Lelio Mejia is a Senior Principal Engineer based in California with more than 35 years of experience in geotechnical and earthquake engineering. For many years, he has focused on | the challenges of dam and levee engineering and is a leading international authority in this field, with emphasis on the seismic design and performance of dam structures. Lelio leads Geosyntec's Western U.S. dams and levees practice and is a registered civil and geotechnical engineer.

Lelio has directed the investigation and seismic stability evaluation of more than 25 large earth dams, and has been involved in the design and construction of more than 15 major dam projects worldwide. He has also served on technical review boards and expert panels for U.S. Federal and State Agencies, water and power utilities, and other owners on various dam projects.

He has led the design and helped owners manage the construction of several dam projects, including projects with more than $300 million in construction costs. In the U.S., he has successfully led many projects through the approval process of regulatory agencies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD). Most recently, he was project manager and chief engineer for the design and construction inspection of a large embankment dam that is part of the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal.

Throughout his career, Lelio has endeavored to advance the state of practice. He has conducted research on the use of three-dimensional and nonlinear models for the dynamic response analysis of dams and on liquefaction failure during earthquakes, and he has authored over 90 peer-reviewed technical papers. He developed earthquake loading criteria referenced by the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) for the seismic design of dams worldwide.

Lelio currently serves as Chair of the United States Society on Dams (USSD) Earthquakes Committee; as a Member of the ICOLD Committee on Seismic Aspects of Dam Design; and as a Member of the National Research Council (NRC) Committee for the State of the Art and Practice in Earthquake Induced Soil Liquefaction Assessment. Until recently, he was a Secretarial Appointee to the Advisory Committee on Structural Safety of Department of Veterans Affairs Facilities, and Chair of the Governance Board of the National Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES). He has also been a Lecturer of Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering at the University of California at Davis and an Extension Instructor in Geotechnical| Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. He was a member of the editorial board for the American Society of Civil Engineers Journal of Geotechnical Engineering and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Dr Sulojana Shanmuganathan is recognised as a Distinguished Fellow for her contribution to furthering engineering practice, particularly in structures and large complex engineering projects in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Sulo’s academic life began with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka in 1987, followed by a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from the University of Dundee in Scotland in 1990, completing a PhD in Structural Engineering at Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom in 1995. The global theme continues in her professional life with over 30 years’ experience in significant executive, technical and governance roles with major consulting companies in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, including Beca and WSP, as well as eight years in research and academia.

In her current role as Chief Engineer with Waka Kotahi, Sulo applies her deep technical knowledge, governance and project experience to challenge current practice in the Transport Sector. She is a leader in the industry towards a sustainability rethink with renewed interest in the use of timber in bridge construction, and pushing beyond just rebuilding post weather events to how we can rebuild more efficiently, saving both cost and time. In this role Sulo exhibits her personal commitment to the evolution of our community as she navigates and leads the industry through some of the greatest challenges in the transport sector.

Sulo is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), IStructE UK, and a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand. She has authored over 30 technical papers, contributed to numerous technical manuals, and is frequently an invited speaker at international conferences. She has received many awards and scholarships for structural, seismic and rehabilitation projects.

In Sulo’s own words “since becoming a fellow, it’s been my time to contribute” which has manifested in her involvement with Engineering New Zealand, serving on the Competency Assessment Board, representing Engineering New Zealand on the International Review Team for the APEC Engineer Agreement with the Council of Engineers of Thailand, advising and assessing various complaints, reviewing Terms of Reference and application processes for Fellow and Distinguished Fellow, serving as a Quake CoRE Board Member, and continuing to be an active participant in the Diversity Agenda and with Women in Engineering. She continues to be active globally as Associate Editor of “Civil Engineering”, the ICE journal and co-chair of their special issue on COVID, she is on the judging panel for IStructE annual people and papers award, and as invited keynote speaker in India and the UK.

Sulo is described as someone who is unassuming and humble but clear on boundaries. This strong moral and ethical compass coupled with her deep technical prowess has built her reputation within the industry as a role model in design and construction. She actively mentors and grows engineers, supporting them in their careers across all disciplines. She has tackled highly sensitive and challenging situations through her ability to open up the conversation and bring people together to tackle hard issues constructively.

For her achievements and significant contribution, Sulo is awarded Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand.

Andrew Watson has nearly 25 years of leadership experience at BC Hydro, where he continues to hold key roles in the planning, design, construction, operation, and dam safety oversight of major hydroelectric infrastructure. He currently serves as Director of Dam Safety & Generation Asset Planning, the fifth person to hold this position since its inception in the 1990s. In this role, Andrew leads BC Hydro’s Dam Safety Program, which governs more than 80 dams and associated water conveyance facilities. He is also responsible for asset management across the generating system, with duties spanning regulatory compliance, surveillance, equipment health assessment, deficiency investigations, maintenance, and capital project planning.

BC Hydro’s hydroelectric system supplies electricity to approximately 95% of British Columbia’s population and includes some of the largest dams and storage reservoirs in North America. The Dam Safety Program, established in the late 1980s, continues to evolve through a risk-informed framework supported by rigorous management systems and sustained investment. It has navigated significant events, including a major sinkhole at the W.A.C. Bennett Dam nearly 30 years ago, which reshaped dam safety practices and informed future program development. Over the following decades, the program has advanced approaches to seismic and flood hazard analysis, systems studies, alternative strategies for consequence reduction, and implemented major safety improvements across BC Hydro’s aging fleet of dams and spillways, including comprehensive spillway gate testing systems.

From 2007 to early 2025, Andrew led engineering activities for BC Hydro on the Site C Clean Energy Project, a $16 billion CAD greenfield hydroelectric development that added 1,230 MW of nameplate capacity to the BC Hydro system. Site C is one of North America’s largest modern hydro projects and was constructed on a challenging foundation. As Director of Design Engineering, Andrew led multidisciplinary teams through conceptual design, detailed engineering, construction, and initial operations. The project design embedded dam safety and maintainability principles with the vision of supporting an indefinite operating life. Its execution incorporated robust management and engineering control systems to ensure quality. Continuous monitoring and assessment during construction enabled the implementation of additional dam safety enhancements that were integrated into the design during construction. The Site C reservoir filling began in late August 2024, and all six generating units were commissioned and in service by the summer of 2025.

Andrew holds both undergraduate and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of British Columbia, with a specialization in geotechnical engineering, and is a registered Professional Engineer in Canada. He has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed papers and conference presentations on hydroelectric engineering and dam safety. He is an active member of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), serving on the committee for engineering activities related to water resource project planning.