Board Members

and Committee Structure

  • 2023-2024
  • 24
2023-2024 YMF Board Photo

Executive Board

President
Kirsten Kennedy, PE

Kirsten Kennedy is an Assistant Project Manager in Aviation for Michael Baker International. She is a passionate aviation engineer with 8 years of experience. Her experience ranges from project management, design, and construction management. Kirsten is a Professional Engineer in the state of Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland. She has worked on a variety of airports throughout the country including PHL, ACY, N94, FME, CGS, TTN, NFAFB and NID. Previously she was an Aviation Engineer for Urban Engineers for 6 years. Before that, she was a bridge engineer for Walsh Construction on the P3 Rapid Bridge Replacement project. She has a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from Drexel University class of 2015.

Kirsten is currently the President and has previously held the position of Vice President, Technical Events Chair, Society Liaison, Diversity and Inclusion Chair, Professional Development chair, and Co-Social Chair for ASCE YMF. She is also on the professional development committee for WTS as the WTS Works Chair, was the previously the young professional (YoPro) co-chair for AAAE NEC and is currently on the Airport Conference Planning committee. In her personal time she enjoys handstands, acro-yoga, dancing, yoga, traveling, golfing, running and eating all the best food in the city.

Vice President
Assunta Daprano, EIT

Assunta Daprano is a Project Manager in the Goods Movement/Transit Business Line at AECOM. She currently serves as the project lead for the CSXT Public Projects GEC, reviewing public improvement projects to assess and mitigate impacts on CSXT facilities in Virginia and the District of Columbia. She also has experience in community engagement, planning, design, and construction of railways, yards, transit facilities, and site inspection for wide-ranging projects, including railroad structures, transit stations, and utility relocations.

Assunta graduated from Drexel University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a concentration in Construction Management. She also holds a Graduate Certification in Railroad Engineering from the University of Delaware. Assunta is an active member of the America Society of Civil Engineers, serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Philadelphia Section and a Practitioner Advisor for the Drexel ASCE Chapter. She is also a member of ASCE's Committee on Student Members. Lastly, Assunta is a member of the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS), the Engineer's Club of Philadelphia, and the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA).

In her spare time, Assunta enjoys visiting train museums, gardening, spending time with her partner Joe and her cats, and cooking. She is also an avid railroad enthusiast (railfan) and hopes to one day learn how to operate a diesel locomotive.

Secretary
Kevin Walsh

Kevin Walsh is a highway engineer at HNTB in the Philadelphia Transportation group. His design specialties include roadways, utilities, green stormwater infrastructure, bicycle and ADA accessible facilities, permitting, and plan preparation and review for DOT and municipalities. Kevin earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Temple University in 2014.

Kevin is in his ninth year on the ASCE Philadelphia YMF Board currently serving as the Secretary. Kevin has previously served as the Treasurer, Social Chair (two years), Student Transition Chair, Civil Engineering (CivE) Club Chair (two years), Technical Events Chair, and Professional Development Chair.

Kevin received the ASCE Philadelphia Section Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2022. Kevin also received the ASCE Philadelphia Section Community Outreach and Service Award in 2017.

In his free time, Kevin enjoys golfing, biking, and pickleball.

Treasurer
Christopher Medora, PE (He/Him/His)

CJ Medora is a Traffic Project Engineer at AECOM. He works on a variety of projects for clients such as the City of Philadelphia, PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, and DelDOT. His work includes designing traffic control, signing and pavement markings, bicycle facilities, and traffic signals. He is passionate about improving safety for all users across all modes of transportation.

CJ earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with minors in Mathematics and Theology from Villanova University in 2018. He was active in both the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) during his time at Villanova, serving as Treasurer and President for both clubs. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania and Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) and holds his LEED Green Associate certification. He is a Practitioner Advisor for Villanova University, and a member of the ASCE Committee on Developing Leaders. He also serves as a corresponding member on the ASCE Committee on Student Conferences and Competitions.

