Industrial and Professional Advisory Council
The Industrial and Professional Advisory Council (IPAC) is a select group of representatives from industry, government agencies, academia, and the profession who advise the Department on academic issues and on current trends and future directions in engineering. IPAC is a forum where ideas are exchanged and recommendations are made. IPAC provides direct linkage and communication between the Department and the engineering profession.
Current Membership
Dr. Charles Balina
CEO & Principal Consultant
Balina Global Group, LLC
Charles Balina is a civil engineer with over 40 years of domestic and international experience in infrastructure design, construction, management and consulting. He co-founded the Balina Global Group in Washington, DC and has managed and led projects for the private sector, public sector, and international development partners in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. He is an experienced educator and trainer, having taught engineering and project management in the US and abroad. He specializes in international development, construction project controls, scheduling applications and claims, and holds a PhD in civil engineering from Penn State.
Mr. Brady Bonsted, PE
Project Director
ENTACT, LLC
Brady Bonsted, M.B.A., Penn State ’06 (B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering), is a Project Director at ENTACT, LLC, a leading environmental and geotechnical construction firm. He directs large-scale remediation projects across the United States, including some of the nation’s most complex Brownfield and Superfund sites. His work focuses on eliminating contamination, mitigating environmental impacts, and enabling the redevelopment of impaired properties. Bonsted is based in Saratoga Springs, NY, and remains actively involved with Penn State through the Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) Advisory Board.
Mrs. Karlynn Brown, PE
Assistant Vice President, Transit and Rail
WSP USA
Karlynn S. Brown, P.E., PMP, is an Assistant VP in Transit and Rail at WSP USA with 14 years of experience in transportation infrastructure delivery. She specializes in multimodal transportation, leading high-impact projects with Vision Zero initiatives and safety at the forefront. Brown holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Penn State and a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Management from Drexel. Recognized as an ENR MidAtlantic "Top 20 Under 40" professional, Brown is also the Membership Committee Chair for her local WTS Chapter and a lifetime member of NSBE.
Mr. Jeremy Brown, PE
Senior Vice President
Schnabel Engineering
Jeremy Brown has 20 years of civil engineering industry experience specializing in geotechnical/foundation engineering and construction. Brown serves as an adviser, consultant, and designer for owners, contractors, and A/E firms. He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on complex infrastructure projects to develop safe, cost-effective, and constructible designs. Brown's work spans the entire project lifecycle including project need identification, alternatives analysis, final design, contract document preparation, and construction services. He has experience in several markets including transportation, power/energy, dams and water resources, commercial, and industrial. Brown is Vice Chair of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the ASCE Geo-Institute.
Mr. Jason Gardner, PE
Principal Engineer
GFT
Jason Gardner is a Principal Geotechnical Engineer with GFT in Mechanicsburg, PA. He received his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in Civil Engineering from Penn State in 1999 and 2002, respectively. Gardner is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. He primarily works on geotechnical design of transportation projects, with involvement in projects such as the SR 322 - Potters Mills Gap project in Centre County, the SR15 - Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation (CSVT) in Snyder County, PA, as well as multiple landslide remediation projects in north central, PA.
Mr. Bradley Heigel, PE
Chief Engineer
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
Bradley J. Heigel, P.E. is a native of St. Marys, PA and a graduate of Penn State University. Since April of 2012, Heigel has served as the Chief Engineer of the PA Turnpike Commission. He oversees the day-to-day operation of the Commission’s Engineering Department which includes Engineering-Design, Engineering-Construction and Facilities Operations. Heigel is responsible for delivering both their 10-year $8 billion Capital Plan and their Independently Funded Program which supports Act 61 projects. He is a past President for the Harrisburg Section – ASHE, the 2017 Central PA Engineer of the Year, co-Chair of IBTTA’s Engineering and Construction Sub-Committee and a member of the Penn State Industrial and Professional Advisory Council (IPAC).
Ms. Amanda Hess, PE, CFM
Vice President, Hydrology & Hydraulics Group Manager
GFT Infrastructure, Inc.
Amanda J. Hess, PE, CFM, is vice president and Hydrology & Hydraulics Group Manager at GFT Infrastructure, Inc. Hess has over 26 years of experience in water resources engineering, specializing in hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for dams, bridges, and flood control systems. She co-leads the geotechnical, dams and hydraulics group where she manages dam rehabilitation design projects and is responsible for is responsible for a team of engineers specializing in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling. Hess holds a BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Penn State and is a licensed Professional Engineer in multiple states and a Certified Floodplain Manager.
Mr. Justin P. Long, RBEC, BECxP
Principal
Smislova, Kenemui & Associates, P.A.
As principal of SK&A’s Structural Repair + Restoration Division, Justin P. Long, PE, RBEC, BECxP, leads the strategic direction, technical delivery, and business development efforts for the firm’s growing building enclosure consulting and structural restoration services. Since joining SK&A in 2012, Long has played a key role in expanding the division’s capabilities, cultivating long-term client relationships, and shaping internal operations to support responsive, high-performance project delivery. He has extensive experience in structural repair and restoration across a diverse range of project types. His portfolio includes large-scale structural and façade repair programs, post-tensioned structural concrete repairs, historic structural rehabilitations, and comprehensive plaza waterproofing and structural renovation projects. Long brings particular strength in managing technically complex repairs in active environments, delivering solutions that balance structural integrity, long-term durability, and operational continuity for building owners and stakeholders.
Dr. Maria Lopez, PE, FACI
Head of Research
Modjeski and Masters, Inc.
Dr. Lopez is the head of Research at Modjeski and Masters, Inc. Her research interests include the behavior of bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) reinforcements to concrete bridges, FRP bridge deck systems, and reinforced concrete service life and durability. Lopez is the current Chair of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) 440 committee on FRP reinforcement and is a voting member of the Transportation Research Board-TRB committee on concrete bridges. Prior to joining Modjeski and Masters, Lopez was a faculty in structural engineering at Clarkson University and at Penn State.
Ms. Tracy Lower, PE
Group Leader / DC Metro
Timmons Group
Tracy Lower, CEE 1991 and 1994. After graduation she joined VHB in Richmond, Virginia. In 2001, Lower relocated to Northern Virginia to lead VHB’s land development practice work on commercial and institutional developments. In 2019, she joined Timmons Group to launch the Metro DC office. Her work includes private, institutional, and government sectors. She serves on the CE IPAC and is a member of the CEEAS Board of Directors. Lower is active in with the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), District of Columbia Building Industry Associate (DCBIA), and Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).
Ms. Michelle Maggiore, PE
Country Digitization Manager
Cisco
Mr. James Policaro, PE
Senior Vice President of Construction & Development
Lerner Enterprises
Dr. James Stone, PE
Department Head and Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
South Dakota Mines
Dr. James Stone joined South Dakota Mines after completing his Ph.D. and post-doctoral studies at Penn State, where he investigated biogeochemical interactions within contaminated subsurface environments. Stone completed my BS in Civil Engineering, and MS degree in Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech. While at South Dakota Mines, he has focused on a variety of collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects focusing on sustainability and the environment. Stone has taught a wide range of engineering courses, and continually strive to provide environmental-focused students with relevant, real world case studies and assignments to better prepare them to handle tomorrow's complex environmental problems in addition to developing new courses that broaden their environmental and sustainability knowledge base.
