Meet the new SEAOSC Legislative Action Committee Co-Chairs!

SEAOSC welcomes Karyn Beebe, P.E., LEED AP, and Sara Abou Karroum as the new co-chairs of the SEAOSC Legislative Action Committee. The two will lead the committee as Jeff Ellis steps down as chair to serve as Chair of the SEAOC Legislative Committee.

The Legislative Action Committee gives SEAOSC members a way to stay engaged with legislative and policy issues affecting structural engineering. The committee tracks proposed changes, brings issues to the attention of the profession, and provides a forum for members to participate in shaping the industry's response. The committee’s new co-chairs bring experience spanning government relations, building codes, structural design, sustainability, and industry policy.

Karyn Beebe, P.E., LEED AP, is the Government Relations Regional Manager for the International Code Council (ICC), serving California, Nevada, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. A California-licensed professional engineer, ICC Authorized Instructor, and former forensic investigator, she collaborates with stakeholders to advance code adoption, adaptive reuse, and disaster resilience. Karyn serves as staff liaison for ICC’s Building Membership Council and Adaptive Reuse Working Group, board member of the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California, and past President of ICC’s San Diego Chapter. Previously, she supported strategic partnerships across the Western U.S. for APA – The Engineered Wood Association.

Sara Abou Karroum is a Project Designer at KPFF and holds a master’s degree in Structural and Earthquake Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her experience includes complex healthcare and tenant improvement projects, as well as the retrofit and renovation of existing buildings. She also works across sectors to identify opportunities to reduce the embodied carbon of structural systems and materials and integrate lower-carbon strategies into structural design. Sara is a member of the SEAOSC Sustainability Committee and she participates in the SE 2050 Policy Subcommittee, contributing to industry policy discussions and initiatives focused on reducing embodied carbon in structural engineering.

Take control of your profession's future! Join the SEAOSC Legislative Action Committee Monthly Meeting next Thursday at 4:30 PM—no experience required. The committee tracks proposed policy changes affecting structural engineering and organizes a strong, collective voice to safeguard the industry. Email legislative@seaosc.org to get involved. As Jeff Ellis, now SEAOC Legislative Committee Chair, reminds us: "Don't be a floating leaf at the whims of the river. Better to paddle a canoe and control your destiny."