SCCA Installs New Officers, Board Members

Dorna Seanez, president of Irwindale-based Western Paving, becomes the first woman president of the Southern California Contractors Association.

The Southern California Contractors Association installed officers, members of the board of directors and three top contributors to the construction industry at its 31st annual President's Celebration Dinner Dance on Nov. 13 at the Hyatt Regency Resort in Huntington Beach.

Dorna Seanez

Dorna Seanez, president of Irwindale-based Western Paving, was sworn in as the association's 32nd president and is the first woman to hold the position. Joining her as officers for 2004-05 are Doyle Powell of D. W. Powell Inc., vice president; David Elsberry of LT Engineering Inc., secretary; and Seth Hammond of Specialty Crane & Rigging, treasurer.

Newly elected board members include:

• Mike Barth, Jezowski & Markel Contractors Inc.
• John Blakel, Kring & Chung
• Les Farrow, Excavating & Grading
• Stanley Howard, Howard Contracting
• Don Johnson, Mitsubishi Cement Corp.
• Rick Kalish, C. W. Poss Inc.
• Ed Lyon, RMA Group
• Dan Pilon, Coastline Equipment
• Pete Rasic, W. A. Rasic Construction Co. Inc.
• Mike Tudor, M. R. Tudor Cos.
• Dan Ugalde, Ugalde Trucking Co. Inc.
• Greg Vena, Quinn Shepherd Machinery

Also honored during the evening were:

• Les Farrow (Contractor of the Year)
• Bob Pieplow, chief of the construction division of Caltrans (VIP winner)
• Thomas Kovacich of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud and Romo (Affiliate of the Year)

Farrow, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, began his construction career with Maness Industries in Signal Hill and started his own firm six years ago. He has served SCCA in a number of capacities, including president in 1993, a long-time member of the board of directors and as a key member on six committees. Farrow also is a management trustee on seven union trust funds for the Operating Engineers and the Teamsters and a SCCA trustee for the Fund for Construction Industry Advancement.

Pieplow's many contributions to the transportation construction industry include helping Caltrans increase its use of partnering.

SCCA established the VIP award in 1985 to recognize the contributions of public official or other persons of merit who made outstanding contributions to the community and the construction industry.

Kovacich is a senior partner at Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud and Romo, one of the leading law firms in the construction industry. His contributions to SCCA were recognized as the inaugural winner of the Affiliate of the Year award, established to honor the non-contractor members of the 30-year-old association. He was saluted as "an invaluable resource to his clients, SCCA and the Southern California construction industry."

For more information about the Southern California Contractors Association, visit www.sccaweb.com.

Los Angeles Area Chapter of Women's Transportation Seminar Announces 2005 Officers

Executives from Los Angeles World Airports, Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Department of Transportation and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to serve on chapter's board of directors.

The Los Angeles area chapter of Women's Transportation Seminar has announced its 2005 board of directors.

Alexandra Spencer, media relations officer for Los Angeles-based DMJM+HARRIS, will serve as president, succeeding Monika Bowden. Spencer also is WTS's national communications cochair.

Judi Masuda, who handles Gold Line community outreach for the Pasadena Department of Transportation, will serve as first vice president. In 2000, Masuda was honored for expanding WTS-LA's Adopt-A-School program for local high school students. Engineering News-Record, published by McGraw-Hill Construction, and Public Works magazine cited the program as one of the best high school outreach efforts in the nation.

Maria Guerra, chief of staff of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will serve as second vice president. One of the highest-ranking women in the Southern California transportation industry, Guerra was honored as WTS-LA's Woman of the Year in 2003 for her leadership at the MTA and her promotion of the role of women in the transportation sector.

Emilie Gino, an education consultant and retired Los Angeles Unified School District administrator, will serve as treasurer. In 1994, Gino was selected by LAUSD to develop several high school transportation trade academies that focused on engineering, architecture and urban planning. After retiring, she co-founded the acclaimed Port of Los Angeles International Trade Academy at Banning High School in Wilmington. Gino was honored by WTS Los Angeles in 2003 for her contributions to transportation education.

Five directors-at-large have been elected to the board:

• Intissar Durham, chief airports engineer for Los Angeles World Airports
  
• Professor James Moore, chair of the department of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Southern California
• James Okazaki, assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation
• Carol Inge, deputy executive officer of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Stacey Jones, director of engineering development at the Port of Los Angeles
  

WTS is a 3,600-member national association of women and men committed to advancing the role of women in the transportation industry. There are five chapters in California and a total of 35 chapters in the United States and Canada.

With 327 members, the Los Angeles area chapter of WTS is the third largest in the nation. WTS-LA's monthly programs have included receptions for the secretary of the United States Department of Transportation, Norman Y. Mineta, and Will Kempton, the newly appointed director of Caltrans.

For information about the Los Angeles chapter, visit www.wtsnational.org/la.