According to the National Society for Professional Engineers (NPSE), the first professional engineering license was issued to Charles Bellamy in Wyoming on August 8, 1907. Since that time, licensure has expanded and professional engineers across the U.S. have made the commitment to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. NSPE is celebrating licensed professional engineers with the sixth annual Professional Engineers Day on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Cordoba Corporation is pleased to join the NPSE to raise awareness about what it means to be a PE, recognize licensed PEs, and show appreciation for the work they do each and every day.
Today, on Professional Engineers Day – #LicensedPEday2021, we are thrilled to acknowledge licensed Professional Engineers who recently joined Cordoba Corporation’s growing team of licensed professional engineers across the company and have embraced our culture of “Making a Difference” for our clients and communities.
Masih Bari is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer who recently joined Cordoba as a Hydraulics and Hydrology Engineer in June 2021. He has 17 years of experience with interdisciplinary projects that require systemic approaches to plan and manage water resources in the context of environmental concerns, sustainability, and climate change.
Masih has contributed to the development of multiple Groundwater Sustainability Plans under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). He also has extensive experience in developing computer simulation models from local to regional scales as decision-making support tools for planning and management of surface water systems. Masih’s expertise includes facilitating discussions with stakeholders and decision makers; managing large datasets; performing computer programming; developing interlinked models; conducting hydraulic and statistical analysis; and using GIS applications.
Masih earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Islamic Azad University, a M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the Amirkabir University of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Colorado State University. He is also the co-author of a textbook on groundwater hydrology and he has published many scientific articles, technical reports, and white papers. In addition, Masih has co-advised multiple graduate students while conducting projects around the world.
Heather Leask recently passed her Professional Engineers exam and is now a licensed Professional Electrical Engineer. She is a driven engineer who is inspired by creating innovative solutions to address client problems. Her technical experience includes designing distribution systems and underground transmission systems using trenchless technology.
Heather joined Cordoba Corporation in May 2020 as a Project Manager. She is currently supporting San Diego Gas & Electric’s Electric System Hardening Program to meet program goals and provide safer and more reliable facilities through collaborative engineering, design, and construction practices.
Heather earned her B.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Connecticut, where she was a member of Phi Sigma Rho. While in college, she held several internships to advance her engineering background by performing research in theoretical chemistry in France and electrical engineering focusing on solar energy in South Africa. She also served as a Power Electronics and Motor Intern at a large international aerospace company in Connecticut. In addition, she gained valuable life experience during her undergraduate experience by working as a Lab Assistant at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her independent research on Memristors has been recognized and awarded at the international level. Heather has won awards presenting to hundreds of people on her research based on both her technical achievements and effective presentation skills.
Liem Mai joined Cordoba in April 2021 as a Senior Transmission and Distribution Engineer. His experience includes overhead distribution line design and underground transmission and distribution design using ETAP electrical power system analysis and operation software. Liem is highly experienced using PLS-CADD.
His expertise includes conducting NERC clearance and line rating assessments on existing transmission lines; rebuilding partial and complete distribution line segments; performing overhead line design QA/QC, and designing power system for an electric propulsion lift-boat.
Liem is a licensed Professional Electrical Engineer in nine states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, Nebraska, and Rhode Island. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Orleans. Liem is also the co-author of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) publication, “Instant Power Asset Information and Construction Status Tracking System Using a Geographical Platform,” which was presented at the IEEE T&D Conference in 2018.
Fakhri Manghi is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer with a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering/Water Resources from Colorado State University. Fakhri earned both a M.S. and B.S., both in Civil Engineering Water Resources from Mosul University in Iraq. With over 20 years of experience in the public sector, Fakhri has planned, managed, designed and constructed numerous water utility capital improvement program (CIP) projects, including transmission pipelines, pump stations, groundwater recharge basins, and municipal production wells. He joined Cordoba in June 2021 and is serving as a Project Manager.
Fakhri’s motivation to get the job done has led him to closeout three major water projects in 2019 and 2020 totaling more than $20 million; publish four peer-reviewed papers regarding the development of optimum water resources management; and lead groundwater numerical modeling efforts for the San Jacinto River watershed. Fakhri’s experience, skills, and determination to complete projects on time, within approved budget, and with high quality have contributed to his success as a leader and Project Manager.
Fakhri is often praised for his ability to create strong interpersonal relationships. He uses effective communication skills to coordinate with staff, develop successful engineering designs, ensure consistency of plans for construction documents, and reduce construction cost risk.
Scott Preston is an accomplished licensed Professional Engineer and Project Manager with over 25 years of experience in design management, client management, business development, governmental affairs, public relations, and business administration. Scott earned a B.S. in Engineering from Ohio University and a M.S. in Engineering from The Ohio State University.
He joined Cordoba in January 2021 and quickly earned his Certified Construction Manager and OSHA 30 certifications shortly after coming on board. Before joining Cordoba, Scott served in senior roles at several consulting firms, including Program Design Manager, Project Manager, Architecture Studio Manager, Governmental Affairs Manager, and Business Development and Marketing Manager.
Scott has successfully managed multiple multimillion-dollar design and environmental projects. In 1999, Scott was recognized as a Loeb Fellowship Finalist by the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University as well as guest design studio critique at Harvard in 2013. Scott has also volunteered and led the Urban Plan Program a high school mentoring program sponsored by the Urban Land Institute.
Sonia Sanchez is a licensed Professional Engineer who recently joined Cordoba’s Water Sector as Operations & Business Development Manager. Sonia earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Loyola Marymount University and a certificate in Project Management from University of California, Los Angeles.
Before joining Cordoba Corporation in May 2021, Cordoba, Sonia served as an Operations Manager for an engineering design firm and also as Project Manager at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP), where she was responsible for managing several electric vehicle charging station and solar projects.
Sonia is also a co-owner of a fitness studio, and an Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Athlete, qualifying for the World Championship in 2018.
Walid Wasfy is a licensed Professional Electrical Engineer with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach. He has over 10 years of experience with electrical design, operation, and construction. Walid is recognized as an industry expert in electrical cable testing and condition monitoring. He joined Cordoba in July 2020 and is currently serving as a Senior Electrical Engineer.
Walid started his career in the nuclear industry. He worked on plant modifications and design change packages for electrical equipment at several nuclear power plants in the U.S. He also has extensive experience in the testing, commissioning, and certification of electrical equipment in various commercial, industrial, healthcare, and generation facilities. Walid’s experience also includes project management, planning and coordination with internal and external stakeholders for several projects, including: commissioning electrical upgrades at Winnebago Industries in Iowa; commissioning new Amazon data centers in Boardman, Oregon; designing an intermediate substation to serve new loads at a natural gas storage facility in Los Angeles, California; and commissioning all electrical equipment at four wastewater treatment facilities in Chino, California.
