RESTON, Va. — The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has announced the 2026 New Faces of Civil Engineering in the Professional category. The New Faces of Civil Engineering program highlights and celebrates the achievements of these young professionals. The New Faces honorees will be recognized during ASCE’s Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Gala on October 15, 2026, in Reston, Virginia.

“These young civil engineers have hit the ground running at full speed with their careers, leadership, volunteer work, and dedication to advancing the profession for future civil engineers,” said ASCE President Marsha Anderson Bomar, Ph.D. “Their work to design and build infrastructure systems that help communities grow and thrive will advance public health, safety, and welfare for generations.”

The 2026 New Faces of Civil Engineering in the Professional category are:

  • Kwadwo Amankwah-Nkyi, M.ASCE: A traffic and intelligent systems engineer at Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. in Orlando, Florida, Kwadwo focuses on advancing intelligent, data-driven design solutions to improve transportation infrastructure, safety, resilience, and sustainability. He completed his undergraduate degree in his home country of Ghana and received a master’s degree in civil engineering from The University of Arkansas. He volunteers his time to mentor students pursuing civil engineering and other STEM careers. Kwadwo also serves as a Peer Reviewer for the Transportation Research Board and other reputable journals.
  • Lauren Kilgore, M.ASCE: A civil analyst at Kimley-Horn in Atlanta, Georgia, Lauren has spent her career helping make roads in Georgia safer and more connected through projects like intersection upgrades and roundabouts. She is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Lauren volunteers her time as a Practitioner Advisor for Mercer University’s ASCE chapter and serves as a resource for members at other chapters across Georgia. She also is active in the ASCE Georgia Section.
  • Braden Labenz, EI, M.ASCE: A Transportation Engineer with JEO Consulting Group who recently transitioned jobs from the assistant city engineer in his hometown of Columbus, Nebraska, Braden has advanced projects including utility replacements, and road and bridge reconstruction. He received his degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a master’s degree in civil engineering from The University of Oklahoma. Braden volunteers with several community organizations, tutors high school and college students, and serves as Younger Member Group Co-Chair with the ASCE Nebraska Section.
  • Mireille Lecourtois, M.ASCE: A water resources control engineer at the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, has dedicated her career to protecting water quality and public health in the San Diego region, where she led the development of a landmark enforcement order that established new monitoring requirements to reduce pollution in 19 California municipalities. She received her undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering and master’s degree in civil engineering from San Diego State University. Mireille has served as the Government Relations Chair, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Chair, and Professional Engineer Exam Review Chair for the ASCE San Diego Younger Members Forum. She enjoys mentoring college students through the Latina Engineer x Ingeniera Foundation Mentorship Program and the San Diego State University MESA Program.
  • Anna Lisonbee, EIT, ENV SP, M.ASCE: A professional engineer in training focusing on water resources at Hansen, Allen, and Luce in South Jordan, Utah. Anna advocates for resilience and nature-based solutions when designing projects that must withstand extreme drought and flooding. She received her undergraduate degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah. Anna is currently President of the ASCE Utah Section, where she also serves as an advocacy captain and worked on the 2025 Report Card for Utah’s Infrastructure. She also regularly speaks with students about careers in civil engineering and helped organize a viewing of Cities of the Future at a local science center.
  • Biniza Lopez Manriquez, M.ASCE: A civil engineer at Gigabit Fiber in Dallas, Texas, where she leads the civil engineering area for fiber optic infrastructure projects across the United States and international crossings with Mexico. Before relocating to the United States, she worked on urban development and housing projects in Mexico, including contributing to the Tren Maya project. She earned her degree in Civil Engineering from Universidad La Salle Cancun and is an active member of ASCE’s Region 6 Younger Members Committee and the Dallas Branch. She has also volunteered with the Latin American Association of Civil Engineering Students, supporting efforts to improve local infrastructure and strengthen community development.
  • Sam Potts, P.E., ENV SP, M.ASCE: A senior project engineer at BKF in Los Angeles, Sam has worked on more than 80 projects across Southern California over the last eight years that have improved quality of life for millions of people. He received his degree in Civil Engineering from California State University, Northridge. Sam is a Past President of ASCE’s Metropolitan Los Angeles Younger Member Forum and has served on ASCE’s Committee on Student Conferences and Competitions where he also served as a judge for the ASCE’s Sustainable Solutions Competition. He also has worked extensively on student outreach programs to introduce high school students to engineering careers and is a practitioner advisor to ASCE’s California State University, Northridge student chapter.
  • Robert Schomp, P.E., M.ASCE: A water resources engineer at Kleinschmidt in Portland, Oregon and Associate Engineering Instructor at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, Oregon, Robert develops models to simulate fish passage improvement, dam removals, and habitat restorations that balance public safety and ecosystem recovery. He received his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Portland State University and a master’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Robert has led several collaborations between ASCE’s Portland Younger Member Forum and Portland Public Schools to organize mentorship programs at local high schools and has helped lead ASCE STEM outreach events at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. He also serves as chair for ASCE’s Committee on Career Pathways and Pipelines and K-12 Outreach chair for the ASCE Portland Younger Member Forum.
  • McKenzie White, P.E., M.ASCE: An associate environmental engineer at Brown and Caldwell in Virginia Beach, Virginia, McKenzie works on stormwater, stream restoration, and coastal projects to help mitigate flooding. She received her undergraduate degree in Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette and a Graduate Certificate in Coastal Engineering from Old Dominion University. McKenzie serves as Vice President and Government Relations Chair for the ASCE Norfolk Branch. Her volunteer work includes installing drinking water systems in the Dominican Republic and rehabilitating coral reefs in Cambodia. McKenzie also volunteered with Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
  • Pinn Winyoopongphun, EIT, M.ASCE: A project consultant at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger in Oakland, California, Pinn works on building façade and envelope design to support durability, compliance, and performance. He received his degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Structural Design from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Pinn serves as Vice President of ASCE’s Golden Gate Branch and has collaborated with ASCE Region 9 (California) to support research and policy efforts on infrastructure investment, climate and hazard mitigation, and broadband coverage expansion. He also volunteers with engineering education initiatives and collaborates with organizations that focus on people with marginalized backgrounds to help individuals rebuild stability through funding support and career development resources.

For media availability and interviews with the 2026 New Faces of Civil Engineering, please contact ASCE Media Relations.

About the American Society of Civil Engineers

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 160,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on X (Formerly Twitter), @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.