ACI offers once-a-month 1-hour webinar presentations and up to two in-person presentations a year to help support the educational needs of your chapter. Sessions are presented by ACI staff and executive professionals from the American Coal Ash Association, the American Shotcrete Association, and the Slag Cement Association.
*ICC credited.
†Approved by ICC for 0.1 CEU (1 PDH). Approved by AIA for 1 LU hour.
‡Approved by ICC for 0.1 CEU (1 PDH). Approved by AIA for 1 LU/HSW hour.
Due to the language limitations of our speakers, our Chapter Talks presentations are available primarily in English. For chapters outside of North America who wish to conduct one of our Chapter Talks presentations in a language other than English, ACI will provide a single-use license to the chapter to translate the instructor notes and presentation deck. ACI will retain ownership of the translated materials however you can conduct the session with a speaker of your choice.
Thomas H. Adams was appointed Executive Director of the American Coal Ash Association (ACAA) in February 2009. Prior to joining the ACAA, he was employed by the American Concrete Institute managing chapter relations, international activities, and serving as Executive Director of the American Shotcrete Association. Adams has over 30 years of experience in a variety of management positions in the ready mixed concrete industry in sales, marketing, technical services, and operations. He is active in a variety of technical and trade organizations relevant to the industry including ASTM International, the American Concrete Institute, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association serving on a several technical committees in these organizations. He is a native of Detroit, MI, and attended Wayne State University and Aquinas College studying business administration and strategic management.
Aparna Deshmukh, PhD, is an Engineer in the Professional Development Department at the American Concrete Institute (ACI). Her role at ACI is to provide technical and administrative support to ACI's Educational and Technical Committees. Previously, she served as Technical Director at NEx – an ACI Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials, where she facilitated technical projects, research and development initiatives, and outreach efforts focused on nonmetallic materials. Deshmukh earned her PhD in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and has collectively more than a decade of experience in structural engineering, concrete materials, 3-D printing, and high-performance technologies.
Rex Donahey received his PhD from the University of Kansas. His career has included stints as a faculty member at Oklahoma State University and the University of Illinois; a structural engineer with Ellerbe Becket, Inc.; and the director of research at Composites Technologies Corporation. For the past 14 years, he has been Editor-in-Chief of Concrete International, the magazine of the American Concrete Institute. Rex holds two patents related to insulated concrete wall panels. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Oklahoma and Florida, and he is a member of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute.
Ala Eddin Douba is an ACI Engineer and part of Professional Development and ACI University where he supports both technical and educational committees. He received his bachelor’s from the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE, his master’s from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, and his PhD from Columbia University, New York, NY. Douba’s research interest includes cement modification using admixtures (nanomaterials and polymers), concrete rheology, reactive magnesia cement, and 3D printing concrete.
Amy Dowell, PE, is an Engineer at American Concrete Institute (ACI). She received her BS in civil engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, and her MS in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI. Prior to joining ACI, she was the Certification Director at the Post-Tensioning Institute in Farmington Hills, MI, Construction Director at Habitat for Humanity in Jackson, MS, and an Engineer at CTLGroup in Skokie, IL. There, she gained experience in certification program administration, instruction of certification programs, residential construction of energy efficient homes, and concrete structural evaluation and rehabilitation.
William J. Gold , P.E., FACI is a Senior Engineer at American Concrete Institute. He has over 25 years of experience in the concrete and construction chemicals industry. His research interests include structural engineering, FRP materials, concrete repair and rehabilitation, and building envelopes. He received his bachelor’s from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, in architectural engineering and completed his post-graduate work at Penn State University, University Park, PA, and Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO. Gold is former Chair of ACI Committee 440, Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement; and is active in ASTM and the Canadian Standards Association. He is a licensed professional engineer in Ohio.
