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Howdy, SEAONC Partners!

I've just returned from the Wild West–themed 2026 SEAOC Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona. Wow, was it hot—even the pool was over 90 degrees! Luckily, there wasn't much time to be outside, thanks to all the amazing content put together by the Convention Committee. Before I dive into my takeaways, here are a few frontier words of wisdom and how I think they apply to our lives as structural engineers:

• "Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction." → Know your audience.
• "Always drink upstream from the herd." → Use judgment when using AI.
• "You'll never break a horse if you stay sittin' on the fence." → Be active. Join a committee. Say yes.

The Convention's themes lined up well with what the Board was already planning for this year's meetings, seminars, and speaking events. Several sessions explored resilience and functional recovery, and AI was a hot topic given its growing presence in our work and lives. We're fortunate to have local SEAONC experts in these areas—so stay tuned for upcoming events on these themes! Read more.

Thank you to our Anchor Sponsor, CSI!

Your generosity and support of SEAONC are greatly appreciated.

Partner With SEAONC: Event Sponsorship Opportunities

SEAONC has refreshed its event sponsorship program, and we'd love to have you on board. Sponsorship puts your company in front of the decision-makers in the structural engineering field.

Association Monthly Meetings

Sponsor a single meeting ($1,500) with a 3-minute company spotlight, stage acknowledgment, logo placement, and two registration tickets — or go annual ($10,000) for three events, a full year of website presence, and a mention in the Annual Business Dinner program.

Continuing Education Seminars

For $1,500, introduce your company at a CEC seminar and get logo placement on event materials and the registration page, plus a registration ticket.

Exhibitor Tables

A $500 tabletop at monthly meetings or CEC seminars gets you face time with attendees, exhibitor recognition and logo placement, and a chance to hand out promotional materials. Space is limited and first come, first served.

Special Events

Sponsorships are also available for signature events like the SEE Awards, the Annual Business Meeting, the SE3 Symposium, Member Appreciation Night, YMF Socials, Trivia Night, and more.

This program replaces the Industry Partner program. Interested? Reach out to office@seaonc.org to get started.

Help Shape Future Structural Engineering Training Resources

Are you an early-career structural engineer, or involved in training new engineers? The NCSEA Academia-Practice Partnerships (APP) Committee wants your input.

We're gathering feedback to better understand how firms train new hires, which technical topics need more support, and what learning formats engineers find most valuable. Your responses will help guide the development of future training resources for the structural engineering profession.

The survey takes approximately 5–10 minutes to complete, and your feedback will directly influence NCSEA's priorities.

Please take the survey here:

Google Survey Form

Thank you for helping strengthen the transition from academia to engineering practice.

Celebrating David Friedman, 2026 Silver SPUR Honoree

We're excited to share that David Friedman has been selected as a Silver SPUR honoree this year — and we couldn't be more thrilled to celebrate him. This recognition reflects the lasting impact David has had on our region's resilience, preparedness, and future, both through his work with EERI and across his broader career.

That impact is exactly what the Silver SPUR Awards exist to honor. As the Bay Area's most prominent civic event, the evening brings together elected officials alongside business, civic, and philanthropic leaders to celebrate four exceptional individuals and their contributions to our region and communities — and this year, David is among them.

Please join us on Thursday, October 22 to celebrate David and the many people his work has inspired. You can learn more about the event and his recognition here, and we'd be grateful if you'd share this with anyone who might like to attend.

Legacy and History Committee Presents:

Built to Endure: Alfred B. Mullett’s Old San Francisco Mint and Appraisers Building

Join the SEAONC Legacy and History Committee on September 24 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. for a look at two of 19th-century San Francisco’s notable federal buildings – the Old San Francisco Mint and the Appraisers Building – both designed by architect and engineer Alfred B. Mullett. Bob Bailey will explore the history, design, and construction of these buildings, including Mullett’s innovative approaches to foundations and seismic resistance at a time before modern building codes. Drawing on more than 30 years of structural engineering practice, including his own work on the seismic evaluation of the Old San Francisco Mint, Bailey has developed a longstanding interest in historic structures, their designers, and how early engineering decisions influenced building performance. The event will be held in a hybrid format, with an in-person gathering at Degenkolb’s Oakland office and a virtual attendance option. Registration information is forthcoming.

New Hensolt Project Entry Announcement: Loring Wyllie

The SEAONC Legacy and History Committee and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) are pleased to share two new resources celebrating the career and contributions of Loring A. Wyllie, Jr.: the 34th volume of Connections: The EERI Oral History Series and a new entry on the Hensolt SEAONC Legacy Project website. Drawing from interviews conducted by James O. Malley, the EERI Oral History and Hensolt Project entry highlight Wyllie’s connections to SEAONC, his notable projects, and his lasting influence on structural engineering and seismic safety.



