Thought Leaders

Mr. Beck has extensive experience in the regulatory and environmental disciplines. He has successfully supported federal, state, local and private clients with the Clean Water Act, California Porter-Cologne Act, California Fish and Game Code, Endangered Species Act, and the California Coastal Act. Mr. Beck is a certified wetland delineator and has conducted hundreds of delineations throughout the southwest. Mr. Beck also specializes in watershed management activities, ranging from water quality to habitat issues. In 2008, Mr. Beck co-authored Watershed Management: Integrating People, Land and Water, a resource manual to the watershed approach. 

Presentation topics include: “Bio-assessment Monitoring: Project Planning and Risk Determination,” presentation at the Qualified SWPPP Developer/Practitioner Training Conference, Irvine, CA, 2010, “Regulatory Services and the Connection to the California Environmental Quality Act,” presentation at RBF Consulting, Irvine, CA, 2010, “Implementation of Regulatory Permitting: Changes to the 401 and 404 Programs,” Moderator at the Association of Environmental Professional’s 2010 Conference, Palm Springs, CA, 2010, “Ecological Restoration in Southern California,” presentation at Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA, 2009, “Tools and Information to Aide in Jurisdictional Determinations After Rapanos,” presentation at the Arid Region Implications of Rapanos and Recent Clean Water Act Developments Symposium, Salt Lake City, UT, 2009, “Tools and Information to Aide in Jurisdictional Determinations After Rapanos,” presentation at the Arid Region Implications of Rapanos and Recent Clean Water Act Developments Symposium, Las Vegas, NV, 2009, “Navigating the Regulatory Process in Changing Times,” presentation at the Association of Environmental Professionals, San Diego Chapter Conference, San Diego, CA, 2009, “Restoring Americas Waters: RBF’s Approach to Ecosystem Restoration,” presentation at RBF Consulting, Irvine, CA, 2009, “The Regulatory Balance: Development, Restoration, and Maintenance - An overview of the RBF Regulatory Permitting Program,” presentation at RBF Consulting, Walnut Creek, CA, 2009, “Navigating the Regulatory Process,” presentation to the County of Orange Resources & Development Management Department (OC Public Works), Santa Ana, CA, 2004, “Navigating the Regulatory Process,” presentation to the Orange County Coastal Coalition, Newport Beach, CA, 2004, “Environmental and Regulatory Processing for Transportation Projects,” presentation at RBF Consulting, Irvine, CA, 2004.

Presentations

Wetland and Waters Regulations - Strategies for Compliance
Understanding the New Clean Water Act Rule
Wetlands, Riparian Areas and Ephemeral Washes
Compensatory Mitigation for Jurisdictional Impacts
Restoration in Southern California
 

Mr. Bein's project experience includes Geographic Information Systems (GIS); Civil and Transportation Engineering; GIS analysis, master planning, needs analysis, database design, system specification and selection, training, and operation. Mr. Bein has applied his talents to the development of computer aided engineering and planning applications, facilities management, and spatial information systems. Mr. Bein manages projects utilizing many systems including AutoCAD, ArcGIS, ArcInfo, and Oracle, SQL Server, SDE, and web technologies. In addition to his experience in GIS and CADD, Mr. Bein is also a registered Civil Engineer with experience in transportation engineering, subdivision design, and water resources engineering. Mr. Bein is also a specialist in hydrology and hydraulics engineering and has developed many of the computerized routines used for such analysis. 

Presentation topics include: Combining GIS with 3D Laser Scanning & LiDAR to Support Alternative Energy Projects, Innovative Approaches to GIS in Infrastructure Analysis Mapping, Team Collaboration and File Sharing Tools, GIS and Stormwater Quality Compliance & Tracking, and A Planning Tool for the Identification of Hydromodification Requirements.

