Public Seminars

Neal S. Anderson, PE, FACI, FPCI, Distinguished Professor, University of Minnesota

Mr. Anderson is a Staff Consultant with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. in Chicago, Illinois. He has been extensively involved with the investigation and rehabilitation of reinforced and precast/prestressed concrete and steel structures for over 30 years. He was one of the principal investigators for PCI’s research program on the behavior and design criteria of headed stud anchorages. He serves on ACI 318 - Structural Building Code, is chair of 318 Subcommittee B - Anchorage and Reinforcement and is a member of ACI 445 – Shear and Torsion. He is also active in concrete anchorage as a member of ACI 355 - Anchorage and C680 - Adhesive Anchor Certification, as well as several PCI committees. He is a licensed professional and structural engineer in Illinois, and several other states. Mr. Anderson received both his BS and MS in structural engineering from Purdue University. He is a Fellow of both ACI and PCI.

Catherine E. French, PE, FACI, FPCI, Distinguished Professor, University of Minnesota

Dr. French is College of Science and Engineering Distinguished Professor at the University of Minnesota, where she has been a member of the faculty for more than 30 years. Her research addresses the behavior of reinforced and prestressed concrete structural systems, field monitoring of bridges, numerical and experimental investigations of structural systems including the effects of earthquakes, evaluation and repair of damaged structures, and development and application of new materials. She is a recipient of a number of awards including the ACI Joe Kelly Award, ACI Henry L. Kennedy Award, ACI Reinforced Concrete Research Council Arthur J. Boase Award, and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Raymond C. Reese Research Prize. She is a past member of ACI Board of Directors, and numerous other ACI committees. She currently serves on ACI Technical Activities Committee and ACI 318, Structural Concrete Building Code, for which she has been a member since 1995.

Robert J. Frosch, PhD, PE, FACI , Professor of Civil Engineering and Associate Dean of the College of Engineering, Purdue University

Dr. Frosch currently serves on the ACI Board of Direction and is a member of several ACI board and technical committees including the ACI 318 Structural Building Code. For the 318-14 code cycle, he served as Chair of Subcommittee D on Flexure and Axial loads as well as on the 318 Steering Committee. He is continuing in these positions for the next code cycle. A registered professional engineer, his research focuses on the design and behavior of structural concrete, earthquake engineering, and bridge engineering. He has received numerous awards for both his teaching and research and was recently recognized with the ACI 318 Distinguished Service Award and the Arthur J. Boase Award from the Concrete Research Council for his research on shear, bond, and cracking behavior of reinforced and prestressed concrete.

Robert M Howell, Engineer, American Concrete Institute

Mr. Howell joined ACI as Professional Development Program Engineer in 2014. Previously he was a Lead Structural Engineer at IBI Group/Giffels LLC formerly Giffels Associates, Inc. Howell has 26 years of structural design experience in health care, industrial, research, power plant, educational, and commercial facilities. He also has 7 years of experience as an Owner’s Representative Project Structural Engineer with GM Worldwide Facilities Group. Howell received his BS in civil engineering from Wayne State University and his MBA in supply chain management from Michigan State University. Howell is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Michigan and is a LEED Green Associate.

Khaled Nahlawi, PhD, PE, Distinguished Engineer, American Concrete Institute

Dr. Nahlawi's role at ACI is to provide technical and administrative support to ACI's Technical Committees and communicate the work of these committees to other Standard Developing Organizations and Regulatory Agencies. He received his PhD from the University of Michigan. Has over 20 years of experience in the design and strengthening of structures. He joined ACI in 2009 as a senior engineer and has supported, among other duties, in the re-organization effort of 318. He is a registered engineer in California and Michigan.

