The Final Program for the 41st Annual SEAoA Convention is now available at the
Attendee Registration Event Page. We have a great program filled with distinguished technical speakers from across the country. See below for a complete list of speaker biographies.
SPEAKER BIOS (in order of convention appearance)
David Flax
Dave Flax of The Euclid Chemical Company has a Civil Engineering Degree from RPI and over 35 years experience as a field engineer, a contractor, and a researcher with the Corps of Engineers. He has earned his CDT and CCPR from CSI. He has specialized in concrete and has had dozens of articles published. He was awarded the Extra Yard Award by the SCCP for his 30+ years of service to the concrete industry. He is on a number of national organization committees including the “Guide Specifications Committee". He has spoken on this topic and others at The World of Concrete.
Jason J. Thompson
Jason Thompson is the Vice President of Engineering for the National Concrete Masonry Association. His duties and responsibilities include overseeing the technical activities of the association including research and development, design, construction, and testing standards development, design resources and tools, and creating and delivering seminars and lectures covering these subjects. Jason is also active in the development of building codes and standards for masonry structures and systems where he represents NCMA and the masonry industry through the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards. Prior to joining NCMA, Jason worked at a private engineering consulting firm in Washington State. Upon completing his graduate studies in 1997, Jason began his career with NCMA in the laboratory as the Association’s Research Engineer. Since that time Jason has served in several evolving capacities within NCMA focusing on the structural performance of concrete masonry, research and development, codes and standards, to his current role as Vice President of Engineering. Jason has served in several leadership and executive capacities in various forums including: Chair of the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards, Executive Committee of the Masonry Standards Joint Committee, Technical Activities Committee and Board of Directors for The Masonry Society, technical advisor to the Code Resource Support Committee, and the Technical Coordinating Committee of the International Code Council.
Michelle Kam-Biron, PE, SE
Ms. Kam-Biron is a California licensed structural engineer and Director of Education for the American Wood Council (AWC) where she is expanding continuing education resources for architects, engineers, and building officials as well as coordinating the development of university level wood design course. Before joining AWC, she worked nearly five years in the wood industry as the Senior Technical Director – National Lead Mid-rise/Multi-family Construction for the Wood Products Council initiative WoodWorks. Additionally, she was a Structural Engineering consultant and Executive V.P. of Harris Engineering, in California. She has over 20 years of experience managing and designing a wide range of projects of various structural materials as well as Division of State Architect contract plan review. Ms. Kam-Biron graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a BS in Architectural Engineering. She is a certified Earthquake Disaster Assessment volunteer, a member of APA - Professional Associates Program, APA Standards Committee PRG-320 on Cross-Laminated Timber, and the International Code Council. She is an active member and past Director of the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California and is currently a volunteer on the Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo Architectural Engineering Advisory Board.
Rafael Sabelli, SE
Rafael is Director of Seismic Design at Walter P Moore. He is the co-recipient of the 2008 AISC T.R. Higgins Lectureship, and is a member of the AISC Task Committee on the Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings, the ASCE 7 Seismic subcommittee, and the NCSEA Seismic Code Advisory Committee. He is the coauthor (with Michel Bruneau) of AISC Design Guide 20: Steel Plate Shear Walls, as well as of numerous research papers on conventional and buckling restrained braced frames. Rafael was the 2000 NEHRP Professional Fellow in Earthquake Hazard Reduction, and is the Past Chair of the Seismology Committee of the Structural Engineers Association of California. Rafael is currently the Vice President of the Structural Engineers Association of California.
Joshua B. Kardon, PhD, SE, F. ASCE
Principal Structural Engineer Josh Kardon has been in continuous practice since 1973 and established Joshua B. Kardon + Company in 1978. As an expert in the area of a Structural Engineer's Standard of Care, lecturer, and active member of numerous professional organizations, he remains in the forefront of his profession. Josh volunteers his time and expertise to young people in the community.
Jim C. Barnes, PE
Jim Barnes has worked for 20 years for the State of California’s disaster agency, soon to be named the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services). Mr. Barnes has served as the lead statewide coordinator for the Safety Assessment Program (SAP) for five years, and has given around 150 classes in the subject since 2004. He has been invited to give classes in Colorado, Arizona, and Massachusetts, and presented part of the keynote address for the “Buildings at Risk” Structural Engineers Association conference at the University of Southern California in 2011. He traveled to New Zealand in June 2011 as part of an Applied Technology Council team to investigate safety assessment methods and issues in response to their February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Mr. Barnes has co-authored articles on safety assessment, and participated in a webinar version of the SAP Evaluator class for the National Conference of Structural Engineers Associations in May 2012. Mr. Barnes also serves as the lead for preliminary damage assessment for potential federal disasters in California. Prior to working for the State of California, Mr. Barnes worked in construction design in California and Hawaii.
