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SEAOSC WISE Committee

Committee Mission & Charges

Women in Structural Engineering (WiSE) facilitates mentorship and leadership opportunities to enhance professional development and provide a forum to recognize the valuable contributions women and under-represented members make in the engineering industry. Our goal is to build and promote a positive environment that supports the importance of maintaining a diverse talent base throughout the industry. With a focus on creating opportunities that cultivate the development of structural engineers, we aim to raise awareness of our impactful contributions to the profession. Contact wise@seaosc.org


Chairs


Founding Chair - Michelle Kam-Biron

Simpson Strong-Tie

Michelle Kam-Biron is a California licensed structural engineer, she has over 10 years of experience in the wood industry as Vice President of Education for the American Wood Council (AWC) and Senior Technical Director – National Lead Mid-rise/Multi-family Construction at WoodWorks. Ms. Kam-Biron has authored several articles and white papers related to the use of structural wood. She also has over 20 years of experience managing and designing a wide range of projects of various structural materials as well as Division of State Architect contract plan review. Ms. Kam-Biron graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a BS in Architectural Engineering (ARCE). She has served on the Cal Poly ARCE Industry Advisory Council and California Building Officials (CALBO) Structural Safety Committee, is a former Director for Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) and Past-President for Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) and was recently inducted into the SEAOC College of Fellows. She currently volunteers her time on the National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA) Basic Education, the ICC Professional Development Council Education Committee, Cal Poly CAED Advisory Council and is Past-Chair of American Society of Civil Engineers Structural Engineering Institute (ASCE-SEI) Wood Education Committee as well Past-Chair of the SEAOSC Women in Structural Engineering Committee. Mentoring Sub-Committee


Araceli Abanilla

STV, Inc.

Araceli is a licensed PE with over 20 years of engineering design and management experience in the LA area. Araceli is a Principal and Senior Engineer at STV, Inc. on major transportation and infrastructure projects that support the transit and rail industry. She has worked on a broad range of projects, including bus, light rail, heavy rail, airports, municipal buildings, schools, libraries, medical facilities, and roadway and pedestrian bridges. Araceli has also spent time working with composite materials in the anti-terrorist force protection sector of structural engineering. Araceli serves as Co-Chair of the SEAOSC Mentorship Committee as well as being actively involved in the SEAOSC Women in Structural Engineering (WiSE) committee and a past Director on the SEAOSC Board. She has been a past alumni career mentor at UC San Diego, a past ACE Mentor and a UC Education Abroad Program Scholarship selection committee member. She was also part of STV's inaugural Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Council. Araceli is a native Angelino. She received her B.S. from UC Irvine and her M.S. from UC San Diego.

Minye Pak

City of Los Angeles - Department of Building & Safety

Minye Pak is a licensed structural engineer with 18 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, advocating for public safety and advancing the construction industry through code development, plan check, and permitting. She has reviewed and overseen groups of engineers on notable projects such as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts, LAX Automated People Mover project, development of the electronic plan review program ePlanLA, and is currently serving in dual roles as the Chief of Development Services Case Management and the Zoning Engineer at the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Minye received B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Civil Engineering from UCLA and Columbia University respectively. She has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Los Angeles, engineering Ministries International (eMi), Guatemala office, and has been active in the SEAOSC Women in Structural Engineering Committee for the past 5 years. She is currently the Chair of the Mentorship Sub-Committee within WiSE.


Women Working Together Liaisons

  • Michelle Kam-Biron Simpson Strong-Tie
  • Adena Geiger John A. Martin & Associates, Inc.
  • Kim Caravalho Brandow & Johnston


Resources

  • Free Management Library
    • https://managementhelp.org/ A vast collection of management resources, including book recommendations and blog posts from websites like the Harvard Business Journal. The website provides free resources on all types of management skills, from leadership to products.
  • The Balance Careers
  • Webpage Ideas
    • WiSE Committee Webpage
      • Link to the Business Management Resources - Maybe a new tab or window so that you could compare & contrast between the different links
      • Just a webpage - not a full webpage
      • Maybe a table of contents at the top with links taking you to the right part of the page that you’re for specifically, to avoid crazy scrolling.


Continued: Custom/Tailored programs


Casual Training