We are excited to kickoff the year with Ramon Padilla, P.E. of Terracon. Mr. Padilla is a Senior Principal, Vice President, and Geotechnical Regional Manager for Terracon, and is based in the Tempe, Arizona office.  He has over 25 years of professional experience on a wide variety of projects, mainly in Arizona. Mr. Padilla has planned, conducted, and completed geotechnical investigations and studies for numerous projects, including municipal, county and state projects, (transportation) bridge and roadway related structures, federal/military facilities, renewable energy (solar) structures, forensic evaluations, embankments, slopes, infrastructure, and commercial and residential developments. Mr. Padilla’s experience on geotechnical projects include project planning, proposal preparation, preparing field and laboratory testing programs, performing engineering evaluations and analyses, developing engineering recommendations including shallow and deep foundations, preparing technical reports, and providing consultation to clients during the different phases of project development. Mr. Padilla is also experienced in the engineering observation and materials testing phases during the construction of projects. The presentation on March 26^th will include an overview of technical aspects for design of drilled shaft foundations and shallow spread footings, as well as an overview of additional data resources that go beyond geology.

Terracon has graciously offered to host this meeting at their offices in Tempe.

4685 S. Ash Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85282

Doors will open at 5:30 pm and the discussion will commence at 6:00. Dinner, but not drinks, will be provided.

AEG Members: $30
Non-Member: $40
Student: $10
Government: $15

Please let us know if you are interested in sponsoring opportunities for this or future events by emailing us at aeg.arizona@gmail.com

Please register here: AEG 2026 Kickoff – Arizona AEG

Jeff has 34 years of environmental consulting and contracting experience, and he’s dedicated over half his career to helping clients solve their toughest remediation challenges with thermal remediation solutions. He has successfully managed some of the largest TCH and ERH projects in North America to date. In his current role, Jeff works directly with consultants and other project stakeholders across the United States reviewing site-specific data to determine if a project is a good and technical fit for thermal remediation. He works closely with our Technology Team to develop and present thermal remediation solutions to meet client’s goals and objectives.

Jeff will be discussing his experience with in situ thermal remediation. His presentation will include:

• A brief background – How I got here and why I’m standing in front of you today
• Discussion on back diffusion, tight lithologies and high concentrations and NAPL
• Intro to in situ thermal remediation including ERH, SEE, and TCH and what contaminates it can be used to treat
• My magic 8-Ball prediction of the future of the environmental industry
• A brief background – How I got here and why I’m standing in front of you today
• Question and Answers

Mr. Saraceno is an accomplished Professional Geologist with a combined 18 years of experience in both environmental and engineering geology. He is involved in many aspects of geologic and geotechnical engineering projects, including site characterization, foundation design and construction, soil/rock slope risk assessments, and landslide mitigation. Mr. Saraceno is the Landslides Program Manager at DiGioia Gray & Associates, where he specializes in project management and construction oversight for slope stabilization projects in Appalachia..

AEG Members: $30
Non-Member: $40
Student: $10
Government: $15
*Includes dinner and 1 drink
Cash/card will be accepted at the door.

RSVP Now!

AEG Phoenix Summer Dinner, June 20th

We are looking forward to kicking off the year at Fate’s on March 28th. We are excited to welcome Barbaros Demircan who will speaking on “Water Stewardship in Mining: Creating Sustainable Mines”.

Barbaros Demircan is a Consultant, Geologist and Hydrogeology Team Lead at WSP. He has worked on a variety of water stewardship, hydrogeology, ESG, geotechnical, and environmental projects for mining, transportation, and pharmaceutical clients. He manages water stewardship and environmental projects, hydrogeologic field investigations, and facilitates water stewardship workshops. He holds a B.S. degree in Geological Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Turkey and an M.S. degree in Geology from Northern Arizona University.

AEG Members: $30
Non-Member: $40
Student: $10
Government: $15
*Includes dinner and 1 drink
Cash/card will be accepted at the door.

AEG Phoenix Summer Dinner, June 20th

We are looking forward to celebrating the holidays and enjoying dinner and a talk at Fates Brewing Company in Scottsdale on December 6th, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.

We are excited to welcome Jeff Keaton, Principal Engineering Geologist, of WSP, Inc. to speak on “Engineering Geology: Fundamental Input or Random Variable”.

This topic became a personal research focus as LRFD was expanding to include ground conditions. Geologists and engineers view the world in complementary but different ways. Science seeks to explain all observed details, whereas engineering seeks to design with specific objectives and multiple constraints. National guidance in the United States calls for geotechnical site investigations to be performed by geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists. Site characterization should start with Geologic Models which form the basis for Ground Models (Geologic Models with engineering parameters) and Geotechnical Models (Ground Models with predicted performance based on design parameters). Fundamental geologic variability makes some details unforeseeable. Insufficient geotechnical investigations, faulty interpretations, or failure to portray results understandably can contribute to inappropriate designs or failures. If the geologist does not interpret the geology and explain it clearly, then the engineer will be forced to interpret the geology or ignore it. Incomplete or inaccurate geotechnical site characterization can lead to selection of incorrect models, geotechnical properties, and design values. A suggested Geologic Model Complexity Rating System considers two site components (geologic complexity and terrain) and two field components (geologist competency and level-of-effort) in the scoring scheme used for the Geological Strength Index (GSI) which recognizes the gradational nature of component boundaries

Jeff Keaton is a registered professional engineer and a certified engineering geologist with 50 years of experience in characterizing sites and alignments for design, construction, and condition assessments for a variety of projects on five continents.  He has been employed by large, multinational consulting companies throughout his career, currently Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions, Inc.  He was the lead engineering geologist for design of San Diego County Water Authority’s roller compacted concrete Olivenhain Dam and principal investigator of National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 24-29 to develop guidelines for evaluating scour at bridge foundations on rock.  He received AEG’s 2016 Holdredge Award for his 2013 paper “Engineering Geology: Fundamental Input or Random Variable?”  He is Honorary Member and past president of AEG, Fellow of ASCE, GSA, and ABET, past chair of ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission, and selected as a GeoLegend by GEOSTRATA (2017).  He has a BS degree in Geological Engineering from University of Arizona, a MS degree in Engineering (Geotechnical) from UCLA, and a PhD degree in Geology from Texas A&M University.

AEG Members: $30
Non-Member: $40
Student: $10
Government: $15
*Includes dinner and 1 drink
Cash/card will be accepted at the door.

http://www.azaeg.org/rsvpmaker/aeg-phoenix-december-dinner/

It is an honor to have Mark Edwards, R.G. from Atlas Technical Consultants for this event. Mr. Edwards will be discussing “Geophysics – Project Risk Reduction, Applications for Site Assessments, and Structural NDE/NDT Studies“. Modern geophysical methods provide standalone data or supplemental data for the interpretation of geologic, buried infrastructure, and/or structural conditions. Goals are risk reduction, target designation, or to obtain information useful to directing ongoing project evaluations.

Mr. Edwards currently is a Principal Geologist/Geophysicist with Atlas Technical Consultants. Mr. Edwards has over 32 years of national and international experience in geophysical and geologic evaluations, geologic resource evaluations, environmental assessments, hydrogeologic evaluations, geologic and geophysical site characterization, environmental remediation, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), and directing geological and geophysical studies for diverse projects. Many projects have been completed while meeting municipal, state, and federal regulatory requirements. A diverse background and wide variety of project experiences allow him to manage and perform geophysical, environmental, and geotechnical aspects of projects. Projects have included schools, medical facilities, power plants, dams, groundwater resource exploration and well siting, water treatment plants, transportation, commercial and residential properties, solar plants, bridges, tunnels, forensics, mineral resources exploration, open pit copper porphyry and gold and silver mines, and military bases.

AEG Members: $30
Non-Member: $40
Student: $10
Government: $15
*Includes dinner and 1 drink
Cash/card will be accepted at the door.

Andrew Whitsell is a Key Accounts Manager at Cascade Drilling. He joined Cascade in 2015 and has held prior positions as Project Manager and Operations Manager before transitioning into his current role. Andrew started his career in mining, working as a Geologist at Rio Tinto’s Resolution Copper Mine before moving to the upper peninsula of Michigan where he held the roles of underground geologist and project geologist at their Copper/Nickel deposit, Eagle Mine. Andrew is a licensed driller in Idaho, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and holds a licensed operator certification in New Mexico. He also holds a blue card for the Mine Safety and Health Administration as a certified trainer.

Andrew received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geology from Northwest Missouri State University in 2010 and Master of Business Administration from the University of Arizona in 2017.  Andrew resides in Overland Park, Kansas. In his free time, he enjoys golfing with his wife, Megan, and fly fishing.

AEG Members: $30
Non-Member: $40
Student: $0 (Paid for by Cascade)
Government: $15
*Includes dinner and 1 drink
Cash/card will be accepted at the door.

AEG Phoenix Summer Dinner | June 28th | Arizona AEG (azaeg.org)

It is a great opportunity to grow your network and meet with likeminded individuals!

If you are interested in sponsoring, or attending the event as an industry individual, please sign up at the link below:

AEG-GI Annual Student Geo Career Fair at ASU (constantcontact.com)

We will be kicking off the year in-person at one of our favorite places, Fates Brewing Company in Scottsdale. There are a lot of exciting changes happening that we would like to update you on and we have a fantastic speaker lined up!

Ashley Herndon – VP of Adams Contracting, Inc

Biography: 

Ashley Herndon, Vice President of Operations for Adams Contracting, Inc.  Adams Contracting provides drilling, blasting, rockfall and slope stabilization services throughout the state of Arizona. Ashley joined the company in 2008 as an administrator.  Having taken an interest in learning the business and dynamics of the trade work, she began perusing through plans, going on site walks, she eventually moved into the responsibilities of estimator and project manager. Using learned skills, Ashley now oversees the Operations of the company itself.  Still honing in on learning techniques to help elevate her education in her area of expertise, she continues to attend slope stabilization workshops, even having traveled to Switzerland to attend the geo-summit. Projects highlights include drilling and blasting single boulders to mass excavation, monitoring crews repelling off 300’ cut slopes, delegating crews to helicopter to cell tower sites and working remote access locations to install rockfall mitigation components.

AEG Members: $30
Non-Member: $40
Student: $10
Government: $15
*Includes dinner and 1 drink
Cash/card will be accepted at the door.