Staff

Andrew is a project engineer in the San Luis Obispo office. He has completed structural designs for a wide range of projects for clients all over California including the City and County of Los Angeles, Napa and Sonoma counties, and a variety of public- and private-sector clients on the Central Coast. His project experience encompasses single- and multi-family residential, wineries, and designs requiring probable maximum loss analysis and reporting.

Prior to his employment with Ashley & Vance, Andrew was employed as a framer with a construction company based in San Luis Obispo. This hands-on experience, coupled with a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, enables him to provide efficient, cost-effective, and readily-buildable structural designs to meet both the architectural requirements and cost needs of our clients.

Austin became AVE’s second staff engineer working from our Bend, Oregon office. As a project engineer, Austin has worked on high-end residential houses, commercial buildings, retrofits, and remodels, as well as tenant improvement projects spanning from Southern California to Northern Washington. Austin enjoys bringing efficient structural design to complex architectural issues, especially in high-wind or seismic areas. Austin earned his Civil Engineering degree from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

Brett is a member of the Denver Office civil engineering team. He graduated from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. Since then Brett has been practicing in the State of Colorado preparing construction plans and engineering reports for a variety of projects including, custom residences, multi-family, commercial buildings, urban mixed-use, business parks, assisted living facilities, and residential subdivisions.

An integral member of our team from the very beginning, Chad serves as a Principal Structural Engineer in our Santa Barbara office.  He has completed numerous structural engineering projects throughout San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, & Los Angeles counties, and has taken great pride in offering creative & cost-conscious design solutions in areas ranging from custom residential & multi-family housing, to commercial buildings & industrial facilities. Chad couples his extensive design experience with strong communication skills to effectively manage projects by actively interfacing with clients, fellow design professionals, governing jurisdictions, and his own team members on a day-in & day-out basis.

Chelsie earned her BS degree in Architectural Engineering with a minor in Construction Management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She began working for Ashley & Vance shortly after graduating, and she continues to be a tremendous contributor to our San Luis Obispo office and our Santa Barbara office. She has worked on a wide variety of projects ranging from tract homes to high-end custom residences, commercial buildings, tenant improvements, and various retrofits and remodels. Chelsie enjoys how each project poses its own distinctive difficulties, and in turn, requires a unique and cost-effective solution.

Growing up on a ranch in Wyoming, Chelsie learned the value of hard physical work and the intricacies of the building process. As a young girl and into adulthood, she helped her father build multiple structures on their ranch and at their home. Chelsie’s exposure to the practicalities of construction gives her keen insight into the details and constructability of each of her projects.

Cristi Fry is employed in the San Luis Obispo office and is a Registered Civil Engineer, a Licensed Land Surveyor, and also a certified Qualified Storm Water Developer and Practitioner.  Cristi has been involved with land use and development since the early 1990s. She has worked on a wide variety of projects and has a specialized knowledge of subdivision design and subdivision mapping, including condominium mapping.

Cristi has been living on the Central Coast of California since 2000 and particularly enjoys aspects of the project entitlement process; site development constraint maps, preparation of conceptual development plans and preliminary drainage studies.  Cristi has an expertise in chain of title research and lot legality studies and thoroughly understands the subdivision progression timelines and the required coordination with the agency, Title Company, Land Use Attorneys, and BRE processors that may be necessary.  Cristi has experience processing project approvals with many jurisdictions throughout the state of California, from as far south as Malibu, and as far north as Napa.

Cristi has a husband, two adult children and two dogs.  When not working, Cristi enjoys traveling, camping, and house renovations.

Davis is part of the civil engineering team in the Bend office. He graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering where his primary focus was hydraulics and water treatment systems. Along with his collegiate knowledge, Davis also has experience as an onsite project engineer and with hands on experience as a carpenter. He has worked on building custom homes, helping to manage a multi-million dollar concrete structure project and creating concepts and outlines for solving Bozeman’s 2050 water storage crisis.    

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.

Dustin Revel is on our civil engineering team in our Bend office. Dustin studied Environmental Resources Engineering (specializing in hydraulic systems, natural and manmade) at Humboldt State University. He has experience with residential, commercial, and industrial developments and has worked on several river restoration projects including fish passage improvements (dam removal, culvert replacement, etc.). 

