2024 Presenters

Current Position: Product Technical Manager, CMC Performance Reinforcing Steel 

Hans has over 20 years of practical hands on experience in various steel industry managerial positions in Europe and the US, both upstream with meltshops and rolling mills, as well as downstream with steel service centers and commercial networks, all in the stainless steel and specialty steel industry.

Hans has joined CMC in early 2018 and has since been working in various roles, most recently as a Product Technical Manager for CMC Performance Reinforcing Steel Group, sitting on various steel making and durability committees of North American industry organizations, educating engineering consultants, DOT’s, contractors as well as rebar fabricators on choosing the corrosion resistant steel to help them defy corrosion, mitigate congestion issues and extend the service life of their structures.

Tim Aschenbrener, P.E., is a Senior Asphalt Engineer on the Pavement Materials Team in FHWA’s Headquarters Office of Infrastructure.   His work and expertise focus on asphalt materials, recycled materials, and quality assurance.  Tim joined FHWA in 2012 after working with the Colorado DOT for 22 years. He is Chair of TRB Committee on Quality Assurance Management (AKC30) – a 2022 Blue Ribbon Committee. He received the FHWA Administrator’s 2019 Award for Superior Achievement and is a lifetime member of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT).

Federal Highway Administration

Jeff Withee works on the Pavement Design and Performance Team within the Office of Infrastructure.  He is the Quality Assurance Program Manager covering areas including risk-based agency acceptance of construction materials, independent assurance, and laboratory accreditation.  He has been at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for 13 years having also led programs in asphalt performance testing and highway materials training.  Prior to FHWA, Jeff spent 12 years with the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA) working in pavement design, soils & aggregates, and materials quality assurance. 

Federal Highway Administration 

Dr. Timothy Barrett is a Research Civil Engineer and Lab Manager of the Structural Engineering Laboratory in the Federal Highway Administration’s Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center.  He specializes in concrete materials and structures, with a focus on service life and sustainability.  He is one of the co-leads of the Every Day Counts Initiative: Enhancing Performance with Internally Cured Concrete which he is here to share more information on 

Jose Munoz is a Researcher Chemist with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC). His research interests include the application of nano additives to engineer the structure of cementitious materials, and the development of new and rapid test methods to identify aggregates that cause alkali-silica reaction in concrete.

Terence S. Arnold  Senior Research Chemist with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC). He has more than 20 years of experience working with the chemistry of pavement materials. His research interests include concrete and asphalt materials in highways and transportation structures.

Dr. Foden is a National Practice Consultant with HNTB. His 26-year career focuses on bridge design, technology, high performance materials, and advanced bridge assessment and management systems. He has extensive experience with advanced NDE/NDT methods for bridge evaluation to provide data driven decisions and has overseen the instrumentation, load testing, and monitoring of bridges across the country. Andrew is a member of numerous professional industry organizations including the Transportation Research Board, the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, and the American Concrete Institute, where he currently serves as the Chair of the Bridge Design committee. He hold both a BS and PhD in structural engineering from Rutgers University.

Mike Praul is the Senior Concrete Engineer in the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Preconstruction, Construction, and Pavements.  Mr. Praul leads a variety of FHWA initiatives in the areas of concrete materials, concrete construction, and quality assurance, including the FHWA’s efforts to implement performance specifications for concrete.  Additionally, Mr. Praul manages the FHWA Mobile Concrete Technology Center Program which works to implement new concrete technologies throughout the country.  Mr. Praul holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Clarkson University, a Master of Civil Engineering Degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Maine.  He has two grown daughters and lives in Augusta, Maine with his wife Jody.

Islam Mantawy, Ph.D., P.E - Dr. Mantawy is tenure track assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering at Rowan University Since Fall 2022. Prior to joining Rowan University, Dr. Mantawy was a Research Assistant Professor at Florida International University. He previously worked as a bridge engineer/lead researcher at Louis Berger, Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is also a registered professional engineer in the state of Nevada, His main areas of expertise and research interests include: 1) Accelerated Construction and Repair (AC+R): Innovative Systems and Materials, 2) Hazard Protective Systems, 3) Machine Learning-Based Structural Health Prediction, 4) Robotic and Additive Construction, and 5) Resilience Based Design. Dr. Mantawy has received over $300k from the U.S. DOT through ABC-UTC in the area of 3D printing and spray application of ultra-high performance concrete and recently was part of research team (Co-PI) awarded $3.2 million from Army Corps of Engineers in the same topic at Florida International University prior to joining Rowan University. Dr. Mantawy is an associate member of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) and Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) and member of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), and TRB Committee on Construction of Bridges and Structures (TRB AKC40). 

