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Mr. Peyton is a 15 year veteran in the Army Corps of Engineers. During this time he built, advised, and facilitated major construction projects and techniques throughout Europe and the United States. He holds a Masters degree in Business from Webster University, and several undergraduate degrees from Drury College. Mr. Peyton has worked as the Executive Director of a local deaf and hard of hearing non-profit service organization and is proficient in the design and installation of induction loop systems. Mr. Peyton has been installing induction (hearing) loop systems since 2005. In the past 16 years he has designed and installed simple to complex systems from Wasilla Alaska to San Luis Potosi Mexico. He has spent thousands of hours facilitating training sessions in topics ranging from psychodynamics to advanced project management. He has spoken at regional, national, and international conferences on assistive listening systems.

Assistant Professor at the University of St. Thomas
Mr. Welt has spent his professional career working on projects ranging from single-family residential design to design of floating offshore production facilities, specifically focused on steel stiffened plate hull design. As a structural design engineer (Shell International Exploration and Production), he developed a risk-based inspection philosophy for the largest (upon installation) floating production facility in the Gulf of Mexico, and led many brownfield projects including subsea developments and flowline pull-ins (to existing floating production facilities). Mr. Welt’s research career has focused specifically on seismic behavior of reinforced concrete structural walls. Through large-scale experimentation, he has isolated inconsistencies with classical analytical models for confined concrete as compared with modern design, and influenced changes in the building code accordingly. Mr. Welt is a member of ACI 369 (Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Concrete Frame Buildings) and ACI 374 (Performance-Based Design of Concrete Buildings), and is a registered Professional Engineer.

Assistant Professor at the University of St. Thomas
Mr. Welt has spent his professional career working on projects ranging from single-family residential design to design of floating offshore production facilities, specifically focused on steel stiffened plate hull design. As a structural design engineer (Shell International Exploration and Production), he developed a risk-based inspection philosophy for the largest (upon installation) floating production facility in the Gulf of Mexico, and led many brownfield projects including subsea developments and flowline pull-ins (to existing floating production facilities). Mr. Welt’s research career has focused specifically on seismic behavior of reinforced concrete structural walls. Through large-scale experimentation, he has isolated inconsistencies with classical analytical models for confined concrete as compared with modern design, and influenced changes in the building code accordingly. Mr. Welt is a member of ACI 369 (Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Concrete Frame Buildings) and ACI 374 (Performance-Based Design of Concrete Buildings), and is a registered Professional Engineer.

Mr. Simpson founded Gradelta Engineering in 2020 with the intent to help clients better understand the combination of geotechnical and structural engineering that he has worked with for the past 20 years. He earned his B.S.C.E. and M.S.C.E. degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology. He currently provides engineering services to contractors and fellow engineers for earth structure pricing, along with the plans and calculations needed for construction. He frequently consults with clients regarding the optimal structure type and location on the construction site to minimize risk and maximize useable space. He also works in the education sector providing not just seminars such as this one, but also acting as a subject matter expert creating study guide and test prep content for the NCEES Professional Civil Engineer exam. Mr. Simpson has also worked with lawyers and insurance companies during forensic investigation and lawsuits surrounding retaining walls and slope failures. His hope is that through the instructional services that he currently provides, slopes will remain stable and retaining wall failure will be eliminated.

As an arbitrator, structural/civil engineer, and expert forensic consultant with nearly four decades of experience, Mr. Hemmatyar has provided extensive expert services for defendants’ and plaintiffs’ attorneys on numerous construction litigation matters throughout the United States and Canada.

He has been retained as an expert engineer in over one hundred and fifty litigation matters on single and class-action legal cases by the U.S. government, law firms, and insurance carriers at the State and Federal levels, working with both plaintiff and defendant sides.

Mr. Hemmatyar’s understanding of core engineering and legal concepts has enabled him to effectively assist a wide range of clientele. He brings diversified experience in structural and civil engineering design, and in forensic engineering, investigation, and evaluation. Mr. Hemmatyar also conducts research, has assisted in the development of building codes and standards, and has supervised the construction of domestic and international projects. His experience includes special structures and new buildings as well as modifications, alterations, seismic/hurricane retrofits, and upgrades to existing structures. Mr. Hemmatyar has provided failure analysis, expert consultation, structural forensic investigation, and damage assessment services for numerous litigation and insurance-related matters.

