How CROSS-US is structured

A consulting structural engineer, Glenn spent 45 years at Simpson Gumpertz and Heger, where he engaged in the design, investigation, and rehabilitation of building structures, building envelopes, and other structures. He was SGH’s CEO from 1995 through 2016 and its Board Chair from 2016 through 2018.

Glenn has a career-long passion for learning from failures. He was Co-Founder of the ASCE Technical Council on Forensic Engineering (now the ASCE Forensic Engineering Division). He is Past President of SEI, a past Director of IStructE, a Board Member of the Charles Pankow Foundation, and Visiting Scholar, University of Bath, UK.

Herrmann is Partner Emeritus of Hardesty & Hanover, a transportation consulting engineering firm headquartered in NYC specializing in fixed and movable bridges. He is a Fellow of both the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) and ASCE and served as ASCE’s President for 2012, SEI’s President in 2017, and Chair of ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure Advisory Committee in 2009.

An advocate for improving our nation’s infrastructure, he has testified several times before Congress and been interviewed many times by the media, most notably appearing on CBS’s “60 Minutes” and HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” Registered as a Professional Engineer in multiple states, he graduated from Valparaiso University with a BSCE and NYU POLY with a MSCE.

Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D., P.E. is professor and past chair at the University of New Orleans' (UNO) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She has been active in ASCE for more than 20 years in local, regional and national leadership roles and was elected by the Society's membership as the 2017 ASCE President.

In 2012, President Obama named Mattei one of three civilian members of the Mississippi River Commission, which researches and provides policy and work recommendations covering flood control, navigation and environmental projects. In that capacity, she helped oversee a drainage basin that covers 41 percent of the nation.  The governor of Louisiana appointed her to the state's licensing board for professional engineers -- LAPELS. She also serves on the board of directors for both the Louisiana Transportation Research Center Foundation and the Louisiana Technology Council.

Judy is the Associate Chief of the Materials and Structural Systems Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She provides leadership in the development and coordination of statutory processes for making buildings safer and oversees the National Construction Safety Team (NCST), National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), and the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP).

Before her role in the Division Office, Judy was the Director NIST’s Disaster and Failure Studies (DFS) Program, where she led a multidisciplinary staff responsible for conducting fact-finding investigations focused on: building and infrastructure failures; successful building and infrastructure performance; evacuation and emergency response systems; and disaster recovery and community resilience.

Judy is a Director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), on the Executive Committee and Expert Panel of CROSS-US and co-founded SEI’s Committee on Multi-Hazard Mitigation.

John G. Tawresey, is recognized as a structural masonry and risk management pioneer. Tawresey is a forerunner in the research, testing and development of new building exterior wall systems including panelized reinforced brick masonry; brick veneer/steel stud, thin-stone and aluminum/glass walls. He was one of the drivers behind the formation of The Masonry Society (TMS) in the late 1970s and has served in numerous positions since its inception including president. He has been teaching a structural masonry course at the University of Washington since 1984. More than any other structural engineering leader, Tawresey served to help structural engineers manage risk.

He led the Structural Engineers Risk Management Council (SERMC) where he participated in numerous activities including president and he was one of the drivers behind the formation of ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) where he served as president from 2001 to 2003. Currently, he is the force behind the ASCE Committee on Claims Reduction and Management, which initiates educational sessions as well as other activities where structural engineers can share their professional negligence claims experiences.

Tawresey’s career includes 40 years of achievement at KPFF Consulting Engineers as their CFO. Under Tawresey’s unique business leadership, which emphasized that the purpose of the business was to support the practice of engineering (the Supportive Business Organization) KPFF grew from 50 to 950 people.

Tawresey is an honorary member of The Masonry Society where he twice received the President’s Award and Haller Award. He was named Professional Engineer of the Year by the Washington Society of Professional Engineers in 2011, and received ASCE’s SEI Dennis Tewksbury Award and in 2017 was recognized as a Distinguished Member of ASCE.

Laura is Director of the Structural Engineering Institute, ASCE.  She has over 25 years’ experience in the Architectural/Engineering/Construction industry with expertise in structural engineering consulting and design. Her expertise includes private and public educational, institutional, museum, religious, recreational, and residential projects; including historic preservation, existing condition assessments, investigations, structural code upgrades, flood zone design, new buildings, additions, renovations, public and private project peer reviews, and Special Inspection.

Jim is Managing Director, Engineering Programs, ASCE. Prior to joining ASCE, Jim was Project Manager of the Civil Engineering Research Foundation, Executive Director of The Masonry Institute, a Vice President of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, and a Project Engineer for Rummel, Klepper & Kahl.

Alastair was the Director of CROSS and then Structural-Safety from 2005 to 2021 and is a founding member of CROSS. In 2021 he became a Consultant and a member of the CROSS Technical Board. Responsible for introducing CROSS in Australasia, and the USA.

Previously CEO of a consulting firm he has extensive experience on major building and structural projects in the UK and internationally. Winner of a Sir Arnold Walters Medal, a Lewis Kent Award and a President’s Award from the Institution of Structural Engineers. Author of numerous publications and visiting professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Liverpool. Past President of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers.