President's Message

Steven Crook, SE

2024-2025 SEAOC President

“Ashes denote that fire was;

Respect the greyest pile

For the departed creature’s sake

That hovered there awhile.”

-Emily Dickinson

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

-Fred Rogers

It’s hard enough to stand in the place where a house once stood. I can’t quite imagine what it’s like to stand in the place where a whole community once stood, now gone. No one kind of disaster is objectively worse than all other disasters, but fire commands a certain level of respect because it threatens not only the built environment, but every living thing. 

I have been very saddened and shaken to hear the stories of loss and narrow escape. On behalf of all of us who represent SEAOC, our thoughts are with the SEAOSC community and those who have suffered personal loss and those whose family or friends have suffered a loss. 

Yet, amidst the loss and devastation, we’ve also seen the best qualities of humanity. We are honored to be part of a community that steps up without hesitation; volunteers who rally quickly to respond to requests for assistance, who allow us to be nimble and responsive.

When the City of Malibu reached out to SEAOSC for a professional opinion, Garrett Mills led the effort to draft and issue a statement in January regarding Governor Newsom’s Executive Order suspending regulations for rebuilding. 

Building on a strong relationship between SEAOSC and the County and City of LA, Garrett again reached out to the SEAOC community to help draft and issue Recommended Investigation and Design Guidelines for Foundations Exposed to Fire. Both of these efforts were collaborative efforts, involving voices from across the state. Special thanks to Wayne Low, Maria Mohammed, David Ojala, Devon Lumbard, Kelsey Parolini, Craig Chamberlain, Joyce Feng, Steve Kerr, Anna Lang, Daniel Zepeda, Ricardo Roldan, and Erica Fischer. There were many others who were part of that effort; Aditi Palsapure, Garrett Hagen, Jack Wegleitner, Jakub Valigura, Jason Smart, Jonathan Buckalew, Keri Scholte, Luke Wilson, Kevin Moore, Meaghan Halligan, Meg Ackerson, Melissa Meikle, Nicholas Miley, Omar Amini, and Samantha Eng were drafted into the Basecamp Project to collect, synthesize, polish and publish a consensus document that we should all be proud of.

The fact that local jurisdictions sought out our guidance and professional opinion should be celebrated; it speaks to the mission and vision of SEAOC, and the impact our leaders have had at the regional, state, and national level.

On a more personal note, I will apologize for the tardiness of this President’s Message. In June of last year, a fire started in my kitchen when our oldest kid’s first attempt at deep-frying chicken went awry. It being midnight, Benjamin spent a minute trying to put it out himself before running to wake me. It stunned me how quickly the smoke, heat, and chemicals had built up to make it difficult to approach the source and put it out. Afterward, standing together on the sidewalk looking at our home with smoke continuing to drift out of the open doors and windows, we felt lucky. Nobody was hurt, no pets were lost or injured, and the structure itself was safe. The scope of the repair was far more than I’d imagined: with fixtures, flooring, gyp board, fabric and insulation flagged for demo. It’s been over seven months, and the repair is only beginning. However, I still get to take my kids to their friends’ houses. I still get to drive to that house, open a book, and take an evening walk around the neighborhood. My wife still drives to that house and loads up a cart full of supplies to take to the garden in the local park. Our community still exists, and we will eventually come back to it. It's hard to drive by my house without going home. It’s hard to imagine driving by the whole neighborhood with nothing left.

While the Eaton and Palisades fires have destroyed much, our community of Structural Engineers have shown themselves to be clever, practical problem-solvers, focused on recovery. In my darkest hours, I see you, and I know that I can bend toward your light.

Thank you.

SEAOC 2025 SE Pathways Application Coming Tomorrow!

Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) is pleased to present an opportunity for structural engineering students and early-career professionals to participate in the Fourth SE Pathways Cohort kicking off at the 2025 SEAOC Convention in San Diego, Sept. 3-5.

With activities during the convention and throughout the following year the Pathways Program provides opportunities for aspiring or new engineers to network with colleagues and practicing professionals throughout the state of California; learn key issues impacting the SE profession, including the need to improve workforce equity and diversity; and meet trade representatives who may assist them in future practice. Most importantly, cohort members will help shape the future of Structural Engineering in California. 

SEAOC encourages interested Structural Engineering Students and Early Career Professionals, especially individuals belonging to groups traditionally underrepresented in the profession, to fill out the SEAOC Pathways Interest Form to join the mailing list to hear more about the 2025 SE Pathways Cohort as soon as new information comes out.



APPLICATIONS WILL OPEN FEBRUARY 28th FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THE 2025 SE PATHWAYS COHORT.

To learn more about the benefits of being part of the 2025 SE Pathways Cohort, visit the SEAOC Pathways Application Page. To become one of this year’s valued SE Pathways sponsors, please visit the SEAOC SE Pathways Sponsorship Page.



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SEAOC-NCSEA Wind Design

Webinar Series

Date: February 25-March 25, 2025

Duration: 7.5 hour

CE Credits: 7.5



Join the SEAOC/NCSEA Wind Design Webinar Series, a comprehensive five-session program covering key aspects of wind design based on ASCE 7. This series, led by top experts in the field, will explore fundamental wind principles, Main Wind Force Resisting Systems and Components & Cladding design, non-building structures, and cutting-edge advancements such as performance-based wind design and AI applications.

Each session includes practical insights, example problems, and live Q&A to enhance learning. Whether you’re new to wind design or looking to refine your expertise, this series will equip you with the knowledge and tools to navigate the evolving landscape of wind engineering. This series will use ASCE 7-16 as the baseline and then provide updates where relevant to ASCE 7-22.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders and stay ahead of the latest developments in wind design!

• The registration fee for the Seminar is $595 for members ($995 for nonmembers), which includes all 7.5 hours of education. Each individual webinar can be purchased separately for $250 for members ($300 for nonmembers).
• Purchase all webinars in the Seminar and have access to the recordings for 1 year.
• Each seminar purchase is per office location. If your firm is operating remotely, contact NCSEA at ncsea@ncsea.com on how to accommodate multiple users from the same location.
• Attendees receive a 30% discount on the SEAOC Wind Design Manual! Ordering details provided with webinar registration