In his free time, CJ enjoys hanging out with friends and family, traveling, and trying new places to eat and drink. He and his fiancée, Katie, reside in Fox Chase. This is CJ’s fifth year on the board, and his first year on the executive board. He previously served two terms as a K-12 Outreach Co-Chair, Student Member Transition Chair, and most recently as Awards Chair.

The following are Appointed Officer Positions divided up into three committees: Communications, Events, and Outreach. Each of these three committees are chaired by an Executive Board Officer. Descriptions of the responsibilities and duties of these Appointed Officer Positions can be found here: YMF Board Appointed Officer Positions

Communications Committee
(Chaired by Secretary)

Awards Chair
Emma Youngs (She/Her)

Emma is a Transportation Operations Designer in the ITS group at Gannett Fleming in their Philadelphia, PA office. Her work includes planning, design, research, inspection, and testing of advanced mobility technologies. Clients include PennDOT, ODOT, and other transportation authorities around the nation. This is her first year on the ASCE Philadelphia YMF board. Emma graduated in 2022 from Drexel University with an B.S. in Civil Engineering. At Drexel she was an active member of the ASCE Student Chapter where she served as president of the group. She served in additional leadership roles for Drexel's Deans Student Leadership Program and Alpha Omega Epsilon Sorority. In her free time, Emma likes to travel, hike, read, play ultimate frisbee and soccer, watch Philadelphia sports, and cuddle with her cat!

Information Technology (IT) Chair
Tyler Farley, EIT (He,Him)

Tyler graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 2017, earning a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree with a concentration in Transportation. He currently works for Traffic Planning & Design, Inc. in the Access Design Services Department as a Highway Design Specialist. Tyler focuses on the design of Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP) related projects throughout the City of Philadelphia, PennDOT District 6-0, and Delaware. Prior to working full-time at Traffic Planning & Design, he has worked two summers with PennDOT District 4-0 as a construction inspector and a summer with TPD as a highway design specialist intern.

Outside of the office, Tyler enjoys watching and playing various types of sports, spending time with his family & friends, traveling, swimming and water polo, and going to concerts.

Public Relations (PR) Chair
Laurel Welch, PE, ENV SP

Laurel Welch is a Professional Engineer with more than 8 years of experience in transportation design and construction. Before transitioning to her current role as a Construction Engineer, she gained nearly 8 years of experience on the design of roadway projects and ADA-compliant pedestrian facilities, as well as interchange reconstruction and drainage design, in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Texas, and Florida. As a Construction Engineer at Urban Engineers, Inc., she contributes to constructability reviews and Value Engineering analyses of heavy highway and transportation projects. She also acts as an Assistant Construction Manager on several projects for the City of Philadelphia, including a road diet and intersection improvements.

Ms. Welch is ardent about serving the public and improving transportation infrastructure through innovative and sustainable solutions. Sparked through an internship in the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, her technical expertise is bolstered by an interest in the development of transportation policy and its impact on the civil engineering industry.

Ms. Welch earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Florida. Ms. Welch is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of New Jersey. She is also certified as an Envision Sustainability Professional.

Social Media Chair
James P. Stanton, EIT (He,Him,His)

James is a Multimodal Designer with Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. in their Philadelphia office. With a wide range of experience, James has been working in the industry for six-plus years after graduating from Drexel University in 2017. Working on projects including interstate reconstruction, toll facility modernization, multiuse trails, and active transportation facilities, James is passionate about designing safe and accessible modern transportation infrastructure. Alongside his professional experience, James is also an active member in the wider engineering community, working to advocate for, develop, and lead various DEI and STEM programs.

Outside of work, James enjoys traveling, exploring a new city, taking vacations at the beach, having a bite at the newest restaurant, and getting sucked into a good TV show.

This is James’s first year serving on the YMF Board. In addition to his role as social media chairperson, James also serves on the JEDI Committee, now entering his third year in that role.

