LDP: Leaders to Watch

SAME Leader Development Class 2024 – 2025

Welcome to the 2024 edition of the LDP: Leaders to Watch, where we shine a spotlight on the 2024-2025 Leader Development Class.

SAME’s Leader Development Program (LDP), now in its sixth year, is the cornerstone program of the Foundation. LDP nurtures leadership skills in high-potential mid-career members through a dynamic curriculum of speakers, training, discussions, and group exercises.

Funded entirely by the SAME Foundation, the year-long program culminates with a Utilization Project to advance a significant engineering issue.

2024 – 2025 Class Members

Fun Facts about Each Member of the 2024-2025 Class

Member	Fun Facts
Alyssa Agustin, PMP	Last summer I rode my bicycle 500 miles across the state of Iowa in an event called RAGBRAI I slept in a hammock on an airplane For one of my projects, I mapped out all of the beach access pathways on the island of Kaua‘i and found some hidden gems
Amber Weber, MBA	I have been playing volleyball for over twenty years I am distantly related to an infamous film director I foster kittens in my spare time
Bobbi Jo Lang	I am a Daughter of the American Revolution Assisted my son in his quest to break a Guinness World Record which he accomplished in 2017 by building a 60’ x 30’ American Flag out of MegaConstrux bricks I am a Creighton University alum having earned my certification as an Emergency Medical Technician and as a Paramedic (although I never practiced). My three sons are EMT’s and my husband has been a practicing Paramedic for over 40 years
Lt. Chibuzor, Oziligbo, P.E., PMP, CEC, USN	I am a big fan of European major football leagues I speak five human languages and three computer languages If tomorrow I didn’t practice engineering, I would go learn how to sing and compete at the America Got Talent show
Chris Artz, P.E., CHMM	I am proud of my Nebraska roots. I was born in Hastings, NE the home of Kool-Aid and am a Nebraska Cornhuskers fan I participated in drama in high school and still enjoy the theater. My favorite musical is West Side Story I once memorized digits of π to get extra credit on a math test
Christina Jettie, P.E.	I reread Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth once a year As a kid I was a Civil War reenactor and an American Girl doll model I like to collect art from places that I traveled
Eva Gonzales, P.E.	I grew up as an Army brat and have moved 15 times in my life to 12 different states I spent 2 months on a ship north of the Arctic Circle where we met with the native Inuit tribes and ate caribou and mukluk (frozen whale blubber) I’ve been to Japan six times, five of which were in the past 9 months
Lt. Col. Jack Johannes, P.E., USA (Ret.)	I met my wife, Erin, on a blind date in Manhattan, Kansas I am left-handed and many of my relatives are too. My grandfather, father, aunt, cousin, and son are all left-handed too I love to cook, one of my specialties is Eggs Benedict. I have even helped a team cook in the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, twice
Maj. Jesse Davis, P.E., CCM, USA	The three things I love most: My Family, the Gym, and a piping hot Espresso Ever since having children, I have discovered hidden talents of pulling quarters out of people’s ears and creating animals out of balloons Every weekend, I reluctantly go to the grocery store because, apparently, that’s what adults do
Kyle Young	Former middle school science teacher I have a collection of Rubik’s cubes ranging from a 2×2 up to a dodecahedron The violin was my first instrument
Lt. Cdr. John M. Nurthen	Born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, a small suburb outside the city of Philadelphia Reported to FEAD Kings Bay as the Construction Management Team Lead focused on the Trident Refit Facility and the Nuclear Regional Maintenance Detachment project portfolios in September 2023 I received his Master of Science in Engineering and Management last year from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lynelle Brode, PMP	Lynelle owns a home repair and remodel business She was once a competitive powerlifter, holding national and Washington State bench press records Lynelle has completed three Century (100-mile) cycling events
Megan Windeknecht	My husband and I own and operate a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school in Colorado Springs named Tabula Rasa Brazilian Jiu Jitsu One of my favorite hobbies outside of work is wildlife photography In college I worked for BNSF Railway and worked along the Hi-Line in northern Montana
Samantha Long, PMP	I am an Advanced Open Water Diver and former Scientific Diver I have a Siberian Husky German Shepherd puppy named Duke One of my life goals is to have a library I have snorkeled with sharks, while in a cage
Sam Barnett	I was an aspiring Bull Rider until age 9 when I was bucked off a sheep My wife and I taught our wedding party a line dance (Footloose) the day before our wedding to perform at the wedding I am currently training for my first marathon to raise money for Warriors Ascent, an organization to support Veteran’s Suicide Prevention Bonus: When I was 7 my Father and I won a College Football Bowl Game Parlay and $1k at a sports bar in Baja California after I picked all the games (I was a football nerd at the time)*
Shirley Albritton, P.E, PMP	I got married on a cruise ship in the Caribbean German is my first language I make stained glass windows
Stephen Price, PG, PMP	Lifted weights with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kuwait and there is a photo of Arnold spotting my bench press on his instagram I ran the San Francisco marathon in 2022 and the Big Sur marathon in April 2024 Currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have previously lived in West Virginia, Virginia Beach, Houston, Rock Island, and Kansas City
Tech Sgt. Joshua A. Dane	Earned a Romanian Medal of Honor Has 4 scars across his head from a wolf bite Completes on average, 1 book a day
Zachary Pesicka, P.E., PMP	My first job was sheep shearing I really enjoy discussing philosophy and existential topics I love handstands and used to manage an Instagram page dedicated to them

