About Us...
Welcome! The Central Iowa ASCE Younger Member Group is an organization of young professionals in the Civil Engineering field in central Iowa. Meetings and outings include technical presentations, site tours, and social gatherings. Be sure to follow us on Facebook to find out the latest information and current events!
President: Jordan Denman, P.E.
Jordan is a Senior Project Engineer for Calhoun-Burns & Associates, Inc. in West Des Moines, IA. He earned his B.S. in 2011 from Iowa State University in Civil Engineering, shortly after receiving his B.S. in Community and Regional Planning in 2009. Throughout his time with the company, he has been involved in a variety of designs for new bridge/culvert construction and bridge rehabilitation projects. Jordan is a nationally certified bridge inspector and is thoroughly involved in the scheduling and evaluation of in-service structures. In his free time, Jordan enjoys working outdoors on his farm, hunting with his two German shorthaired pointers and spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughter.
Vice President: Mitchell Holtzman, P.E.
Mitchell is a civil engineer with Kirkham Michael in Urbandale, Iowa. He earned his B.S. in civil engineering from Iowa State University in 2012, and his M.S. in civil engineering from Iowa State University in 2015 with an emphasis on transportation engineering. Mitchell earned his professional license in 2020 and has experience in road and parking lot design, drainage, and traffic engineering. In his free time, he enjoys playing and coaching volleyball and spending time with his friends and pets.
Treasurer: Ryan Hill, P.E.
Ryan is a Project Engineer for Calhoun-Burns & Associates, Inc. in West Des Moines, IA. He earned his B.S. in 2018 from Iowa State University in Civil Engineering and gained his professional license in 2022. As a Project Engineer, his professional experience has been thoroughly involved in the design, rehabilitation and load rating analysis of new and existing bridge/culvert structures throughout the state of Iowa. Additionally, Ryan is a nationally certified bridge inspector and has completed over 2,000 in-service bridge/culvert inspections. In his free time, Ryan enjoys hunting, golfing and spending time with his wife and son.
Secretary: Jacob Verry, P.E.
Jacob is a Project Engineer for HR Green in Johnston, IA. He earned his B.S. in 2018 from Iowa State University in Civil Engineering and is currently working on getting his MBA at the University of Iowa. Jacob gained his professional license in 2022. As a Project Engineer, Jacob has been involved in a variety of roadway and bridge projects. In his free time, Jacob enjoys attending Iowa State sporting events, traveling, and spending time with friends.
Social Chair: Hunter Mandernach, E.I.
Hunter is a civil engineer with Shive-Hattery, Inc. in West Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated from Iowa State University in 2020 with a B.S. in civil engineering. Hunter’s professional experience includes residential, commercial, and industrial developments along with municipal roadway design and construction observation/administration. In his free time, Hunter enjoys spending time outdoors camping, kayaking, playing volleyball or working on house projects.
Social Media Chair: Kara Kieffer, P.E.
Kara is a Project Engineer for Calhoun-Burns & Associates, Inc. in West Des Moines. She graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 2018 and became a licensed Professional Engineer in 2022. Kara’s professional experience has focused on bridge/culvert design, streambank stabilization, and load rating analysis. She is also a nationally certified bridge inspector. In her free time, Kara enjoys biking, baking, and checking out local breweries with her fiancé.
Special Events Chair: Jordan Babler, E.I.
Jordan is a construction project manager at Iowa State University (ISU). In 2018, he graduated from ISU with a civil engineering degree and has spent most of his career working on roadway design. Currently, he manages construction projects within various buildings around ISU’s campus. He loves spending time with his wife and three kids. When there’s extra time, he also enjoys renovating his house, playing ultimate frisbee, and traveling.
Past President: Blake Peterson, P.E.
Blake is a civil engineer with Shive-Hattery, Inc. in West Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated from Iowa State University in 2015 with a BS in civil engineering. His professional experience includes design and construction observation for site and water resources projects. He has project experience in the government, education, and commercial sectors. In his free time, Blake enjoys fishing and biking.