Board of Directors

Anthony Piderit, P.E., S.E.  is an Associate at Murray Engineering. Anthony is a seasoned structural engineer with experience across a diverse array of projects, including new construction of residential and commercial buildings, as well as existing building renovations, repairs, and adaptive reuse. He has made significant contributions to the historic restoration and preservation of numerous NYC and National Historic Landmarks. Notable projects in Anthony's career include; 440 Washington Street, an 11-story multifamily residential building emphasizing modern living spaces; and 322 West 52nd Street, the adaptive reuse and addition of three stories on top of the 1940's Radio City Post Office, which remained in use throughout construction.

Anthony holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in NY and WA, a licensed Structural Engineer in IL, and a licensed Civil Engineer in CA. In addition to his hands-on project experience, Anthony was a founding member of SEAoNY's Young Member Group in 2016, chairing the committee from 2019 to 2021. He joined the SEAoNY board in 2021 and served as Treasurer from 2022 to 2024. Currently, Anthony is a voting member of the NCSEA Existing Building Code Subcommittee, where he contributes to shaping and updating building codes that ensure safety and sustainability in existing structures.

Andrea Shear, P.E., is an Associate Principal at Murray Engineering in New York City. She has performed field investigations and evaluations involving a broad range of construction materials, with a primary focus on renovation of historic steel and concrete structures. She has designed structural and building envelope repairs, restorations, and modifications for adaptive reuse, as well as completed construction period services and special inspections associated with a variety of structures, including high rise and historic commercial and office buildings, parking structures, residential buildings, and civil infrastructure. She has a bachelor's and master's degree in Civil Engineer from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and New Jersey, a director of WJE’s Special Inspection Agency and a New York City Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector, and a Qualified Parking Structure Inspector.

Andrea has been an active member of the Structural Engineers Associate of New York (SEAoNY) since 2008. She is the co-chair of the Codes and Standards Committee and has completed one term as Director. Prior to moving to New York, she was a member of the Structural Engineer’s Association of Michigan (SEAMi). She is also an active participant of the American Welding Society (AWS)'s Subcommittee on Strengthening and Repair and AWS D1 Task Group 1 on Design.

Steve Reichwein, P.E. joined Severud Associates in 2009 and elevated to senior associate in 2020. Steve’s background in architectural engineering along with his design experience, especially with structural steel and reinforced concrete buildings, has enabled him to engineer his clients’ visions effectively, regardless of their complexity. Steve is a leader of the firm’s parametric and algorithmic design team, a group whose analyses inform critical engineering decisions for major projects. Steve has been a member of SEAoNY since 2015, where he has served on the Codes and Standards Committee and is currently the co-chair of  the Programs Committee. Steve has presented on computer aided algorithmic design to the Metropolitan Chapter of the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) and the Structural Engineers Association of Southern Nevada   (SEAoSN aka SEASoN). Steve has also given structural design presentations focused on the MSG Sphere at the Venetian to SEAoSN, the American Concrete Institute (ACI), and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). Steve has written numerous articles for nationally recognized publications, including Modern Steel Construction (AISC), Structure Magazine (NCSEA), and Cross Sections (SEAoNY); these articles share insightful knowledge of complex topics, such as utilizing algorithmic aided design to optimize structural systems.

Matthew Sangen, P.E., S.E. is an Associate and Structural Engineer at STV. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, both from Manhattan College. Matt is licensed as a Professional Engineer in New York and Massachusetts and as a Structural Engineer in Illinois. Matt has experience with both new buildings and   renovations, primarily for transportation, educational, and institutional facilities. His recent projects include the new Terminal A at Newark Airport, flood protection for NYCT’s Hammels Wye Campus in Queens, ADA Accessibility Upgrades for 8 NYC Subway Stations, and flood protection for NYCT’s Westchester Yard in the Bronx.

Matt has been actively involved in SEAoNY since 2014 and served as a co-chair of the Student Outreach Committee from 2018-2021. Matt has also volunteered the ACE Mentor Program at STV for the past seven years and is a member of the upcoming ASCE 7-28 Flood Load Subcommittee.

Christina Chu-Garcia , P.E. is a Vice President at Thornton Tomasetti. Christina joined Thornton Tomasetti in 2008 after completing her Bachelors of Science and Masters of Engineering at Cornell University. She is a licensed professional engineer in New York.

Christina has worked on a variety of diverse projects ranging from cultural and educational facilities to casinos to residential and commercial buildings. She has also worked on a number of overbuild projects, most notably, Related’s Hudson Yards in Manhattan, Sunnyside Yards Masterplan in Queens, NY and Centennial Yards in Atlanta, Georgia.

Christina has been an active member of SEAoNY since 2009. She was a Director from 2015-2017 and Secretary from 2017-2019. She has served on the Programs Committee, SE Licensure Committee and assisted with the establishment of the Central NY Chapter of SEAoNY. She is also currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and works with Cornell University’s Masters of Engineering Program as a Project Consultant for the capstone project.