Events Committee
(Chaired by Treasurer)

Professional Development Chair
Dan Bhaumik, EIT, RSP1 (He/Him)

Dan is a transportation engineer for Sam Schwartz working on a variety of projects focused on traffic planning and design. He has worked on various Highway Occupancy Permit design projects, traffic impact studies, ADA-focused resurfacing projects, and more niche projects like transit-oriented developments and landside airport traffic operations.

Currently, he serves as an in-house staff consultant for NJDOT’s Bureau of Safety, Bicycle & Pedestrian Programs, specifically working on systemic and hot-spot safety analyses for New Jersey roadways and intersections. Dan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Temple University in 2015.

After having volunteered with ASCE Philadelphia YMF on various events since college, Dan is currently serving as a Professional Development co-chair. He is also involved with event planning for MASITE, and is the incoming co-chair for ULI Philadelphia’s Young Leaders Group.

In his personal time he enjoys playing piano for his friends’ weddings, being a Fantasy NBA Commissioner for a 10-person league, and trying the various restaurants and bars of Philadelphia.

Professional Development Chair
HuYoung Kim

HuYoung graduated from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park with a B.S. in Civil Engineering with Structural emphasis in 2015. While he was in active military service, HuYoung was deployed as a field engineer for MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) where he participated in highway, bridge and building reconstruction projects after the devastating earthquake in 2010. He was also actively involved with local orphanages in Port-au-Prince where he cleaned and taught English during his service in Haiti.

HuYoung currently serves as a Project Manager at Timothy Haahs and Associates, Inc. where he performs design calculations for precast, cast-in-place and steel structures. He also prepares specifications and construction documents for parking structures, mixed-use buildings and their foundations. HuYoung also performs construction administration services related to shop drawing reviews and field visits for new design projects as well as restoration projects.

In his spare time, HuYoung enjoys cooking, camping and playing tennis and soccer.

Social Events Chair
Christian Antisell, EIT (He/Him/His)

Christian is a Project Engineer at the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. In this role, he manages the design and construction of repairs to the Commonwealth's various types of port infrastructure. Prior to PhilaPort, Christian was a Highway Designer at Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. working on a variety of PennDOT Highway projects, HOP applications, and public utility contracts. Christian graduated with his BS in Civil Engineering from Widener University in 2019, where he volunteered for the ASCE student chapter.

Christian is now a practitioner advisor for the Widener ASCE chapter and a cat dad to two tabbies. He resides in the Fishtown neighborhood and enjoys jogging and playing soccer in the city. In his free time, he also enjoys playing the guitar, snowboarding, and attending Union matches at Subaru Park. This is his fourth year on the YMF board, previously serving as a K-12 Outreach Chair and a Social Chair.

Social Events Chair
Ayesha (eye-sha) Hassan, EIT

Ayesha is Civil Associate at Michael Baker International, where she provides support for the design of transportation infrastructure projects specializing in highway and roadway design. Originally from Pakistan, she moved to the US in 2018 and earned her MS degree in Civil Engineering from Temple University in 2020. With over three years of experience in the transportation industry, Ayesha is a skilled and ambitious civil engineer. She was recognized as one of the 2023 Top Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Professionals Under 40 by Greater Valley Forge (GVF) and 2023 Emerging Leader by Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) National.

Ayesha is dedicated to continuous growth and community service and affiliated with COMTO, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Women Transportation Seminar (WTS).

In her free time, Ayesha enjoys long walks, bicycling, photography, volunteering, exploring cool coffee places, and being with her loved ones.

Technical Events Chair
Anthony Ableman (He/Him/His)

Anthony graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington in 2016. He currently works as a Project Manager at Keller Engineers of New Jersey, L.L.C. with over six years of experience in land development, water resources, and Computer Aided Design and Drafting. He is also a registered Professional Engineer in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

This is Anthony’s first year on the ASCE Philadelphia YMF Board, currently serving as the Technical Events Co-Chair with Kayla Nelson. Anthony started as a mentor for ASCE YMF’s Mentorship Program the previous year, having also volunteered with the K-12 Outreach Program as well.

