BOARD
MEMBERS
BOARD
MEMBERS
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.
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Chloe Gharios
Chloe is a Civil Engineering Associate in the Power System Civil Design group at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. She received her BS in civil engineering from Cal State Fullerton, and Masters in engineering management from USC. She has always been very involved with ASCE, previously for Orange County YMF and as president of her student chapter during undergrad. Chloe has a passion for science communication and runs an Instagram page called @chloetheengineer. Her hobbies outside of engineering are soccer, traveling and being a dog mom to her dog Mia.
Sam Potts
Sam 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 communities. 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.
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 Jacobson, EIT, ENV SP, A.M.ASCE 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.
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!
Megan Watt
Megan Watt 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.
Andres Perez
Andres Perez is a Civil Engineering Associate with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He works in the Water Resources Division on the Operation NEXT Water Supply Program which is a city initiative to build a new sustainable and resilient water supply system to allow for recycling of advanced purified water throughout Los Angeles. Andres earned his Bachelor’s in civil engineering from San Diego State University (SDSU) and is currently working towards his PE license. Andres’ involvement in ASCE began with his student chapter at SDSU where he graduated from in 2021. His hobbies include biking, golfing, lifting, hiking, and eating.
Nikki Zulueta
Nikki is currently a Civil Engineering Associate at the City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering. She graduated with her Bachelor's at Cal State Northridge in 2017 and continued on to finish her Master's at University of California, Los Angeles in 2018. She started her ASCE journey back in her junior year of her undergrad and was involved in GeoWall and executive board. In her free time she likes to catch up on her favorite shows, stay active, and travel to new places.
Andrea Mosqueda
Andrea Mosqueda is a registered professional engineer in the state of California and is currently a Project Engineer with Ardurra. With over 5 years of experience, she has contributed to and led design efforts for numerous general civil, transportation, stormwater, and structural engineering projects in Southern California. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering with a Structural Emphasis from CSULB. In addition to her roles with LA YMF, Andrea serves as the Secretary for the Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch (MLAB). Andrea is a proud Rotarian, serving as the Youth Service Project Chair for the Rotary Club of Placentia.
Ashley Gaur
Ashley Gaur is a Project Director at Englekirk Structural Engineers in Los Angeles. She has 5 years of experience and works on designing and analyzing a diverse range of structural projects within the Los Angeles area. She is a licensed Civil (PE) and Structural engineer (SE) and has a Masters degree from UCLA and a Bachelors degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Ashley joined ASCE LA YMF to expand her knowledge and network beyond the private structural development world.
Edward Parks
Edward Parks is a Civil Engineer working for HNTB in Downtown Los Angeles for nearly 2 years, where most of his work is focused on transportation projects from a variety of clients. Edward graduated from New Jersey Institute of Technology with the class of 2020 earning a BS in Civil Engineering and is new to the Los Angeles area. His previous internship experiences include drainage and construction management based in the New York and New Jersey areas. He began his ASCE journey recently in 2019 at his university and then was eager to take a more active role in the LA Chapter. In his free time Edward enjoys sports, history, and exploring Southern California.
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Angela Hogan
Angela (she/her, they/them) is a Hydraulic Engineer at the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She has experience analyzing and designing complex stormwater collection systems in South Florida and now focuses on water management and hydraulic modeling for various watersheds in the Southwest. She graduated from Florida International University in 2019 with a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, where she first became involved in the FIU ASCE student chapter. She competed in various ASCE student competitions and served as the Conference Director for the ASCE Southeast Student Conference in 2018. In her free time, Angela enjoys photography, hiking, outdoor activities, playing games, and watching movies.
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.
Louisa Songco
Louisa Songco is a civil engineering student assistant at the Department of Water Resources. She graduated last May from California State University gaining a B.S. in Civil Engineering. During her junior year she was the secretary for CSUN ASCE and her involvement continued within the chapter throughout her college career. Outside of engineering, her hobbies include traveling the globe and sharing it through photography.
Ingrid Spielbauer
Ingrid is a Civil Engineering Associate at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power where she helps manage recycled water (purple pipe) projects in Los Angeles, mainly focusing on the Metro and Harbor areas. Ingrid graduated from UCLA in 2020 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a minor in Environmental Systems and Society, where she was involved with ASCE's Environmental Design project. Since finishing undergrad, she has since been working on getting her M.S. in Sustainable Water Engineering at UCLA. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking and road tripping with her dog, trying new plant-based foods, and rock climbing.
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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.
