Meet Our ICC Consulting Team Experts
President of S. K. Ghosh Associates
Dr. S. K. Ghosh is known internationally for his work in earthquake engineering. He has influenced seismic design provisions in the United States for many years by serving on or chairing numerous committees and advisory panels. He specializes in the analysis and design, including wind and earthquake resistant design, of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. Dr. Ghosh is active on many national technical committees and is a fellow of ASCE, SEI, ACI, and PCI. He is a member of ACI Committee 318, Standard Building Code, and the ASCE 7 Standard Committee (Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures). He is a former member of the Boards of Direction of the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI).
In addition to authoring many publications in the area of structural design, he has investigated and reported on structural performance in recent earthquakes.
View a comprehensive list of Dr. Ghosh’s publications.
Executive Vice President and Director of Business Development
Johnson is responsible for the management and oversight of product and business development, content services, publications, training and global services. Johnson also serves as the Code Council’s business liaison with organizations, including ASTM International, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), RESNET, the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) and Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Johnson previously served as President of ICC Evaluation Service, LLC, a member of the Code Council Family of Solutions. Prior to his work with the Code Council, he served in several capacities with the International Conference of Building Officials, including the Director of Publications and Product Development and Director of Operations.
Johnson currently serves as Vice President on the RESNET Board of Directors and is a former recipient of the Code Council’s William J. Tangye Staff Recognition Award for Outstanding Service. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics and his Bachelor of Science in engineering, both from California State University, Fullerton, and his MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Vice President, Instructional Design & Delivery
Dr. Lendi is known for her research contribution in the learning industry regarding the impact of integration of emotional intelligence ideologies into online course design to fully engage adult learners thorough the online learning initiative. She specializes andragogical science including the incorporation of proven methods and strategies to promote successful self-directed adult learning. In 2008 Dr. Lendi was the recipient of Association for Talent Development (ATD) Young Trainer of the Year Award and received the Award of Excellence by the National Association of Professional Women in 2010. She is a member of the Association for Talent Development, serves on the American National Standards Institute – Center of Excellence (ANSI CoE) committee and serves as a training proposal reviewer for the Department of Energy (DOE).
She holds a PhD from Capella University in the field Adult Education with a focus on Instructional Design for Online Learning. Her first Masters degree was received in 1993 from Roosevelt University in the field of Training and Development, while her MBA was completed in September of 2016. Her undergraduate degree in Corporate and Professional Communications was earned from Aurora University in 1988.
Senior Vice President
Naderi is a graduate of the University of Texas with a Master’s degree in Civil/Structural Engineering and a licensed professional engineer in Texas, also holding ICC certifications in the areas of plan review, building inspection, plumbing inspection and Certified Building Official and a Credential of Learning Achievement (CLA) in Swimming Pools and Spas. Responsible for managing the development of support publications for ICC codes and standards by expert authors, he has been involved in international consulting projects for more than two decades. Naderi served as the technical secretariat to the development of the first draft of the International Existing Building Code in 2003. Prior to joining ICC, he worked as plan review manager and field operation manager for the City of Carrollton, Texas and prior to that worked in the fields of geotechnical engineering and special inspections.
Vice President and Technical Director of Product and Services
Thornburg provides administrative and technical leadership for the ICC support publications and education programs with global recognition in building fire and life safety. Prior to employment with ICC in 2004, he spent nine years as a code consultant and educator on building codes. Formerly Vice President/Education for the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), Thornburg also continues to develop and present building code seminars nationally and has developed numerous educational texts and resource materials. He was presented with ICC’s inaugural Educator of the Year Award in 2008, recognizing his outstanding contributions in education and training. A graduate of Kansas State University and a registered architect, Doug has over 34 years of experience in building code training and administration. He has authored a variety of code-related support publications, including the IBC Handbook and the Significant Changes to the International Building Code.
Vice President of Global Services
Zakreski is a Certified Global Business Professional responsible for developing and executing ICC’s global strategy, leading the consolidation of the global activities of the organization’s business units and subsidiaries to capitalize on synergies and achieve growth. In this role, she engages with the US Government and other associations on matters of services exports and trade policy related to standards and technical barriers to trade. She leads ICC’s involvement in relevant global dialogues including the Inter-Jurisdictional Regional Collaboration Committee (IRCC), International Building Quality Centre (IBQC), Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), and the Global Resiliency Dialogue. She is also the Vice Chair of the Virginia/DC District Export Committee. Prior to joining ICC in April 2018, Zakreski spent 25 years helping Western companies enter the China market, with expertise in export finance and healthcare products and services, first with Chindex International and Chindex Medical Limited, and then through the boutique consulting firm she operated, China Trade Strategies.
