PEOPLE WATCH

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE), is pleased to announce the recent promotion of Matthew C. Farmer, P.E., to senior consultant in its Washington, D.C. office. During his nearly 20-year tenure at WJE, Farmer has successfully cultivated the firm’s reputation and presence in the Mid-Atlantic region, and has developed a personal reputation as an industry leader in the investigation of construction-related failures associated with building enclosure systems, concrete structures, and clay brick, natural stone, and cast-stone masonry. As senior consultant, Farmer will continue to meet the firm’s local and national client needs and serve as a mentor for both its junior and senior staff.

Thornton Tomasetti, a structural engineering and design firm, has promoted Ling-en Hsiao, Ph.D., to principal. An engineer with more than three decades of experience in the analysis and design of a variety of structures, Hsiao has proved instrumental in the coordination of the firm’s projects in the United States and abroad, most recently in China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, and Indonesia. Hsiao joined Thornton Tomasetti in 1989 and is based in the firm’s New York City office.
Hsiao holds both doctorate and master’s degrees in structural engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla, where he recently taught in the civil engineering department. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the National Taipei Institute of Technology in Taiwan and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Degenkolb Engineers, a structural and earthquake engineering firm, is pleased to announce the promotions of Kent Yu and David Gonzalez to associate principals; and Roger Parra to principal.

Yu’s experience includes seismic evaluation and retrofit of existing buildings, structural design for new construction, nonstructural bracing, and post-earthquake inspections. Yu has been with the firm for eight years and is recognized for his research work on steel moment-resisting frame construction, as well as advanced analyses of a wide variety of building structures. He was a co-recipient of the 2001 ASCE Raymond C. Reese Research Prize. Yu earned his doctorate degree in structural engineering from the University of California, San Diego, and works in the firm’s Portland, Ore., office.

Gonzalez joined the firm in 2000 and has extensive experience with seismic evaluation and upgrade projects in the education, health care, and public sectors. He works in the firm’s Seattle office.

With more than 12 years experience, Parra has extensive experience designing new structures and strengthening existing buildings. His expertise includes seismic analysis and evaluations in the health care, high-tech, and manufacturing industries. Parra works in the firm’s San Francisco office.

David J. Carroll, P.E., has joined Horner & Shifrin, Inc., as a structural design engineer. Carroll has more than five years of experience in civil and structural engineering for a variety of projects, including transportation structures, educational facilities, and industrial buildings. Carroll earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he graduated with high honors.

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