President
Christian Herrera, P.E.
Southwest Gas Corporation
Christian is a Distribution Engineer for Southwest Gas. He has worked on multiple capital projects throughout the company, such as the design and construction of interconnect sites, high pressure gas piping relocations, measurement and controls upgrades, and pipeline inspections. He earned both his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Business Administration from UNLV. Before working for Southwest Gas, Christian worked for NV Energy, where he managed major steam turbine overhauls, steam cycle component inspections, and piping and machinery improvement projects.
Treasurer
Naik Banavathu, P.E.
Ninyo & Moore
Naik is currently a Principal Engineer in the Las Vegas office of Ninyo & Moore Geotechnical and Environmental Sciences Consultants. He graduated from University of Texas at Arlington with a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering and has more than 14 years of professional experience providing geotechnical engineering services for municipal, federal, military, and private sector projects. He has directed the geotechnical aspects of a large variety of engineering projects, including solar plants, pump stations, pipelines, reservoirs, waste-water collection and treatment facilities, storm water channels and detention basins, bridges, roadways, park and recreational facilities, commercial and municipal developments, and other infrastructure.
Naik is registered as a Professional Civil Engineer in Nevada and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), and American Public Works Association (APWA).
Secretary
Gari Lindsey, E.I.
Las Vegas Valley Water District
Gari is a native of Las Vegas and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is currently working at the Las Vegas Valley Water District as an Engineering Plans Examiner. She has worked on various design project throughout Las Vegas and Southern California. She has a background in land development, water and wastewater Infrastructure design, storm water sampling, natural gas fueling station design, and utility coordination and design. Gari loves spending time with family and friends, cooking, going to concerts, and traveling.
Director of Website/Media
Rosaura Gallagher, E.I., PMP, CCM
Clark County Water Reclamation District
Rosaura is a project manager for the Clark County Water Reclamation District Engineering Department. She has worked for CCWRD Engineering since June 2014. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering and applied physics. She has more than 25 years of experience in the planning, design and construction of water and wastewater utility infrastructure, sustainable LEED design, and is a Certified Construction Manager. Prior to CCWRD, she worked for the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which included sustainable design and construction as a project manager for the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.
Director of Membership
Jaime Harsh, P.E.
Jamie is currently an Engineering Supervisor at Southwest Gas. Jamie has 11 years of professional experience in the fields of chemical and civil engineering. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with a Mathematics minor from Seattle University. Jamie started her engineering career at TIMET, a titanium manufacturing plant, monitoring chemical processes and managing continuous improvement projects. She began her career with Southwest Gas in August 2018 as an Engineer II. In her current role as supervisor, she oversees the coordination with the municipalities and other utilities on civil improvement projects throught the Las Vegas Valley.
Director of Programming
Suchan Lamichhane, Ph.D., P.E.
Suchan Lamichhane currently serves as Geotechnical Department Manager for Universal Engineering Sciences in the Las Vegas office. Suchan has more than 11 years of experience as a practitioner and another 5 plus years of experience as researcher in the field of geotechnical engineering. He holds a Bachelors in Civil Engineering, a Masters in Geotechnical Engineering – both from his home country Nepal, and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UNLV. He has experiences in both public and private sectors with broad spectrum of geotechnical engineering projects. His project experiences include transportation infrastructures, power generation and transmission infrastructures, public utility infrastructures, oil and gas facilities, airport facilities, railway facility, and various private, public, commercial and industrial vertical construction including high-rise buildings.
Past President
Trisha Sakaguchi, E.I.
Atkins Global
Trisha is currently an engineer with Atkins Global in the Water Infrastructure group. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She works on various design projects throughout the Las Vegas Valley and southwestern region of the United States. Her project experience ranges from utility coordination, water distribution pipelines and facilities, wastewater pump stations, sanitary sewer conveyance, stormwater sampling, and roadway utility design. Fun Facts: Trisha was born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii. She loves to travel, especially to Disney World. She also has a passion for escape rooms.