Presentation

Putting Technology to Work in an Engineering Office

Publications

3D GIS - Making IT Work Harder Than Ever
GIS and Big Data: Why 'Where in the World' Matters
 

Ms. Bilezikjian has extensive experience in stormwater management and water quality, including prior experience as a Water Resources Control Engineer at the Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region. Ms. Bilezikjian is a Project Manager for Southern California Edison and the City of Anaheim, and is a Contract Manager for Caltrans. She works with each of these clients to implement and enhance their stormwater programs. She provides on-call assistance to Southern California Edison, including creation of its Corporate Stormwater Policy and Program, construction compliance, NPDES and stormwater permitting guidance, and extensive fieldwork. She provides guidance and assistance to Caltrans on enforcement action tracking, Construction General Permit compliance and cost analysis, construction site inspections, wet weather runoff sampling, and document review. In addition to working for the clients above, she has also worked for many clients to write and review Water Quality Management Plans, Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans, and conduct facility inspections for compliance with Municipal and Statewide storm water requirements. While at the Regional Board, Ms. Bilezikjian worked with industrial dischargers permitted under the NPDES Program and performed site inspections of industrial and wastewater facilities. Ms. Bilezikjian is a trainer for QSP/QSD training and speaks on stormwater quality topics.

Publication 

Passive Application of Polyacrylamide on Construction Sites

Presentation

An Active Case for Passive Treatment

 

Ms. Bowen's experience includes the design of surface transportation projects ranging from short subdivision roads to major interstates and railyards. Her project responsibilities have included project manager and project and design engineer for urban and rural roadway reconstruction and rehabilitation projects, municipal engineering projects, bridge rehabilitation projects, maintenance of traffic, traffic control, drainage, bridge inspection, pavement design, rail design, intermodal facilities, classification yard, right-of-way, and subdivision layout and design.
 
Kirsten was recently honored as the 2016 Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Member of the Year for her ongoing involvement in the organization, as the Central Region Chair, member of the WTS Advisory Board, founding President of the Northeast Ohio Chapter and current programs chair.   
 
Kirsten was the project manager on the following award-winning projects: 
 
Moorman Rail Yard Expansion Engineering and Design Services, Bellevue, OH:

• ENR Midwest Best Projects – 2015 Award of Merit in the Airports/Transit category
• Kirsten co-authored a paper and co-presented the project at the 2013 American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Conference.

 West 73^rd Street Grade Separation, Cleveland, OH:

• Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD) Northeast and Central Ohio Chapters – 2015 Outstanding New Short Span Bridge Award
• American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) Lake Erie Chapter – 2015 Project of the Year Award. 

Mr. Dietrick is a Senior Vice President and the Highway and Bridge Practice Lead for Michael Baker International. He is responsible for consolidating and strengthening the firm’s technical expertise and capabilities in highway and bridge engineering and design.

Mr. Dietrick has a broad range of experience covering all aspects of design, analysis, rehabilitation, and inspection of bridges. His extensive technical experience spans over 25 years in designing a diverse range of bridges including long span bridges, concrete segmental bridges, and pre-stressed concrete bridges. Previously, Mr. Dietrick was Senior Bridge Engineer at J. Muller International where he specialized in bridge inspection and bridge design (pre-stressed concrete and steel).

Mr. Dietrick holds a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a licensed professional engineer in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan. He is also a licensed structural engineer in Illinois. His professional affiliations include membership in the American Segmental Bridge Institute (ASBI), Engineers without Borders (EWB), Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP), and the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS, Northeast Ohio Chapter). Mr. Dietrick has also served as a certified instructor for a number of National Highway Institute (NHI) training courses across the country.

Ms. Harden has a broad background in community development and planning. She has 24 years of experience with a particular focus on community-based planning processes, developing innovative public participation programs for a myriad of project types, including downtown and neighborhood revitalization, comprehensive planning, mobility plans, and urban design projects.

Ms. Harden is co-author of an APA Planners Advisory Service Report entitled “Placemaking On A Budget: Improving Small Towns, Neighborhoods and Downtowns Without Spending A Lot of Money”, and has presented at numerous conferences, including the American Planning Association National Conference, National Town Meeting on Main Street, New Partners for Smart Growth, Neighborhoods USA, and Arizona Governor’s Rural Development Conference. She has taught urban planning courses at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, California State University at Fullerton University Extension Education program, and University of California at Irvine where she continues to teach in the graduate planning program.

Susan is also an instructor for the NeighborWorks® Training Institute where she teaches several revitalization courses to community development professionals from around the country. Ms. Harden serves on the Social Equity Technical Advisory Committee for the development of ICLEI’s STAR Community Index, a community-wide sustainability rating system. She also serves on the Advisory Board of Jamboree Housing, a nonprofit housing development company. Ms. Harden speaks nationally regarding community visioning, main street management, downtown revitalization, community outreach and numerous other related topics.

