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.

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 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 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 is a structural project engineer in our Los Angeles office.  After earning his degree in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley, Greg joined the team at Ashley & Vance’s Oakland office where he was a member of the structural design team for some of the largest projects in AV history.  Greg has several years of structural design experience ranging from residential remodels and commercial TI’s to mid-rise hotels and seismic retrofits of large industrial buildings. Greg values all aspects of the engineering process, from client interface to collaboration between members of the design team to the technical details of engineering design.  

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.

As a long time Santa Barbara local, Jason has been practicing civil engineering for over 20 years. He has worked on various high-profile projects with large multi-national civil engineering firms. For 10 years prior, he worked for Foster Wheeler Corporation in their Clinton, New Jersey office. He prepared civil and site improvement designs and plans for facilities serving the power, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Some of his past projects include grading and drainage design for international clients such as Amerada Hess, Shell Oil, and Merck Pharmaceuticals, both in the United States and overseas.

Jason is intimately familiar with the entitlement and permitting process for large and small projects on the Central Coast and Southern California. Recently he worked on high-profile projects in the education, hospitality and healthcare industries as well as on luxury residential developments. Through these projects, Jason has become very familiar with the expectations of several local agencies within Santa Barbara County. Jason is the principal civil engineer at our Santa Barbara office. 

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 is part of our structural engineering team in the San Luis Obispo office. He graduated from Cal Poly with an Architectural Engineering degree and has previous experience performing geotechnical testing both in the lab and in the field. Juan brings a positive attitude and is excited to take on new projects with Ashley & Vance.

In his free time, Juan enjoys playing soccer with friends and family and attending live sporting events.

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.

Kelsey is an Administrative Assistant for the Bend Office. Kelsey is a multitasking master! Kelsey is a part time office manager in charge of maintaining office services and procedures, she also assists with correspondence daily. Kelsey can be seen around Bend in her signature AV beanie, riding her bike, or rock climbing at Smith Rock.

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.

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.

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. 

Shellie is a structural project engineer in the Bend office with design experience in a wide variety of structures including residences, commercial buildings, fire stations, educational facilities, and remodels. She enjoys looking at designs from a contractor's point of view and strives to produce the most constructible, efficient and economical designs possible.

Steven is part of the structural engineering team in our San Luis Obispo office, having received his M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  His design experience covers a variety of projects ranging from small-scale home remodels to multi-family residential developments. Steven brings thoroughness and close attention to detail to every project he works on, regardless of scale.

When not engineering, Steven enjoys hiking the San Luis Obispo area or reading a good mystery.

Timothy recently graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno and now works in the Santa Barbara office. With an honors degree in Geological Engineering, he looks forward to bringing his passion for geotechnical projects and hydrology to the Civil team. During college, Timothy interned in a lab performing soil testing as well as in an engineering firm where he worked on geotechnical projects in mines and roads. He has also gained hands on experience in construction while framing buildings and remodels. After graduating, he spent a season wildland firefighting where he gained a larger appreciation for positive communication and teamwork and aims to bring these skills into the professional realm.

When he’s not inside, Timothy is outside... He loves shredding powder on skis, dirt on a mountain bike, and his hands on rocks while climbing. 

Tung is a structural engineer in our Reno 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.