Young Engineers Division Leadership

Current YED Leaders

Chairpersons:

Lance M. Langer Engineer, Water Entrepreneur (Indianapolis, IN) B.S. Civil Engineering, May 2015; M.B.A., August 2023 “I have been passionately focused and intensely intentional about engaging the water community for more than a decade. The world we live in doesn't always demand we understand how our water works but our consumption is in most cases a daily necessity. Everything we touch has a water footprint and it is important to recognize that the way we access this resource is a dynamic study. It has been my life purpose to pursue this study and it has allowed me the opportunity to work on everything from water main design to full dam restoration. I've worked with water conveyance and treatment systems as well as new water developments and substantial improvements to existing water systems. The work for water is never ending and paramount to our future.”

Taylor C. O’Connor Engineer, Farnsworth Group, Inc. (Champaign, IL) B.S. Civil Engineering, December 2015 “I have been an Engineer at Farnsworth Group since graduation, working in our Champaign office for the last six years. My focus is on transportation design and construction engineering, primarily Phase I/II/III projects across the State of Illinois. I spend most of my time “in the field”, working on construction sites as a resident engineer for roadway and structural reconstruction and rehabilitation projects. The most rewarding part of my job is working hand-in-hand with local communities and the Illinois DOT to construct safe and long-lasting infrastructure for the general traveling public.”

Communications Committee:

Jill McClary-Gutierrez Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Notre Dame (Milwaukee, WI) B.S. Civil Engineering (EES), 2013  “I found my passion when I started conducting undergraduate research on drinking water disinfection at Illinois and have been working in research at the intersection of environmental engineering and health microbiology ever since. Currently I am managing a virtual research network focused on development of wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2, which is being used to understand community infection dynamics and support public health decision-making. In this role, I use my engineering background and research experience to build connections between researchers across a range of industries and support more rapid technology development.”

Mentoring Committee:

Alp Balcay Geotechnical Engineer, Shannon and Wilson (Portland, OR) B.S. Civil Engineering, 2020 “After completing my undergraduate degree at UIUC and my Master’s from the University of California, Berkeley, I am currently working as a Geotechnical Engineer at Shannon and Wilson, designing innovative and reliable geotechnical engineering solutions, performing seismic hazard assessments, and utilizing numerical modeling tools to solve complex problems.”

Abbas S. Kachwalla Program Manager, AECOM (Chicago, IL) M.S. Civil Engineering, May 2014  “I am AECOM’s transportation pavement management lead in North America. I have over 8 years of experience in pavement research, consulting, and engineering projects, being involved in several pavement testing, analysis, and management projects for airports, cities, counties, railroad facilities, ports, and Depart of Defense agencies. Prior to joining AECOM, I worked for Dynatest North America, a specialized pavement consulting and evaluation firm. I also worked at the Newmark Concrete laboratory at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where I studied the performance and strength of concrete mixes using recycled aggregates.”

Networking Committee:

	Adam Blumstein Project Stormwater Engineer, Arcadis (Philadelphia, PA) B.S. Civil Engineering, May 2013  “I recently joined Arcadis as a Project Stormwater Engineer, working for the New York City office. I have worked in engineering consulting, specifically in water resources engineering for the last 8+ years. My experiences range from hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, planning, and design on a wide range of water resource projects. At Arcadis, I focus on hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, planning, and design for stormwater and green infrastructure projects, primarily in New York City.”
	Christine Daul Associate Director, HKA Global LLC (Chicago, IL) B.S. Civil Engineering, May 2015 “After interning with a general contractor, I ultimately decided to pursue a less traditional career path in construction litigation consulting. I am currently an Associate Director in HKA’s Chicago office specializing in delay and damage analysis for the construction, energy, and utility industries.  Specifically, I work on behalf of owners, contractors, or subcontractors to identify, analyze, and quantify delay events and/or cost overruns attributed to an impact on-site.  While I have had the opportunity to work on many high-profile projects, I have found my involvement on HKA America’s equality, diversity, and inclusion committee particularly rewarding.  I am currently helping to develop HKA America’s gender diversity strategy proposal which will focus on increasing the number of women in the workplace and retaining this talent by making work more sustainable and flexible, offering continued trainings on gender diversity, and ensuring equitable pay.”
	Claire Cassidy Samojedny Assistant Civil Engineer, Burns & McDonnell (Chicago, IL) B.S. Civil Engineering, Minor in Sustainability, Energy, & Environment Fellows Program, May 2021 “I started my full-time career with Burns & McDonnell this past June after interning the prior two summers. I work in the Water Global Practice systems group as a consulting civil engineer where I have helped clients with a wide range of projects, including permitting, flow analysis, design, and field work supporting program management for large water and sewer construction projects. I have a strong interest in Green Stormwater Infrastructure and implementing sustainability into future projects. Currently, I am on a field assignment working with a southern Missouri municipality on updating GIS mapping data of their sewer collection system. I will be supporting this project for the next 4 years to develop a model of the system and create a capital improvement plan. This is only the beginning of my career, and I look forward to learning and networking more!”

Professional Development Committee:

Stacey Ceretti Project Engineer, Envista Forensics (Chicago, IL) B.S. General Engineering, 2013; M.S. Civil Engineering (Structural), 2019 “I am a Project Engineer with Envista Forensics, where I inspect residences, commercial buildings, and structures to determine causes of failure, to determine structural integrity, and to prepare repair recommendations. Prior to joining Envista, I worked in the formwork engineering industry for 7 years. My primary responsibilities included: coordination, shoring, formwork, and reshore design for the concrete construction of buildings. A project I take exceptional pride in being a part of is the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital.”

Scholarship Committee:

Ted Bluver Associate Civil Engineer & Project Manager, Greeley & Hansen (Chicago, IL) B.S. Civil & Environmental Engineering, 2012; M.S. Civil & Environmental Engineering, 2013 “I am an Associate Civil Engineer and Project Manager at Greeley and Hansen with 10 years of experience in water and wastewater engineering. I am a registered Professional Engineer in Illinois and am serving as the Chair of the Illinois State American Water Works Association’s Source Water Committee. I have experience developing smart, cost-effective solutions for infrastructure ranging from large diameter deep tunnels to distribution and collection system improvements, treatment process evaluations and upgrades, pumping and lift stations, transmission and force mains, storage facilities, and cost of service studies.”