LPA Director of Civil Engineering and Associate Principal, Kathereen Shinkai, PE was honored with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Los Angeles Section’s 2020 Outstanding Civil Engineer award in the Private Sector category during the annual awards ceremony, Oct. 22. Shinkai stood out “among numerous and excellent nominations” and was selected for making a difference in the civil engineering community for her leadership and contributions to the profession, according to the group’s announcement.
“I am so honored to be recognized by my peers in the industry,” Shinkai said. “Winning this award would not have been possible without the inspiration I have received from many of you as well as the support I have received from LPA. “I thank each one of you for helping me reach a stage where I can proudly hold up this award as a mark of my achievement.”
Shinkai, a leader in the civil engineering community, has won numerous awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Orange County Engineering Council (OCEC), recognizing her achievements and contributions to the civil engineering profession. In March, she was named ASCE Orange County’s Land Development Engineer of Year. In 2014, she was recognized as the ASCE Outstanding Section Officer in the State of California, the same year the LPA-designed Newport Beach Learning Center was named the Architectural Engineering Project of the Year from the State of California.
Shinkai served as the president of the ASCE Los Angeles Section in 2017.
As Director of Civil Engineering, Shinkai has led LPA’s work on a wide array of award-winning projects, including institutional, retail/commercial centers, master planned residential communities, religious facilities, public works and industrial facilities. Working within LPA’s integrated design process, her efforts focus on efficiency, civil engineering design, stormwater strategies and sustainability. Her recent work includes the six-story County Administration South Building for the County of Orange; the West Hollywood automated parking garage, which earned a COTE Award from AIA-LA; and the Environmental Nature Center Preschool in Newport Beach, which earned an AIA National COTE Top Ten award this year, the industry’s highest award for sustainable design.
