2019 Engineer of the Year Nominees.

• Author: Mestas, Amy
• Position: ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING SPECIAL SECTION / NOMINEES

Amy K. Mestas, PE, SE, is a registered civil and structural engineer and PDC Engineers' senior associate leading their structural engineering group. She has a BS and MS in civil engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Mestas serves on the board of the Structural Engineers Association of Alaska where she is the immediate past president, having held the positions of treasurer, vice-president, and president over the past five years. She also serves on the board for the Alaska Professional Design Council and is a member of several other industry organizations.

Mestas has thirteen years of structural engineering experience and eight years of multi-discipline project management experience. She has served as the lead structural designer for projects such as the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project Administrative Office and Visitor Center, the Crown Point Maintenance Station, City of Valdez Kelsey Dock Interpretive Center, and the John R. Pugh Student Residence Hall at the University of Alaska Southeast, which was awarded an Honor Award in the category of Structural Systems during Engineers Week in 2015.

Her recent military design work includes projects throughout Alaska. She has been responsible for high-altitude electromagnetic pulse protection, missile field blast design, risk category 5 seismic design, and the renovation of historical facilities. She has worked as a member of seismic review panels for projects related to Alaska's missile defense assets at Fort Greely and Clear AFB and has provided both the designs and reviews for critical mechanical and electrical component designs for high seismic conditions.

Mestas is also active in the community She is the head volleyball coach at South Anchorage High School and was the Northern Lights Math and Science Night Chair for the past two years. She served on the board and scholarship selection committee in 2015 for the Society of Women Engineers and has participated in several Positive Leadership for Active Alaskan Youth conferences. Mestas volunteers during E-week each year as a public speaker and mentor.

Since the Anchorage earthquake on November 30, Mestas has been working around the clock organizing PDC's structural engineering group in post-earthquake inspection efforts. In the first two weeks following the earthquake, their team provided more than forty public and commercial facility inspections and more than forty-five residential inspections. She looks forward to sharing her experiences and stories with students during this upcoming E-week.

Mestas was nominated by the Structural Engineers Association of Alaska, a nonprofit organization established to pursue the common interests of practicing structural engineers and others sharing an interest in the activities of structural engineers.

Katie Johnson

Katie Johnson, PE, has more than ten years of experience as a...