Hubert Chang, P.E. is a Senior Project Engineer at TY Lin (previously Silman). His experience has brought him to places where he can be an active voice and participant early in the architectural design process, with a particular interest in cultural, community, and institutional typologies. His work crosses a range of different scales, from art and temporary sculptures to adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and multi-building complexes. His current work includes libraries, renovations of turn-of-the-century gallery skylights, façade upgrades to a 1920s house museum, and a new university institute in Baltimore. He joined Silman (and the SEAoNY Programs Committee) in 2019.  Over the years, Hubert has been involved in regular guest critic and teaching roles at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP). He is passionate about the intersection between architecture and engineering, and stays active in various organizations in that sphere, strengthening interdisciplinary ties in the built environment community and engaging with the public. He fills his spare time with informal architectural photography, glass and metal crafts, and long walks along the Manhattan waterfront.

Steven D. Hall, P.E. is a Senior Consulting Engineer at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger in New York City. Steven holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University and a Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering at The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His professional engineering experience includes new structural design; investigation and repair of concrete, steel, and timber structures design of bridges and environmental structures; and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. He has consulted with contractors, architects, and building owners on structural condition assessments and structural monitoring. His recent adaptive reuse projects include commercial and residential spaces, museums, schools, and libraries. Steven has been a member of SEAoNY since 2012 and previously served as co-chair of the University Outreach Committee (now the Student Outreach Committee). He is currently a corresponding member of   the NCSEA Existing Buildings/Structural Retrofit Subcommittee.

Jill Hrubecky, PE serves as the Assistant Commissioner of NYC Department of Buildings’ (DOB) Engineering Services unit which is comprised of the Construction Safety Engineering unit, the Concrete enforcement Unit and Cranes and Derricks unit. These unit, comprised of mostly engineers, are engaged in audits, investigations, and accident and incident response, among other activities, related to active construction sites. In her role, Jill provides technical expertise and manages a team of 45 design professionals, inspectors and administrative support staff. She works to further the DOB’s efforts to create a culture of safety on construction sites and enforce laws to protect all New York City residents, workers, and visitors.

Previously, Jill served as the Executive Engineer for the DOB’s Investigative Engineering Services (IES) unit – DOB’s engineering response and audit unit, supporting all DOB portfolios, managing special initiatives like compromised structures, and aiding the Technical Affairs unit in Code and Rule revisions. Prior to that, Jill was a Principal Engineer with the Forensic Engineering Unit where she  provided engineering competence for incidents, accidents, collapses, fires, weather events and building related fatalities. Before joining DOB, Jill was an Associate at Gilsanz Murray Steficek LLP Engineers and Architects, where she worked for 14 years. Jill is a licensed professional engineer in the states of New York and California. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Public Administration from New York University.

Joe Mugford, P.E. joined Gilsanz Murray Steficek full-time in 2007 and was promoted to Partner in 2022. The breadth of his experience ranges from retail renovations to large-scale redevelopment. Many of Joe's projects involve the adaptive reuse and sustainable redevelopment of older structures, including 75 Rockefeller Plaza, 1100 Avenue of the Americas, and 660 Fifth Avenue. He has worked with owners and architects on the selective removal of columns and floors, installation of new lateral load resisting systems, and vertical expansions to creatively upgrade existing buildings and fit modern needs while minimizing carbon footprint.  Joe is working to improve building codes, locally on the New York City Department of Buildings' Structural Technical Committee for the Revisions to the 2008 & 2018 New York City Building Code, and nationally as ASCE 7-22, Seismic Subcommittee Task Committee TC-13, Voting Member. He is the firm's liaison to the United States Resiliency Council, of which GMS is a founding member.  Additionally, Joe is a board member of the Hemophilia Association of New York, which advocates for individuals with bleeding disorders. Joe leads the firm's efforts in assessing and mitigating against the detrimental effects of vibrations in structures. Joe holds a Master of Architectural Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He is a Registered Professional Civil Engineer in New York, California, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia, and is a Qualified Parking Structures Inspector (QPSI) in New York City.

Steve Rys, P.E. serves as the direct link between the NYC engineering community and the steel mill, at Nucor Steel. He received his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and his master’s degree from Cornell University. Steve began his career as a structural engineer at WSP in 2013, specializing in tall & slender buildings. He has extensive experience in both concrete and steel-framed structures for new construction and adaptive reuse projects. In 2021, Steve joined Nucor, where he assists engineers to achieve project savings while integrating his passion for innovation and reducing embodied carbon. Steve is an active member of SEAoNY and serves on the Young Member Group (YMG), Programs committee, and SEE Awards committee. He is also an original member of the Sustainable Design Committee (SDC) with SEAoNY, serves on NCSEA’s SDC, and is founding and co-chairing a new SDC with SEAMASS.

Craig Tracy, Ph.D., P.E., is a Senior Vice President at WSP with over 25 years of experience in the analysis and design of a diverse range of commercial, residential, and institutional buildings and arenas.  Drawing upon a deep and long-standing passion for building and invention, Craig strives to merge rigorous analysis with functional, readily constructible design.  This approach proved effective in projects with difficult sites, complex structures, demanding stakeholders, and tough logistical constraints such as the Central Park Tower, Grandstand Stadium at the US Tennis Center, and Tower 3 at the World Trade Center.  Always keen to expand capabilities and improve efficiencies through new materials and methods, his structures often challenge conventions and always require a new spreadsheet.