CalGEO - The California Geotechnical Engineering Association

Hannes Richter provides clients with national experience in a broad range of geotechnical engineering applications, including residential, commercial, industrial and government projects. He has practical experience in a number of states that includes project management, laboratory and field investigations, rock and soil slope stability analysis, shoreline processes and protection measures, pavement analysis and design, earth dams, shallow and deep foundations, shoring walls and tieback anchor systems, groundwater development/dewatering, engineering feasibility studies, distress investigations, expert witness testimony, and grading and construction monitoring programs.

Richter is a registered Civil Engineer in Oregon, Arizona, California, Nevada and Colorado and a Geotechnical Engineer in California. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and serves on the Board of Directors of CalGeo. He has a B.S. for Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and an M.S. in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Michael Laney is currently an Area Manager and a Senior Engineer for Holdrege & Kull Consulting Engineers. He is a Registered Civil Engineer in California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii, and a Registered Geotechnical Engineer in California. Laney has overseen civil and geotechnical engineering projects, worked as a soil technician and has supervised observation and testing of compacted fill and grading operations.

He has been involved with highway and road design, and structural analysis and design of bridge-type structures. Laney helped develop and grade the State Geotechnical Engineer license exam for the California State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BPLES) and is on the BPLES list of experts who provide review services for reported enforcement actions regarding geotechnical issues in Southern California. He has served on the Board of Directors of CalGeo since 2007.

Rex Upp holds a B.A. degree in geology, B.S. degrees in mechanical engineering and environmental engineering, M.S. degrees in watershed management and soil engineering, and a Ph.D. in engineering geology.

He is licensed in California as a Geotechnical Engineer and Engineering Geologist. Upp founded Upp Geotechnology, Inc. in 1983, a seven-person firm focused on hillside residential projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, including new construction and properties distressed by earth movement. He also has provided litigation support (expert witness) in more than 100 cases throughout the state. Upp is active in several professional organizations. He has been a member of CalGeo since its SAFEA days and a member of its Board of Directors since 2003. He also is a past president of the Association of Engineering Geologists.

Dr. Siamak Jafroudi has more than 36 years of professional experience in geotechnical engineering. His area of specialization is material characterization in relation to slope stability evaluation, liquefaction analysis, pavement design, collapse potential, earth retaining structures and earthquake engineering. Dr. Jafroudi's experience encompasses the design and supervision of a multitude of soil mechanics laboratory tests and drilling programs.

He has served as a Principal Engineer on several key projects for such clients as schools, university and college districts, public agencies, transportation agencies, residential and commercial developers, as well as private-sector clients. Dr. Jafroudi is a Registered Geotechnical Engineer (GE), a Registered Environmental Assessor (REA), and is registered in Civil Engineering (PE), all in the state of California. Additionally, he is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and is a member of the Board of Directors for CalGeo.

Amer Hussain, P.E., is the Vice President of Engineering for BSK Associates, a geosciences consulting firm with offices throughout Northern California. The firm provides geotechnical, environmental planning and remediation, water resources, geospatial, construction materials testing and analytical laboratory services. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from California State University, Fresno.

Hussain has provided geotechnical and environmental engineering services for 18 years in the Central Valley. His experience includes transportation, schools, bridges, public works facilities and water resources planning for both private and public clients. He returned to CSUF in 2002 as a guest lecturer and taught the Introduction to Soils and Foundations course for five years. Hussain is a member of ASCE, ASFE, ACEC, SWANA and serves on the Board of Directors for CalGeo.

As a Principal Engineer and Vice President of Hetherington Engineering, Danny Cohen provides geotechnical engineering services to homeowners and homeowners associations, developers, contractors, attorneys and insurance companies. He has long been involved in planning, implementing and supervising a broad range geotechnical projects, including geotechnical investigation programs for development of residential and commercial structures and site improvements, development of hillside sites, and investigations of distressed structures.

His work has also included performance and supervision of geotechnical observation and testing services during grading and site development, as well as during implementation of repairs to distressed structures, including projects utilizing drilled piers and driven piles, tiebacks, compaction grouting, mechanically stabilized earth wall systems, geogrid soil reinforcement, dewatering systems, shoring, and conventional grading and backfilling operations. Cohen has performed studies related to groundwater, landslides, liquefaction, environmentally contaminated sites, and design and development of on-site sewage disposal systems.