Trey Hamilton, PE, PhD, FACI is a Senior Engineer at American Concrete Institute. His role is to provide technical and administrative support to ACI's technical committees and to assist with the development of technical resources, educational programs, and the adoption of its consensus-based standards. He has 37 years of experience in structural engineering research, practice, and teaching. For the past 30 years, he has been conducting applied research and teaching with a focus on structural concrete and masonry. Prior to entering academe, he was in private practice as a design engineer for 7 years designing commercial and institutional buildings as well as municipal and industrial facilities. Hamilton is Past Chair of ACI Technical Activities Committee and Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 423, Prestressed Concrete. He was elected fellow of both the American Concrete Institute and Post-Tensioning Institute. He is a licensed professional engineer in Florida and Wyoming and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida.
Charles Hanskat is the current American Shotcrete Association Executive Director. He received his BS and MS in civil engineering from the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Hanskat is a licensed professional engineer in several states. He has been involved in the design, construction, and evaluation of environmental concrete and shotcrete structures for over 35 years. Hanskat is also a member of ACI Committees 301, Specifications for Structural Concrete; 322, Concrete Pool and Watershape Code; 350, Environmental Engineering Concrete Structures; 371, Elevated Tanks with Concrete Pedestals; 372, Tanks Wrapped with Wire or Strand; 376, Concrete Structures for Refrigerated Liquefied Gas Containment; 506, Shotcreting; and Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 334, Concrete Shell Design and Construction. Hanskat’s service to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and the Florida Engineering Society (FES) in over 50 committee and officer positions at the national, state, and local levels was highlighted when he served as State President of FES and then as National Director of NSPE. He served as a District Director of Tau Beta Pi from 1977 to 2002. He is a Fellow of ACI, ASCE, and FES and a member of ACI, NSPE, ASTM International, and ASCC.
Michael Morrison has 28 years of experience in project management related to construction materials testing and evaluation and development and execution of training programs within the construction industry. He serves as Manager, Certification Program Development, for the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and leads the development of potential new certification programs, assisting ACI Subcommittees with current Board-approved programs. He also serves as ACI's certification representative to standards development organizations and specifying agencies to promote inclusion of language requiring certification programs in standards and specifications. Mike is the past president of the ACI Illinois Chapter and an active member of ASTM and sits on the Executive Committee of C09-Concrete and Aggregates, as well as the C01, Cement Lime and Gypsum, Executive Committee.
Khaled Nahlawi, PhD, PE, is a Distinguished Engineer at the American Concrete Institute. His 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 and has over 20 years of experience in the design and strengthening of structures. He joined ACI in 2009 and has supported, among other duties, the re-organization effort of 318 and is the secretary to ACI 562. Khaled is the author of the Reinforced Concrete Design Handbook (MNL-17), the Detailing Manual (MNL-66), and Guide to the ACI 562 Code (MNL-3). He is a licensed engineer in California and Michigan.
William E. Rushing Jr., ACI Honorary Member, is Senior Vice President and Manager of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Manager of Architectural Departments at Waldemar S. Nelson & Co., Inc., New Orleans, LA. He served as ACI President in 2014-2015 and is Past Chair of the ACI Chapter Activities Committee. Rushing is Chair of the International Project Awards Committee and a member of several other ACI committees. He received his BS in civil engineering from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, and is a licensed professional engineer in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.
Matthew Senecal, PE, is Director of Engineering at the American Concrete Institute. His 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.
Andrea Schokker is an Engineer at ACI and serves as a Technical Consultant for NEU: An ACI Center of Carbon Neutral Concrete. Prior to joining ACI in July 2022, she was Professor and Head of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). She also served as Provost of UMD for over 4 years. Schokker received her PhD in 1999 from the University of Texas at Austin, TX, focusing on structural engineering. Schokker is a licensed professional engineer in Minnesota and is a LEED Accredited Professional. Her research in the durability of post-tensioned bridges has been implemented into several US codes and guide specifications, and she is the author of two books on concrete structure sustainability. She is Chair of ACI Committees 318-T, Post-Tensioned Concrete and Joint ACI-PCI 319, Precast Structural Concrete Code), and a member of ACI 318, Structural Concrete Building Code. She serves on the Executive Board of the American Segmental Bridge Institute and is a member of the ASBI Grouting Certification faculty.
