Sam Allen
Vice President - Texas Research International
TRI Environmental
Sam Allen is the Vice President of Texas Research International‘s (TRI) Geosynthetics Services Division. He has served as Chairman of ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI).
https://www.tri-environmental.com
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Vice President - Texas Research International
TRI Environmental
Michael Bernardi
Director of Engineering
Strata Systems
Michael Bernardi, P.E., is the Director of Engineering for Strata Systems, Inc., a Division of Glen Raven Technical Fabrics. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Canada and the USA with 40 years of experience in Civil (Geotechnical) Engineering. For most of his career, he has worked in the geosynthetics field in product development and application design. Bernardi’s tenure includes high-level technical work for manufacturers of reinforcement materials and in private consulting, including being a founding partner (2002-2012) in a design/consulting firm focused primarily on the design and development of geosynthetics and geosynthetic- related structures such as concrete modular block retaining walls, steep slopes and embankments. Bernardi is the primary Technical Editor of the 3rd Edition of the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) Design Manual for Segmental Retaining Walls (2009).
https://www.geogrid.com
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Director of Engineering
Strata Systems
Nathalia Castro
Business Manager
TenCate Geosynthetics
Nathalia Castro joined TenCate Geosynthetics in 2015 and in 2019 became the engineering business manager for the Environmental Infrastructure Group. She has a BSCE degree in civil engineering and a Master’s degree in geotechnical engineering. Her Master’s program included research on geosynthetic functions and applications, and her thesis was about the state of the art of the geotextile tube technology. Nathalia’s professional career has also included 15 years of design experience and installations with geosynthetics and geotextile tubes as technical sales manager, and as a senior geotechnical engineer. Nathalia gives technical support to engineers on design, testing and installation all over her territory, which includes all the Americas.
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Business Manager
TenCate Geosynthetics
Abigail Gilson
P.E.
TRI Environmental
Abigail Gilson, M.S., P.E. is a Senior Engineer for TRI/Environmental. Gilson has a wealth of experience in geomembrane-lined containment facility design and construction and has performed more than 160 million square feet of liner integrity surveys across 100+ projects since 2004. Her contribution to the field of electrical leak location includes numerous published technical papers, educational seminars, presentations world-wide, and chairing the ASTM committee for the recent revisions and additions to the ASTM Standard Guide and Practices. Ms. Gilson’s expertise is available for providing equipment, field training, classroom education, instructional presentations, engineering consulting, and liner integrity survey execution. She has trained staff in all of TRI’s office locations to provide local assistance on survey projects.
https://www.tri-environmental.com
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P.E.
TRI Environmental
George Koerner
Director
Geosynthetic Institute
Dr. George R. Koerner, P.E. is Director of the Geosynthetic Institute. He is in charge of laboratory accreditation, certification, information and education at GSI. He also manages research projects and has published over 200 technical papers in his 35-year association with geosynthetics. George’s doctorate is from Drexel University in Geotechnical Engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and an ASQ Certified Quality Auditor. Dr. Koerner has received many awards over the years. The most notable being IFAI’s Environmental Technologies Award of Excellence 1995, ASCE’s Geotechnical Engineer of the year in 2004, ASTM Fellow in 2013 and GMA’s first Koerner Lecturer in 2017.
https://www.geosynthetic-institute.org
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Director
Geosynthetic Institute
Jeffrey Kuhn
Director
TRI Environmental
Dr. Jeffrey Kuhn, P.E., is the Geotechnical Laboratory Director for TRI/Environmental, Inc. His doctoral work principally focused on alternative/evapotraspirative cover design and evaluation for the EPA, and he performed research with expansive clays for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Prior to joining TRI, he served as a consulting engineer, where he worked on the design and installation of the Circuit of the Americas Formula One Race Track over expansive clays with tight differential movement criteria. Since 2012, he’s led the expansion of TRI’s geotechnical laboratory capabilities and reach within the geotechnical community.
https://www.tri-environmental.com
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Director
TRI Environmental
Drew Loizeaux
Director of Civil Engineering and Construction Solutions
Propex
Drew Loizeaux graduated at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga with a B.S. degree and M.S. degree in Civil Engineering. Loizeaux’s career started at Propex as a Civil Applications Engineer, progressing to the Erosion Control Engineering Specialist, and is currently the Director of Civil Engineering and Construction Solutions. Loizeaux lead the redesign of Propex’s erosion control design application, EC Design®, as well as development of geotechnical applications for design and configuration of PYRAWALL® and SCOURLOK® and is a licensed engineer in the state of Tennessee. Propex’s Civil Engineering and Construction department leads the industry in slope stability analysis and design, erosion control analysis and design, as well as testing and field support for erosion control and geosynthetic solutions.
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Director of Civil Engineering and Construction Solutions
Propex
Mark Sieracke
P.E.
