President
Ajay Sehgal, P.E., M.ASCE
Vice President
Faheem Syed, P.E., M.ASCE
Treasurer
Randall Block, M.ASCE
Director of the Board
Kamal Gautam, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
Jim Small, M.ASCE
Ezra Tjung, Ph.D.
Secretary
Edward Wang, D.Sc., P.E., F.ASCE
PRESIDENT
Mr. Ajay Sehgal is a current President of ASCE, Golden Gate Branch. Mr. Sehgal is a retired Branch Chief from the Office of Encroachment Permits within California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Prior to this assignment he was a Senior Bridge Engineer, (Temporary Structures Subject Matter Expert) in the Office of Structure Construction (Bridge Dept.) at Caltrans. Mr. Sehgal provided guidance in the design & construction of temporary structure required for the construction of bridges such as falsework, scaffolding, bridge trestles, trenching, shoring, and demolition of bridges. He updated the Caltrans Falsework and Trenching & Shoring Manual, and he was the point person working with the railroad (RR) companies to obtain approval of temporary structures for Caltrans projects within or adjacent to the RR.
Mr. Sehgal started his career with Caltrans in 1988 when he worked on the rehabilitation of Schulyer Heim Bridge, a vertical Draw Bridge in Los Angeles. It was recently replaced in 2020. In 1995, he worked on the seismic retrofit of the Presidio Viaduct in SF, a Southern Approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. This bridge has been replaced under the Doyle Drive project in 2016. Then, in 1996 he worked in San Francisco on the Eastern Approach to the Bay Bridge. In 2008, he worked on the new Self-Anchored Suspension Bay Bridge. He went to China, and later to South Korea, on special assignments related to the inspection of the custom made Shear Keys and Bearings for this Bay Bridge over the navigation channel going to Port of Oakland.
Mr. Sehgal has prepared multiple rehabilitation & emergency projects’ bid documents for long-span toll bridges in the SF Bay Area and Southern California as Design Engineer in the Caltrans Toll Program Bridge Maintenance & Investigations. Mr. Sehgal has designed seismic retrofit of buildings early in his career therefore brings a wealth of knowledge in the field of design and construction of buildings and bridges.
- Sehgal was the Chairman of the Caltrans Temporary Structures Committee.
- Co-chair of the 2013 & 2019 International OBG (Orthotropic Box Girder) Conference, Sacramento, CA.
- VP (Education) ASCE Capitol Branch: 2011 – 2014
- VP ASCE (Golden Gate Branch): 2018-Current
- Keynote speaker and presenter at the 4th OBG Conference, September 2015 in Tianjin, China. ASCE partnered with China Bridge Magazine who hosted this international conference.
Award Received: Thomas E. Stanton Award for Best Event for OBG Conference 2013
Hobbies: Reading, travelling, dancing and promoting unity in diversity.
VICE PRESIDENT
Mr. Faheem Syed is a seasoned civil engineering professional with over two decades of experience in the public sector. He has demonstrated expertise in managing large-scale infrastructure projects, regulatory compliance, and enhancing operational efficiency within governmental organizations. Currently serving as an officer with Caltrans, Faheem has been instrumental in overseeing critical transportation projects that improve infrastructure and public safety across California.
In addition to his technical expertise, Faheem is an active leader in the professional community. He serves as President of the Caltrans Demosthenes Toastmasters, where he hones and promotes public speaking and leadership skills among engineering professionals. His role as Vice President of the Bay Area Section of Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG) highlights his commitment to advocating for the interests of engineers and enhancing the profession’s visibility. His 24 years of active membership with PECG underscore his dedication to fostering innovation and collaboration within the field.
A dynamic communicator and collaborative leader, Faheem is deeply involved in mentoring young professionals and guiding them towards career growth in civil engineering. His leadership style is centered on building inclusive teams and driving organizational success through clear communication and strategic problem-solving. Faheem is committed to public service and continues to play a key role in shaping California’s infrastructure future. He holds a firm belief in the value of teamwork, continuous learning, and ethical practices in engineering. Outside of his professional pursuits, Faheem actively engages in community development and capacity-building initiatives.
TREASURER
Mr. Randall Block was a structural engineer who designed primarily bridges, retaining walls, water- and wastewater-related structures, and industrial and public-works-related buildings. He had an engineering career spanning more than 30 years, and is currently retired. He received his undergraduate education in civil engineering at Stanford University, and later earned a Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree and a Master of Business Administration degree at other universities. He earned registrations by the State of California as a Civil Engineer and as a Structural Engineer. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Golden Gate Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers since 2019, and is currently serving as its treasurer.