Shahriar Abubakri Ph.D., Dr. Abubakri currently serves as a Research Assistant Professor in Rowan University’s Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems (CREATES). He has developed valuable experience in studying concrete performance under extreme conditions by leading and conducting research projects related to curing concrete. He has been involved in several national and international research projects related to curing of concrete, such as Microwave Curing of Concrete Repair, Electric Curing of Mortar, Cold Weather Concrete for Structural Applications, Cold Weather Conductive Concrete, and Recycled Concrete Aggregates. These projects are funded nationwide by the European Commission, Innovate UK, US Department of Defense, Military Engineering Applied Research (MEAR), and NJ Department of Transportation. 

Nick Davis is from Troy, NY graduating from SUNY Polytech in Utica, NY with a Bachelors in Civil Engineering Technologies. Nick has 7 years of heavy highway experience with the New York State Department of Transportation in which he managed the Concrete pavement, ride quality, and diamond grinding programs. Nick is passionate about investing, and as a tax payer, has a strong desire to help municipalities optimize the life cycle costs of their heavy highway portfolio. He plans to do this by enlightening program managers to see the benefit of diversified investments of both asphalt and concrete pavements and explaining the benefits of early pavement preservation efforts.

Ms. Gilmer is a nationally recognized steel fabrication expert with over 20 years of experience in structural steel bridge fabrication and coating, providing technical consultation and quality management related to bridge projects. 

She is a highly regarded contributor to many bridge-related codes and standards. With her experience as both a Texas DOT engineer and a steel fabrication shop quality manager, Ms. Gilmer offers a multifaceted perspective on fabrication issues. She now is a Senior Engineer with Pennoni.

Education: Civil Engineering, B.S. Virginia Military Institutes

Geotechnical Engineering, M. Eng, George Mason University

Experience: Soils, Aggregates, and Material Testing

Project and People Management

Research and Development

Geotechnical Engineering

Hobbies: building, fishing, home improvements and canoeing

About: Husband (12 years) and father of two boys (5&3)

Theresa Loux is the Chief Technical Officer for Aero Aggregates of North America.  She holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Drexel University and has over 15 years of combined academic and industry experience.  At Aero, Theresa’s primary responsibilities include overseeing research and development activities, technical documentation, engineering support, Aero's QC program, and education and outreach efforts.  

Kateri Simon is a Product Specialist for Luck Stone, primarily in support of soils and soil blends used in environmental and sports fields applications. She has a background in civil engineering, construction management and soil science and is passionate about advocating for engineered solutions to keep our ecosystems healthy in response to impacts of construction and development.

Before joining Luck Ecosystems in 2016, Kateri spent 13 years focused on stormwater management, analysis and design, primarily for low-impact development. She also served as Dam Safety Program Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and in various project engineering roles.

Kateri has a LEED AP certification, a P.E. license and a Virginia Construction Contractor Officer designation. Kateri earned a B.S. in biological resources engineering from the University of Maryland.

BACKGROUND Chris is an environmental engineer with more than twenty five years experience in wastewater treatment, residuals reuse, and recycling. His work experience includes operations manager for a 1200 ton/day, implementation of the Bloom product and marketing plan, development for new biosolids reuse options, development of a nationally recognized research program, design/construction inspection/permitting work, and development of an award winning EMS program. In recent years, Chris has also focused on green energy development, carbon footprint modeling, and renewable energy credits. 

EDUCATION Civil Engineering, M.S., California State University at Long Beach Civil/Environmental Engineering, B.S., University of Wisconsin PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION Civil Engineer, California Engineer, Washington ABC Certified Class 4 WWT Operator Board Certified Environmental engineer

 WORK HISTORY Nov. 1999 to Present: Director of Resource Recovery for DC Water. Responsibilities include management of, public outreach for, and development of new reuse options for 1200 wet tons of biosolids per day ($17 million annual budget) generated at the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant. Developed silviculture and mine reclamation options for program. Built the Bloom brand and marketing program to sell Class A biosolids products, with annual sales topping 64,000 tons last year. Developed robust, nationally recognized research program at DCWASA. Past president of Mid-Atlantic Biosolids Association (MABA). Directed program to NBP EMS Platinum status and EPA Clean Water Act First Place Recognition award for Large Operating Programs, 2005. Developed and implemented green energy projects and renewable energy credit revenue. 

1994 to 1999: Environmental engineer at E&A Environmental Consultants, Seattle, WA Technical responsibilities included biosolids management, composting, and wastewater projects. 

1988 to 1994: Engineer for the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Sanitation. Responsibilities included program development for biosolids management, management of capital improvement projects, design division construction troubleshooting, and development of long term recycling plans.

