Page 32 - LWFC Catalog

SPEAKER BIOS
SPEAKER BIOS

John Kevern, PhD. Dr. Kevern is the Department Chair for Civil and Mechanical Engineering
at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a nationally recognized expert on permeable
concrete, concrete durability, and non-traditional concrete applications. He received his
Ph.D. from Iowa State University at the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center. He
chairs AFN10 Basic Research and Emerging Technology Related to Concrete committee at
the Transportation Research Board. Dr. Kevern has been named one of the top five most
influential people in the concrete industry by concrete construction magazine and is a
Fellow of ACI. Some of his current research topics include improving water quality using
cement-based filters, techniques to reduce cost and improve performance of soil structures in sub-Saharan
Africa, and eliminating joints in concrete pavements. He has authored over 100 journal articles, papers, and
reports and has been an invited presenter over 150 times at US and international conferences.

Seth Knihtila. Seth is a Project Engieer with Thornton Tomasetti in Boston Massachusetts and
brings more than seven years of geotechnical and geostructrual experience. Mr. Knihtila
is best known for providing hands on interaction and project oversight in geotechnical
engineering, construction practices and code compliance. He possess a deep commitment
in identifying and resolving problems to satisfy clients and owners needs from concept to
completion. He formerly worked for Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers prior to joining
Thornton Tomasetti. He served as the lead designer for the construction phase of the
Climate Pledge Arena. He is a professional registered engineer in Massachusetts and New
York.

Gary Ledford, PE, M.ASCE. Gary has over 35 years experience in the planning, design
and construction of waterfront and marine structures for cargo, cruise, and commerical
space launch facilities. Designed or managed the design of all cruise terminal berths in Port
Canaveral since 1986. 10 years experience at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station space
launch facilties. Member of PIANC Working Group 152: Guidelines for Cruise Terminals

Jenny Liu, PhD, PE, Professor. Dr. Liu is a Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural
and Environmental Engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T),
and Associate Director for Research of the National Center for Transportation Infrastructure
Durability and Life-Extension (TriDurLE). Prior to joining S&T, she was a professor at University
of Alaska Fairbanks and Director of Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation
in Cold Climates (CESTiCC). She received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Texas A&M
University, and her B.S. degree from Tongji University, Shanghai, China. Her research focuses
on understanding and application of civil infrastructure materials, and economic and
effective solutions (design, construction, and preservation strategies) to transportation infrastructure needs.
She is currently an Associate Editor of ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering and ASCE Journal of
Transportation Engineering Part B: Pavements, and member of several TRB and ASCE committees. She has
served as Chair of ASCE Bituminous Materials Committee and Vice-president of American Concrete Institute
(ACI) Alaska Chapter. Her work has been recognized by a number of awards including three times of Best
Paper award from international conferences, two times of ASCE Outstanding Reviewer, 2019 S&T Faculty
Research Award, and 2016 Engineer of the Year of Alaska Society of Professional Engineers Fairbanks Chapter.
She is a licensed PE in Alaska.