Carolina Corona
Carolina is an Environmental Engineer at LA Sanitation & Environment. She recently graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a B.S. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Environmental and a minor in Regenerative Studies. She became involved with ASCE through her student chapter at CPP during her freshman year in college and has been involved ever since. Other organizations/programs that she has been involved in are EWB, CWEA-AWWA, and ASCE OC Pathways Program. She is a vegan foodie, loves traveling, and is passionate about personal development. Some of her hobbies include spending time with family and friends, exploring hidden gems, hiking, and going to the gym.
Briana Mercuri
Briana is a Civil Engineering Associate in the Water Executive Office's Innovation and Technology group at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. She graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and has her Professional Engineer license. For fun, she enjoys playing basketball, watching TV, baking new treats, going on hikes, and playing with her DSLR.
Matthew Cristi
Matthew Cristi is a Structural Design Engineer for KPFF Los Angeles. He graduated from CSUN with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and earned a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from Stanford University. He first became involved in ASCE his senior year as student chapter president for CSUN. He is also a board member for Kicks 4 Kids Los Angeles, a non-profit organization focused on providing shoes for those in need within the Greater Los Angeles community. He enjoys golfing and spending time with his family and friends.
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. Prior to joining TKE, he was an Engineer I in the Municipal Infrastructure Group at AECOM. He was also employed in the Public Works division of the City of San Diego as an intern, and the Engineering Services Group of the Metropolitan Water District as a private consultant. 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. He is a registered Engineer-in-Training in the State of California, and he is currently working on obtaining his P.E License.
Kathleen Molina
Kathleen Molina recently received her B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from California State University, Northridge. She is proud to be a first-generation college student and is currently pursuing an M.S. degree in Structural Engineering at CSUN. She became involved with her student chapter, CSUN ASCE, at the start of her sophomore year as a Junior Lead in Mix Design and Pour Day for Concrete Canoe. As an older sibling and Peer Mentor, she wishes to continue to be a role model for younger STEM students and her community.
Felipe Vazquez
Felipe Vazquez, PE is a design engineer in the water quality team at Thienes Engineering, Inc. 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 and family.
Isabella Salgado
Isabella Salgado has a BS in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University with experience in both the private and public sectors. She is a Program Management Coordinator working for LA Metro’s Highway Construction Management team as an Anser Advisory consultant. She assists management with the structuring of the new program. She works with public agencies and private consultants on each project. She enjoys traveling, playing pickleball and tennis. As a foodie, one of her favorite pastimes in Los Angeles is trying different restaurants.
Celeste Chan
Celeste Chan is a Civil Analyst in Development Services at Kimley-Horn. She recently graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Civil Engineering. Celeste was actively involved in CPP's SWE and ASCE chapters, and held multiple leadership positions including serving as CPP SWE's President. She looks forward to giving back to the community through involvement in ASCE. Celeste's hobbies include traveling, photography, snowboarding, and spending time with her friends and family.
Maryn Santiago
Maryn Santiago 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.
Garrett Shay
Garrett Shay currently works at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in the Geotechnical Branch. Born and raised in Massachusetts, he received his Bachelor's degree at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in Civil and Environmental Engineering and moved to Los Angeles in 2018. His pastimes include golfing, cinematography, traveling, and playing the acoustic guitar.
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Julie Yin
Julie is a Civil Engineering Associate at the City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering. She graduated from CSUN with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, where she first became involved with ASCE. She was involved in Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge, and held positions like Event Coordinator and President before graduating. Julie's hobbies include eating, gaming, hanging out with friends, and going to concerts.
Rosa Orellana
Rosa is a Transportation Engineer at the City of Lancaster. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from California State University, Northridge. Rosa first got involved with ASCE and Steel Bridge during college and enjoyed learning and creating new friendships through the student chapter. Rosa has worked in Transportation for 5 years and enjoys finding new way to apply her engineering knowledge to create a safe environment for everyone. She enjoys walking her dogs, road trips, binge watching shows, and her weekend DIY projects.
Bryan Palma
Bryan Palma is a Water Engineer with Water Works Engineering in its LA office and is currently working on various water treatment projects throughout Southern California to provide much needed water resources. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Davis and is working towards his PE license. Bryan Began his involvement with ASCE while at UC Davis through involvement in Concrete Canoe. Bryan is currently the K-12 co-chair and is very passionate about connection with students and getting them excited about careers in STEAM. Bryan loves competing in triathlons and going camping at various national and state parks.
Mahsa Sheykhsoltan
Mahsa is a transportation engineer 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 has been involved since. Mahsa enjoys traveling and exploring new cities and their transportation systems. She's also an avid movie-goer and enjoys photography, hiking, biking, baking, and exploring Los Angeles.