Industry taps Young Engineers of the Year
Each year during E-Week, Houston-area engineers gather to acknowledge young professionals in the varying engineering disciplines ranging from civil, chemical, mechanical, petroleum and electrical for their contributions to the economy, the community and to the public’s understanding of engineering.
This year, technical and engineering organizations have chosen to honor their own at the annual Young Engineers of the Year Banquet 6-9 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 17, at Mr. Peeples Restaurant, 1911 Bagby St., The following professionals will be recognized this year: Naresh Kolli
Asian-American Engineers & Architects
Naresh Kolli is a project engineer at Geotest Engineering Inc., Houston. He has more than eight years of experience in the civil, geotechnical and environmental fields and has worked on various projects involving high-rise office buildings to single-story commercial buildings, warehouses, schools and government projects, Phase I and II environmental site assessments, site reconnaissance, and geological and rock-profile studies. Kolli received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Kakatiya University, India in 2002 and a master’s degree in civil engineering from McNeese State University, Louisiana, in 2005. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas and Louisiana. In addition to his activities with AAEA, he is actively involved with other organizations such ASIE, ASCE and AWWA. He is serving as board member of the ASIE. Clayton Black
American Council of Engineering Companies
Clayton Black is serving his third consecutive term as the chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) — Houston Design Standards/Plan Review (DS/PR) Committee. As chairman, he leads monthly meetings with the City of Houston planning, public works, engineering, and permit staff members as well as staff members from Harris County Engineering and Permits and Harris County Flood Control District. The goal of the ACEC-Houston DS/PR Committee is to develop standards for plan review, revisions and design criteria for the City of Houston, Harris County and the Harris County Flood Control District. Black is also a land development division manager, partner and member of the board of directors at Jones & Carter Inc. and is a graduate of the University of Houston. Katherine Leskin
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Katherine Leskin is a process engineer for Fluor, where she has worked for the last six years. She has served on the 2013 Employee Giving Campaign Steering Committee, an Emerging Leaders Group subcommittee and is working on the tank farm area of the Lake Charles Sasol project. In 2011 and 2012, she served as the South Texas Section (STS) AIChE treasurer, and in 2013, assisted with the PE Review course. Leskin is a 2005 graduate of MIT and has earned a master’s in civil engineering with a focus on project and construction management from the University of Houston.
She is a member of the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, the Greater Houston Rowing Club and her neighborhood’s homeowners association. Her most adventurous travel experience to date is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Natalie Weiershausen, P.E., ENV SP American Society of Civil Engineers Natalie Weiershausen is a project engineer with Klotz Associates Inc. with 5½ years of experience, four of these years at URS Corp. Her experience is in a variety of projects ranging from water and wastewater planning, utility relocation/design, site design, floodplain analysis, roadway design, and general civil design.
Weiershausen has been an active member of ASCE for three years and serves as the Houston branch vice president of education. She has participated in special committees as well as serving as the younger member forum chair and community services chair. She is a 2008 graduate from the University of Texas with a civil engineering degree that focused on the hydraulic/hydrology and transportation fields. When free time is available, she loves to run, practice yoga, play volleyball and spend time with her husband. Karthik Balasubramanian American Society of Indian Engineers Karthik Balasubramanian is a senior civil/structural engineer at Technip. He received his education at Mumbai University, India, earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 2004, and a master’s degree in environmental engineering at Lamar University, Beaumont, in 2006. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas. In February 2013, he was awarded a “Recognition Certificate for Excellent Performance” for his involvement in the Jazan IGCC project for Saudi Aramco. His engineering experience includes civil, structural and infrastructure work for refineries, LNG terminals, natural gas basins and integrated gasification combined cycle plant. He has worked for clients such as Anadarko, Chevron, Saudi Aramco, Sonangol, Sasol, Statoil and Trunkline. Julian J. Bedoya
