Bios

Kelli Pickler –  Chapter President

Kelli Pickler PE is the Lakewood Public Works Director.  Kelli also serves as Co-Chair of the Awards Committee and a member of the Golf Committee. She usually spends her weekends on a pool deck watching her son and daughter play water polo, but when she finds time she loves skiing and golfing.

Reuben Tolentino – President-Elect/Secretary/Treasurer

Reuben Tolentino serves as Principal/Vice President at Psomas and Regional Manager overseeing the Orange County Office.  Reuben has served on the APWA SoCal Board and C-Chairs the Chapter Mentor Program.  Reuben previously served as CIP Coordinator for the Long Beach Public Works Dept.  Reuben is a proud father of 4 and enjoys family time in Hawaii.

Ken Taylor – 1st VP 

Design Manager at Griffith Company.  Responsible for business development and marketing for transportation projects in southern California, including large multidiscipline design-build projects, BRT, light rail and regional rail improvements, grade separations, station site design, flood control facilities, storm drain, water, sewer, and other municipal facility projects.

Chris Tanio – 2nd VP

Chris is the Deputy Director of Public Works/City Engineer for the City of Placentia.  He presently serves as the Programs Co-Chair of the APWA SoCal Chapter and as a member on the APWA National Certified Public Works Professional (CPWP) Council. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball.

Alvin Papa – Past President 

Alvin has 20+ years of public works experience and is the Director of Public Works at the City of Cerritos. Alvin is a registered Civil Engineer and holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from CSULB. He enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, hiking, and fishing. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Mentorship Committee.

Carlos Castellanos – Delegate

Carlos is the Anaheim City Engineer. He is a licensed Civil Engineer with a BSCE (CSULB), MS – Construction Engineering (CSUF) and Executive MBA – Real Estate Development (UCI), with 20 years of government experience. Carlos is passionate about learning, teaches SAC, SCC and SDSU & coaches youth sports. He is also the Chapter Installation Dinner Committee Chair.

 Nicole Jules – Director

Info coming soon.

Chris Buscarino – Director

Chris is the L.A. Metropolitan Transportation Lead for GHD, responsible for delivering transportation improvement projects for local cities, counties, and state agencies in southern California. Chris has served the Southern California Chapter and Branches of APWA in various capacities for over 15 years and has been a member for over 30 years.  He was born and raised in the cities of Montebello, Pico Rivera, and Whittier. Chris obtained his BSCE from Cal State University, Long Beach in 1989 and is a registered Professional Engineer.    

 Jesseca Martinez – Director

Jesseca Martinez is a Transportation Design Engineer II at Mark Thomas. She is the Young Professionals Committee President 2022 and Chairs the Scholarship Committee. Jesseca enjoys going on scary tours, collecting pins, attending concerts and trying out new cuisines.  She was honored as the APWA SoCal 2017 Emerging Leader of the Year – Private Sector.

Info coming soon.

Rene Guerrero – Director

Rene Guerrero, P.E. has 25 years of public works experience and is currently the Deputy Director of Public Works for the City of Ontario. He is currently a Mentor in the Mentorship Program. Rene is very proud of his son and daughter who currently attend UCSD and Chapman University, respectively. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf.

Freddy Loza – Director

Info coming soon.

Lisette Bice – Director

Lisette Bice is a seasoned Senior Project Manager in the Public Works group at Ardurra, where she brings over 20 years of expertise in civil engineering to her role. She is currently serving on both the APWA Scholarship and Membership Committees. As a licensed civil engineer, Lisette has a proven track record of leading successful projects that contribute to the growth and development of public infrastructure. Outside of her professional life, she is an avid outdoors enthusiast, whether she’s hiking the trails on foot or exploring new terrains by four-wheel drive.

Steven Anderson – Director

Steve is a project manager for Kimley-Horn.  He is currently the chair of the SoCal Public Works Expo Conference,  held every April at the Carson Events Center, and is a serving as a director on the Southern California chapter.  He is also very involved with government relations, visiting Sacramento every year and providing guidance on bills introduced to the California legislature.  Steve enjoys playing tennis and the piano when he’s not chasing his two toddlers around the park. 

John Martin – Director

John is the Construction Contracts Administrator for the City of Anaheim.  He has been serving as the Programs Co-Chair since 2022, is a licensed Mechanical Engineer, and graduate of UCLA.  In his spare time, he enjoys watching sports and spending time with his three kids, wife, and dog.

Shahnawaz Ahmad – Director

Shahnawaz is President of SA Associates, a consulting engineering firm, specializing in water and wastewater engineering, with offices in Arcadia and Anaheim. Shahn has a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s in Sanitary Engineering.  Shahn has a long history of service to APWA.  At the local level, he served as President of the Southern California Chapter in 2003, and then as a Chapter Delegate from 2004 to 2013.  He then became the Region VIII Director from 2015 to 2021. He was recently selected for the APWA Top 10 Public Works Leaders Award. Shahn is married to Farah and has 4 beautiful daughters.  He is also an avid tennis player.

Trish Pietrzak – Chapter Administrator

Trish Pietrzak is the owner of Maverick Group, a consulting firm that specializes in Executive Director services and Association Management. Trish has volunteered in many roles with APWA since 1998 and has served APWA as the chapter administrator for APWA SoCal Chapter since 2011.  She handles chapter administration, strategic planning, marketing and pr, customer relations, finance and event coordination.  Originally from Australia, she enjoys skiing, horse riding and visiting her daughter at Ole Miss with her husband, Terrell.

Trish@maverickgroupinc.com

310-995-9800