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.    

Lisa is a civil project engineer in our Denver office. After earning her degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas, she moved to Colorado to pursue her career and the mountains. Lisa joins Ashley & Vance Engineering after many years of industry experience with a general contractor as well as a full-scope architecture and engineering company. Her background working alongside other disciplines has helped shape her to be a well-rounded engineer that understands the challenges faced by not only civil engineers, but every aspect of the building process. She utilizes that knowledge to make every project as effective, efficient, and economical as possible. In her spare time, Lisa can be found in the beautiful Colorado mountains or playing with her pup, Truffle.

Matt received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Nevada, Reno in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in structural design.  Upon graduation Matt worked overseas in Australia as a field engineer on a large natural gas project.  Since returning he spent over 4 years designing base isolation systems for both structural and non-structural applications worldwide.  When Matt is not in the office he can be found at the climbing gym or planning his next roller coaster road trip.

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.

Miles is one of our project engineers on our civil engineering team in the San Luis Obispo office. He joined Ashley and Vance shortly  after completing his degree in Civil Engineering at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Miles takes pride in developing civil engineering solutions that are constructible, sound, and cost-effective. In his free time, Miles can be found maintaining one of his several aquariums, playing the drums, and enjoying the natural beauty of the central coast.

Nick is based out of our San Luis Obispo office. He specializes in the design of new structures, evaluation and rehabilitation of existing structures, and investigation of structural failures. His diverse experience as a structural engineer includes working with numerous types of structural materials and systems, which can range from traditional structural engineering methods to more innovative systems including base isolation and viscous dampers.

He was a member of the ASCE 7-16 sub-committee tasked with re-writing the Base Isolation and Energy Dissipation code. He applies his knowledge of performance based earthquake engineering in seismic rehabilitation of existing structures and design of new structures. Nick lived in Christchurch, New Zealand for approximately 3 years following the Canterbury Earthquakes, performing numerous seismic assessments and repairs to damaged buildings.

By completing numerous structural engineering projects throughout the US and New Zealand, he takes great pride in offering creative and cost-effective design solutions across multiple industries ranging from rocket launch complexes, industrial facilities, commercial buildings, and wastewater treatment facilities. In addition, Nick has five years of experience as a carpenter providing unique insight on constructability and practical issues related to structural behavior and design.

As an alumnus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the California Central Coast has been his region of focus throughout his career. Paul opened our Santa Barbara office in 2012, and remains one of the Principal Engineers overseeing the structural team in that location. He holds great rapport with clients with his positive attitude and energetic approach to all projects. He welcomes challenges and utilizes his extensive background in building construction, dabbling in a wide range of trades including welding, concrete, framing, and carpentry, in his work today. After using those skills and completing a father-son development project of two hillside residences in 2010, that comprehensive building experience now elicits his unique approach to structural solutions. Within the industry, Paul engages with the larger community by serving on the AIA Board of Directors for the Santa Barbara chapter since 2018. His role includes a seat as the Annual ArchitecTours Logistics Chair (since 2016) for the showcase of local accomplishments and contributions in design and engineering to the community at large.

Rian is a structural project engineer in the Santa Barbara office who brings a diverse range of talent to the AV team. He has six years of structural engineering experience in light frame wood construction for residential and multi-family projects, and is an expert on engineered wood products. Rian is an innovator and a collaborator and enjoys putting his skills to work for his clients. He earned his BS in Structural Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and is overjoyed to be back on the central coast.

Robert is a project engineer on our structural team in the San Luis Obispo office. He graduated from Cal Poly with a General Engineering degree but learned to love buildings while employed by a Livermore based contractor. Robert has worked on high end residential, remodels and commercial buildings before and during his time at AV. 

Rosa is a structural project engineer in our Oakland office. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona, where she focused her studies on structural design. After college, she worked in construction management for public works projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. She then joined a structural engineering firm that specializes in forensic analysis and preparing repair protocol for damaged structures. With a passion for structural designs for new construction, Rosa welcomes the opportunity to resolve problems as they may arise. Outside of work, Rosa loves chasing her personal records in running/jogging, spending time with family and friends, and traveling. 

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.