DIRECTOR
Dr. Kamal Gautam is a Fellow of ASCE and currently serves as director of GGB. He was president of GGB during 2020-21 and provided a leadership role navigating through the challenging times of COVID-19. During the pandemic’s early stage, he organized a global professional virtual platform, Khimti Forum – monthly talk programs with volunteering world-class professionals and subject matter experts on the theme of “Energy, Infrastructure, Environment and Economics.”
Kamal is a licensed professional engineer in California and Hawaii, and a certified project management professional (PMP). His doctoral degree in civil engineering is from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Master of Science in hydraulic engineering (hydropower and dams engineering) from IHE in Delft (2002), and his Bachelor of Science (with honors) in civil engineering from the Odessa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Ukraine (1992). He has published about 12 peer-reviewed research papers and technical articles in journals, and conferences proceedings.
Kamal has 30 years of hydropower industry experience, primarily from consulting engineering practice. He began his professional career in 1993 as a design engineer for a 60 MW Khimti I Hydropower Project, where he played a vital role in planning and execution of the project leading all the way to its commissioning in 2000. Currently Gautam serves as the director of engineering with rPlus Energies, a national renewable energy developer company, and provides strategic leadership role in the engineering of multiple pumped storage hydro projects currently being developed across the US. He also serves as deputy chair of the Pumped Storage Council of National Hydropower Association (NHA) of USA, and in this capacity he advocates for long duration energy storage with pumped storage hydro to better utilize internment renewable energy resources such as solar and wind.
DIRECTOR
Mr. James C. Small attended and graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor degree in Civil Engineering. Later in life, he obtained a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of San Francisco. He obtained his professional Civil Engineering license from the State of California in 1971.
He obtained his officer’s commission and served in the United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps. Mobile Construction Battalion Ten as a junior officer. He was deployed with his battalion to Vietnam, where he led efforts to build military facilities in the I Corps Area.
Jim worked his entire professional life as a civil engineer. He spent most of his career with Kaiser Engineers. He worked on industrial, transportation, and infrastructure projects throughout the United States.
He has been a long-time member and officer in the American Society of Civil Engineers Golden Gate Branch Board. Jim Small is a retired civil engineer with over 50 years of experience. Most of his career was here in the bay area working on infrastructure and transportation projects. He has supported the Golden Gate Branch for over 20 years serving as secretary, president, and director. Jim was honored with the Branch Officer of the Year Award in 2015 as well as the H. J. Brunnier Award for Outstanding Service in 2021.
DIRECTOR
Dr. Ezra Yoanes Setiasabda is currently a Senior Engineer at Exponent in Oakland, California, USA. He has several years of geotechnical consulting experience including in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Currently, he focuses on failure analysis and litigation support for infrastructure projects with significant geotechnical aspect. Passionate about teaching, Ezra is also serving as a Lecturer of the Smart Construction and Civil Engineering Department at the Calvin Institute Technology in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is his first involvement the ASCE Golden Gate Branch.
Ezra completed his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley (2020) in geotechnical engineering, with a focus on numerical modeling with the Material Point Method and applications to 3D landslides and dam failures. Prior to that, he obtained his MS (2016) in geotechnical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and his BEng (2014) in Civil and Structural Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
The San Francisco Bay Area is the 6th city Ezra has ever lived in (each city for more than 3 years the others being Jakarta, Palembang, Tangerang, Singapore and Hong Kong). He enjoys photography, Christian theology, plays the piano, sings in choir and a die-hard Liverpool fan.
SECRETARY
Dr. Edward Wang boasts over 25 years of engineering, consulting, management, and research experience across private, government, and academic sectors. He has held diverse roles including design engineer, discipline manager, professor, and associate dean of academic affairs. Ed embarked on his engineering journey in 1996 within the private industry, focusing initially on routine building and bridge inspection as well as building code compliance review.
One of his primary research focuses has been seismic retrofit of infrastructure, employing life cycle cost techniques. His contributions led to significant advancements in this field. In 2016, Dr. Wang achieved the esteemed status of Fellow, following his tenure as President of the ASCE Taiwan International Group and Deputy Secretary General of the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinate Council (ACECC).
Dr. Wang holds a Doctoral of Science Degree in Structural Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a registered Professional Engineer in California and a Structural Engineer in Illinois. His scholarly achievements include the publication of 9 books and over 150 journal and conference papers, solidifying his reputation as a thought leader in his field.