Mr. Li is an Area Manager acting as the construction services business line Assistant Director, overseeing several construction services contracts providing comprehensive construction management and inspection services with DC Department of Transportation, Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA), Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), and Virginia Department of Transportation in support of the DOTs system preservation and capital improvement projects. As part of his duties, he is responsible for all aspects of contract performance, including project execution, client interface, contract negotiations, budget/schedule controls, profit and loss management, corporate financial reporting, subcontract and vendor management, hiring, and personnel management. Additional areas of expertise include actively participating in business development; developing and overseeing construction management programs and managing construction management/inspection (CM/I) teams; cultivating and fostering productive partner relations; and defining objectives, establishing corresponding policies and procedures, and achieving short- and long-term goals.

Mr. Li has a BSCE from McGill University in Montreal, Canada; and a Masters Degree in Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University. He is a licensed professional engineer, Certified Construction Manager, and certified Project Management Professional.

Duane K. Miller, Sc.D., P.E.

President and Chief Consultant

Listen to the Steel, LLC

Middlefield, Ohio U.S.A.

Duane K. Miller, Sc.D., P.E., is a recognized authority on the design and performance of welded connections.  He is a popular speaker on the subject and has lectured around the world.  In 2015, he was named an AWS Fellow. He received the American Institute of Steel Construction's T. R. Higgins Lectureship Award in 2001, the AISC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and became the eighth recipient of the AISC Robert P. Stupp Award for Leadership Excellence in 2016; he became the first recipient of the AISC Steel Conference Speaker Award in 2018. He was appointed an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta in 2019. He has authored or co-authored texts and chapters of many handbooks, including the AISC Design Guide on Welding and the Mark’s Handbook of Engineering, 12th Edition. He has appeared as a subject expert on the History Channel and Discovery Channel.

After a successful 44 year career at The Lincoln Electric Company, Duane formed an independent engineering consulting firm called Listen to the Steel. He has an ongoing consulting arrangement with Lincoln, and serves other clients as well.

Dr. Miller earned a B.S. degree in Welding Engineering from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, an M.S. in Materials Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from LeTourneau University in 1997.   He is a former Chair of the AWS D1 Structural Welding Code Committee. He was the first Chair of the Seismic Welding Subcommittee and is a former co-chair of the AASHTO-AWS D1.5 Bridge Welding Code Committee. His current technical involvement includes membership on the AWS D1 and D14 committees, and the AISC Specification Committee. He is a Professional Engineer, and formerly a Certified Welding Inspector and Qualified Welder. 

This is Joe’s 18th introduction to the Quality Assurance Workshop 

(QAW) Metal Session as an employee of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT).  

He is no stranger to speaking at conferences or events. He normally presents at the Quality Assurance Workshop (QAW) held by the Mid- Atlantic States. You normally would find him in this QAW Metal Section, since he has presented at most sessions starting from 2000.

Joe Bracken III is a Professional Engineer, and a Certified Welding Inspector, assigned as the Chief Structural Materials Engineer to the PennDOT Structural Material Division, Bureau of Bridge, PENNDOT. For the last ten years he has been responsible for the PENNDOT Quality Assurance Program for the pre-cast concrete, prestressed concrete, metal, and timber fabricated structural highway and bridge products. This requires his management of a 12-member staff of engineers and technicians and four consultant inspection agencies. 

His career in the field of civil engineering started with his graduation from Penn State University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. His Civil Engineer background was developed over the last 49 years during his service to his country as a US Army Officer in the Corps of Engineers, and in civilian positions as a design, construction, or fabrication engineer. Through education and practical application, his management skills in construction and personnel management were enhanced with his completion of a Master ‘s Degree in Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University in 1985. 

Joe ‘s desire for excellence in engineering has continued with his completion of the welding program at Harrisburg Area Community College 

and his pursuit of a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering at Penn State University. He believes that education is the foundation for success. 

Joe is married and lives in Harrisburg, PA, where he enjoys the company of his grandkids. The youngest grandchild just turned three. 

Joe is here to participate in the QAW Metal Session and talk about some “New High Strength Bolt Terminology” .

Katheryn Malusky is the Program Director for AASHTO’s National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP), which resides in the Engineering Division at AASHTO.  Katheryn graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. She began working for AASHTO in 2006 and has been involved with the NTPEP Program since 2008. Katheryn manages and oversees the operations of the NTPEP program and also works closely with several of the NTPEP technical committees and the NTPEP Steering Committee.