Lawrence C. Novak, SE, F.SEI, F.ACI, CERT, LEED AP, Chief Structural Engineer, International Code Council

Mr. Novak was previously the Senior Director for Structural Engineering and Codes for the Portland Cement Association and he was an Associate Partner with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill where he had the opportunity to be lead structural engineer for the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Novak is also an adjunct Professor at Northwestern University where he teaches advanced structural design to the next generation of engineers. He serves on several technical committees, including the ACI 318 Code committee and the ASCE 7 committee on Building Loads. He has served as Director on the governing board for organizations including SEAOI, TCA and the Illinois Engineering Hall of Fame. Novak was selected as the “Centennial Lecturer” in engineering and was named the “Citizen Engineer of the Year” by the Illinois Chapter of ASCE. In 2010, he was selected as the ACI “Educational Speaker of the Year”, in 2017 he was bestowed the ACI “Educational Award” for his “unique ability to convey concrete knowledge and inspire others to greater heights”, in 2018 he was presented with the SEAOI life-time “Service Award” for his contributions to the industry and in 2019 he was part of the team honored with the “nVent Award for Code Simplification and Improvement”. In his free time, Novak utilizes exciting interactive demonstrations to bring structural concepts to life with the goal to inspire the next generation of young minds to study math, science, and engineering

Matthew R. Senecal, Senior Engineer, American Concrete Institute

Mr. Senecal's role at ACI is to provide technical and administrative support to ACI's Technical Committees and communicate the work of these committees to other Standard Developing Organizations and Regulatory Agencies. He received his BS in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame and his MS in civil engineering from the University of Kansas. He worked as a Civil and Structural Engineer for 14 years before joining the ACI Engineering Department in 2004.

Andy Taylor, PhD, SE, FACI, Associate, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Seattle, WA

Dr. Taylor has 29 years experience in structural engineering research and structural design practice, including seven years with the Earthquake Engineering Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Since 2007 he has been a member of ACI Committee 318, Structural Building Code, is currently Chair of ACI 318 Subcommittee H on Seismic Provisions, and is a former member of Subcommittee D on Flexure and Axial Loads. He is a member of the ACI Technical Activities Committee, and is Chair of the Earthquake Engineering Committee of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington. Dr. Taylor’s interests are in the areas of reinforced concrete structures, and performance based seismic design. He is KPFF’s technical lead for design of special seismic protection devices such as seismic isolation and seismic damping systems. Dr. Taylor serves as an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, where he teaches courses in structural systems and reinforced concrete design.

Michael L. Tholen, PhD, PE, Managing Director, Engineering and Professional Development, American Concrete Institute

Dr. Tholen received a BS in architectural engineering, with distinction, in 1992, an MS in civil engineering in 1995, and a PhD in civil engineering in 1996 from the University of Kansas. He previously worked at ACI as the Engineering Editor of Concrete International. Prior to joining ACI in 2005, he spent over 8 years as a structural engineer in the Aviation and Architecture Division at Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company in Kansas City, MO.

James Wight, FACI and FASCE, F.E. Richart, Jr. Collegiate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Wight is well-known both nationally and internationally for his work in earthquake-resistant design of concrete structures. Professor Wight has been an active member of the American Concrete Institute where he has held several important positions including President of ACI, Chair of the ACI Building Code Committee, Chair of the Technical Activities Committee, Member of the Board of Direction, and President of the Greater Michigan Chapter. He has received numerous awards for his teaching, including the ASCE Student Chapter Teacher of the Year Award, the College of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award and the ACI Joe Kelly Award. He has also won several awards from ACI for his research and service, including the Structural Research Award (twice), the Delmar Bloem Award, the Alfred Lindau Award, and the Wason Medal. He has received a Distinguished Alumnus from the University of Illinois and from Michigan State University. He is the lead-author of a widely used textbook on design of reinforced concrete structures and is a registered engineer in the State of Michigan.

Gregory M Zeisler, Engineer, American Concrete Institute

Mr. Zeisler is a Senior Engineer with ACI. He has been with ACI since 2009. Zeisler works with several technical committees as staff liaison including ACI 318 and will be the secretary for the next cycle of the ACI 318 code. Previously he was a Structural Engineer at Durrant. Zeisler has 8 years of structural design experience in parking and retail facilities. Zeisler received his BS in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and his MS in civil engineering from Purdue University. Zeisler is a licensed professional engineer in the states of Indiana and Wisconsin.