Zakreski has published and spoken on various topics related to globalization and market entry, including building safety initiatives and collaboration around the world, trade policy, and the Chinese healthcare market. She holds a Bachelors’ degree in International Studies and Chinese from American University and a Master’s in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University.
Technical Experts
Abouelleil received a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in structural engineering from Kansas State University as well as a certificate of applied mathematics. His research was a collaboration with Kansas department of transportation to confine bridge piers with fiber reinforced polymers for additional capacity. His doctoral degree was to create a novel theory for shear stress computation in cracked reinforced concrete flexural beams. After graduation in 2018, he worked as an adjunct professor as well as a senior engineering software developer. Abouelleil joined S. K. Ghosh Associates LLC in 2022, he has been involved in the development of computer programs, technical documentation, and publications. He is also involved in finite element analysis (FEA) for various structural engineering projects.
Website Administrator
Aglipay is a programmer with a B.S. in Computer Information Systems and began her career as an analyst at Hewitt Associates, which later led her to ICC/S. K. Ghosh Associates in 2015, where she uses her programming and web design skills to advance company and client efforts both domestically and internationally. Maria manages and hosts the structural training webinars that include presentations by highly technical structural experts, practitioners, and academia.
Office Manager
Kunal has been involved with the inner workings of ICC/S. K. Ghosh Associates LLC since SKGA was founded in 1998. As Office Manager, he manages client communication, engineering webinars, processes product orders and webinar registrations, and is an assistant to Dr. Ghosh. He is also responsible for client care and daily office operations.
Vice President of Digital and Business Development Initiatives
Genest is responsible for identifying and developing partnerships, projects and initiatives that advance the interests of ICC, its members, customers and the building safety industry. Prior to ICC, Laurence worked with DiverseyLever Equipment and Kensington Technologies, divisions of Unilever and Fortune Brands respectively, leading new product and market development efforts, and he later specialized in international business consulting. He holds an MBA from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Riverside, and has more than 20 years in driving product and market development efforts.
Technical Manager/Education
Gibson is a certified Master Code Professional and Certified Fire Marshal; he has forty- five (45) other certifications, including thirty- six (36) from the ICC. Having earned a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Delaware, he has also studied Architecture at Georgia Tech and completed courses in Emergency Management and Fire Prevention at the National Emergency Training Center.
Formerly the Director of the Department of Permits and Inspections for Frederick County, Maryland, he is an ICC Honorary Member, has served on the ICC Evaluations Service (ICC- ES) Board of Directors, the ICC Code Correlating Committee, the Board of Directors for BOCA International, Inc., Maryland’s Governor’s Smart Code Strategy Group, Chaired the ICC Board for International Professional Standards and is an Honorary Member and Past President of the Maryland Building Officials Association.
He provides lectures on ICC administrative, building, residential, existing building, permit technician, property maintenance, zoning, green building, fire, wildland/urban interface, energy courses, and is a contract instructor at the Dept. of Homeland Security, United States Fire Administration, National Fire Academy, Emmitsburg, MD. Gibson received the ICC Educator of the Year award in 2010.
Managing Director
Hyde is managing director of the International Code Council's Product Development Group where she develops books and seminars about the structural provisions of the International Building Code, International Residential Code, and International Existing Building Code. She has authored the Special Inspection Manual, co-authored the Significant Changes to the IBC and IRC series, and created seminars for each of these books as well as other structural topics. She holds an M.S. in Structural Engineering and M.Ed. in Education, as well as a P.E. license in California and Idaho.
Vice President of Intellectual Property Contracts & Initiatives
Leddin’s experience at ICC includes leading the publishing and multimedia division of the Code Council for many years. She was the senior technical editor for several ICC publications, including the International Codes and custom codes. Leddin develops business proposals and responses to RFPs for consulting services, both domestically and internationally (examples: Bangladesh, Caribbean, Jamaica, Republic of Marshall Islands, Saudi Arabia) and formulates the Code Council’s contracts with local, state and international governments. Prior to joining ICC, Leddin worked at BOCA International and the American Journal of Ophthalmology. She holds a Masters’ degree in Project Management from DeVry University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois Wesleyan University.
Manager of Acquisitions and Product Development
Luif is responsible for identifying and developing new product and program development efforts, reviewing proposals and establishing contracts, and working with critical stakeholders to ensure development efforts move forward unimpeded. Luif is a cross-departmental leader ensuring all disparate areas of the company are on-board with project goals and objectives and coordinated in their efforts. Luif has extensive experience as a technical editor, both as the former manager of the ICC publications department and as a project editor for college textbook publisher Richard D. Irwin/McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Luif holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College.
