Claire Barnett (MSCE 1985) is a senior project manager at EnSafe, Inc. She also was recently elected to a 2-year term as president of the Girl Scout Council of the Mid-South, headquartered in Memphis. The Girl Scout Council of the Mid-South serves 9.500 in a 10-county area in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

Bobby Brock (BSCE 1995) lives in Heber Springs, Arkansas where he owns his own civil engineering consulting firm, Brock Engineering. Bobby and wife Anna have three children, Candice (17) who graduates from high school this spring, Caleb (13), and Cameron (6).

Memphis District Power Team members in Hammond, LA last September on Hurricane Katrina response

Zach Cook (BSCE 2004) is a Hydraulic Engineer with the Memphis District Corps of Engineers, and works in the River Engineering section. He is married to the former Emily Peyton, who is a graphic designer at Bellevue Baptist Church. Zach and Emily have a Yorkshire Terrier named Tyson.

Houston Daugherty (BSCE 1992) formerly the Town Engineer for the Town of Collierville has changed jobs. He now works with Smith Seckman Reid, Inc.

Matt Thompson (BSCE 1980) is the new Collierville Town Engineer.

Brad Davis (BSCE 1996, MSCE 1997) has been working at Ellers, Oakley, Chester & Rike for 8 years. He is the Director of the Environmental Division and concentrates on water and wastewater design. He and wife Melissa have been married for 10 years, and have two children, Drew (3) and Tess (10 months). Brad is a runner and completed the 2004 St. Jude Memphis Marathon.

Charissa Derieg (BSCE 2004) works for the Tennessee Department of Transportation in the Memphis office, Construction Division. She is responsible for overseeing the inspection and coordination of the maintenance on the Intelligence Transportation System (ITS) (cameras and dynamic message signs), being implemented in Memphis. Charissa and her husband Tom, a civil engineer from Georgia Tech, are expecting their first children (twins) this August.

Merrie (Salyers) Embry (BSCE 2000, MSCE 2003) currently works for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Remediation, as an environmental protection specialist. Her husband Jeff Embry (BSCE 2001) currently works for Memphis Light, Gas, and Water as the acting lead water distribution engineer. Merrie and Jeff live in Tipton County, where they finished construction on their new home in April 2003. They have an adorable, spoiled Shetland sheepdog named Toby.

Michelle (Lucking) Emerson (BSCE 1992) moved to Manchester, TN three and a half years ago. She is currently working part-time for a small civil engineering firm involved in subdivision design. She has been married to Ronnie Emerson for 11 years and has two children Bryce (7) and Casey (5).

Don Fletcher (BSCE 1997) has recently accepted a position with Bronze Construction in Memphis.

Sharon Haggett presents a briefing on the Wilmington Harbor Project to USACE Chief of Engineers Lieutenant General Carl Strock

Sharon Haggett (BSCE 1986)works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District. She is the Project Manager of the Wilmington Harbor project http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/wilmington-harbor/main.htm, the goal of which is to deepen 37 miles of channel by 4 feet in the Cape Fear River up to the State Port of Wilmington, and into the Northeast Cape Fear River.

Hakan Hansson (BSCE 1996, MSCE 1999) has worked with Parsons in Memphis as a structural engineer since graduation. He has recently decided to transfer to Parsons’ office in Denver, Colorado. He and wife Karen have been married since 2000, and have two children, Jonathan (4) and Ellen (1).

Robert Knecht (BSCE 2003) has been employed by the City of Memphis. Division of Public Works, Drain Maintenance Department since graduation, where he is currently Manager of his department. Robert is currently working on an MBA with the University of Phoenix, and will complete the program in 2007. Robert and wife Mendy have three children, Kristen (15), Kyle (13), and Jordan (11).

Charles Long (BSCE 1983, MSCE 1984) worked for IBM and Unisys for 10 years before founding Germantown Pool and Spa in 1995. He founded Germantown Driveway and Patio in 2001. He currently serves as CEO and President of both companies. Charles and wife LeAnn Loeffel (BSE 1985) have two children, Charlie and Kristin.

Rob Rash (BSCE 1997) is currently the CEO/Chief Engineer for the St. Francis Levee District of Arkansas.

Brent Sutton (BSCE 1995) currently works for the Port of Memphis. Nick Taylor (BSCE 2004) works for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and currently is in the construction department as an Operation Specialist I. Nick manages a project on S.R. 385 between Highway 64 and Macon Road, consisting of three bridges, box culverts, and nearly 3 miles of roadway. He works daily with the prime and subcontractors and performs monthly estimates on their work completed.

Chris Triplett (BSCE 1999) is a Project Manager for EnSafe. He is active in ASCE and serves on the Board of the West Tennessee Branch.

Lee Williams (BSCE 2003) has been working in Roadway Design for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Jackson office, since graduation. He is working toward a MSCE from UT Knoxville and an MBA from UT Martin. Lee and wife Jessica live in an older home in Jackson and spend their spare time on restoration projects.

Alumni Spotlight : Matt Pierce

Matt Pierce has been working for the Corps of Engineers, Memphis District since his graduation in 2004. He is a Civil Engineer with the Memphis District Revetments. His main job requirement is to assist the Chief of Revetment, Kevin Williams in the operations of the Clearing & Snagging, Grading, and Loading Units. However, this all changed on September 1 st of 2005. Matt’s unit was called to assist after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans and the Mississippi coast. His unit was sent, under Task Force Unwatering, to breach levees in Plaquemines Parish that were holding water inside the levee systems. Their next orders were to begin repairing breaches in other parts of the parish. They were repairing a breach in Nairn, LA when Hurricane Rita made landfall. His unit was then evacuated from Louisiana. They returned shortly to continue repairing breaches, clearing debris, and repairing scour holes. After Task Force Unwatering was complete, Matt’s unit went under order of Task Force Guardian, which involves reconstruction of the levee systems. His unit is responsible for digging borrow for the contractors to place on the levees. Matt serves as a liaison between the Project Manager for Plaquemines and the hired labor crews. He is responsible for staffing the four borrow pits under construction, ordering equipment, providing production reports, and performing soil analyses.

Extreme Engineering, a Discovery Channel program, spent a day at one of Matt’s units’ borrow pits (Walker Road) while developing a special on the reconstruction of the levees in the New Orleans area. They were particularly interested in the 100 ton dragline that is removing the material in the pits. The soil conditions at the Walker Road site make the use of the dragline necessary for the 20 ft excavations. The Extreme Engineering special will air sometime this spring.

Matt takes pride in the fact that he is helping the people of New Orleans, particularly in Plaquemines Paris, reclaim and rebuild their homes. His experiences over the past six months have undoubtedly reinforced within him the importance of the career he has undertaken. The devastation he has encountered he describes as “unimaginable.” The majority of the communities in which his unit has been working were completely destroyed by the hurricanes.

Being away from his family and girlfriend for the past six months, and more than likely for the next six months has been difficult. However, he recognizes the invaluable experience he is obtaining, and more importantly the invaluable service he is rendering to the people in the hurricane affected regions. When asked about the difficulties he is experiencing, Matt replied, “I just try to remind myself that the work that I am doing will go down in history, and I will be back home soon enough.”

If you have any information you would like to share please send it to Stephanie (Salyers) Ivey.

Alumni Faces at the Recent Order of the Enigneer Ceremony