Ms. Kaufmann is a project manager and lead engineer in Michael Baker International’s Milwaukee Transportation Department. She has experience in project management, transportation planning, design, and construction field support.  Ms. Kaufmann specialties include traffic control, public involvement, roadway design, grading, drainage, utility coordination, conceptual utility relocation, PS&E documentation, specifications, environmental reports, plan clarifications with contractors, and cost estimates. Ms. Kaufmann's project management style utilizes open lines of communication and strong organizational skills.  She has been the project lead on a number of similar projects and the task lead on many others.  She has worked on roadway improvement projects for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), CALTRANS, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), as well as a number of public agencies and private developers in California.  In her role in Wisconsin, Lindsay is instrumental in helping to reshape Wisconsin’s infrastructure, lending her expertise to a number of key projects, including the Hoan Bridge and I-794 interstate freeway in Milwaukee, the emergency repair of the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay and, currently, the rehabilitation of the Marquette Interchange and Valley Bridge in Milwaukee.
 
Lindsay recently received the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Member of the Year for Wisconsin Chapter.  Lindsay serves as both the secretary of the WTS-Wisconsin chapter and the chair of the programs committee. In the latter role, Lindsay worked with WTS members to organize a number of chapter events, including the Women in Transportation Careers Panel, the annual WTS golf outing, WTS/ASCE Riverwalk Boat Cruise Social Event, Hoan Bridge Walking Tour, the WTS holiday party, and a number of Milwaukee-area breakfasts, lunches and speaking engagements. Additionally, Lindsay was previously on the chapter’s 25th anniversary planning committee, leading the environment portion of the planning group.
 

Ms. Lantin is a professional civil engineer with focus on stormwater management involving water quality BMP design and research, hydrology, and hydraulics. Ms. Lantin’s 20 years of engineering experience in stormwater management includes development of stormwater programs, drainage master plans, and numerous flood control analysis and design projects in the southwestern region of the United States. She has provided professional services to the Caltrans Stormwater program for almost 10 years, including the development of the Statewide Stormwater Management Plan, TMDLs, management of the Caltrans BMP Retrofit Pilot Program in Los Angeles and San Diego and the statewide roadside vegetated treatment study. She is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer (PE) in the states of California, Arizona, Utah and Tennessee as well as a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) and Certified Professional in Stormwater Quality.

Presentation topics include: Storm Water Treatment 101 Training, Stormwater Track - Water Quality, Sustainable Development, Caltrans - Integrated Statewide Stormwater Management Program, General Construction Permit: Tools for Implementation, and Regulations, Permits & Policies, QSP/QSD Training, TMDLs, NPDES Permits, and numerous other stormwater quality topics.

Presentation

How Integrated Asset Management Can Assist in Meeting Your MS4 NPDES Permit Requirements

Tony Machi, CPA, is vice president of Global Business Services for Michael Baker International.  In this role, Tony is responsible for leading Government Compliance, in addition to Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Billing, Payroll, Credit Union and Corporate Travel. 

Tony has a background in public accounting, consulting, large and middle market public corporations as well as private enterprise.  His strong mix of technical and practical accounting and finance skills were driven by roles in compliance, closing, forecasting, planning, M&A and treasury, both domestically and internationally.

He has been asked to speak on a variety of topics related to Governmental and Financial Compliance.  In 2016, he has co-led two national webinars for the ACEC, one entitled “Key Changes to the AASHTO Audit Guide: What It Means for Your Firm” and the other entitled “State DOT Contracting and Prequalification Policies: The Effect on Overhead.”  Prior to that, he has presented to the AASHTO Internal and External Audit Subcommittee on “Best Practices in Risk Assessment and Mitigation from a Consultant’s Perspective” and on “Promoting Consistency in CEI and Field Service Contracts.”  In addition, Tony is an active participant in the ACEC/AASHTO task forces engaged in promoting consistency within the Industry. In the financial compliance arena, he has presented on topics related to the financial statement close process at various events sponsored by professional service firms in the Pittsburgh area.

