PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Welcome to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Orange County Younger Member Forum (OC YMF)! My name is Marionne Lapitan and I am beyond excited to be the ASCE Orange County Younger Member Forum President for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

​I am deeply honored to serve alongside a group of dedicated and passionate young engineers who represent the pillars of leadership, service, and innovation through collaboration, camaraderie, and higher learning to continue the outstanding legacy of past OC YMF leaders. This year’s Executive Board includes: Past President Tyler Hodges with Mark Thomas, President-Elect Nathaniel Kapongo with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Secretary Celeste Chan with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and Treasurer Giovanni Hernandez with Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.

Our stellar officer board is supported by more than 15 active, impactful, and award-winning committees and programs whose efforts I encourage you to join and explore throughout the year. With a wide range of opportunities, OC YMF aims to further enhance members’ technical and interpersonal skills through a series of workshops, seminars, and networking events hosted year-round. 

I’ve organized our committees by areas of focus linked below:

• Advocacy and Public Policy: Government Relations

• Community Engagement and Outreach: Community Service and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)

• Fundraising: Careholders and PE/FE Review Courses

• Media and Information: Communications, Website, and Publications

• Social Collaboration: Internal Activities and External Activities

• Student Involvement: Community College Outreach, K-12 Outreach, University Outreach, Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition, and Pathways Academy

• Technical Development: ElevateU, Technical Institutes, and Mentorship

The power of collaboration has been an essential aspect of my ASCE journey, and I hope that if you do find yourself joining our board or visiting a meeting/event, you will discover new tools and resources, share new ideas, and build a new heritage of younger member programming that will revolutionize a new generation of OC YMF. ​

Our monthly general meetings are held every third Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm! If you’d like more information or have any questions, please email eboard@ymf-oc.org! We’re delighted and look forward to meeting you!

Finally, a huge thank you to my employer, Jacobs, for their continued support of my ASCE involvement. I am the leader I am because of the outpouring encouragement they’ve provided throughout my leadership and career development with ASCE.

I know this year will fly by, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to leave a small imprint in the history of ASCE Orange County Younger Member Forum!

Thank you and best wishes,

Marionne Lapitan, MS, EIT, ENV SP

Traffic/ITS Engineer

Jacobs