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
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Anthony Damon
Chair
DPR Construction
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James Haughey
Secretary
Michael Baker International
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Andy Lawrence
Scholarship Chair
Dynalectric
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Cecilia Kucharski
Fundraising Chair
Webcor
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Bryan Wayne
Recruitment Chair
H+W Engineering
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Jacob Leon
Events Chair
KTU+A
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Laurence Phillips
Governance Chair
Procopio
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Mark Moss
Past Chair
Schmidt Design Group
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Lianne Bell
Education Chair
Patterson Engineering
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Erick Moden
Education Chair
DGA Architects Inc
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Miles Anderson
Board Director
DPR Construction
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Paul McParlane
Board Director
McParlane & Associates
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Heather Schopplein
Board Director
University Mechanical
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Peter Spiegel
Board Director
Hensel Phelps Construction
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Mark Schull
Board Director
Balfour Beatty
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Robin Duveen
Board Director
Gafcon, Inc.
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Albert Valdivia
Board Director
Clark Construction
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Aaron Russler
Board Director
Bergelectic
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Michael Daneshvar
Board Director
Turner Construction Company
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Thais Alves
Board Director
SDSU
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Rod Mazandarani
Board Director
CannonDesign
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Patrick Stahl
Board Director
McCarthy Construction
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Garret van Leeuwen
Board Director
Gensler
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Katie Yee
Board of Director
Connect Strategic Consulting
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Gitte Russo
San Diego Chapter Administrator
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Cassondra Glaske
San Diego Chapter Marketing and Events Coordinator
2023 - 2024 program schools and team leaders
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Canyon Hills (Serra) High School
Team Leaders:
Courtney Sluder, COAR Design Group
Haley Baquian, COAR Design Group
Maja Plavsic, Gafcon, Inc.
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Castle Park High School
Team Leaders:
Laura Handschumacher, Schmidt Design Group
Vladimir Corona, Whiting Turner
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E-3 Civic High School
Team Leaders:
Meghan Rhodus, Davy Architecture, Inc.
John O'Malley, Gensler
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El Camino High School
Team Leader:
Julio Dominguez, Hensel Phelps
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Helix High School
Team Leader:
Racieli Andrada, Turner Construction
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Hoover High School
Team Leader:
Gonzalo Garwood, COAR Design Group
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Kearny High School
Team Leaders:
Lianne Bell, Patterson Engineering
Allie Shank, Ryan Companies US, Inc
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Patrick Henry High School
Team Leader:
Andy Lawrence, Dynalectric
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San Diego High School
Team Leader:
Jacob Leon, KTU+A
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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
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Santana High School
Team Leaders:
Jeff Zubik, Davy Architecture, Inc.
Holly Horton, Davy Architecture, Inc.
David Suter, CBSI
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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!