2025 ACI Emerging Leaders Alliance for Young Professionals

9/17/2025

Six Young Professionals represented the American Concrete Institute during the Emerging Leaders Alliance (ELA) conference September 15-17, 2025, at The Landing Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

The Emerging Leaders Alliance (ELA) is a partnership among leading engineering and science-based organizations that provides high quality leadership training. For the past 16 years, the ELA has successfully hosted an interdisciplinary leadership conference for young professionals, providing advanced training in topics such as management, personal branding, social styles, problem solving, presentation skills, and global diversity.

Applicants with less than eight years of industry experience were required to submit a resume, nomination letter, and essay questions related to leadership.

Class of 2025 Emerging Leaders Alliance:

Emma Zhang
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA, USA

Cesario Tavares
ICON
San Marcos, TX, USA

Pravin Saraswatula
Texas A&M University
Brian, TX, USA

Gourav Patodi
Brindley Engineering
Lisle, IL, USA

Angel Perez Irizarry
WJE
Northbrook, IL, USA

Manuel Zamora
Amrize
Lakeville, MN, USA

This is ACI’s seventh year participating in the conference. Kanette Worlds, ACI Student, Faculty, & Young Professional Activities Coordinator, also attended the conference as a partner representative. Other partners include The American Institute of Mining Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME), Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST), International Erosion Control Association (IECA), Society for Mining Metallurgy, & Exploration (SME), Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS).

Other Young Members Programs include:

Learn More by visiting the Young Member Portal.