Staff

Antwon is one of the newest members to join Ashley & Vance’s Oakland office. Born and raised in Orange County, he completed his graduate program at UC San Diego in 2014 and has since worked on numerous residential and commercial buildings in the Bay Area. His passion for architecture and community-building allows him to deliver quality engineering work that is praised by clients, architects, and industry partners. Antwon’s most recent work include apartment soft-story retrofits in San Francisco per city ordinance, and renovations of old industrial warehouses for various community centers in Oakland.

Brandon is a collaborative and creative engineer with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Montana State University in Bozeman, MT.  Brandon is a life long "Wahingtonian," and has enjoyed living in various parts of the state that includes the dry side of the state, Mt. Rainier, and now Bellingham.  

During his 16 year career he has spent time in Alaska managing heavy civil construction projects, and leading renewable energy engineering projects in Montana, Hawaii, and Washington.  For the past 11 years Brandon has been practicing engineering consulting in the greater Bellingham area.  His permitting experience spans the spectrum from local and state agencies, to FERC, and The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. His work includes renewable powerhouse designs, penstock design, fish passage, municipal water supply, wastewater treatment, stormwater engineering, and vertical structures. He has a proven track record of success delivering cost-effective and inventive designs that meet the goals of the clients, architects, contractors, and the public.

In his spare time Brandon enjoys camping with his family in their family van, mountain biking the local trails, and alpine skiing. 

As a licensed California civil engineer , Bruce has worked on public school improvement projects, as well as public and private sector infrastructure projects. His project experience includes survey and design for multiple resource conservation districts in California, planning and design for wastewater and water treatment projects, financial and regulatory planning services from a civil engineering capital perspective, and preparation of full construction documents including specifications, plans, and bid documents.

Bruce is highly efficient with civil engineering software such as Autodesk Civil 3D, and has provided Civil 3D training seminars for other design professionals in the industry.

With a Structural Engineering license, a degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and construction management experience at Walt Disney Imagineering, Charles allows his construction background to drive his innovative designs. As a lead structural engineer for custom residential and commercial projects, Charles designs and oversees structural projects at Ashley & Vance Engineering.

Charles is a licensed structural engineer in not only California, but also in Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Texas, and Florida. His residential structural designs include projects spanning from Brentwood/Beverly Hills over to Malibu/Pacific Palisades up to Santa Barbara/Montecito throughout San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties. And he has led numerous commercial projects on the Central Coast such as SLO Brew Retrofit, Chinatown/Monterey St. Retail and Hotel Serra.

Chris is a project engineer for our structural engineering team in our Santa Barbara office. His experience includes marine structural and civil work, construction coordination, residential and commercial design. Chris received his Bachelor’s degree in Structural engineering from UC San Diego and his Master’s in Civil & Environmental Engineering from San Jose State University.

Drew is a structural project engineer in the Santa Barbara office. He joined the A&V team after graduating with his BS degree in Civil Engineering with a structural emphasis. As a Santa Barbara county native, Drew is excited to work on projects that positively impact the community where he was raised.

Eric is a principal engineer who splits his time between our San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara offices. He graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Architectural Engineering and he is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of California.

Eric contributes over 10 years of structural design experience covering a wide range of projects throughout California and Hawaii. His projects include Niner Winery’s 57,000 sq. ft. concrete tilt-up wine processing facility in Paso Robles, California and the Waihonua Tower, a 418-foot-tall reinforced concrete high-rise condo in Honolulu, Hawaii. Eric also has construction experience with slab-on-grade foundations and rough carpentry, designed on-site septic systems, and performed special inspections for helical anchors and grouted tiebacks.

Whenever Eric is able to take a break from work, he can usually be found on a sheer granite face, rock climbing throughout the Sierra Nevada range.

Evan is a project engineer for our civil engineering team in our Bellingham office. His experience includes doing steel and concrete design for projects ranging from pipe supports, personnel access platforms and has designed stormwater systems within refineries. Evan earned his Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering at George Fox University in Newberg, OR. He is also a member of Engineers without Borders and currently working on monitoring and evaluating a Urine Diversion Dehydration Toilet (UDDT) in Axim, Ghana.

Greg is a structural project engineer in our Oakland office.  He is a Bay Area native and holds a degree in civil engineering from UC Berkeley.  He has provided structural design on a large variety of projects, ranging from residential and commercial T.I.’s to new multi-story hotels and large commercial buildings.  His favorite project to date is a 53,000 square foot hotel near the Oakland airport in which he utilized wood-shearwalls, special moment frames, and buckling-restrained brace frames to form the seismic force resisting system.  Greg enjoys the challenges that high seismic forces bring to structural engineering and he is committed to carefully considering all types of structural systems in order to design the most economical, constructible, and resilient structures.

Ian joined our San Luis Obispo Office on the structural design team after receiving his M.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. With a relentlessly analytical approach, Ian is often tasked with AVE’s most difficult and challenging projects. Over the years, Ian’s designs have incorporated wood, concrete, masonry, and steel framing systems as well as retrofits of unreinforced masonry—and, in some cases, all on the same project.

Ian has worked on a variety of projects including custom residential homes, seismic retrofits, and commercial structures. Ian enjoys the challenges posed by unique projects and skillfully works through them to reach practical and cost-effective solutions. This results-orientated approach has allowed him to work through some of the largest commercial projects in the San Luis Obispo downtown corridor including Garden Street Terraces and the retail portion of Chinatown.

A degree in chemical engineering from Oregon State University allowed James to choose from many career paths. He subsequently moved to the Lake Tahoe region and tried his hand in plumbing to gain construction experience. It wasn't long before James choose to revisit an engineering path with A&V, and pioneered his way to our Tahoe office as a Structural Engineer.

James enjoys facilitating the ease of construction for all building trades during the structural designing process by using his academic and construction background. Working in the Tahoe office has allowed James to continue his passion in rock climbing, skiing, and backpacking in the Eastern Sierras.  His love of the mountains extends into his work through engineering cost-effective designs in snow, wind, and seismically burdened areas.

Jim Lord brings 14 years of civil engineering design and project management experience to his role as principal engineer of theBend, Oregon office. He has been living and working in central Oregon for over a decade and he has a deep understanding of the local standards, regulations, and business climate.

Jim designed and managed the approval and construction of many private development projects including the Simpson Pavilion ice rink project for the Bend Parks and Recreation District. He also has extensive experience working on public improvement projects. Jim was the lead designer and construction manager for the 3rd Street Underpass Stormwater Improvement Project in Bend, Oregon. This project retrofitted an existing 80-year railroad undercrossing that was prone to flooding with a collection and pumping system, conveyance piping, and various bio-swales. He also was a design engineer for the $1.8B San Diego Gas and Electric Sunrise Powerlink Transmission Line Project and was responsible for designing over 50 miles of access roads, maintenance pads, and pull-sites.

Jim is a proponent of sustainable design, low-impact development, and green building principals. He also owned and operated an organic farm for several years and has hands-on experience with agricultural and irrigation design.

With a degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in Civil Engineering, John brings fresh perspective, positive energy, and willingness to fully apply himself on any endeavor, from custom residential housing to commercial projects throughout California.  As a new addition to the company, John is proud to be a part of a group such as Ashley & Vance and is confident that his designs will have a positive impact on the central coast.

Jon manages our Information Technology needs. He is based in San Luis Obispo but provides support for all of our offices. Working in the IT field since 2007, Jon has a Certificate in Computer Hardware and Networking from College of the Siskiyous, he is a Certified Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA), CompTIA Network + certified, and continues to study for additional IT industry recognized certifications.

Kathleen is a LEED-certified professional civil engineer with experience preparing grading, drainage, and site utility plans for commercial, residential, and public works projects in the San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura County areas. Currently, she focuses most of her time on the hydrology and stormwater aspects of projects. She has a passion for low-impact design, which seamlessly complements her skills for innovative stormwater detention and stormwater treatment designs. She has prepared grading permit packages and construction drawings for drainage, grading, and utility plans. These projects have required stormwater management structures to filter, store, infiltrate, and release stormwater.

Matthew leads the Oakland office with a diversified, broad-based background as both a civil and structural engineer. His project experience encompasses residential and commercial remodel and new construction, tenant improvements for multi-national retailers, alterations and renovations for industrial and telecom facilities, seismic upgrades and rehabilitation of aging structures, wineries and public art installations, and nearly everything in between.

Matthew believes that the success of every project is firmly rooted in establishing client objectives and goals from project inception and ensuring those are met through communication, open collaboration, and the delivery of clear, coordinated, and constructible designs. Matthew has the unique ability to distill increasingly complex situations into increasingly simple and distinctive solutions. Prior to joining Ashley & Vance, Matthew was a partner at a San Francisco-based firm where he spent the better part of a decade leading the structural design of award-winning residences and restaurants, seismic upgrades of both commercial and residential properties, and “special situation” projects requiring out-of-the-box approaches.

Michael works as a Structural Project Engineer out of our Oakland office.  Originally from New England, Michael began working at Ashley & Vance Engineering after graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with an M.S. & B.S. in Civil Engineering.  Prior to earning his degree, Michael interned with a local Structural Engineer in San Luis Obispo for 3 years where he was able to work extensively across a range of different projects, from exposed structural steel rehabilitation, to forensic engineering and litigation, to residential timber-framed projects.  This experience and education has helped him immensely to develop a passion for solving problems inherent with existing construction and structural retrofits.

Nick studied at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering, backed up by not just one, but two minors: one in Unmanned Autonomous Systems and another in Mathematics.  Having spent his entire life around the construction industry, Nick decided to apply his engineering acumen to structures, and prides himself on efficiency, no matter the challenge he is presented with.  He is open-minded to all solutions, especially those derived from unique or out-of-the box thinking.

As a native Nevadan, Nick fits in wonderfully with our Tahoe team, and when not at the office, he spends his time enjoying water sports, snow sports, and biking.

Peter is a recent graduate from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Architectural Engineering.  Peter is excited to begin his Structural Engineering career at Ashley and Vance working out of the Santa Barbara Office.  After a couple summers of construction jobsite experience, he strives to build strong community ties and offer design solutions.  Peter takes pride in working with a team that offers creative, economic services from design to completion.

On his free time, Peter enjoys catching a morning surf and hitting the road for a quick lunch bike ride.

Rachel works on our accounting team in the San Luis Obispo office. She received her Accounting Specialization Certificate from Cuesta College and has A/P, A/R, and payroll experience. Rachel will be focusing on client billing and customer service.

Ricardo is a project engineer in our Los Angeles office. He received his Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, with an emphasis in Structural Engineering, from the University of California, Irvine. He then began working at an engineering firm that specialized in seismic vibration isolation where he designed structural supports and anchorage for mechanical equipment. After becoming a licensed civil engineer, Ricardo deciding to pursue structural engineering, which was what led him into the engineering field to begin with. 

Robert is a structural engineer in our Los Angeles office. He has a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis on structural design and analysis from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. For Robert, construction experience created the foundation from which he began his career as a structural engineer and his career thus far has been spent as a project engineer for two different general contractors. Projects he managed include Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles, luxury condominiums in Santa Monica, and assisted living and memory care facilities in Colorado. Currently, he is working primarily on new and remodeled single-family residences, and retrofits of commercial and hospitality buildings.

Located in the San Luis Obispo office, Ryan is a recent graduate from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  Having his degree in Civil Engineering, he has recently been challenging himself and concentrating on Structural Engineering. He is a hands on person with a knack for fitting things together and helping to solve practical problems. He is very excited to utilize the skills that he has obtained throughout his education at Cal Poly, and to bring forth insightful ideas to Ashley and Vance Engineering.

When Ryan is not solving puzzling situations on paper, he is often seen on the roads and trails of the San Luis Obispo area on his mountain bike, shredding it in the hills.

Ryan is a project engineer on our structural team in our Minden Office. He received his Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Ryan’s construction experience in the fast paced commercial construction industry includes construction management for healthcare, commercial, residential, and public works projects including seismic retrofits of hospitals in San Jose, Los Gatos, and Thousand Oaks, CA under OSHPD jurisdiction and a 750,000sf mixed-use project in Cupertino, CA. 

Located in our Bend, Oregon office location, Stacey excels in her role as ​part-time ​office manager for AVE. She keeps the office running smoothly with her reception, administrative, and financial skills. Stacey has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and a background as a licensed tax consultant and an enrolled agent​.​​ Wearing many hats, she works for the Ashley & Vance Engineering Bend, Oregon office and also for a local accounting firm. ​Stacey has been a much-appreciated ​part of the Bend team since its inception​ in 2011​​.

Thad is the newest structural project engineer working out of our Oakland office. Having recently graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering, and working as an intern for two years in the San Luis Obispo area, Thad brings a fresh perspective and structural design philosophy to the Ashley and Vance team.

As an intern, Thad contributed to a multitude of projects constructed throughout the California central coast region. His work on new residential construction, seismic retrofits, and commercial projects has honed a passion for developing cost effective and practical engineering solutions. Thad has brought this passion into his work in the Bay Area, and he looks forward to the opportunity to contribute to the diverse project types undertaken by Ashley & Vance.

Truitt, a principal engineer and original founder of the company, approaches each client and project with his vast skill set, BS in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and broad spectrum of experience as a fourth-generation builder, journeyman carpenter, licensed general contractor, construction manager, and multi-family developer.

Truitt specializes in providing practical, buildable designs for all projects. He currently oversees land development projects in the San Luis Obispo office including challenging custom residences like cliffside homes in Shell Beach; luxury cabins tucked into mountainsides in June Lake and Mammoth Lakes; large multi-family housing developments such as Cypress Village in Buellton, Heritage Square in Santa Maria, and SLO Terrace in San Luis Obispo; large-scale mixed-use commercial projects throughout California; and wineries including Shale Oak Winery, Le Cuvier, and Adeleida Cellars.

Given his expertise in all stages of developing, designing, and building, Truitt provides a sought-after, knowledgeable perspective internally to our team of talented professionals at Ashley & Vance and also externally to our widely-varied clientele.

Tung is a structural engineer in our Minden office. As a long time Reno/Tahoe local, Tung obtained his MS degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. He spent over 15 years in the seismic base isolation industry designing and managing isolation projects throughout the world. Currently, Tung creates structural designs for custom residential, multi-family and commercial projects.

Victor earned a BS degree in Architectural Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. After graduating he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area to work in architectural precast concrete and podium structures. He is currently attending San Jose State University to receive his M.S. in Civil Engineering. He has joined the Oakland Office and is excited to part of the team and tackle projects throughout California.