Ronnie Medlock is a professional engineer and is Vice President - Technical Services, at High Steel Structures LLC in Lancaster PA, where he is responsible for quality control and for technology advancements. High Steel produces fabricated steel for I-girder, tub girder, arch, truss and cable-stayed bridges. 

 Prior to joining High Steel in 2006, Ronnie worked for TxDOT in materials (1988 to 2001) and in structures design (2001 to 2006). 

 Ronnie is a member of several professional associations. He is originally from El Paso, Texas and earned BS and MS degrees at UT Austin.

Edwin has worked for the Federal Highway Administration for over 30 years. More than half of it in the Office of Infrastructure, under Construction Team. Started his career with FHWA in 1991 as Highway Engineer Trainee and completed the training program in 1993. Currently works as the Buy America Program Engineer with Construction team (HICP-20), managing Buy America program for Federal-aid projects, he is the FHWA Liaison to AASHTO Technical Committee on Cost Estimating, and supports other National policies under Contract Administration programs.

Edwin is a graduate of University of Houston where he received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, also received Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Catholic University. 

After graduating from Michigan State University in Civil Engineering I worked as an underground/geotechnical engineer on water & wastewater, road, and energy infrastructure projects while obtaining a graduate degree in Civil Engineering from Wayne State University. I had seen filter fabric before but my first experience with geogrid was with laydown yards for heavy civil construction on soft soils. After recognizing the benefit of geogrid usage in terms of gravel reduction, cost, and performance on several projects as a consultant engineer I became to wonder why I didn’t learn about them in engineering school and why their application wasn’t more ubiquitous. Now I work as an Area Engineer for Tensar making geogrid usage more accessible to engineers by providing technical assistance and education.

Tesfalem is a Project Manager at the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) with extensive experience in design and construction project management and civil engineering design. Tesfalem holds a master’s degree in hydraulics and water resources from The University of Iowa and bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from University of Asmara.

Prakash is a principal project manager with extensive civil engineering design and management experience in highway, heavy and light rail transit, Class 1 railroad, industrial, and land development projects. He has served in a leadership role, successfully completing large design-bid-build and design-build contracts. Prakash has developed excellent working relationships in the Washington, DC, Metropolitan area with DDOT, DOEE, DOB, DC SHPO, DC FEMS, ANCs, FHWA, NPS, NCPC, CFA, US EPA, USACE, DC Water, WMATA, CSXT, MDOT, VDOT, and many public and private utility owners. Having been directly involved in project startup, planning, scheduling, design, permitting, and construction of many design-build and project management/general engineering consultant–type contracts, Prakash has built a reputation of delivering every major project he has managed on time and within budget. His experience also includes providing community outreach and obtaining support for alternative configurations, design, value engineering, constructability reviews, accessibility compliance reviews and implementation, quality assurance/quality control reviews, scheduling updates, resource leveling, bid evaluations and analyses, and contract award recommendations

Gloria is a seasoned Project Engineer at Schnabel Engineering, boasting a wealth of experience spanning 18 years. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia and a Master of Science from the University of Maryland, she brings a robust academic foundation to her work. Gloria specializes in geotechnical engineering, designing and executing infrastructure projects such as highways, railroads, and bridges. Her expertise encompasses various engineering analysis techniques, including shallow and deep foundations, global stability analyses, and pavement design. Additionally, Gloria is adept at preparing and overseeing subsurface investigation programs, ensuring compliance with regulatory codes, and providing accurate cost estimates for geotechnical studies.

Dr. Pailes is the Principal Engineer of Vector Corrosion Services (VCS).  Dr. Pailes has been with VCS for over 8 years and has over 12 years’ experience in the evaluation and rehabilitation of civil infrastructure.  Dr. Pailes has extensive knowledge of nondestructive evaluation, corrosion of reinforcing steel, and material testing. Has performed condition assessments on various type of infrastructure, including bridges, ports, dams, buried structures, buildings, and industrial sites.  Dr. Pailes is a member of: ASCE and PCI, is the Chairman of the NACE Standard Committee on Concrete and is an active member of the Transportation Research Board Corrosion Committee, American Association of Port Authorities Facilities Engineering Committee, Coasts Oceans Ports & Rivers Institute Asset Management Task Force, and American Society of Nondestructive Testing Infrastructure Committee.

Jeff Withee is a Senior Highway Materials Engineer on the Pavement Design and Performance Team within the Office of Infrastructure.  He is the Quality Assurance Program Manager covering areas including risk-based agency acceptance, independent assurance, and laboratory accreditation.  He has been at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for 12 years having also led programs in asphalt performance testing and highway materials training.  Prior to FHWA, Jeff spent 12 years with the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA) working in pavement design, soils & aggregates, and materials quality assurance.