In Anthony’s personal life, you can find him playing video games on his computer or tinkering with his 3D printers. When outside, he will most likely be playing pickleball or throwing around the frisbee, walking through the park and feeding squirrels, or spending quality time with his dogs.

Technical Events Chair
Kayla Nelson, EIT (She/Her)

Kayla Nelson is a Geostructural Senior Staff Professional at Schnabel Engineering in Chadds Ford, where she’s worked since graduating from Widener University with her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 2019. A Baltimore native, Kayla moved to Philadelphia to begin her full-time career in civil engineering. Her background includes seepage and slope analysis, support-of-excavation design, site observation, and drafting.

Since completing her undergraduate studies, Kayla has been an active member of the ASCE, previously serving as Social Media Chair and two terms as a College Contact Chair for the ASCE Philadelphia YMF. Additionally, she is a volunteer member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee, actively participates in YMF community service/outreach events, and currently serves as a Director of the Delaware Valley Geo-Institute (DVGI).

She is also a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), previously serving as Secretary of the Philadelphia Section. Kayla has volunteered her time to assist with running labs at Widener/SWE’s Annual Engineering Girls Camp since 2015. Kayla received the ASCE Philadelphia Section Community Outreach and Service Award in 2023.

In her spare time, Kayla enjoys hiking, playing board/card games, crocheting, spending time with friends/family, and playing guitar to her rabbit (Jude).

Community Service Chair
Kevin Malley, PE (He/Him)

Kevin Malley is an Engineering Supervisor in the Water and Sewer Design unit for the Philadelphia Water Department. He specializes in the design of water and sewer systems, along with green infrastructure within the city right of way. He graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Temple University in 2017, and a Masters in Environmental Engineering and Water Resources from Villanova University in 2021. This is his second year on the YMF board and first as community service chair.

Outside of work, Kevin enjoys frequent bike rides along MLK Boulevard and the Schuylkill River Trail. He is an avid Philadelphia sports fan and enjoys going to concerts throughout the city. On the weekends you can find him at a local farmers market with coffee in hand.

Community Service Chair
Marty Williams, PE (He/Him)

Marty graduated from Drexel University in 2012 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He is a project engineer at KMJ Consulting, Inc., working primarily on traffic signal design, maintenance and protection of traffic plans, traffic studies, and ADA curb ramps. Marty became a licensed professional engineer in the state of Pennsylvania in 2016. In addition to ASCE, Marty is active in the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Mid-Atlantic Section, and helped to plan the 2017 and 2019 MASITE Annual Conferences.

In his personal time, Marty is an avid rock climber, always looking to travel and climb in new places. On the weekends he can often be found climbing at the Birdsboro Quarry. He also enjoys backpacking with his dog, Xena.

Outreach Committee
(Chaired by Vice President)

Civil Engineering (CivE) Club Chair
Nooraldean Dabdoub

Noor is a Field Verification Manager at Lennar’s Hamilton, NJ Office. He works with the field personnel to adjust takeoff increase/decrease accordingly to make operation run smoothly in the NJ division.

Noor graduated from Drexel University in June 2017 with Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and concentration in Construction Management. Noor was an active member in Project Management Institute (PMI) during his time at Drexel, serving as Chapter Ambassador.

Outside of work he enjoys walking on the boardwalk, and spending time with family and friends.

Civil Engineering (CivE) Club Chair
Anthony Rizzo EIT, ENV SP

Anthony is a Water Resources Engineer for Pennoni Associates, working in the Philadelphia Transportation Division. He graduated from Drexel University in 2019 with a Dual B.S./M.S. in Civil Engineering. Anthony works on a variety of highway and utility projects, with a focus on water main and sewer reconstruction. He has worked on numerous projects for the Philadelphia Water Department, PennDOT, and Private Clients. This will be Anthony’s first year on the YMF Board, hopefully with many more to come!