David Hamilton, P.E., G.E., is the Founder and President of Hamilton & Associates, a geotechnical engineering firm located in Los Angeles. His firm provides geotechnical and geologic services, soils and materials laboratory testing, construction observation and testing, and limited drilling and sampling services. Hamilton received his B.S. in civil engineering at Loyola Marymount University in 1994 and an M.S. in geotechnical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 1995.

He has more than 14 years of experience in public works, commercial, industrial, school, and residential projects, including soft and liquefiable sites, port facilities, and hillside and canyon landfill development. He has taught soil mechanics and solid waste engineering in both undergraduate and graduate engineering programs at Loyola Marymount University and is currently active with the California Board of Professional Engineers.

Greg Silver joined GMU in 1997 and serves as the company's Vice President and Principal Engineer. He is instrumental in furthering the direction and character of the company and oversees the majority of the firm's day-to-day operations. Greg's experience in the industry includes more than 25 years of working with clients throughout Southern California on some of the most challenging geotechnical projects. He has worked successfully for and with industrial, residential and commercial developers, master community planners and governmental agencies. He has extensive experience in landslide evaluation and remediation design, geotechnical instrumentation, residential and commercial development, public works projects, municipality consultation, mechanically stabilized earth walls, and forensic projects. In addition, Silver has served as an expert witness in regards to numerous geotechnical issues and as city geotechnical engineer for numerous cities throughout Southern California. He just completed his term as President of CalGeo and currently serves on its Board of Directors.

John Hoobs has more than 25 years of experience with Geocon in engineering geology and geophysics in Southern California. He specializes in structures, transportation, schools and pipelines for residential and commercial land development projects for both private and public clients. His expertise in managing large-scale development has provided clients timely service on projects that have critical schedules. Hoobs has extensive experience in landslide and fault studies, as well as projects requiring rock blasting and placement.

Construction monitoring, verification and adherence to specifications are an integral part of his experience and expertise. He has also provided consultation and expert-witness services for plaintiff and defendant cases involving disputes on residential and public works projects. He is a registered geologist and a certified engineering geologist in California, and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Association of Engineering Geologists, Geologic Society of America, and the San Diego Association of Geologists. Hoobs currently serves as President of CalGeo.

Todd Kamisky is a Founder and President of Mid Pacific Engineering, and currently manages the firm's Sacramento operations. Kamisky has been working in the geotechnical engineering field since 1994, and his project experience includes master-planned communities, residential subdivisions, infrastructure improvements, detention basins, bridges, communication towers, schools, and commercial/industrial developments.

Kamisky has also performed site-specific ground response studies for numerous projects in the Sacramento and Stockton areas, as well as slope-stability analysis of bluffs, levees and mining pits in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley regions. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Structural Engineers Association of Central California, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for CalGeo.

Lutz "Yogi" Kunze is the semi-retired Executive Vice-President of Earth Systems Southwest (ESSW) and currently serves as an Associate Geotechnical Engineer to provide oversight of the geotechnical engineering staff for ESSW.  He is a Registered Civil Engineer in California, Arizona, Nevada and a Registered Geotechnical Engineer in California.  He served on the Board of Directors of CalGeo and was its president in 1996-97.

Christopher Diaz, P.E. has over 30 years of experience in civil construction and geotechnical engineering.  For the past 15 years, the major focus of his work has been in the design and construction of liquefaction mitigation, as well as in-ground improvement projects, including stone columns, grouting, and deep dynamic compaction. Chris became a principal and company president of Diaz-Yourman & Associates (DYA) in December 2004, after 10 years as a staff engineer through senior engineer.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Chris serves on the CalGeo Board of Directors and the Orange County and State boards of ACEC. He is also involved in several professional and engineering organizations, including ASCE, WTS, and is a member of the DFI Ground Improvement Committee.  Chris has been instrumental in directing DYA to generously support the student chapter of CalGeo at Cal Poly Pomona.

Mr. Lokteff has devoted his 20-year professional career to geotechnical engineering and has been with Blackburn Consulting for 11 of those 20 years. He has performed subsurface investigations and provided geotechnical recommendations for levees, roads, bridges, pipelines, communications towers, schools, commercial buildings, residential subdivisions, and landslides. Mr. Lokteff specialized in pipeline installations, deep and shallow bridge foundations and pavement design.