2026 Awards Judges

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2026 Awards Judges

Sharon M. Gallant, P.E., S.E.| Principal, Protective Design Group| KPFF Consulting Engineers

Sharon is a Managing Principal at KPFF, a nationally recognized structural and civil engineering company with offices throughout the country. She leads the Protective Design practice group, which specializes in hardening of facilities for accidental and intentional explosive effects, progressive collapse, hostile vehicle, and armed attack(i.e., ballistic and forced entry). She has over 30 years of professional structural engineering experience and brings a unique background in both manmade and natural hazard mitigation. Prior to joining KPFF, she was the Project Director at Hinman Consulting Engineers for 10 years and an Associate Principal at Degenkolb Engineers for 15 years where she specialized in seismic and conventional design.
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Rob Foster, DBIA, CM LEAN | Construction Project Manager | Sundt Construction

Rob has been working in the industry since the age of 17. After obtaining a Bachelor of Architecture at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, he has spent the last 16years with Sundt Construction in Southern California in various preconstruction and construction roles on alternate delivery projects. As a licensed Architect, Rob is committed to the integration of the design and construction process to deliver better outcomes to clients. Rob was most recently responsible for leading the team that completed the $95M San Diego International Airport Administration Building which included Airport Operations and Emergency Operations Centers.
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Anca C. Ferche, PhD | Assistant Professor | University of Texas at Austin

Anca is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, role she has held since 2021. She received her PhD (2020) and MASc (2015) degrees from the university of Toronto. Her research interests include the development of advanced computational procedures for the performance assessment of concrete structures, combining numerical and experimental approaches. Dr. Ferche teaches courses related to the design, behavior and advanced assessment of concrete structures at undergraduate and graduate levels.
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Preetam Biswas P.E., F.SEI, LEED GA | Structural Engineering Principal | Skidmore Owings and Merril

Preetam is a Structural Engineering Principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). As both a structural engineer and an architect, Preetam excels at designing innovative, yet simple and constructible systems and led the structural design of several award-winning tall buildings, long-span structures, and small-scale specialty structures. Preetam has authored and edited numerous technical publications and served as editor and lead author of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Design and Performance of Tall Buildings for Wind. He actively participates in various committees, currently serving as the Chair of the ASCE Tall Buildings Committee and is a member of the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) Code Advisory Committee. He also serves as an academic advisor at Syracuse University and New York University.

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Chris Bennet AIA, NCARB| Design Director | Studio Gang

Chris Bennett is a Design Director at Studio Gang’s Chicago office, where he leads projects at the intersection of architecture, urban design, and landscape. With a focus on the interface between large-scale urban interventions and the intimate architectural moments within them, Chris brings a holistic design approach that prioritizes human experience while fostering connectivity to the broader ecological and cultural landscape. Most recently, he was the project leader for Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee, a transformative redevelopment of nearly 30 acres along the Memphis riverfront. Reimagined as a dynamic, inclusive, and ecologically rich public space, the park reconnects the city to the Mississippi River while providing vibrant gathering spaces, play areas, and ecological restoration zones.

Improving the Business of Structural Engineering