College Contact Chair
Zachariah Abbas, EIT (He/Him)

Zach is a Geotechnical Engineer at Gannett Fleming, and has been with them for 2 years. Prior to Gannett Fleming, Zach earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. At Penn State he was an active member of the ASCE Student Chapter where he served as president of the group. He was also an active member of the Concrete Canoe team and Steel Bridge team. He's now looking to continue his education by pursuing a Master's Degree.

In his free time Zach likes to rock climb, hike, drink coffee, play the drums, and go to concerts.

College Contact Chair
Cory Bogas, EIT (He/Him)

In 2018, Cory graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He currently works for HNTB as a civil designer in their transportation engineering department. At HNTB, Cory works on a variety of projects, including highway safety improvement, low cost safety improvement, and a broad range of roadway projects. Cory holds a position on the Temple College of Engineering Alumni Association as a Director at Large. In his free time, Cory likes to golf, play tennis, and watch sports.

K-12 Outreach Chair
Kerianne Chen (She/They)

Kerianne received her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with a minor in communications from Drexel University in 2020. They work at Traffic Planning & Design (TPD) in Access Design Services as a Highway Design Specialist in the Philadelphia office. Prior to graduating, she completed three co-ops for Philadelphia Streets Department, HNTB, and TPD; studied abroad in Melbourne, Australia; and participated in STEM Outreach at various Drexel events.

Outside of work, you can find her working on crafts like sewing and crochet, outside hiking or kayaking, or traveling and seeing friends & family. While originally from Austin, Texas, Kerianne has since adopted Philadelphia as their new home, and has been enjoying visiting mountains and other scenery of the tri-state area.

K-12 Outreach Chair
Elvira-Marie Mikhael, EIT (She/Her/Hers)

Elvira graduated from Drexel University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, where she served as Event Coordinator for the ASCE student chapter for two years and as President of the Drexel Society of Women Engineers. Elvira currently is a Highway Design Specialist at Traffic Planning & Design, working primarily on roadway design relating to Highway Occupancy Permits (HOP) within the City of Philadelphia and PennDOT District 6-0.

An avid biker herself, Elvira loves taking part in bike advocacy programs such as the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, promoting safe environments for bicycling in the city. She also enjoys traveling, listening to live music, and doing new things in the city.

Student Member Transition Chair
Alexis Gawelko, EIT

Alexis works in the geotechnical engineering group at Gannett Fleming in their Valley Forge, PA office. She assists project managers in conducting subsurface investigations and designing foundations, ground improvement, and retaining walls for PennDOT, PA Turnpike Commission, and other private clients. This is her second year on the ASCE Philadelphia YMF board.

Alexis graduated in 2019 from Penn State with an M.S. in Civil Engineering. While pursuing her undergraduate and graduate degree, she served in leadership roles for the ASCE student chapter, Concrete Canoe team, and Women in Engineering Program (WEP).

In her free time, Alexis likes to travel, enjoy time with friends and family, hike with her dog, and read.

JEDI Committee

JEDI Chair
Matthew Reese (He/Him)

Matthew graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Civil Engineering. With both a Professional Engineering licensure and American Institute of Certified Planning certification he works on land development project for both the public and private sectors. With a design and engineering background he knits together grey and green infrastructure with parks, plazas, and public spaces. Over the past decade he has worked on natural gas projects in Central PA, university work in Boston, and green infrastructure projects in Philadelphia.

In addition to his work as an engineer, Matthew has a strong focus on diversity equity and inclusion (DEI). At Urban engineers he is Co-Chair of the LGBTQ+ DEI committee, has given presentations focusing on DEI to engineers, and tries to be in advocate in all facets of his life.