He actively presents continuing education lectures to audiences of licensed engineers, architects, and general contractors on topics of structural and forensic engineering throughout North America. Mr. Hemmatyar has been the principal structural engineer on projects for clients such as NASA and several other high-profile agencies. Currently, he directs PSFEG and has served as Director for SEAOSC from 2011 to 2013. He has been interviewed by public media, including the History Channel (documentary episode: “Collapse of Ancient Structures”) and Reuters (Mexico City school collapse).

Over the past 28 years, Mr. Drerup has investigated performance concerns at hundreds of buildings and structures. His work has ranged from single family homes to large building collapses. Mr. Drerup has evaluated damage attributable to earthquakes, blast, impact, fire, water intrusion, corrosion, construction defects, and other factors. He has served as a testifying expert in several cases. Mr. Drerup has also developed and retrofit designs for existing buildings. He has previously worked for two prominent forensic engineering firms and an international structural design firm. In 2014, he established Drerup Building Performance Engineering, PLLC with his partner Alicia Díaz de León, PE, SE, AIA, and continues to collaborate with other consultants and laboratories nationwide to investigate a broad range of issues pertaining to structure, enclosure, and construction materials. Mr. Drerup recently completed two terms as a voting member of ASCE’s Board Committee on Technical Advancement. He serves on ASCE’s Joint Task Committee with CROSS-US, and is past chair and a 22-year member of ASCE’s Forensic Engineering Division.

Timothy J. Martin, P.E. is president and the principal engineer at 2TM Consulting Engineers. He has extensive pavement engineering experience, specializing in the design, performance, management, evaluation and forensic investigation of pavement structures. His application of design principles and research has optimized pavement designs for state highway design build projects, municipal pavement design, aviation and port pavement designs. An industry expert in the analysis and problem solving of pavement performance issues, Mr. Martin has led investigations into premature pavement failures for many clients across all market sectors. He has taught flexible pavement design to local agencies utilizing publicly available state agency software. He is a current member of ACI committees 325 and 330 and has contributed to those concrete pavement specifications. He is a frequent presenter at associations and technical conferences applying his research and case studies. 

Professor Rahmeyer was on the faculty at USU for 31 years and spent 10 years as research faculty at Colorado State University. Professor Rahmeyer is the past Department Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering at USU as well as the senior professor of the Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics program of the Utah Water Research Laboratory. He also served at USU as the director of the Hydro Composite Modeling Program, the division head of Water Engineering, the interim division head of both the Structures Division and the Transportation Division, and as the Undergraduate Curriculum division head. Professor Rahmeyer is currently working part time as a senior associate for Ayres and associates in Fort Collins Colorado, where his primary role is to conduct national workshops in hydraulics, culvert flow, and urban drainage for the National Hydraulic Institute of FWHA. He is a fellow and lifetime member in the American Society of Civil Engineers. Professor Rahmeyer has been a member of several professional societies, and serve on committees for the American Society of Engineering Educators (ASEE), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the International Association of Hydraulic Research (IAHR), the Association of State Dam Safety Officers (ASDSO), the Instrument Society of America (ISA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the International Erosion Control Association (IECA), and the American Society of Heating and Refrigeration Association (ASHRAE). He has regularly attended and presented at the annual conferences of ASDSO, ASEE, ASCE, IAHR, ASCE National Department Heads, and the Transportation Research Board (TRB). In the past, he has been a member of the United States Committee on Large Dams (USCOLD) and the International Committee on Large Dams (ICOLD). Over the last several years, Professor Rahmeyer has created and presented a workshop on open channel flow for HalfMoon Education and finished serving on the Bluestone Dam UASCE IEPA and on several 100% DDR review panels for the USACE. He has been on the board of directors for the Utah Floodplain and Storm Water Management Association since 1986. Professor Rahmeyer was a member the 2008 Bettelle “Final Independent Peer Review Report for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Vegetation Policy for Local Flood Damage Reduction Systems” which reviewed many of the guidelines and policies for management of levees, floodwalls, embankment dams, and appurtenant structures. Some of his recent awards include the AHRAE Technical/Symposium Paper Award, the ASHRAE Crosby Field Award for Research, and the South Pacific Division Regional Project Delivery Team Award from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He has received the Idaho Transportation Department 2012 Excellence in Transportation Award and the 2011 ACEC of Idaho Engineering Excellence Grand Award for the I-84 New York Canal Modeling and Modification. Professor Rahmeyer further received an honorable mention at the 2012 National AECE award ceremonies for his work with the I-84 New York Canal.