Tony earned his MBA with a concentration in Accounting from Duquesne University and is currently a member of Duquesne’s Accounting Advisory Board of the School of Business.  He is a member of the AICPA and PICPA.
 

Mr. Mobley is the technical services manager for public involvement at Michael Baker International. He is responsible for technical leadership for public involvement campaigns throughout the company. In this position, he has provided leadership in the development of social media initiatives for clients throughout the United States. Mr. Mobley serves as Michael Baker’s lead facilitator and presentation coach. In addition, he also continues to provide transportation planning project management services for the company.

Dr. Stith is a Civil Engineer Michael Baker International’s Louisville office. His responsibilities cover the full range of a bridge’s life cycle from preliminary and final design to construction services to bridge inspection and load ratings. 

Dr. Stith has made significant contributions to several major bridge projects touching every stage of a bridge’s life cycle (design, construction, inspection, and maintenance).  He has made significant contributions to the design of 2 separate 550 foot basket-handled network tied arches over Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley as well as a steel plate girder bridge on the same project site.  Additionally, he designed the main structural steel members for the 320 foot replacement span on Eggner’s Ferry Bridge after its collapse due to a ship impact.  His construction contributions includes his work nationally with the AASHTO/NSBA Collaboration where he chairs the steel bridge erection task group which provides best practice guidelines and industry standards.  Prior to this effort, his dissertation work resulted in a user-friendly analysis tool for steel bridges during construction, UT Bridge.  Dr. Stith has assisted in numerous complex long span fracture critical inspection including more than a half dozen Ohio River bridges.  He was instrumental in the evaluation and developing the rehabilitation plans for the Sherman Minton Bridge (I-64 over the Ohio River in Louisville, KY) which was closed during an inspection that found a critical crack in a fracture critical member resulting in the closure of structure that carries more than 80,000 vehicle per day.

Dr. Stith holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin along with a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering and a MBA from the University of Kentucky. He is a licensed professional engineer in the states of Kentucky and Indiana. He is also a licensed structural engineer in Illinois. His professional affiliations include membership in the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE), and the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA).  He has been published almost 2 dozen times in journal articles, industry papers, and conference proceedings and delivered over 2 dozen presentations to local, regional, and national audiences.  He was recently named the National Young Engineer of the Year by NSPE and the Top 20 Under 40 for the Midwest Region by ENR.

Publications

Down But Not Out
Behavior of Horizontally Curved I-Girders During Lifting
Instrumentation of Horizontally Curved Steel I-Girder Bridge During Construction

Mr. Taylor is a nationally and internationally recognized speaker and practitioner with extensive expertise in the area of surface water quality. Mr. Taylor earned a BSCE from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, and an MSCE from California State University at Long Beach. He is an ASCE Fellow and a Diplomate in Water Resources Engineering. He has over 30 years of experience in flood control engineering and surface water quality and has taught undergraduate courses in hydrology and hydraulic design at the University of California at Irvine and California State University at Long Beach. He serves as the course coordinator and an instructor for a Professional Engineer’s (PE) License review course. Mr. Taylor has served as an instructor for ASCE continuing education for courses in BMP design. Mr. Taylor is past Chair of the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA). He has presented technical papers on the subjects of flood control and BMP effectiveness at domestic and international conferences and has consulted to the Government of Hong Kong relative to stormwater quality. He has moderated webcasts, served as a plenary session speaker and provided testimony before the California Little Hoover Commission. Mr. Taylor is a registered professional engineer in eight states, including California. Mr. Taylor is a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee AFB 60 on Hydrology, Hydraulics and Water Quality, and chairs the Water Quality subcommittee.

Presentation topics include: Stormwater, sustainability, water quality, NPDES, flood management, flood control, hydromodification, stormwater programs, stormwater use, low impact development, stream restoration.