Luke M. Snell is a Concrete Consultant and Emeritus Professor from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL. He has done extensive consulting work on construction and concrete problems throughout the United States and internationally. He has also written over 400 articles on concrete, construction materials, and construction education. He has worked with China, India, Singapore, Taiwan, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia to start concrete certification programs. He is a Past Chair of ACI Committees 517, Accelerated Curing of Concrete; E702, Designing Concrete Structures; Chapter Activities Committee; International Chapters, Educational Activities Committee, and was on ACI’s Board of Direction. Snell is an Honorary Member of ACI and received the ACI Joe W. Kelly Award (Teaching award) in 1995, the ACI Chapter Activities Award in 1997, and was the ACI Educational Committee Member of the Year in 2002. He was named one of the Ten Most Influential People of the Year in the Concrete Industry by Concrete Construction and Concrete Producer magazines in 2007, Construction Laureate of Mongolia (2007), the Henry L Kennedy Award from ACI (2008), the ACI Certification Award (2015), and received an Honorary Doctorate from Aria University of Sciences and Sustainability. He is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois and Missouri.
Kerry Sutton , PE, LEED AP is a Code Advocacy Engineer for American Concrete Institute (ACI) located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In this position, she is responsible for advancing the acceptance and adoption of ACI codes, standards, educational, and certification programs, both nationally and internationally. She has worked over 20 years in the concrete industry with experience in the areas of pavement design, construction and materials. She received her BS in environmental engineering from Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, and her MS in civil engineering from Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. She is a licensed professional engineer in Michigan.
Sureka Sumanasooriya, PhD, is an Engineer at the American Concrete Institute. Her role at ACI is to provide technical and administrative support to ACI's Technical Committees. She received her BSc in Civil Engineering from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Clarkson University, NY. She worked as an Instructor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Clarkson University before joining the ACI Engineering Department in 2018.
Steve Szoke , P.E. is a Code Advocacy Engineer and Distinguished Staff at the American Concrete Institute. His role at ACI is to provide leadership and technical support for ACI’s code adoption efforts. He has had leadership and code development roles with a variety of organizations. These include the Brick Industries Association, National Concrete Masonry Association, Southeast Cement Shippers Association, and Portland Cement Association as an employee; and Structural Engineering Institute, Sustainable Building Industries Association, National Institute of Building Sciences, Alliance for Concrete Codes and Standards and Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards as a volunteer. He received his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. Szoke is a licensed professional engineer in Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Mike Tholen, PhD, PE, is Managing Director, Engineering & Professional Development, at the American Concrete Institute (ACI). He received his BS in architectural engineering, with distinction, in 1992, his MS in civil engineering in 1995, and his 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.
Gregory Zeisler, PE, is an Engineer with American Concrete Institute and has been with the organization since 2009. He works with several technical committees as staff liaison, including ACI 318, and is the secretary for the ACI 318 code committee. Greg has several years of structural design experience in parking and retail facilities, working previously as a Structural Engineer with Durrant. He received his BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and his MS in Civil Engineering from Purdue University; he is a licensed professional engineer in Indiana and Wisconsin.
Jerzy Zemajtis, PhD, PE, is an Executive Director of NEx, An ACI Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials. He received his BS and MS in civil engineering from the Technical University of Gdansk, Poland, and his PhD in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. He worked as a Structural Engineer in Virginia Beach, VA, and Vancouver, Canada, as a Civil/Materials Engineer at Construction Technology Laboratories in Chicago, IL, and as Senior Engineer at the Engineering Department of ACI. He is a licensed engineer in Washington and British Columbia.