PROTECTION ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS (PEC) - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Registered Professional Engineer

Job Titles:

• Managing Principal, Director of Protective Design
• Steps into the Managing Principal Role

Mr. McKay has 17 years of experience as a Structural Engineer with focus in the security and protection engineering field. Early in his career, Mr. McKay developed algorithms for the calculation of blast pressures to support vulnerability assessments of mission critical government buildings. He also used weapon effects software to develop structural components selection charts for the effect of indirect fire weapons. Mr. McKay joined Protection Engineering Consultants in January of 2007. At PEC, he regularly manages physical security and blast-resistant design (Design-build, Design-bid-build) efforts for numerous buildings for conformance with the DoD requirements in UFC 4-010-01, ISC Physical Security Criteria for Federal Facilities, and Physical Security Design Manual for VA Facilities. In addition, Mr. McKay has also managed and led large test and research efforts for the Department of State (DoS) in the field of blast-resistant design and response of structures. Mr. McKay also has extensive experience performing progressive collapse analysis and design of buildings using both GSA and DoD standards, including assessments and retrofit designs for existing structures. While at PEC, Mr. McKay was a lead researcher in the development of dynamic and static increase factors for static analysis methods in the effort led by PEC to update the UFC 4-023-03 "Design of Buildings to Resist Progressive Collapse". Other capabilities and experience include: Containment Structures Design for Internal Blast and Fragmentations Blast and Shock Evaluation of equipment OBO Embassy Standards Complete frame response of steel buildings subjected to blast loads Counter-mobility barriers Blast Testing (Arena and Shock Tube) test plan development, instrumentation planning, post-test inspection, and evaluation of structures, data processing, and post-test analysis. Protection Engineering Consultants is excited to announce that Aldo McKay has accepted the position of Managing Principal! Aldo continues a tradition of exceptional leadership at PEC, replacing David Stevens who served as MP for 5 years, after Kirk Marchand who was MP for the company's first 10 years. Aldo brings nearly 20 years of experience as a Structural Engineer with a focus on protective design, research, and criteria development to his new role. For the last 3 years, Aldo has served as Team Lead for our Facades and Structures group, responsible for project execution, business development and management of a team of highly skilled and capable engineers. He has led PEC's expansion into new business areas, increasing our client base and design project revenue. Aldo manages blast-resistant design and security engineering for design-build and design-bid-build efforts for military facilities, federal courthouses, General Services Administration (GSA) buildings, Veteran Affairs (VA) healthcare facilities, and transportation infrastructure. He has worked directly with GSA to revise its blast protection interpretation guidelines and has taught short courses and webinars to GSA subject matter experts nationwide on the application of these guidelines. Aldo is currently leading the development of Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 4-027-01 Design of Deployed Operational Bases to Mitigate Terrorist Attacks. He has also managed and led large test and research efforts for the Department of State (DoS) in the field of blast-resistant design and response of structures. As an industry leader, Aldo is frequently asked to teach short courses and webinars on blast-resistant and progressive collapse design. Aldo embodies the core values of PEC: integrity, professionalism, commitment to our clients and friends, exceptional performance, respect, kindness, and comradery. Under his leadership, those core values will strengthen as the company grows and moves in new directions and to new destinations. PEC's success has always been due to the exceptional quality, diversity and strength of our staff and, with new leadership from Aldo, PEC's future is bright.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate Engineer /

Alex Lakocy joined Protection Engineering Consultants (PEC) as a Senior Associate Engineer II in June 2021. Before joining PEC, Alex spent five years working as a structural engineering consultant. Alex specialized in seismic rehabilitation projects throughout the west coast and historic preservation projects in the Rocky Mountain region for both commercial and government clients. Alex also developed software to assist engineers with structural design and has served as the lead data analyst for the National Council of Structural Engineers Association's (NCSEA) Structural Engineering Engagement & Equity (SE3) committee since 2018. Alex received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with concentrations in Structural Engineering and Computer Science. He completed a Master's degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. At Georgia Tech, Alex's research focused on quantifying material defects in metallic structures by analyzing characteristics of acoustic waves passed through the material. These efforts included experimental design, nonlinear Finite Element (FE) modeling, machine welding, and performing advanced signal processing. Alex was also involved in the American Institute of Steel Construction's (AISC) Student Steel Bridge competition, first as the team captain as an undergraduate at UIUC, then as a judge for numerous regional and national competitions. Alex is proficient with computational tools (Python, Visual Basic) and applied statistics. Alex will be supporting PEC and our clients on applied research and machine learning efforts. Education MS in Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering Mechanics & Materials) | Georgia Institute of Technology | 2015 BS in Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering & Computer Science) | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 2014

