Tadesse Meskele, Ph.D., PE, recognizes that the civil engineering program at ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓhad a profound impact on his career, and he feels that the high quality of technical courses that were offered and the research he conducted during his graduate program provided a solid foundation for success. He is currently a Senior Engineer for GRI, with 11 years of experience in geotechnical- and seismic-based engineering. Following the completion of his Ph.D. studies in geotechnical engineering at ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ State University, his consulting experience has focused on seismic design and performance evaluations of lifeline components and systems, including municipal water systems, surface and maritime transportation systems, electric power networks, and LNG facilities. Tadesse has been involved in many high-level seismic projects that incorporated new research findings and pushed the boundary of the current practice of earthquake engineering. His work with GRI and his research with industry organizations such as USGS, ASCE, and EERI has focused on seismic hazard studies and analyses, including developing site-specific seismic ground motions and other geologic hazard evaluations. The research and case studies he is leading in these areas will impact the design criteria, operational safety, and future on a wide variety of infrastructure design practice. He is also part of the 2020 EERI Housner Fellowship Program, where he collaborates with other industry leaders to participate in a wide variety of dynamic educational events, conferences, and develop and support policies for seismic resiliency to improve regional community awareness. Tadesse believes that the future of engineering is very exciting, because public agencies are currently focusing on building or retrofitting structures to achieve seismic resiliency – which will make geotechnical engineering and earthquake-resistance vital elements in design and building infrastructure. Meskele is most proud of his involvement performing advanced geotechnical and seismic evaluation for projects such as the ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ State Capitol Seismic Upgrade, home to the legislators of the State of ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ; Port-of Portland-International Airport Improvements; and the OSU Marine Studies Initiative Building in Newport, ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ â€“ the first structure to be designed to withstand the combined earthquake and tsunami hazard produced by a Magnitude 9.0 earthquake.