Monday, May 19, 2025 | 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Ronald "Ronny" McPherson, P.E. 

HDR, Inc. | Alaska Water Business Group - Coastal Lead, Northwest, US 

Ronny leads the Alaska Water Business Group for HDR overseeing staff that work on drinking water, wastewater, and water resource management projects responsible for both operations and business development. In addition, Ronny leads coastal efforts throughout the Northwest (Alaska, Washington, and Oregon) coordinating regional leadership and providing subject matter expertise. Ronny has led the maritime and coastal program for HDR in Alaska. This program serves maritime and coastal clients throughout Alaska with port and harbor design, coastal engineering, coastal planning, port planning, and marine environmental services such as permitting and marine mammal monitoring.

Ronny is experienced in analysis, design, and construction of coastal and maritime projects including shoreline protection, wetland restoration/creation, bridge scour, dredging, passing vessel analyses, structural wave and current loading analyses, propeller scour analyses, beach nourishment, marine facility protection, and a wide array of coastal numerical models.  Ronny is experienced in collaborative/alternative delivery methods having led program management procurements activities for design/build, progressive design/build, and construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) delivery methods. 

Ronny has provided professional services throughout the United States, Central America, Central Pacific, and the Middle East focusing on the Alaska, Texas, Louisiana, and northwest United States coastal areas.   Ronny has held responsible positions in various coastal and maritime engineering projects and accumulated experience in project management as well as program management, the analysis of complex coastal processes, applied design, numerical modeling, data collection (e.g., topographic survey, bathymetric survey, wave/current/tide measurements), preparation of plans and specifications, and collaborative/alternative delivery procurement.

Monday, May 19, 2025 | 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

Thomas Ravens, Ph.D. 

Professor, Civil Engineering Department | The University of Alaska Anchorage 

Tom Ravens is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) where he has served since 2007. Tom’s research is focused on Arctic coastal processes and engineering including coastal erosion and flooding. Tom has developed and validated predictive process-based models of the main Arctic coastal erosion mechanisms – bluff face thaw / slump (thermal denudation) and niche erosion / block collapse (thermal abrasion). He is working to develop these models into design tools for coastal protection, incorporating both thermal and mechanical control mechanisms.

Additionally, Tom is doing research to quantify and communicate the risk (cost) of Arctic coastal flooding and erosion. For example, to estimate the cost of flooding now and in the future, Tom uses measures of community flood exposure, in conjunction with data on community expenditures on flood mitigation, to estimate the current and future cost of flooding for a given community. Finally, Tom does research in support of the hydrokinetic renewable energy industry. For example, he uses measurements and models to determine the hydrokinetic energy resource at a given location. And, he uses measurements and models to determine the hydraulic and sediment transport impact of energy extraction.