Wyllie joined H. J. Degenkolb Associates in 1961 after earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from UC Berkeley. Over more than six decades of practice, he has specialized in the seismic assessment and rehabilitation of existing buildings while contributing to projects ranging from historic retrofits and new buildings to tunneling and nuclear facilities. His professional service – including leadership roles with EERI, participation in earthquake reconnaissance teams, and more than 50 years of work on SEAOC and ACI building code committees – has helped advance seismic safety in California and beyond.

Young Members Forum Events

YMF is partnering with the Sustainable Design Committee for YMF Presents! Join us to learn about sustainability in structural engineering on Tuesday 9/29 at 12 PM. All are welcome! Bookmark the meeting link.

Business Forum: September Meeting

The SEAONC Business Forum will have its first meeting of the year in September. If you’re interested in learning and discussing issues related to management and running a structural engineering firm, fill out this survey here to learn more. Everyone is welcome - whether you’re a designer, project manager, firm leader, or marketing and accounting staff - and a variety of participation levels are available to suit all time commitments. Feel free to email co-chairs Noelle Yuen and Hagen Tam at business@seaonc.org. We look forward to your participation and your ideas!

Seismology: October Event

Seismology is partnering with CEC, EBC and Resilience on an SEMM/ SEAONC talk.

Presentation by: Prof. Kenneth Elwood, PhD (University of Auckland)

Date: Thursday, October 1st, 2026

Time: 5:30PM -7:00PM

Location: TBD (UC Berkeley)

DES Committee Updates

Save the date (ish)! The SEAONC DES Committee is hosting its SAP evaluator training this fall at San Francisco State. A formal save the date email will be sent out to SEAONC members once the date has been finalized.

The DES Committee had an active summer. We joined the EBC committee meeting at the end of June to discuss the process of tagging and untagging a building after a disaster. The focus was on case studies and engineers’ real life experiences evaluating a severely damaged structure after an initial assessment had been made. Our August meeting focused on implementation of FEMA 2055-2: Recommendations for Cordoning Earthquake Damaged Buildings. Members of our committee met in Oakland and walked around two well-known structures to discuss how the document would be implemented in downtown Oakland given a theoretical damage scenario. 

We are always looking for new committee members. Reach out to Tommy and Jack if any of this sounds interesting and you want to get more involved!

Interested in Joining the Outreach Committee?

We meet every 3rd Thursday of the month at noon to plan out the upcoming school year. Reach out to us at seaoncoc@gmail.com to join the monthly meetings or let us know if you’d like to join our emailing list. 

Job Shadow Program

Sign up to volunteer to be a shadow for a student here! We’ll pair you with a high school or college student who will shadow you to experience a sneak peak of a day in our life and in this industry.

Survey: Firm Membership Sponsorship

We want to hear from you! Does your firm sponsor your SEAONC membership and/or event registrations? Take this short 2-minute survey and let us know. 

Explore SEAONC Membership Options for Individuals and Firms

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP: Apply for a SEAONC membership today and get ready to thrive in a vibrant community of structural engineering professionals. Gain access to essential resources, diverse perspectives, and collaborative opportunities across all specialties, empowering you to excel in your career and make lasting contributions to the field. 

Click to complete your membership application today!

MASTER MEMBER PROGRAM: Our Master Member program simplifies and streamlines your renewal process. Designed for firms with three or more members, this program enables you to receive one complete invoice for your entire roster for membership renewals or event registrations if desired. Please Note: Master Member lists and invoices will be managed and distributed by the Membership team in Club Express. Email membership at office@seaonc.org or call us at 628-626-1725 with any questions or requests.

CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP: Our corporate membership program showcases your firm's dedication to the industry and amplifies your influence. Enjoy increased visibility and exclusive benefits, including opportunities to speak at our events and shape the future of our association.

Need more information? Connect with our Membership Team. 

We appreciate the generosity and support of our SEAONC Corporate Members!

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SEAONC welcomes your feedback on our newsletter and on any other Association endeavors. To share your input email us at office@seaonc.org.

Having trouble logging into the SEAONC website?

Most information on www.seaonc.org is open to the public, but a few items, such as access to the SEAONC posting for membership, require a member login. If you have not entered your member login since we created a new website in 2018, you must first reset your password. It's quick and straightforward! Contact the office for assistance.

Structural Engineers Association of Northern California

office@seaonc.org

628.626.1725