Support this cornerstone program by making a generous donation today!

Donate to the SAME Foundation

Hear From LDP Graduates!

The Leadership Development Program has allowed me to make several connections and relationships with other members and to gain leadership knowledge and skills that I could bring to the teams I work with. It also inspired me to find more opportunities to further get involved.
Brittany Schultze, Black & Veatch, LDP Class of 2022

Meet Past Leader Development Program Classes

Meet the 2023-24 Class

Meet the 2022-23 Class

Lt. Cdr. Steven Becker, P.E., USCG, Coast Guard Base Miami Beach (South Florida Post)

Chief Master Sgt. Adam Boubede, USAF, 786th Civil Engineer Squadron (Kaiserslautern Post)

Cameron Bowsky, P.E., Matrix Design Group (Pikes Peak Post)

Lt. Cdr. Jaison Eapen, USPHS, USPHS/OS (New Jersey Post)

Josh Graham, P.E., CCM, PMP, HDR (San Antonio Post)

Andy Harlan, Smith Seckman Reid Inc. (Nashville Post)

Jacob Hilton, P.E., PMP, LEED AP, Dewberry (Fort Bragg Post)

Capt. Mack Howell, TP.E., USAR, Ball Maritime Group (Savannah Post)

Capt. Jenee Jagoda, USAF, 28th Civil Engineer Squadron (Kittyhawk Post)

Brittany Kallenberger, Black & Veatch Special Projects Corp. (Greater Kansas City Post)

Merle Keener, GuernseyTingle (Virginia Peninsula Post)

James Kirk, The Weitz Company (Phoenix Post)

Anne MacMillan, Bluestone Environmental Group, Inc. (Boston Post)

Camille Murray, Eurofins Calscience (Orange County Post)

Maj. Victor Nelson, P.E., PMP, USA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Detroit Post)

Catherine Niles, AFG Group, Inc. (Washington DC Post)

Brandi Smith, Wood (Kentuckiana Post)

Jennifer Snape, P.E., Batture (Louisiana Post)

Capt. Andrew Storey, P.E., USA, U.S. Army Student Detachment (Honolulu Post)

Maj. Brec Wilshusen, P.E., USAF (Ret.), 55th Civil Engineer Squadron (Omaha Post)

Meet the 2021-2022 Class

Capt. Victoria Cachro, USAF, 86th Civil Engineer Squadron (Korea Post)

Josh Cohen, P.E., PMP, Kiewit (Louisiana Post)

Capt. Eric Collett, USA, HQ USACE (Washington DC Post)

Taylor Daigle, P.E., Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (Louisiana Post)

Julie Eiter, P.E., LEED AP, Black & Veatch (Greater Kansas City Post)

Suzanne Grix, Forgen LLC (Sacramento Post)

Frances Hinkley, P.E., Jacobs (Mobile Post)

James Kline, P.E., LC, National Institute of Building Sciences (Mid-Maryland Post)

Lori Kropidlowski, Ahtna Solutions LLC (Anchorage Post)

Pamela Little, P.E., PMP, Pond & Company (Atlanta Post)

Matt Matteson, P.E., PG, Wood (Detroit Post)

Dr. Joshua McClure, P.E., CFM, PMP, Halff Associates Inc. (Fort Worth Post)

Cdr. Kris Neset, P.E., USPHS, Centers for Disease Control (Pikes Peak Post)

Travis Pital, P.E., PacRim Engineering (San Diego Post)

Faith Powell, HDR (Seattle Post)

Samantha Robbins, Stone Environmental Engineering & Science Inc. (Kittyhawk Post)

Capt. Bradford Shields, P.E., USAF, Air Force Installation & Mission Support Center (Kaiserslautern Post)

Capt. Ariel Waiters, USAF, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (New Jersey Post)

Brian Wybrecht, P.E., U.S. Army Europe-Africa (Rhein-Main Post)

