Roxanne Follis

Status:
Awarded
Awarded:
Outstanding YMF Officer
Nominated Categories
Outstanding YMF Officer
Other Categories
Awards:

2012 HDR Pathfinder Award of Excellence, Productivity and Performance - Individual
2012 HDR Pathfinder Award of Excellence, POLB Stormwater Infrastructure Master Plan Project Team
2013 HDR Pathfinder Award of Excellence, Leadership - Individual
2014 HDR Pathfinder Award of Excellence, Irvine Total Service Organization Team
2014 HDR Pathfinder Award of Excellence, Flint Hills Resources Stormwater Project Team

Additional Files
Additional Information

Candidate Information

Name:
Roxanne Follis
ASCE Member?:
Yes
Company:

HDR
3230 El Camino Real, Suite 200
Irvine, CA 92602

Supervisor:
Education:

University of California, Irvine – BS Civil Engineering, Water Resources 2012
Western Region Younger Member Council 2013, 2014

Experience:

Roxanne began attending Orange County (OC) Younger Member Forum (YMF) board meetings while she was still a student at UC Irvine. During college, Roxanne was actively involved in UCI’s ASCE student chapter and held a board position her junior and senior years. She was also involved on UCI’s Geowall team and competed in the Pacific Southwest Conference two years in a row. Immediately after graduation in 2012, Roxanne took on the YMF board positions of UCI Liaison and Historian. Since then, Roxanne quickly rose up the rankings in YMF and became a member of the Executive Board as secretary, followed by Vice President, and to her current position as President. In her three years of YMF involvement, Roxanne has demonstrated her dedication to the advancement of the group and its members.
As Vice President, Roxanne oversaw the Events Committees, which consisted of four subgroups: internal activities, external activities, community outreach, and programs. In total, the events committee hosted over 30 events throughout the year.  In addition to overseeing these groups, Roxanne actively participated in the planning of the individual committee events along with the ad-hoc committees for YMF’s larger events: Speaker Series and Women in Engineering Panel.
Roxanne’s notable contributions to YMF include:
Promoting Diversity within ASCE
Holocaust Memorial Presentation (January 2015): Roxanne and OC YMF hosted a presentation given by a Holocaust Survivor, Henry Oster. While the event was not directly related to civil engineering, its topic on history and humanity was one that many found interest in. Roxanne was instrumental in the planning and in hosting the successful and touching event. As a result of the diverse topic, the event attendees were just as diverse. The audience consisted of other Holocaust survivors, YMF and OC Branch members, and children.
Women in Engineering Panel (July 2015): As a female engineer, Roxanne had always wanted to host an event that addressed women in engineering. When a group of other highly motivated and passionate YMF members agreed to plan this event, Roxanne joined the committee without hesitation. In this event, three distinguished female leaders in the industry spoke on various topics that addressed the challenges that female engineers are faced with during their careers. This highly successful event drew members from OC YMF, OC Branch, Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Women in Transportation (WTS), and new members.  The successful event became an ASCE National Best Practice to give other YMFs guidance on how to host a similar event.
Encouraging Relationships with other YMFs
An important aspect of YMF involvement is maintaining contact with other YMFs. Roxanne understands the importance of collaboration and encouraged joint events during her term as Vice President in which 4 joint events were hosted by OC YMF: Ducks Hockey Game, Clippers Basketball Game, Broomball, and a Camping Trip. Roxanne was heavily involved with the planning and organization of the Joint YMF Camping Trip that was held in San Onofre the weekend of July 21, 2015. Roxanne collected information on all 29 attendees and planned out the menu and supplies for the entire weekend.
Developing Strong Relationships with Local Universities
As a former UCI Student Chapter member, Roxanne places a high importance of university outreach events. She was the first OC YMF member to hold the newly created position of UCI Liaison. This position has proven itself to be a critical position for YMF’s member recruitment and retention. The OC YMF University Outreach committee has hosted two Jog-A-Thons to fundraise for the three local universities: UC Irvine, Cal State Long Beach, and Cal State Fullerton. OC YMF provides the universities with as much support as possible to help them run successful student chapters and develop them into bright professionals. Roxanne has participated in the two Resume and Mock-Interview Workshops (2014 and 2015) that OC YMF has hosted for students. During these workshops, students are given the opportunity to participate in one-on-one practice interviews and have their resumes reviewed in a friendly setting. This perennial event is always well-received by the students. Aside from the student centric events, there is more frequent student involvement in general OC YMF events.
Dedication to Community Outreach
Throughout Roxanne’s time in YMF, her selfless dedication to others have shone through, committing herself regularly to community outreach programs. Details are provided in the Civic Contribution section.

