©2022 STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS FOUNDATION OF WASHINGTON | A 501(c)(3) ORGANIZATION
Mission Statement
SEFW’s mission is to "advance the profession of structural engineering through scholarships, education, research, and outreach."
A 501(c)(3) charitable organization, SEFW serves in many capacities to fulfill this mission, such as hosting public forums on topics related to the built environment, awarding scholarships on behalf of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington, producing and promoting educational materials that support structural engineering, and much more!
Students show off their popsicle stick bridge for a competition funded by SEFW.
Volunteers represent structural engineering at a local STEM career expo.
Former Governor Dan Evans participates as a special guest at the 2016 Fall Forum.
Chair Mark D'Amato fosters a partnership with WashingtonSTEM.
Volunteer engineers give a structural-engineering-focused tour of the Seattle Center to high school students.
Our History
In November 2010, a group of current and former elected leaders of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington (SEAW) envisioned an organization that would elevate and advance the profession of structural engineering. Howard Burton, President of SEAW at the time, recruited fellow professionals Mark D'Amato, Ed Huston, Jon Magnusson, Dave Peden, and Ted Smith for a Board of Directors and incorporated the Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington as a 501c(3) nonprofit.
Their first activities as a Foundation were to establish a lecture series (the first Fall Forum took place in October 2011), work with SEAW to create an online Structural Engineers Hall of Fame, and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair with a self-produced 2012 documentary of Seattle Center structural engineers.
These activities set a precedent for great work promoting structural engineering, which has continued since the Foundation’s 2010 inception.
Read our recent Annual Reports for more information on our activities:
Board of Directors
Currently, 13 professionals serve on the Board of Directors for SEFW, with one Chair, two Vice Chairs, and 10 Directors. The board also has a part-time Executive Director.
Craig Roberts
Chair
Principal, CT Engineering
Seattle, WA
Director, 2018-2020
Chair, 2020-present
Howard Burton
Director
Principal, Seattle Structural
Seattle, WA
Founding Board Member, 2010
Chair, 2010-2014
Past Chair, 2014-2016
Director, 2016-present
Peter Somers
Director
Principal, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Seattle, WA
Director, 2019-present
Herb Ahten
Director
Verco Decking
Seattle, WA
Director, 2022-present
Marga Rose Hancock
Director
Owner, MargaInk
Seattle, WA
Communications, 2014-2021
Director, 2021-present
Shana Kelley
Vice Chair
Associate, KPFF Consulting Engineers
Seattle, WA
Vice Chair, 2020-2021
Director, 2018-2020, 2021-present
Ted Smith
Secretary/Treasurer
Principal, Smith & Huston
Seattle, WA
Founding Board Member, 2010
Vice Chair, 2018-2020
Secretary/Treasurer, 2010-present
Angela Gottula Twining
Executive Director
Executive Director, 2012-present
Melissa Verwest
Vice Chair
Knife River
Spokane, WA
Director, 2021-2022
Vice Chair, 2022-present
Scott Douglas
Director
Owner, Douglas Engineering
Seattle, WA
Director, 2016-present
Dick Hemmen
Director
Retired
Seattle, WA
xxx
Vice Chair, xxx-xxx
Director, 2021-present
Trevor Lunde
Director
Director of Virtual Design + Construction, GLY
Bellevue, WA
Director, 2022-present
Cale Ash
Vice Chair
Principal, Degenkolb
Seattle, WA
Director, 2020-2021
Vice Chair, 2021-present
Peter Barlow
Director
Vice President, Contech Solutions
Seattle, WA
Director, 2020-present
Craig Roberts
Howard Burton
Peter Somers
Herb Ahten
Marga Rose Hancock
Shana Kelley
Ted Smith
Angela Gottula Twining
Melissa Verwest
Scott Douglas
Dick Hemmen
Trevor Lunde
Cale Ash
Peter Barlow
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