Job Titles:

• Independent Security Consultant
• Security Consulting
• Senior Security Consultant /

Brandon Kehl has more than twenty (20) years of experience providing strategic leadership and counsel in security and safety for public and private organizations. Brandon joined Protection Engineering Consultants (PEC) in February of 2019 and currently serves as a Senior Security Consultant, managing and supporting projects focused on protecting people and assets. Brandon is experienced in developing client-centered, comprehensive protection strategies that incorporate appropriate risk-reduction initiatives without sacrificing the established workplace culture. Brandon has held several leadership roles in security industry associations throughout his professional career, authoring many physical security policies, procedures, basic and advanced security manuals. Brandon has served as an independent security consultant in several industry sectors, leading the design, development, and implementation of security initiatives ranging from simple policy changes or staff training to advanced electronic detection systems to identify potential incidents before they occur. Brandon has successfully facilitated threat, risk, and vulnerability assessments for many clients, where he identified the specific local and non-geographical threats and recommended measures to reduce the risk or impact of those threats.

Job Titles:

• Applied Research
• Associate Engineer II /

Charles "Tom" Kirbo joined Protection Engineering Consultants, LLC (PEC) as an Associate Engineer in October of 2023. He obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2015 and his Master's Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 2020. Before joining PEC, Tom was an Officer in the U.S. Air Force from 2016 to 2021. He worked as a Cyber Warfare Officer and helped develop communications systems that directly supported the warfighter. Tom completed three deployments to Afghanistan, multiple locations in Africa, and to Saudi Arabia. After being honorably discharged, he worked for BakerRisk as a structural engineer. While at BakerRisk, Tom completed numerous blast-resistant designs, internal detonation research, and on-site surveying of petrochemical facilities. He used a combination of single-degree-of-freedom analysis (SDOF), finite element analysis (FEA), and computer programming to dramatically increase design workflow efficiency.

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Engineer
• Engineering Analytics
• Project Engineer II /

Dr. Edward O'Hare joined Protection Engineering Consultants as a Sr. Associate Engineer in July of 2015. Dr. O'Hare received his undergraduate, MS and Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University with a dissertation titled "Behavior of Concrete-Filled Tube (CFT) Through-Beam Connections Subjected to Varying Load Rates". That research focused on the development of behavioral models and design guidance for CFT-to-CFT energy absorbing through-connections for rigid building frames subjected to varying load rates. Validated computational models, created in LS-DYNA, were used in a Response Surface Methodology approach to determine appropriate evaluation parameters and to develop design equations. Eddie spent much of his time at Penn State working in the area of anti-terrorism through his work on Streetscape Vehicular Anti-Ram (SVAR) barrier systems to enhance security interests of the US Department of State world-wide. This research was supported by full-scale testing and LS-DYNA modeling at Penn State. Eddie is a US Navy veteran, having served as a Special Security Officer Assistant in the Intelligence Department of the office of the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Yokosuka, Japan. He is experienced with LS-DYNA, MatLab, and SAP2000 numerical analysis tools and will be supporting PEC and our clients on both research and design efforts. Contact Eddie at 512-380-1988 x313 or eohare@protection-consultants.com

Job Titles:

• Director of Applied Research

Dr. Eric Sammarco joined Protection Engineering Consultants (PEC) in the fall of 2013 and has fourteen (14) years of structural engineering research and design experience. He currently serves as the company's Advanced Technology + Research (AT+R) Team Leader and manages/supports projects and applied R&D efforts focused on risk mitigation for people, systems and mission-critical infrastructure from natural hazards, extreme accident scenarios, and hostile attacks. Eric's technical interests include explosives safety site planning and protective design, assessment and design for blast, shock, and impact effects, application of advanced multi-physics modeling and simulation techniques, and application of performance-based analysis and design methodologies for natural and man-made hazards. Since joining PEC, Eric has worked in several different industry sectors. He has supported licensing-basis and post-Fukushima plant modification projects and security-related assessment/upgrade projects for domestic and international nuclear power plants. He has performed multi-hazard assessments, seismic peer reviews, and seismic risk rating system development for commercial, U.S. military and heavy industrial clients. Eric has been heavily engaged in transportation infrastructure safety and security; key efforts have included primary authorship of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Bridge Security Design Manual, chief developer of the Anti-Terrorism Planner for Bridges (ATP-Bridge) software for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), applied research and development of stay-cable protection strategies for long-span bridges, vulnerability assessment of a highway bridge to the effects of ongoing quarry blasting, and Principal Investigator of a Phase 2 SBIR with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) aimed at enhancing rail passenger survivability during a derailment event through resilient wayside structure designs. Eric excels at employing high-fidelity numerical modeling techniques to enhance the accuracy of assessments and optimize risk mitigation strategies; examples include quantifying load effects from landmine detonations, assessments of industrial machines and equipment to accidental explosions, beyond-design-basis seismic capacity assessments, novel tornado missile barrier designs for nuclear plants, and the implementation of a statistical glass-fracture material model into a nonlinear dynamic finite element framework for predicting the blast response of architecturally complex glazed façade systems.

Job Titles:

• Project Engineer
• Senior Engineer I /

Dr. Marlon Bazan joined Protection Engineering Consultants as a Project Engineer in February 2009. He supports and manages design and research projects in broad areas of blast-resistant structures analysis and design. Marlon has performed design projects subject to ATFP and explosive safety requirements for federal (GSA) and military (DoD) clients, and supports industrial and petrochemical clients with designs and upgrades to resist the effects of accidental explosions. In addition to design, Marlon supports design tool development through the incorporation of analysis and design methodologies and related response criteria into the Corps of Engineer's SBEDS (Single-Degree-of-Freedom Blast Effects Design Spreadsheet) program. Recent efforts have added expanded structural component and retrofit capabilities to that tool. His research projects have included a test program on shoring systems for urban search and rescue for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and investigation of the blast response of steel braced frame structures conducted by PEC for the US Department of State (DoS). Marlon earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the National University of Engineering (Lima, Peru) and a MS and PhD in Structural Engineering from Northeastern University. He is a frequent contributor to and instructor for PEC sponsored short courses. Education Ph.D. in Structural Engineering | Northeastern University | 2008 M.S. in Structural Engineering | Northeastern University | 2004 B.S. in Civil Engineering | National University of Engineering (Lima, Peru) | 1999

Job Titles:

• Applied Research
• Associate Engineer / Structural Analyst
• Project Engineer I /

Dr. Michalis Hadjioannou joined Protection Engineering Consultants as a Sr. Associate Engineer / Structural Analyst on June 1 st, 2015. Michalis received his undergraduate degree from the National Technical University of Athens and is licensed to practice civil engineering in Cyprus (Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK)). He received his MS and PhD from The University of Texas at Austin, with a dissertation entitled "Large-Scale Testing and Numerical Simulations of Composite Floor Slabs Under Progressive Collapse Scenarios", a research study focused on quantifying the contribution of steel-concrete composite floor slabs in mitigating progressive collapse of steel structures. The research was supported by full-scale tests and high-fidelity finite element models were validated against the experimental results. Michalis is experienced with the LS-DYNA, ADINA, PLAXIS, ABAQUS, and SAP2000 numerical analysis tools, and will be supporting PEC and our clients on both research and design efforts. Contact Michalis at 512-380-1988 x307 or mhadjioannou@protection-consultants.com. Education Ph.D. in Civil Engineering | University of Texas at Austin | 2015 M.S. in Structural Engineering | University of Texas at Austin | 2012 B.S. in Civil Engineering | National Technical of Athens | 2010

Job Titles:

• Principal Engineer /

Ed Conrath, a long-time security engineering expert with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, joined Protection Engineering Consultants as Senior Principal in April 2008. Assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Protective Design Center from 1985 to 2008, Ed has been at the leading edge of protecting people and structures from the effects of terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world. He is a leading analyst and developer of security design guidelines and has performed more than 100 building vulnerability assessments in the U.S. and over 20 countries throughout the world, including assessments in the high-threat environments of Iraq and Afghanistan. Ed completed two rotational assignments in Baghdad, providing support to U.S. and coalition forces. In this capacity, he performed vulnerability assessments and worked with local architects and material vendors to produce blast-mitigating products locally, allowing for rapid and cost-effective protection of U.S. and Iraqi personnel. His work was profiled in the January 2004 Engineer Update published by the Corps of Engineers. Ed has conducted post-blast investigations in Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and he provided support to U.S. federal agencies after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing attack. He also served as a United Nations inspector in Baghdad following the 1991 Gulf War.

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Engineer
• Project Engineer I /

Greg Rolater joined PEC as an Associate Engineer in March 2014. Greg supports our design projects by providing analysis of structural members for blast resistance and by contributing to design tool development for SBEDS and SBEDS-W. Greg also provides support for research projects by compiling test data for comparison to theoretical results. Greg graduated with honors from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a BS in Civil Engineering and MS in Civil/Structural Engineering. Education MS in Civil/Structural Engineering | University of Texas at San Antonio | 2022 BS in Civil Engineering | University of Texas at San Antonio | 2013

Job Titles:

• in 2017 As a Financial Analyst
• Manager of Operations /

Krystal Johle joined Protection Engineering Consultants in 2017 as a Financial Analyst and now serves PEC as our Manager of Operations. At PEC, she has a wide range of responsibilities including, but not limited to, financial management, vendor management, project and proposal management, accounting/ERP system administrator, facility and operations management, financial reporting, and Government compliance and audit support. Krystal graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Texas State University in San Marcos.

Job Titles:

• Director of Engineering Analytics
• Senior Engineer II /

Matt Barsotti joined Protection Engineering Consultants in 2007, and he has 20 years of applied research, engineering, and data science experience. He currently leads the company's efforts in engineering analytics, a focus area at the intersection of first-principles engineering analysis and cutting-edge data science. Matt's technical interests span a broad range of disciplines, including modeling and simulation, data science, algorithm development, material characterization, large scale testing, debris modeling, etc. He routinely leads projects by assembling, managing, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists from disparate fields. His clientele has included DARPA, National Academy of Science TRB/ACRP, DOS, US Army, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, DTRA, MDA, ERDC, TSWG, etc. Since joining PEC, Matt has worked on a broad range of advanced research and development efforts. He has extensive experience in numerical modeling of soil materials subjected to high rate and explosive loads. His novel work resulted in a generalized sandy soil model capable of making high accuracy predictions for a broad range of explosive test cases with arbitrary degrees of pre-compaction and moisture content. He has developed multiple fast-running models (FRMs) for several applications, including explosively-loaded bridge cables, aircraft tire overruns in compressible soil media, glass and concrete fragment flyout, ground shock propagation, etc. He is a leading expert in the niche field of Engineered Materials Arrestor Systems (EMAS), which are installed at civil airports and employ crushable foam materials to arrest aircraft during emergency overruns. His present efforts focus on cutting edge areas of development. In the area of artificial intelligence, he is developing software to automate the construction of physics-based models using genetic programming, which can evolve and discover equations that capture the underlying physics of various problems. In data analytics, he has led the development of improved statistical algorithms for modeling debris created during explosion events. And in testing, he is leading a development effort to employ high-powered laser ablation to test metals at very high strain rates.

Job Titles:

• Accounting and Human Resources
• Accounting Manager /
• in 2019 As Accounting Manager

Randi Jinkins joined Protection Engineering Consultants in 2019 as Accounting Manager. At PEC, she has a wide range of responsibilities including, but not limited to, client and vendor maintenance, financial reporting, payroll, human resource functions, support of marketing activities, insurance oversight, and support for Government audits and reviews. Randi graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas State University in San Marcos.