in advanced GIS methods and complex 2D modeling, and is recognized as one of the top 2D modelers in Texas. In 2010, he developed an award-winning 2D model in support of a 4,000-acre drainage master plan — one of the largest in North America at the time — for the Memorial City Redevelopment Authority in west Houston. The model helped develop cost-effective solutions for a community beset by flooding and drainage issues for a long time. Manges oversees a team of 14 engineers, who provide engineering services for all aspects of stormwater management. He is currently participating in LAN’s Leadership Institute, an intensive, year-long training program in which key leaders from across the company interact and build on each other’s strengths. Manges regularly conducts internal training seminars, has hosted training workshops for clients on advanced 2D modeling, and is a regular presenter at the Texas Floodplain Management Association spring and fall conferences. Ali Mostafavi, Ph.D. , (age 34) assistant professor, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, focuses his re- search on the sustainability and resilience of civil infrastructure and addresses four important societal challenges: infrastructure adaptation and disaster resilience; urban sustainability; construction efficiency; and energy efficient buildings. Through the use of computational methods based on agent-based simulation, dynamic network analysis, life cycle analysis, and stochastic dynamic modeling, his research investigates new theoretical frameworks and robust solution concepts to inform decision-making and policy formulation in civil infrastructure systems and construction projects. He is the author of more than 35 journal and conference publications, and his research has been presented at more than 25 national and international conferences related to construction. In two recent projects, Mostafavi (as the lead investigator) leads interdisciplinary teams of researchers to examine the resilience performance of Houston’s flood protection, emergency management, and transportation infrastructure systems during Hurricane Harvey. Mosta- favi and his team are studying the emergency response to Harvey, analyzing ways to improve planning, communica- tion, and coordination risks that may arise in future extreme weather events.
Jeffrey Katz, P.E.
Christine H. Kirby, P.E.
Matthew J. Manges, P.E., CFM
Ali Mostafavi, Ph.D.
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csengineermag.com
may 2018
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