Weaver Consultants Group
Mark Sieracke, P.E. is an industry-recognized expert in the fields of landfill design and CQA. Mark serves as a Principal and Solid Waste Practice Area Manager for Weaver Consultants Group. Mark has served as a Technical Reviewer of the US EPA Technical Guidance Document: Quality Assurance and Quality Control for Waste Containment Facilities (EPA/600/R- 93/182, Sept. 1993). He has served as a hands-on CQA practitioner, certifying engineer, and consultant for 1000+ acres of geosynthetic installations. He contributes routinely to landfill failure investigations and constructability reviews for design engineers. Mark serves on the Waste Management Inc. (WMI) Geosynthetic Task Force, creating the corporate standards for CQA.
https://wcgrp.com/
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P.E.
Weaver Consultants Group
Joel Sprague
Senior Engineer
TRI Environmental
Joel Sprague, P.E. is a Senior Engineer and Technical Director with TRI Environmental’s South Carolina laboratories in Anderson and Greenville, SC. Through leadership roles in the global standards body ASTM International, Joel has originated or contributed to major revisions to over 20 international standards on geosynthetics and erosion/sediment control. Additionally, he has been an instructor of numerous short courses and authored more than 50 articles and technical papers on the development, testing, and application of geosynthetics and erosion/sediment control systems. Joel has been recognized for his pioneering work in full-scale performance testing of civil engineering systems. He led the establishment of TRI’s unique laboratories for the full-scale evaluation of innovative technologies, including the Denver Downs Research Facility (DDRF) in Anderson and the Roads to Rivers Research Institute (3RI) in Greenville.
https://www.tri-environmental.com
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Senior Engineer
TRI Environmental
Laura Spencer
Technical Manager
TenCate Geosynthetics
Laura Spencer is the Technical Manager of Engineered Structures for TenCate Geosynthetics Americas with over 18 years of experience in geotechnical engineering, MSE design, and geotechnical research. Her responsibilities include managing all technical and engineering aspects of geosynthetic reinforced retaining walls, reinforced slopes and reinforced embankment applications for TenCate Geosynthetics. Laura is the President-Elect of the Arizona Section of ASCE, the Past President of the ASCE Phoenix Branch, and serves as a member of the NCEES PE Civil Engineer Exam Development Committee. She received her BSCE from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from Georgia Tech. She is a registered professional engineer in AZ, NM, OK, NC, and GA. Laura has completed the Ironman twice, has her black belt in Taekwondo, and loves to camp and ski with her husband, Todd, and her two sons, Coleman and Bennett. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and is always looking for a way to escape the summer heat.
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Technical Manager
TenCate Geosynthetics
Tom Stephens
Commercial Director
TenCate Geosynthetics
Tom Stephens brings more than 40 years of experience in geosynthetics to GeoU. His career has included developing new geosynthetic products, applications, and markets. In addition, he has served in a corporate level for strategic planning and business development in North America, Asia, Europe, and South America. Stephens has served on industry organizations such as ASTM and IFAI. He received his BBA in Business Management form Angelo State University. He currently works with the TenCate Environmental Infrastructure Group and lives with his wife Becky in Bedford, Virginia.
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Commercial Director
TenCate Geosynthetics
Tamara Tuttle
President
Atlas international Consulting
Tamara is a business consultant devoted to helping companies tell their story and increase their reach and profits, so they can grow healthy and give back to their communities. She has an international background and extensive experience in science and technical products sales, including geosynthetics for environmental applications like waste containment, water management, erosion control, and mining. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, her consulting focuses on business development and international strategy. Tamara helps customers to consolidate sales, communicate better their technical offerings, launch new products, and measure and manage their customer experience. On the international side, after doing business in 101 countries, she provides market research & intelligence, assists in entries to new territories, and facilitates business relationships where two or more countries, languages, and cultures are involved.
http://www.atlasintco.com/
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President
Atlas international Consulting
Erol Tutumluer
Professor
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Erol Tutumluer serves on the faculty of the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois. He specializes in Transportation Geotechnics with research interests and expertise in characterization of pavement and railroad track geomaterials, subgrade soils and base/ballast unbound aggregates, soil/aggregate stabilization, geosynthetics, and much more. Dr. Tutumluer is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Transportation Geotechnics and is the current Chair of the ISSMGE Technical Committee 202 on Transportation Geotechnics.
https://cee.illinois.edu/directory/profile/tutumlue
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Professor
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Jorge Zornberg
Professor
University of Texas - Austin
Dr. Jorge Zornberg, P.E. is Professor and William J. Murray, Jr. Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. He has more than 30 years in research and practice on topics such as retaining walls, reinforced soil structures, and roadway infrastructure. Dr. Zornberg served as president of the International Geosynthetics Society from 2010 – 2014 and has received many prestigious awards, including the Mercer Lecture, the IGS Service Award, ASCE’s Croes medal and Collingwood Prize, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President George W. Bush.
https://www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/zornberg/
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Professor
University of Texas - Austin