Comments:

Just three years removed from undergraduate studies at UC Irvine, Roxanne Follis has established herself as an impressive young civil engineer in Orange County. She is one of the most dedicated and hard-working people I’ve ever been around. As Staff Engineer, Roxanne has been instrumental to the water/wastewater team at HDR, being called upon by her staff and clients for technical and innovative ideas. In and out of the office, when a task needs to get done, she’s on it, and she will see it through from start to finish.
Outside of the office, Roxanne is currently the President of OC YMF, where she oversees a group of over 30 board members. Roxanne demonstrated her leadership capabilities the first day in YMF. She shares innovative ideas, supports and encourages the voices of others, and sets an example for excellence in her duties. In only 3 years with YMF she was involved in over 250 events, 2 regional conferences, and every committee. Her passion is clearly Outreach; to the community, K-12 students, University students, and the industry as a whole.
Roxanne is a symbol of the future for ASCE: a strong and dedicated female leader involved in ASCE as a student and a young professional, excellence in her work on projects and in her professional involvement, committed to our success, and with the results to show for it all.

Contribution to the Profession:

Orange County YMF
President (2015 – Present): Currently leading a group of 31 OC YMF Board Members. Responsible for presiding over the committees for university outreach, mentorship, K-12 outreach, PSBC, and university liaisons.
Vice President (2014 – 2015): Oversaw the OC YMF’s Events Committee, which consisted of the four subgroups: external activities, internal activities, community outreach, and programs. Led the committee on monthly conference calls and assisted with planning events for individual committees. Attended many of the over 30 events hosted by the Events Committee. 
Secretary (2013 – 2014): Prepared the monthly Board Meeting agenda through coordination with over 25 members. Recorded minutes and action items during the Board Meeting.
Historian (2012 – 2013): Collected and edited articles about all of OC YMF’s events and posted them to the OC Branch website. Organized and recorded all 95 events OC YMF hosted during the year of the LA Section Centennial and OC Branch 60th Anniversary.
UCI Liaison (2012 – 2013): Maintained the connection between the UCI Student Chapter and OC YMF by providing regular updates to both groups and presenting to the UCI Student Chapter on YMF.
HDR
2013 – Present: Young Professionals Group (YPG) Chair: Hosts events and development programs for HDR’s young engineers. Developed the “We Do That?” presentation series for HDR’s business groups to present on their projects and team. Coordinated the development of an internal mentoring program between senior and junior engineers. Developed the “SpeakEasy” training, an internal communications and public speaking training program.

UCI ASCE Student Chapter
- 2010 – 2011: Marketing and Public Relations Chair
- 2011: Pacific Southwest Conference Geowall Team
- 2012: Pacific Southwest Conference Geowall Team
- 2011 – 2012: Internal Vice President

Civic:

One of Roxanne’s true passions in life is outreach. From feeding hungry families to participating in K-12 outreach, and building homes for deserving families across the border in Mexico, Roxanne is always lending a helping hand and always gets so much joy out of bringing smiles to strangers’ faces. Her leadership skills have improved throughout her various outreach events, which include but are not limited to the following:

- Isaiah House Community Service Event (12/8/2012): Prepared and served brunch to women staying at the Isaiah House located in Santa Ana, CA.
- Ronald McDonald House – Cook A Dinner for a Family (3/25/13, 9/6/14, 9/21/15): Members served supper to families staying at the OC Ronald McDonald House. The house is filled daily with families of children being treated at local hospitals.
- Canstruction (2013 and 2014): Members acted as rule administrators of the building teams on Build Night. Canstruction is an event where teams build structures out of cans, which are later donated to local families in need.
- Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition (PSBC) (2013, 2014, Present): Assisted with event day volunteer needs for PSBC, a high school outreach event that promotes civil engineering. Currently serves on the 2016 PSBC committee and assists with the planning for the event that will be held at the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC).
- Special Olympics (12/12/14): Acted as an event volunteer for the Orange County Winter Games. Interviewed athletes, family members and coaches to help provide positive and constructive criticism for the event in hopes of improving future events.
- Corazon (2013 – Present): Corazon is a non-profit that Roxanne actively volunteers for. She has helped build three homes in Mexico for impoverished families. OC YMF hosted a bowling fundraiser for Corazon in August 2015. This event was attended by over 25 people and all funds raised were donated to Corazon. 
- She also attended and volunteered at the organization’s 2014 and 2015 Annual Fundraiser Event. She actively participates on Corazon’s Next Generation Committee, which focuses on recruiting new members.

Suggested Award Summary:

Roxanne’s passion for the industry is apparent in her dedication to her work at HDR and YMF. She began her involvement in OC YMF while in college and became the current President within only three years. As OC YMF’s first UCI Liaison, she is an example that YMF truly does help individuals transition from student to professional. Through her involvement in YMF, Roxanne has assisted with the coordination of numerous events, notably the Women in Engineering Panel and Corazon Home Builds.

In YMF, Roxanne shares innovative ideas, supports and encourages the voices of others, and sets an example for excellence in her duties. In only 3 years with YMF she has been involved in over 250 events, 2 regional conferences, and every committee. Her passion is clearly Outreach; to the community, K-12 students, University students, and the industry as a whole.

During her involvement in YMF, Roxanne has been mentored by several extraordinary individuals and hopes to provide the same guidance to her fellow YMF board members. She is committed to maintaining the group’s success and legacy.

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