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It’s elections time for the IGS North America Board of Directors! IGS North America, which represents the field in Canada and the United States, is electing a new President-Elect and three (of four) vice presidents. The current President-Elect Dr. Ben Leshchinsky will transition into the IGS-NA President’s role during the General Meeting on February 7 in Kansas City at Geosynthetics Conference. (Thank you, John Allen, for your years of service as President-Elect 2019-2020 and President 2021-2022!) IGS North America keeps four Vice Presidents, on staggered four-year terms. This year, we are filling three of the four positions.

Voting links have been sent out to all individual members.  (Student and affiliate members are not eligible.) Votes will be collected through January 31 and winners announced on February 7 at the IGS North America General Meeting in Kansas City.

Additional roles with the IGS North America Board will be announced after the election (e.g., Treasurer, Secretary, and position other special VP roles).

THE CANDIDATES

President-Elect

Kristin Sample-Lord, Ph.D., P.E. (USA)
Unchallenged

Dr. Sample-Lord is currently an IGS North America Vice-President with a mission focus on University Outreach. She is Associate Professor and Assistant Department Chair in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the Center for Resilient Water Systems at Villanova University. She received her MS and PhD from Colorado State University. Her research focuses on environmental containment barriers and green stormwater infrastructure, supported through funding from multiple national and state agencies (National Science Foundation, Department of Environmental Protection, PA Department of Transportation). She is an editorial board member for Geotextiles and Geomembranes and Canadian Geotechnical Journal. In addition to her work with IGS North America, she serves in a range of leadership roles in the geosynthetics, geotechnical, and engineering education communities. These roles include Board Member of the United States Universities Council on Geotechnical Education and Research (USUCGER) and Communications Coordinator for the ASCE Geoenvironmental Engineering Technical Committee. Dr. Sample-Lord has been recognized a rising “changemaker” for geotechnical engineering education. Learn more on LinkedIn.

Vice President Candidates

Fady Abdelaal, Ph.D. (Canada)

Dr. Abdelaal is an Assistant Professor of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Engineering at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He is also the Education Committee Co-Chair for GeoAmericas 2024, the 5th Pan-American Conference on Geosynthetics, which will take place in April 2024 in Toronto.  He has worked as an engineer and as a professor on multiple continents going back to 2004. He has a significant background in barrier systems, from private practice and research, including with low-level radioactive waste containment, potable water, landfills, and mining applications (e.g., heap leach pads, tailings storage facilities, and the Bayer process for Aluminum extraction). Learn more on LinkedIn.

Marco Isola, Ph.D., P.E. (USA)

Marco Isola is an Associate Engineer – Geotechnical at WSP. He is based in the Tampa area (Florida). He brings experience in design and construction of civil, geotechnical, and hydraulic structures for the mining, geo-environmental and transportation sectors: engineering analysis, design of geosynthetics systems, development of design criteria, plans and specifications, permitting and procurement support, dam safety inspections, and managing construction projects for operating and closed mine sites and other large-scale geotechnical projects throughout North and South America and Africa. He is a recognized expert in the design and use of geosynthetics for soil stabilization and reinforcement, waste and tailings containment, and drainage applications. He teaches seminars and short courses on geosynthetics applications at national and international agencies, organizations, and engineering colleges. Learn more on LinkedIn.

John Lostumbo, P.E. (USA)

John Lostumbo is seeking a second term as a Vice President for IGS North America. He is Vice President of Marketing and Technical Services AMS for Solmax. For IGS North America, he currently serves as Vice President – Technical and as the Co-Chair of the Exhibits & Sponsorships Committee of GeoAmericas 2024. Lostumbo brings 25 years of experience as a private practice engineer (e.g., project design and management on major transportation works) and as an expert from the manufacturing side of geosynthetics. He serves in multiple industry organizations and volunteers regularly in his community. Learn more on LinkedIn.

Joseph Scalia IV, Ph.D., P.E. (USA)

Dr. Scalia is Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University and Co-Chair of GeoAmericas 2024. Scalia specializes in geoenvironmental and geotechnical engineering. Scalia’s research and teaching center on the convergences of soil mechanics with contaminant hydrology, geology, environmental engineering, hydrology, mechanical engineering, and hydraulics. Prior to joining CSU, Scalia was a senior associate at Exponent (formerly Failure Analysis Associates) in the Environmental and Earth Sciences Practice in Bellevue, Washington, and Natick, Massachusetts. Learn more on LinkedIn.