Mr. McWhite is from Indiana and a graduate of Vincennes University. He is an accomplished building inspector and plans examiner, with 20 years of experience in public and non-profit code enforcement and inspections. Mr. McWhite has served as an inspector and plans examiner in Massachusetts, Georgia, Virginia, and Indiana. He has served on the Massachusetts Construction Supervisor Licensing exam rewriting committee to help transition the exam from the 2009 to the 2015 International Codes, as a member of the International Code Council’s IPMC/IZC Code Development Committee, and as member of the ICC Building Membership Council and most recently BCAC. Mr. McWhite also currently serves as an ICC Governmental voting member representing Region 6. He has earned a combined 21 certifications ranging from SBCCI (Legacy Code) to ICC, including Housing Code Official, Building Code Specialist, Plumbing Code Specialist, Certified Building Official, and is currently two certifications away from Master Code Professional.

Dr. Jairo Garcia develops innovative policies and educational programs to make communities and cities cleaner, sustainable, resilient, and equitable. He is the lead author of Atlanta’s Climate Action Plan, and he led a collaborative effort with more than 40 stakeholders to the 100 Resilient Cities application, awarded to the City of Atlanta in 2016. Dr. Garcia is a member of the Georgia Research Roadmap steering committee, an initiative of the Georgia Climate Project lead by University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Emory University, which has a goal of improving understanding of climate impacts and solutions in Georgia. He received the Individual Climate Leadership Award by the EPA in 2017 and the Green Ring Award by the Climate Reality Project. These awards recognized Dr. Garcia’s leadership in addressing climate change and engaging organizations, peers, and partners. He represented the Mayor of Atlanta at COP23 in Bonn, Germany, and he presented at an event organized by the International Urban Cooperation Programme related to global cooperation to address climate change. Dr. Garcia’s publications on urban sustainability, climate change and sustainability education are numerous. His academic experiences include a position as a research assistant and two teaching assistant positions at Columbia University, a faculty adjunct and thesis advisor position at Concordia University, and faculty adjunct positions for the UCLA-Extension Program, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Garcia holds an engineering degree, an MSc degree in Management of Information Technologies, an MSc degree in Sustainability Management, and a doctoral degree in Educational Technology and Sustainability.

Dr. Jairo Garcia develops innovative policies and educational programs to make communities and cities cleaner, sustainable, resilient, and equitable. He is the lead author of Atlanta’s Climate Action Plan, and he led a collaborative effort with more than 40 stakeholders to the 100 Resilient Cities application, awarded to the City of Atlanta in 2016. Dr. Garcia is a member of the Georgia Research Roadmap steering committee, an initiative of the Georgia Climate Project lead by University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Emory University, which has a goal of improving understanding of climate impacts and solutions in Georgia. He received the Individual Climate Leadership Award by the EPA in 2017 and the Green Ring Award by the Climate Reality Project. These awards recognized Dr. Garcia’s leadership in addressing climate change and engaging organizations, peers, and partners. He represented the Mayor of Atlanta at COP23 in Bonn, Germany, and he presented at an event organized by the International Urban Cooperation Programme related to global cooperation to address climate change. Dr. Garcia’s publications on urban sustainability, climate change and sustainability education are numerous. His academic experiences include a position as a research assistant and two teaching assistant positions at Columbia University, a faculty adjunct and thesis advisor position at Concordia University, and faculty adjunct positions for the UCLA-Extension Program, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Garcia holds an engineering degree, an MSc degree in Management of Information Technologies, an MSc degree in Sustainability Management, and a doctoral degree in Educational Technology and Sustainability.

Mr. Messmer has over 30 years of engineering experience in analysis, design, plan/specification development, and project management/personnel supervision for geotechnical, foundation and structural engineering projects in the transportation, industrial, municipal and commercial fields of civil engineering. Throughout his career he has placed an emphasis on quality control and staff training. Mr. Messmer is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Concrete Institute, the American Society of Highway Engineers and the Society of American Military Engineers. He earned his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Messmer was accepted into the Academy of Geo-Professionals in 2013.

Owner of Lile Engineering in Ashland, MO
Mr. Lile is the owner of Lile Engineering, which specializes in commercial energy solutions and LEED certification consulting. Mr. Lile has worked in the design industry for over 30 years, on healthcare, industrial, commercial and educational construction projects. He has been involved in electrical and mechanical design, as well as construction management and commissioning. He has volunteered for local city boards and commissions, including the City of Columbia Energy and Environment Commission, which he chaired from 2009 – 2015, helping the City review and adopt new building codes. Mr. Lile is a licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri.