Staff

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Andrew has called the Santa Barbara area home since 2010. Since graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a BS in Civil Engineering he has worked in site development design, surveying, as well as providing construction inspections. Andrew brings a diverse background of experience in both the public and private sectors having worked on a variety of projects including residential subdivisions, public roadways, commercial business parks, higher education developments, and ADA rehab projects.

August is a graduate from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Architectural Engineering. He is excited to begin his structural engineering career at Ashley and Vance working out of the Oakland office. As a Summer intern for an engineering firm in Redding, he saw firsthand how miscommunication between engineer and contractor can lead to inadequate structures and expensive mistakes. Outside of work, August enjoys traveling, reading, spending time with family, and keeping up with Bay Area sports.

Bree’s attitude and energy are unparalleled, allowing her to excel at a wide variety of tasks that include public outreach, marketing, and accounting. Having knowledge of accounts receivable and accounts payable, Bree aids in Ashley & Vance’s daily activities and assists the accounting department. Bree maintains office services by organizing administrative operations and procedures, preparing payroll and invoices, controlling correspondence, assisting with social media, and providing website administration. We are all grateful for Bree’s positive attitude and enjoy the pleasure of working with her.

As a licensed civil engineer in Colorado and California, 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 throughout the West, 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.

A Santa Barbara native, Dale worked for his father, a masonry contractor, before pursuing degree in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University.  He worked for the private firm of SB&O, Inc. in San Diego before returning home to work for the County of Santa Barbara Public Works Department. During his 16 years at the County, he worked as a project engineer for the Solid Waste Division and the Water Agency designing & managing various projects on the local landfills & reservoirs before serving as the Development Engineer for the Flood Control District.  While working at Flood Control, Dale served 10 years on the Subdivision Development Review Committee, supervised the Development Review Division, and gained his Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) Certification. Dale returned to the private sector, and worked the next 12 years at MAC Design Associates. While here, Dale gained his QSD/QSP Certification, and served as the Principal Engineer on various land development projects.

When not in the office, Dale enjoys traveling, photography, motorcycling, sailing, camping, snowboarding, mountian biking and volunteering his time at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission serving as a Mentor and as Marketing Photographer. 

Located in our San Luis Obispo office, Deon has a diverse background in the construction industry. With a BS degree in Architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and 10+ years of architectural design, electrical design, and drafting with a focus in solar power, civil design and drafting, and structural drafting. He has physically worked on many different types of construction projects in the field and behind the desk. He likes to problem-solve and he brings an innovative, forward-thinking perspective to the design table.

Drew is a structural project engineer in the Reno office. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UC Davis with an emphasis in structural and geotechnical engineering. After working in customer service since he was in high school, he is excited to expand his knowledge with challenging projects that may occur while providing excellent and client-focused engineering solutions.

Originally from Monterey County, Emilio works as part of the civil engineering team in the Santa Barbara office. Since graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with his bachelors and masters in Civil Engineering, he has worked on a multitude of projects within Santa Barbara County. Emilio has a diverse background that includes public and private site design, commercial and residential development, and wet utility design. He enjoyed being part of the team that put together the final design plans and provided construction support for the Hotel Californian - an upscale hotel with a large parking structure, restaurants, and food services near the ocean on lower state street. Outside of work, Emilio likes to bake bread and swing dance.

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; the Waihonua Tower, a 418-foot-tall reinforced concrete high-rise condo in Honolulu, Hawaii; and The Pad a fun passion project climbing gym in Santa Maria, CA. 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 Rickards can be found in the Bend office as a civil project engineer, with the experience and passion of working on wind farm development and small subdivision projects. As a graduate from George Fox University, he received his bachelors of science in civil engineering and was fortunate to experience work in both the public and private sectors giving him a unique perspective and insight into public projects. Having the opportunity to work on large renewable energy projects, Evan is knowledgeable of the importance of thoughtful design and thinking through problems before they occur. Evan hopes to impact his community with elevated design and development that will positively affect all who call Central Oregon home.

Greg oversees the structural engineering operations of our Sacramento office. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of California with a degree in Civil Engineering from University of California, Berkeley. Through his extensive structural engineering experience with the diverse and nuanced landscape of Bay Area and Los Angeles areas, Greg now firmly believes that experience shaped his philosophy in his work today. He now stands firmly behind the idea that project success comes through clear understanding of client objectives. He tailors each project to meet the client’s personal needs with careful attention to, not only cost, but also regional-specific construction practices and the uniqueness of each local agency ensuring an efficient and seamless permitting process. 

Greg served as a key member of the structural engineering team for a vast spectrum of projects over the years. His list includes countless single-family residential projects, commercial TI’s throughout the West, seismic retrofits of unreinforced masonry and large industrial buildings, and several mid-rise hotels and apartment buildings, including the Fort Sutter Hotel in Midtown Sacramento.  

Jackson began his career working in the oil and gas industry designing support steel structures and performing pipe stress analysis for high pressure oil field processes. Jackson’s passion for designing complex pressure piping projects in the oil and gas industry has translated excellently with our structural group at Ashley & Vance Engineering. He is currently working as a project engineer and is involved in design and project management for multiple challenging projects within the structural group.

In addition to his design experience, Jackson has spent some time working in concrete construction and he took part in a large factory site redevelopment project in Indiana. Jackson is a graduate from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Civil Engineering. Jackson is very excited to be working with Ashley & Vance and strives to apply his previous experience and work ethic to the structural engineering projects we offer.

James grew up in North Carolina and studied chemical engineering at Oregon State University. He spent the following years as a professional plumber on the West shore of Lake Tahoe before transitioning into his career in structural engineering. James’s studies and previous experience provide him with a diverse outlook on building systems and enables him to seek multiple solutions to difficult problems. James is also an artistic person and environmentally conscientious--his favorite part of structural engineering is providing multiple design idea’s that consider economics, aesthetics, and smart building materials to achieve an architect’s vision.

Located in our Bend office, Jenilee is a licensed professional with over 10 years of experience as a civil engineering consultant in the Central Texas land development market. She designed, permitted and managed a multi-million-dollar, commercial, mixed-use, urban infill project in Austin, Texas featuring 350 multifamily units, 100,000 SF of Class A office space, 7,500 SF of retail and attached parking garage.  In Bend, she was the civil lead for the 240-unit Stillwater Crossing Project. Jenilee brings to the team project management experience in complex commercial, mixed use, office, industrial and condominium projects from conception through close-out.

Outside of her passion for land entitlement, Jenilee enjoys backpacking, scuba diving and a good book.

Jim joined Ashley & Vance Engineering in 2017, after 12 years as an accounting manager for a large contractor in the oil & gas industry.  Working in the San Luis Obispo office, he brings a wide range of accounting knowledge and experience to the AV accounts team.  Jim earned a degree in Business Economics with an Emphasis in Accounting from UC Santa Barbara.

John Fischer, principal engineer of the Bend, Oregon office, brings 10 years of structural design and construction experience encompassing projects from San Diego to Seattle. From the conceptual phase to the construction phase, John contributes experience ranging from storage sheds to large custom residences, small tenant improvements to complex commercial buildings, and projects involving rooftop solar and retaining walls. John oversees all the projects that are performed by the Bend, Oregon office and produces a majority of the structural design.

As a former licensed contractor, John has a unique awareness of building economy and constructability. Years of working in the building trades have ingrained his ‘builder’s perspective.’ This contractor-friendly approach is highly valued by architects and builders alike. As a fourth-generation building professional from a family of engineers and developers, John’s passion for building projects runs deep. This inspires him to go beyond the norm in facilitating and coordinating successful projects.

With a background in forensic engineering, structural engineering for post-tensioning projects and project management, John is enthusiastic to apply his knowledge to diverse projects at Ashley and Vance. Prior to this position, John contributed complicated design solutions to over 30 bridges in the Bay Area. His experience in project management manifests in efficient and builder friendly solutions to complicated issues. John’s work ethic, organization and attention to detail are effectively applied to all of his projects.

Outside of work, John actively pursues his love of skateboarding, enjoys the great outdoors and traveling throughout the world.

Jordan is one of the original engineers at Ashley & Vance Engineering, and he is now the principal engineer of the Northern Nevada office. He has designed structural projects of all sizes including remodels, custom homes, commercial buildings, and healthcare facilities. Having spent significant time in the construction industry, he brings a sense of constructability to engineering and enjoys delivering projects that are buildable and cost effective, while ensuring quality client service through completion of every project.  

Born and raised in the Eastern Sierras, Jordan has a particular affinity for the mountains and enjoys the unique challenges that heavy snow and high earthquake loads bring to structural engineering. He has been the lead engineer on many high-end custom residential and commercial projects in Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, and Lake Tahoe in California, and Bend, Oregon as well.

Juan received his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly SLO. Prior to working at Ashley and Vance, he gained experience preparing grading, drainage, and site utility plans for residential and commercial projects in Orange County. He continues his career working in our civil engineering team in our San Luis Obispo office.

Juan can often be found hiking the local trails, relaxing at the beach, or body boarding in the ocean.

Julie is a project engineer for the Structural Engineering Team in the Tahoe office. Julie received a Bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, with a focus in Structural Engineering. She has a knack for problem solving and noticing flaws and errors in design. She has a wide range of construction design experience with an Electrical Contractor and an MEP design firm in Las Vegas, as well as a wealth of knowledge of the Energy Code and Solar. She has been working on a variety of Residential, Commercial, and Hospital projects.

Katie is a project engineer in the Santa Barbara office with a BS in Architectural Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  After spending two years in her native San Francisco Bay Area working on high end residential and large corporate campuses, Katie is happy to be back on the Central Coast and part of the Ashley and Vance team.  Katie’s optimistic attitude helps her tackle difficult engineering problems with creative cost effective solutions. When out of the office Katie enjoys the many activities Santa Barbara has to offer including beach volleyball, surfing, free diving, and sailing.    

Lilli is located in the Denver office with the civil engineering team. She graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering with a Minor in Humanitarian Engineering. Prior to joining Ashley and Vance Engineering, Lilli focused on gaining experience of her passion by working on water sanitation and new development in Honduras. She is looking forward to being able to apply her humanitarian knowledge to projects with the team. In her free time you can find Lilli in the mountains, tending her garden, or walking her dog, Indy. 

Marc is apart of the Civil Engineering team in the Bend office. He graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. Marc has hands on experience as a carpenter building custom homes, as well as experience inspecting infrastructure throughout Oregon with the Oregon Department of Transportation. Outside of work, Marc enjoys mountain biking, camping, and wakeboarding. 

Receiving his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, Matt joins our San Luis Obispo office. He holds a background in structural and civil design and enjoys working on a variety of projects. With his formal training of a welder, he can understand the challenges that job sites can produce and offer contractor-friendly solutions. Matt enjoys being involved with the team to create projects come to life.

With a BS in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and prior field and design experience with sewer bypass and irrigation systems, Max serves effectively as a project engineer working on various civil projects in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles requiring grading, drainage, utility, and erosion control plans. Along with general civil design, Max has been concentrating on hydraulic systems and has experience using Civil3D and HydroCAD for hydraulic modeling.

Max has also worked on larger single-family residence projects that require the preparation of Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans and has conducted numerous onsite SWPPP inspections since working at Ashley & Vance. With field experience in environmental design, Max recognizes the impact of his projects on surrounding ecosystems and ensures that vegetation and wildlife will be protected during every construction project.

Mika joined the San Luis Obispo office as a structural project engineer shortly after completing both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architectural Engineering at Cal Poly. Prior to joining Ashley & Vance Engineering, Mika managed a local coffee shop and learned about the importance of quality, consistency, and dedication. As a project engineer, she is eager to collaborate with industry professionals to bring a project from inception to completion.

In addition to structural engineering, Mika’s passions include throwing pottery, traveling, and making a mean cup of coffee!

Mirica is a project engineer for our civil engineering team at our Reno/Tahoe office.  As a recent graduate from the University of Reno at Nevada with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, she has previous work experience designing sewer and stormwater lift stations.  Her favorite project was designing a pump station that required creativity with spacing and material constraints. Admittedly bookish, Mirica prefers projects that require a challenging deep dive.

When not working, Mirica enjoys running, reading, and hanging outside with her family and doggo Maddie.

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.

Rafael is a graduate in the Architectural Engineering program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He has a diverse background in structural, civil, and geotechnical projects. Rafael has completed residential and commercial designs, grading/drainage plans, and he has also performed geotechnical testing in the lab and field. He is well-versed in developing full construction documents and provides a real-world approach to his work.

Rafael currently works from our San Luis Obispo office on structural engineering projects. His enthusiastic attitude shines through his work and personal life. He enjoys playing soccer and spending time with his family.

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. 

Ashley & Vance Engineering has added Rollston Frangopoulos to their design team in Bend, OR. He has his bachelors degree from the University of Wyoming. Rollston is a PE and will soon start the application process for his SE. He has 9 years experience in structural design working on hospitals, K-12, wineries, residential, and commercial projects. Rollston has experience with concrete, steel, wood, and CMU construction types. He has worked on many seismic renovations and upgrades including multistory unreinforced masonry, concrete, and wood buildings. 

In his time off he enjoys mountain/road biking, skiing, and traveling to Greece to visit family.

Rubin is a project engineer for our structural engineering team in our Sacramento office. He received his Bachelor's in Civil Engineering from California State University, Sacramento and is continuing his education by achieving his Master's of Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Structural Engineering. Rubin is actively involved in the Structural Engineer's Association of Central California (SEAOCC) Sustainable Design Committee. In his free time, Rubin has a passion for exploring the outdoors and enjoys playing his guitar. 

Ryan is a structural engineer in our San Luis Obispo office and a Central Coast native. Ryan is a product of Cal Poly with a background in construction and residential design. He designs towards a practical and efficient structural solution that will satisfy the needs of the client and contractor. Ryan is excited to tackle new challenges and unique projects that will make each customer’s dreams come true. He takes pride in being part of a team that is dedicated to seeing a project through from inception to completion.

Located in our San Luis Obispo office, Sara utilizes her diverse background in design, communications, brand strategy, event planning, hospitality, and administration. She brings insight towards internal organization, provides executive and administrative support, and helps build a cohesive voice across our branch offices for clients, our communities, and industry professionals. Her bachelor’s degree in Art & Design from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo gives her a strong appreciation for functional design in all forms, so she is happy to help our engineers and principals stay focused on their creations and craft (while also sneaking glances at exciting building plans in the works).

Scott Benjamin comes to us after spending 12 years doing architectural and civil design that specializes in building large dairies in the western United States. There he did both architectural and civil design plus surveying and some project management. Scott graduated from Montana State University Northern and has spent his career in several different aspects of engineering from designing and building farm machinery to Industrial food processing machinery to Designing Dairies.  Scott brings 11 years of experience using AutoDesk Revit. Scott will be working from his home in the Pinedale Wyoming area.

As a licensed structural engineer and principal of the Los Angeles office, Sean is responsible for overseeing the structural design of high-end residential, commercial, hotel, multi-use, and tenant improvement projects in the greater LA area. Sean stands out as a creative and versatile engineer with experience in concrete, steel, masonry, and wood construction for a wide variety of structural systems.

During his career, Sean has been involved as lead design engineer for several notable projects such as a 244-unit mixed-use development with two levels of subterranean parking in Marina del Rey, a 53 unit multi-family residential community in Palm Springs, a multi-story hotel addition with underground parking in Burbank and a major tenant improvement at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. He has a proven track record of delivering cost-effective and inventive designs that meet the goals of the clients, architects, contractors and other professionals. 

Shannon, principal engineer for the San Luis Obispo office civil department, brings 18 years of civil engineering and project management experience to Ashley & Vance Engineering. Shannon’s technical experience ranges from utility design, water and wastewater process design, site development, and stormwater management. Having lived on the Central Coast for 24+ years, Shannon has extensive experience in the winery, agricultural, and industrial industries, especially related to water and wastewater resource management. Shannon is well versed in both public and private civil engineering projects, with comprehensive understanding of permitting and working with local agencies including SLO, Monterey, and Santa Barbara Counties, as well as CA State and Regional Water Boards.

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​​.

Thomas is one of our project engineers on our structural engineering team in the Pasadena office. He joined Ashley and Vance shortly after completing his degree in Civil Engineering at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Thomas strives to find cost-effective and creative structural solutions for a variety of projects. In his free time, you could find Thomas playing basketball, rocking out on the violin, and working on music production.

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.

With background in both architecture and construction, Tyler knows some of the needs and desires of architectural design and how structural engineering can supplement and enhance those goals. Initially calling Bishop and the Eastern Sierras home, Tyler attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and majored in Architecture and Architectural Engineering. He first started working for Ashley & Vance while attending college and continues to help our clientele with his valuable and unique skill set. He returned to the mountains and to the Tahoe area after college and also spends part of his time in Fairbanks, Alaska.