Download Participant Bios

Meet the 2020-2021 Class

Tasmin Brown, Senior Project Manager, Stantec Consulting Services Inc. (California Region: San Francisco Post, Walnut Creek, CA)

Maj Joshua Carroll, Engineering Flight Commander, 8 Civil Engineer Squadron, Kunsan Air Base (International Committee, Republic of Korea)

Agapito Diaz P.E., Project Manager, AECOM (Pacific Region: Guam Post, Hagatna, Guam)

CPT Thomas Fakler, P.E., Civil Engineer, Ulteig (Great Lakes Region: Minneapolis-St Paul Post, Fargo, ND)

Summer Gladden CF APMP, LEED AP BD+C, Proposal and Marketing Manager, Leebcor Services, LLC (Middle Atlantic Region: Central Virginia Post, Williamsburg, VA)

LT Kristi Gordon, P.E., CEC, USN, FEAD Director, PWD Meridian, NAVFAC SE (Lower Mississippi Region: Vicksburg Post, Meridian, MS)

Capt Gregory Hege, Chief, Operations Engineering Element, 628 CES (Carolina Region: Charleston Post, Charleston, SC)

LT Christopher Joseph, P.E., LEED AP, USNR, Project Manager, Stanley Consultants, Inc. (Texoma Region: San Antonio Post, Round Rock, TX)

LT Aaron Kotlarz, P.E., CEC, USN, Public Works Officer, Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa (International Committee, Japan)

Jared Matthews, P.E., Mechanical Engineer, Merrick & Company (South Atlantic Region: Space Coast Post, Merritt Island, FL)

SMSgt Philip McAlpin, Jr., Operations Flight Superintendent, 5th Civil Engineer Squadron (Missouri River Region: Minot Post, Minot, ND)

Ree Miskimon (North Atlantic Region: Baltimore Post, Baltimore, MD)

Capt Arpan Patel, P.E, USAF, Team Chief – Civil Engineer, Air Force Civil Engineer Center (South Central Region: Panama City Post, Burke, VA)

Vinnie Plocido, Senior Planner, WSP (Ohio Valley Region: Pittsburgh Post, Pittsburgh, PA)

Bruce Preston, Director of Operations, TSK Architects (Southwest Region: Phoenix Post, Mesa, AZ)

LT Kevin Remley, P.E., Senior Environmental Engineer, Indian Health Service (Northwest Region: Gem State Post, Fort Hall, ID)

Colleen Rust, PG, PMP, Project Manager, Sundance Consulting Inc. (Rocky Mountain Region: Albuquerque Post, Albuquerque, NM)

Scott Turygan, P.E., PMP; Civil Engineer; US Army Europe, G34 Protection (European Region: Rhein-Main Post, Mainz, Germany)

Download Participant Bios

Meet the 2019-2020 Class

Ilana Almquist, Marketing Coordinator, Coffman Engineers, Inc. (Pacific Region)

Holly Bigelow, Program Manager, Wood (European Region)

MAJ Craig Bryant, P.E., Operations Officer, Fort Hood, TX (Texoma Region)

Mark DeSouza, Civil Site Design Project Manager, Thomas & Hutton (Carolinas Region)

Angela Gomez, Business Manager, KOMAN Construction LLC (Southwest Region)

Patricia Graham, Project Geologist, EnSafe Inc. (New England Region)

LT Mike Guaigua, Civil Engineer Corps, U.S. Navy (International Committee)

Erin Krug, P.E., Structural Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Great Lakes Region)

Sean Lebel, P.E., Operations Manager, AECOM (Mid-Atlantic Region)

LCDR Sam Lee, Civil Engineer, U.S. Navy (Northwest Region)

Melissa Lewis, Supervisor Project Management, Scott Air Force Base (Missouri Region)

Capt Brendan Maestas, Instructor, Wright-Patterson AFB (Ohio Region)

Ben Nichols, Project Executive, Harkins Builders, Inc. (North Atlantic Region)

Zakary Payne, Associate, Matrix Design Group, Inc. (Rocky Mountain Region)

Claudia Penny, Assistant Project Manager, HCR Construction, Inc. (South Atlantic Region)

Jorge Rodriguez, Senior Engineer, M.S. Hatch Consulting, LLC (California Region)

Stephen Shattuck, Civil Engineer, formerly with LandMark Engineering (South Central Region)

Download Participant Bios

Interested in LDP?
Applications for the 2025-2026 class will open fall 2024.

SAME’s Leader Development Program was a rewarding and unique experience. I was able to leverage the experience and knowledge from other aspiring leaders and mentors from similar A/E/C backgrounds and grow personally as well as apply lessons back to my primary profession. This network still exists and helps me even today, years after I graduated the program.
Capt. Arpan Patel, USAF, LDP Class of 2021