40 Florida Engineers Graduate From Florida Engineering Leadership Institute Class of 2025

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (August 11, 2025) – Florida has a new group of graduates ready to take their leadership skills into communities across the state to make a positive impact at work and in society. They are Class of 2025 graduates of the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute (FELI), and these 40 professionals are eager to make a strong impression.

FELI, which is administered by the Florida Engineering Society (FES) and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida), is the premiere engineering leadership program in Florida which empowers engineering professionals to become community leaders.

Before completing and graduating from this 10-month training program, FELI students contributed countless community volunteer hours and raised more than $100,000 to:

• Place 57 (with more coming soon) Little STEM Libraries for K-12 students, stretching from Pensacola to Miami, with a particular focus on placing the libraries in underserved areas where academic performance has historically lagged,
• Further expand access to STEM and help bridge the gap between curiosity and real-world opportunity by supporting the continued rollout of FDOT’s STEM Box program, which provides teachers hands-on educational modules geared towards introducing students to the diverse array of careers in transportation and infrastructure. This project alone is a five-year, $100,000 commitment that the FELI Class of 2024 established, and
• Support key organizations that deliver STEM programming in schools and the community.

The FELI Class of 2025 graduation took place during a ceremony held in conjunction with the FES and ACEC Florida Annual Conference in Marco Island.

FELI Class of 2025 graduates include:

ALACHUA COUNTY

• Sue Zheng, PE, FDOT, CITY

BROWARD COUNTY

• David Castro, PE, Chen Moore and Associates
• Eddie Hernandez, PE, WSB
• Pablo Rodriguez, PE, HDR
• Michelle Rossi, PE, BCC Engineering, LLC

DUVAL COUNTY

• Killian Eckert, PE, Mechling Engineering & Consulting, Inc.
• Kevin Fielder, PE, STV
• Lana Khanachet, PE, NV5
• Omar Rodriguez-Gonzalez, PE, CGC, Assoc DBIS, The Haskell Company
• Oliver Shahbazian, PE, The Haskell Company

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

• Elizabeth Graham, PE, DRMP, Inc.
• Julian Poole, PE, DRMP, Inc.

HILLSBOROUGH

• Branan Anderson, PE, Kisinger Campo & Associates
• Spencer Baker, PE, Patel, Greene & Associates, LLC
• Roberto Gutierrez, PE, Ardurra Group Inc.
• Justin Hall, FDOT District 7
• James VanSteenburg, PE, CCM HDR, Inc.

LAKE

• Kevin Abel, PE, Moffatt & Nichol, Inc.

LEE

• Daniel Schroeder, PE, MSE, AIM Engineering & Surveying, Inc.

LIBERTY

• Will Potter, PE, FDOT Central Office

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

• Leo Almonte, PE, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
• Usha Budhrani, PE, Modjeski & Masters
• Sara Duffoo, PE, LEED AP, DBIA, Pinnacle Consulting Enterprises, Inc.
• Shari Ramirez, PE, Wade Trim
• Evelyn Rodriguez PE, ENV SP, EAC Consulting, Inc.

ORANGE COUNTY

• Niki Jeffers, PE, RS&H, Inc.
• Joseph Roberts, Jr., PE, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
• Ernest Sackey, PE, Jacobs
• Nate Willbur, PE, MBA, RSP, The Balmoral Group

PASCO COUNTY

• Robert Hideck, PE, Hardesty & Hanover, LLC
• James Nesbitt, PE, Terracon Consultants, Inc.

PINELLAS COUNTY

• Marcello Tavernari, PE, Bayer United Engineering Consultants

SARASOTA

• Travis Fledderman, PE, Stantec Consulting Services

SEMINOLE

• Tony Bevilacqua, PE, Ardurra Group, Inc.
• Lisa Olivera, PE, Bentley Group, Inc.
• Manny Richardson, PE, PTOE, RSP1, Volkert, Inc.

 JOHNS COUNTY

• Jeff Sullivan, PE, Eisman & Russo, Inc.

WASHINGTON

• Nikole Arrante, PE, HNTB Corporation
• Michael Layne, PE, Moffatt & Nichol, Inc.
• Tim Smith PE, FDOT District 3