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Julian J. Bedoya, P.E. has worked at Stress Engineering Services Inc. since 2005, where he is a senior associate. Most of his work has centered on performing analyses of pressure vessels and pipelines to assess mechanical integrity for continued operations. He has developed expertise with swaged mechanical connections, performing analyses and full-scale testing to determine mechanical integrity under different loading conditions. Bedoya received a BSME from Florida International University, and an MS in biomedical engineering from Texas A&M University. He has eight publications in the oil and gas industry, and three others in biomedical engineering. In 2013, Bedoya received the Herbert Allen award, which recognizes outstanding technical achievement by an engineer 35 years of age or younger. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas, and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English. Jose H. Carmona, E.I.T. American Water Works Association Jose H. Carmona is a design engineer in the public works practice at Jones & Carter Inc. He is an active member of AWWA and serves as the Young Professionals Committee Chairman for his local chapter. He received his B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Texas San Antonio. Enrique Morales
Houston Hispanic Architects and Engineers
Enrique Morales is a civil engineer with 12 years of land development experience and is employed as a project manager within the land development department at Brown & Gay Engineers Inc. He also serves as district engineer for six municipal utility districts and is project manager for multiple master-planned communities in the Houston area. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas. Morales has been involved with the Houston Hispanic Architects & Engineers organization since 2009 and will serve as the president of the organization in 2014. He is a 2001 graduate of Texas A&MUniversity — College Station, and enjoys golfing, cycling, camping, traveling and relaxing at home with his wife and daughter. Michael C. Romer, P.E.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Michael C. Romer is a subsurface engineering research specialist for the ExxonMobil Upstream Research Co. He received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee in 2004 and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois in 2006. While at ExxonMobil, Romer has specialized in artificial lift and has performed work for projects on multiple continents. He was awarded a P.E. license in petroleum engineering in 2012 and has authored two IEEE and two SPE papers. He is the chair of the Houston chapter of the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society. He is active in the steering committees of the ALRDC Gas Lift Workshop, the Offshore Technology Conference, and the SPE North American Artificial Lift Conference. Terrence Brown National Society of Black Engineers Terrence Brown joined Walker Engineering Inc. in 2012 in the preconstruction department. His experience includes BIM modeling and design-assist collaborations on projects such as United Airlines Terminal B at IAH, Phillip 66 Operation Center, Noble Energy Center II, Kyle Field in Texas A&MUniversity, among other Houston projects. Brown received his B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. He has been an active member of NSBE for nine years and has served as chapter treasurer, president, zone coordination and regional public relations chair. He is serving as parliamentarian of the Houston Alumni Chapter. Brown loves volunteering in the community and mentoring children through Big Brothers Big Sisters and local schools. He is a member of HKN Electrical Engineering Honor Society and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Kate Emery
Society of American Military Engineers
Kate Emery started with HNTB Corp. in July 2012 as a graduate transportation engineer. She has worked with various groups on different projects, including bridge design, and roadway schematics and design. Emery has been active in the Society of American Military Engineers since July 2012 and is the group’s young member committee chair. In 2015, she will become young member director. She also serves as the wordpasser chair, producing the Houston/Galveston Post’s monthly newsletter.
She graduated with a B.S. in civil engineering from Texas A&Mwith a concentration in water resources.
She hopes to get her MBA in the future and plans to take her Professional Engineering Exam in October 2016. She enjoys cycling, house renovations and crafting. Morena Arredondo, P.E.
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Morena Arredondo, P.E., was named an associate of Klotz Associates for being identified as a key individual who is instrumental in the long-term success of the firm and who adds value to the company through exceptional performance. Arredondo earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Houston and serves as the SHPE Houston community outreach coordinator. She was recognized for her leadership and commitment through events that encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M.) and for organizing events to give back to the community. She was named 2013 Emerging Leader by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and recently was selected to join the NHPO Leadership Institute Class XI. Simeon Eburi Losoha Society of Petroleum Engineers Simeon Eburi Losoha is a petroleum engineer with Chevron Corp. He works in Chevron’s Energy Technology Co. (ETC) in the shale unit as a reservoir and simulation engineer and provides support and
expertise to Chevron’s unconventional and shale assets worldwide.
In 2011, Losoha joined the SPE Gulf Coast Section (GCS) Young Professionals Board as Emerging Engineers Conference co-chair.
In 2013, he served on the SPE-GCS board of directors as SPE-GCS Young Professionals chair.
He graduated from Texas Tech University in 2006 and 2007 with Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in petroleum engineering.
He enjoys playing basketball, soccer, guitar, chess, following Red Raider sports, volunteering, and spending time with family and friends.