Presentations

Water Quality and Tools to Navigate With
True Source Control, an Effective Approach to Stormwater Quality
Long-Term Performance and Life-Cycle Costs of Stormwater Best Management Practices
Permitting / Regulatory Trends - The View From California
Greening Local Roadways - On the Path to Sustainable Communities
How to Budget for Your Stormwater Program
Practical Aspects of Stormwater Capture and Use
California's Water Challenge

 

Ms. Young is a project engineer in the Transportation/Public Works Department in Ontario, CA. Rebecca specializes in geometric alignment, roadway planning and pavement life cycle cost analysis. Ms. Young has gained extensive experience with alternative analysis, environmental footprints, roadway design, grading, utility coordination and relocation, retaining wall design, cost estimates, Project Reports, stage construction, and construction field support. Ms. Young's project resume includes roadway improvement projects for a variety of public agencies including the City of Moreno Valley, City of Coachella, City of Cypress, City of Victorville, City of Irvine, City of Newport Beach, City of Tustin, City of Orange, and Caltrans.  

Rebecca has worked on every phase of the Caltrans design process. Ms. Young was instrumental in the approval of the S.R. 241 Loma Segment Widening Project Study Report/Project Report (PSR/PR) for District 12. In the last two years she has gained experience working on the PA/ED phase as the Project Engineer on the S.R. 60/Theodore Street Interchange improvement project and the I-10/Avenue 50 New Interchange project. Ms. Young’s experience in final design and construction support can be attributed to several complex projects, including the S.R. 57 Northbound Widening project, the S.R. 91 Westbound Widening project and the I-10/Jefferson Street Interchange improvement project. Ms. Young utilizes her final design and construction support knowledge when producing deliverables for the PSR/PDS phase and PA/ED phase of the Caltrans delivery process. Ms. Young is detail-oriented and able to envision construction issues in the early phases and coordinate solutions between the necessary disciplines.

Rebecca was recently honored as the Member of the Year by the Inland Empire Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS). As a member of WTS-IE, she has had the opportunity to impact the industry in a positive way. Rebecca has been on the WTS-IE board since joining the chapter and has held important roles such as Annual Dinner Chair and Mentorship Program Chair. As Annual Dinner Chair, she raised a record breaking amount for future scholarships. While planning the Annual Dinner, Rebecca built connections and relationships that have helped her in her current role, as the Mentorship Program Chair, enabling her to double the program’s participation.

Mr. Zagorski is Senior Vice President and Practice Lead, Construction Services for Michael Baker International. He is responsible for business development and technological advancement as well as overseeing the development of staff at the management, operations, and inspection levels. Mr. Zagorksi is ultimately responsible for ensuring that of Michael Baker International’s Construction Services projects are adequately staffed with qualified personnel and that all projects are performed with a focus on safety and quality. He is also responsible for improving and sharing industry knowledge, fostering innovation in project delivery, and continual improvement of quality management. As a nationally-renowned expert in the evaluation and deployment of e-Construction technology, he is intimately involved as a subject matter expert with FHWA’s efforts to promote this technology with all the US Departments of Transportation.

Mr. Zagorski is well-versed in the various modes of construction – transportation, facilities, civil, and environmental. He is very familiar with DOD, DOT, FAA, FHWA, and FTA standards and specifications, as well as construction operations, scheduling, cost estimations, claims avoidance, and partnering. Previously, Mr. Zagorski served his country as was a Staff Sergeant with the U.S. Air Force for four years.

Mr. Zagorski holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.S. in Engineering Management (emphasis on construction) from the Catholic University of America. He is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania and Virginia. He is an active member of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), and the Master Builders’ Association (MBA), and on the advisory board for the Construction Management Program at the University of Pittsburgh.

Presentation
e-Construction in Practice: The Impact of Paperless Systems on U.S. Transportation Construction

Mr. Zinn is a senior project manager with more than 20 years of experience in bridge design and project management. He has worked on many complex bridge and highway projects throughout the U.S., including long-span river crossings and complex structures, such as steel and concrete arches, steel box girderes, bridge retrofits, and post-tensioned concrete structures. Mr. Zinn has managed and directed the technical efforts of numerous recent bridge projects, including serveral Mississippi River Crossings. He has also managed Michael Baker's efforts on the successful emergency repairs of two recent major interstate bridge closures, the I-64 Sherman Minton Bridge near Louisville, KY and the I-43 Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay, WI, both of which received ACEC and/or ASCE "Project of the Year" awards in their respective states.

Mr. Zinn has presented numerous papers and seminars at conferences across the U.S., and he is an FHWA-certified instructor who regularly provides training in support of FHWA's National Highway Institute program. He has also served as the past chairman of the statewide ACEC/IDOT Bridge Committee.