MORE SEMINAR SPEAKER INFORMATION

Ron Hamburger, S.E., Fellow SEAOC, Senior Principal, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Ron Hamburger has nearly 45 years of experience in structural engineering design, construction and research. A Senior Principal with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger’s San Francisco office, Mr. Hamburger serves as chair of the ASCE 7 committee and is a voting member of the ASCE 41 Committee. He also is an active committee member for AISC and BSSC. A past SEAOC President, he served on both the State Existing Buildings and Seismology Committees. He has been a key participant and/or project director for many ATC projects including the recently completed ATC-58 series of projects to develop a next-generation performance-based seismic design methodology and tools.

Robert Pekelnicky, S.E., Principal, Degenkolb Engineers, Inc.
Bob specializes in making community and business infrastructure resilient against earthquakes, explosions, and other hazards. A recognized expert in earthquake hazard mitigation of existing structures, he has applied his multi-hazard mitigation knowledge to various projects for government, high technology, and healthcare clients. Bob actively develops better performance-based earthquake engineering methodologies, building codes, and standards. His career has focused on taking new, innovative structural engineering concepts from research and applying them to practice to better meet clients' needs. Bob is active in many ASCE standards committees. He chairs the ASCE 41 Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit Committee and is an active member of the ASCE 7 Minimum Design Loads and Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures Committee. He also chairs the General Structural Requirements Subcommittee and is a member of the both the Steering Committee and the Seismic Subcommittee. He was a key contributor to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Disaster Resilient Community Guidelines.

Michelle Kam-Biron, S.E., Senior Director of Education, American Wood Council
Michelle Kam-Biron is a California licensed structural engineer and Senior Director of Education for the American Wood Council (AWC) where she oversees AWC’s continuing education resources for architects, engineers, and building officials as well as coordinating the development of university level wood design course. Ms. Kam-Biron has authored several articles and white papers related to the use of structural wood. She also has over 20 years of experience managing and designing a wide range of projects of various structural materials as well as DSA contract plan review. Ms. Kam-Biron graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a BS in Architectural Engineering (ARCE) and has served on the ARCE Industry Council.  She volunteers her time on the NCSEA Basic Education and ICC Professional Development Council, is ASCE-SEI Wood Education Committee, a former Director for SEAOC and Past-President of SEAOSC. 

James Mwangi, Ph.D., S.E., Professor of Architectural Engineering, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Dr. James Mwangi received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, a Master of Science degree from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of California, Davis, all in Civil Engineering (structures). James is currently Professor of Architectural Engineering, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). He teaches undergraduate and graduate design courses in concrete, steel, timber and masonry. He is licensed as a civil engineer and as a structural engineer in the State of California and also a certified Disaster Service Worker (Safety Assessment Program) for the State of California Governor’s Office of  Emergency Services. Prior to joining Cal Poly, James worked for Buehler Engineering in Sacramento, California. He has over 30 years of structural engineering experience spanning not only in the USA but also in Kenya, Tanzania, Haiti, Indonesia, Colombia and Philippines. Dr. Mwangi’s design experience includes schools, hospitals, high-rise commercial building systems in high seismic and high wind regions utilizing reinforced concrete, steel, timber, reinforced masonry and confined masonry construction. James is a member of the Structural Engineers Association of Central California, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers and is an active member of The Masonry Society (TMS), serving in the Technical Activities Committee, and as a TMS Director representing Zone 1 (seven Western States). His other interests are in post-disaster structural mitigation.