Structural Consultant
Rudra joined S. K. Ghosh Associates LLC in 2017 after completing his Master’s degree from the University at Buffalo. As a structural consultant at ICC/S. K. Ghosh Associates LLC (SKGA), he has been involved in various code-related consultation projects, development of computer programs, technical documentation, and publications. He is also involved in finite element analysis (FEA) for various structural engineering applications. During his studies at the University at Buffalo, he was involved in projects in Material Sciences that required advanced FEA of metamaterials and their applications in the seismic industry. In the past, he has worked in the bridge division of Midas Engineering Software as a Senior Technical Engineer and ATKINS as a Design Engineer for Railway Bridges.
Structural Consultant
Hezha received a master’s and a PhD. degree in structural engineering from Western Michigan University and he joined ICC-SKGA in September 2022 as a structural consultant. Since he has joined, he involved in different code-related projects, finite element applications, technical reports, and software improvements. During his master’s, Hezha developed fragility curves for high-rise reinforced concrete buildings. After that, he was one of the team members who developed an invariant signature algorithm that helps software interoperability. Furthermore, during his PhD. he developed distributed real-time hybrid simulation (dRTHS) experimental methods for floating wind turbines and he was involved in many shake-table and structural dynamic evaluation tests. In addition to these projects, he has seven years of working experience in the structural and construction industry.
Senior Staff Engineer
Showalter is a Senior Staff Engineer of the International Code Council with expertise in engineering aspects of building codes and standards with a focus of wood and mass timber tall buildings. Previous to ICC employment Showalter worked at the American Wood Council (AWC) for 26 years serving as Vice President of Technology Transfer. There, he oversaw the implementation and organization of a technology transfer program, which included publications, website, helpdesk, education, and other technical media. He has over 35 years of experience in the development and support of building codes and standards, authoring or co-authoring more than 70 publications and technical articles for industry-related trade journals.
Technical Staff
Sorensen, with a degree in Architectural Engineering Technology, has been in the industry for more than 12 years. Jessie served many roles in local municipalities prior to coming to ICC in 2021, including permit technician, commercial plans examiner and inspector. Sorensen’s experience serving on multiple committees such as Disaster Mitigation, Education and Program for Region XI and The Colorado Chapter of ICC, has provided her a wealth of experience and valuable expertise, and she has a strong acclimation to plumbing and accessibility projects.
Energy Code Specialist
Stacey supports the International Code Council’s energy code initiatives and energy codes and standards technical content development and advances its business interests related to energy codes and standards for both the national and international markets. Stacey has 10 years of experience in the development, adoption and implementation of building energy codes and standards and applies this knowledge to the Code Council’s Significant Changes, Code Essentials and Study Companion series publications as well as many other energy-and sustainability-related projects. Previously with the Cadmus Group, Stacey was also an energy code consultant with the Britt/Makela Group and a project specialist for the Risk and Decision Sciences Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where she contributed to projects under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Energy Codes program.
Vice President of Business Support Initiatives
Walls is the Vice President of Business Support Initiatives for the International Code Council (ICC). His responsibilities include initiatives relating to the development of support products and materials related to sustainability as well as domestic and international business development activities. Prior to joining the Code Council, Walls served as the executive director of the California Building Standards Commission, which oversees the adoption and publication of the California Building Standards Codes. He successfully directed the development of CALGreen in 2010. Walls has served on the California Seismic Safety Commission and on the California Hospital Building Safety Board. He is a California Licensed General Contractor and has served as a code official and also as an adjunct professor at University of California, Davis.
Senior Staff Architect
Woodward’s more than 40 years of experience in building design, construction, code enforcement and instruction provide him with the ability to address issues of code application and design for code enforcement personnel as well as architects, designers, and contractors. Woodward has previously served as the Secretariat for the ICC A117.1 Accessibility Standard committee, ICC’s International Energy Conservation Code, and the International Building Code’s Fire Safety Code Development committee. A graduate of the University of Kansas and a registered architect, prior to joining ICC Jay has also worked as an architect for the Leo A. Daly Company in Omaha, Nebraska; as a building plans examiner for the City of Wichita, Kansas; and as a senior staff architect for the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO). He is also a co-author of Significant Changes to the International Building Code and author of Significant Changes to the A117.1 Accessibility Standard and for the Firestopping, Joint Systems and Dampers.
ICC Consulting has extensive other resources that it can draw from, depending on the specifics and needs of projects. Highly technical staff in other ICC departments such as Architectural and Engineering, Codes, Evaluation Service, Assessment Center, Training, NTA, Community Development Solutions, and Information Technology (IT), are always available to support ICC Consulting. Additionally, a cadre of ICC contract experts with extensive domestic and international experience are available to participate as needed.
