about us!

ACE is a FREE after-school program led by volunteer professionals working in the design and construction industry. ACE Mentor annually excites 9,000 students from 1,000 high schools about careers in architecture, engineering, construction, and the skilled trades. Seventy-four affiliates (chapters) operate in 36 states. Almost 70% of ACE students study industry-related fields in college or enter a skilled trades training program. ACE minority and female students enter college engineering and architecture programs at significantly higher rates than their national peers.

About ACE San Diego: In 2003, a group of local architects, engineers, and general contractors founded ACE Mentor San Diego. We are excited to begin our twentieth year in the program, which has graduated and funded hundreds of high school students to pursue their degrees and enter the local workforce. The ACE Mentor program gives high school students an inside look at the wealth of career opportunities available to them in the building and design industries.

Board of Directors

  • Anthony Damon

    Chair

    DPR Construction

  • James Haughey

    Secretary

    Michael Baker International

  • Andy Lawrence

    Scholarship Chair

    Dynalectric

  • Cecilia Kucharski

    Fundraising Chair

    Webcor

  • Bryan Wayne

    Recruitment Chair

    H+W Engineering

  • Jacob Leon

    Events Chair

    KTU+A

  • Laurence Phillips

    Governance Chair

    Procopio

  • Mark Moss

    Past Chair

    Schmidt Design Group

  • Lianne Bell

    Education Chair

    Patterson Engineering

  • Erick Moden

    Education Chair

    DGA Architects Inc

  • Miles Anderson

    Board Director

    DPR Construction

  • Paul McParlane

    Board Director

    McParlane & Associates

  • Heather Schopplein

    Board Director

    University Mechanical

  • Peter Spiegel

    Board Director

    Hensel Phelps Construction

  • Mark Schull

    Board Director

    Balfour Beatty

  • Robin Duveen

    Board Director

    Gafcon, Inc.

  • Albert Valdivia

    Board Director

    Clark Construction

  • Aaron Russler

    Board Director

    Bergelectic

  • Michael Daneshvar

    Board Director

    Turner Construction Company

  • Thais Alves

    Board Director

    SDSU

  • Rod Mazandarani

    Board Director

    CannonDesign

  • Patrick Stahl

    Board Director

    McCarthy Construction

  • Garret van Leeuwen

    Board Director

    Gensler

  • Katie Yee

    Board of Director

    Connect Strategic Consulting

  • Gitte Russo

    San Diego Chapter Administrator

  • Cassondra Glaske

    San Diego Chapter Marketing and Events Coordinator

2023 - 2024 program schools and team leaders

  • Canyon Hills (Serra) High School

    Team Leaders:

    Courtney Sluder, COAR Design Group

    Haley Baquian, COAR Design Group

    Maja Plavsic, Gafcon, Inc.

  • Castle Park High School

    Team Leaders:

    Laura Handschumacher, Schmidt Design Group

    Vladimir Corona, Whiting Turner

  • E-3 Civic High School

    Team Leaders:

    Meghan Rhodus, Davy Architecture, Inc.

    John O'Malley, Gensler

  • El Camino High School

    Team Leader:

    Julio Dominguez, Hensel Phelps

  • Helix High School

    Team Leader:

    Racieli Andrada, Turner Construction

  • Hoover High School

    Team Leader:

    Gonzalo Garwood, COAR Design Group

  • Kearny High School

    Team Leaders:

    Lianne Bell, Patterson Engineering

    Allie Shank, Ryan Companies US, Inc

  • Patrick Henry High School

    Team Leader:

    Andy Lawrence, Dynalectric

  • San Diego High School

    Team Leader:

    Jacob Leon, KTU+A

  • San Marcos High School

    Team Leaders:

    Katie Ye, Connect Strategic Consulting

    Desiree Meunier, Kitchell Contractors, Inc.

    Danny Cohen, J.C. Baldwin Construction Company

    Sara Montooth, Project Next

  • Santana High School

    Team Leaders:

    Jeff Zubik, Davy Architecture, Inc.

    Holly Horton, Davy Architecture, Inc.

    David Suter, CBSI

  • Southwest High School

    Team Leaders:

    Izary Torres, DPR Construction

    Enrique Ceniceros, Taylor Design

ACE SAN DIEGO IS IN THE NEWS!

Helix Charter High School students building bright futures.

Our amazing Helix High School ACE Students were showcased in the La Mesa Courier!

Click the link below to read all about the achievements of our Helix students and how they are working on building their careers before graduating with ACE!

High School Students Are Working to Solve San Diego’s Housing Crisis

Click the link below to check out the article AVRP Studios released about our program and the incredible efforts of our ACE Mentor San Diego students as they work to address San Diego's housing crisis with this year's 2023-2024 RFP!