Mentors

Past President
Tim Abel, PE (He/Him/His)

Tim is a Senior Engineer in Structures Production at Amtrak. In this role, he supports the management of the New York Division Structures Production group. Previous to Amtrak, Tim spent seven years as a Staff Engineer at Pennoni working on the design and plan review of transportation improvement projects in the greater Philadelphia region.

This is Tim’s seventh year on the Philadelphia YMF Board. He has previously served as Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, awards chair and the co-chair of the Civil Engineering Club at the Chester A. Arthur Middle School. At the Society level, Tim is also a member of the ASCE Committee on Sustainability.

Tim is a Professional Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree with concentrations in Transportation and Sustainability from Villanova University.

In his free time, Tim volunteers with the Uplift Center for Grieving Children and the University of Delaware Men’s Crew Team Alumni Association. He enjoys drinking (black) coffee and frequenting Philadelphia institutions like John’s Water Ice and Angelo’s Pizza.

Second Past President
Dennis Wilson, PE (He/Him/His)

Dennis works for McCormick Taylor as a Project Manager in Transportation Engineering and has more than 10 years of transportation engineering experience. Based in McCormick Taylor’s Philadelphia headquarters, Dennis is a registered Professional Engineer in both Pennsylvania and Florida, leading design efforts on jobs in both the greater Philadelphia area and the southwest Florida area out of their Fort Myers office. His project experience has included intersection improvements, highway rehabilitations, and interchange reconstructions. Dennis also helps to manage the PennDOT District 6 HOP Review contract and the City of Philadelphia On-Call ADA contract. Dennis graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed his senior design project in Ecuador, in 2012 with a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a concentration in Structural Engineering.

In addition to his current role on the YMF Board, Dennis is the incoming Chair of ASCE’s Committee on Younger Members (CYM). In his spare time, Dennis enjoys traveling, cheering on the Philly sports teams (and Pitt Panthers - Hail to Pitt!), playing sports (ice hockey, golf, softball), and checking out new restaurants around the city with friends. Dennis lives in Folsom (Delco) with his wife, Bridget, and their two cats, Maci and Miles.

Other Past Presidents

The YMF has a long, proud history of excellent leadership. The following have devoted their time and energy as Presidents of our great organization:

  • 2022-2023 - Tim Abel
  • 2021-2022 - Dennis Wilson
  • 2020-2021 - Katrina Lawrence
  • 2019-2020 - Jesse Gormley
  • 2018-2019 - Eammon Farley
  • 2017-2018 - Nha Truong
  • 2016-2017 - Kevin Brown
  • 2015-2016 - Chris Renfro
  • 2014-2015 - Drew Sirianni
  • 2013-2014 - Chris Gray
  • 2012-2013 - Kazi Hassan
  • 2011-2012 - Jeremy Chrzan
  • 2010-2011 - Mike Wagner
  • 2009-2010 - Cathy Farrell
  • 2008-2009 - Don Gusic
  • 2007-2008 - Joseph Platt
  • 2006-2007 - John Federico
  • 2005-2006 - Jeremy Colello
  • 2004-2005 - Alyson Lester
  • 2003-2004 - Michael McAtee
  • 2002-2003 - Kristen Bowman-Kavanaugh
  • 2001-2002 - Christopher Wright
  • 2000-2001 - Carol Martsolf
  • 1999-2000 - Christopher Menna
  • 1998-1999 - John Zarsky
  • 1997-1998 - Yael Heller-Jekogian
  • 1996-1997 - David Hanly
  • 1995-1996 - Allen Cadden

And prior to 1995, when the YMF wasn't quite as organized as today, there were a number of other people who focused their efforts to bring about the YMF as we know it today. Some of these people, who have our sincerest thanks, include:

  • Joanne Anovick
  • Ruben David
  • John Durrant
  • Tom Lauer
  • Ed Lutz
  • Sandra May
  • Drew Mihocko
  • Bill Thomsen
  • Bob Wright