by Susana Lizcano González PhD. EI, Brittni Stephens-Yates, PE, CFM & Jeff Weides
Engineers Without Borders (EWB) provides sustainable infrastructure to developing communities to meet their basic human needs. Over a billion people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water and over two billion people do not have access to good sanitation. The EWB-NE Professionals Chapter recently completed their first assessment trip on the first EWB-USA program (a 5-year commitment) located in Colombia. The EWB-NE Chapter is looking for more project volunteers with various skills and levels of experience, but mostly just a passion for helping others!
Susana Lizcano González PhD. EI., born in Colombia, works as a Site Remediation Manager at Union Pacific Railroad, where she manages the company's asbestos program, and leads continuous improvement initiatives focused on incident prevention and operational efficiency. She has served as a volunteer for EWB with projects located in Latin America and Africa: providing professional mentorship for a wastewater project in Honduras, project evaluation of a rainwater harvesting system in Uganda and currently project leadership for a sanitation program in Colombia. She is the current president of EWB Nebraska Professionals.
Dr. Lizcano has participated in various student and corporate organizations, and is a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and completed graduated studies at Clemson University and the University of Missouri, where she received her Doctoral degree in Biological Engineering. In her spare time she enjoys arts, sports, travel, and community service.
Brittni Stephens Yates, PE, CFM, works as a Project Engineer for CH2M for the CSO Program and other projects related to water/wastewater conveyance systems, treatment facilities, and water resources projects throughout the Midwest. She has served as a volunteer for EWB with projects located in Latin and South America, providing professional mentorship for a water project in Bolivia, and currently a Project Team member for the project in Colombia. She is the current Financial Chair for the Chapter. She holds a BS and MS in Environmental Engineering and BA in Spanish from South Dakota State University. Other personal interests include gardening and enjoying time with her husband and two daughters.
Jeff Weides is a Nebraska native that graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. He currently works as an Operations Supervisor at a food ingredient manufacturing facility. Prior to that, he worked as a project manager, leading projects involving capital expansion, process optimization and operational reliability. He is the Secretary for the Engineers Without Borders Nebraska Professional Chapter and is a Planning, Mentoring, Evaluation, and Learning lead for the ongoing Malagana, Colombia project. He is a father of two dogs, plays soccer and other sports, and enjoys new places and experiences.
