National Engineers Week, Feb. 16 to 22, is an annual observance promoting educational and career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and celebrating how engineers make a difference in the world. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is marking the event by highlighting their own STEM professionals serving throughout the nation.
Many of those USACE professionals are now deployed in support of Los Angeles County's recovery from the devastating Jan. 2025 wildfires. Together with FEMA and other federal, state and local partners, USACE is continuing to help LA’s wildfire-impacted communities recover as quickly as possible.
Here are just a few of the STEM professionals currently deployed with USACE in Los Angeles...
Tessa Rough, Community Outreach Specialist
Tessa Rough currently serves as an outreach specialist, connecting wildfire survivors with recovery resources and helping answer their questions about the USACE-managed private property debris removal program.
"I'm trying to help survivors as much as I can, at a time that they're grieving and going through insurmountable loss," she said. "I find a lot of joy in being able to problem-solve for them, and seeing the immediate impact of my efforts in this community."
Back home, she serves as an environmental resource specialist in USACE Portland District, and before that, as a USACE park ranger at Bonneville Dam. She is originally from Kirkland, Washington, and graduated from University of Washington with a degree in Environmental Science.
1st Lt. Sam Lowder, Community Outreach Specialist
1st Lt. Sam Lowder, from Athens, Georgia, is an operations manager at USACE Galveston District, but he is currently deployed to Los Angeles County, also serving as a community outreach specialist. In this role, he helps inform the public about the process of opting into the USACE debris removal program for affected property owners.
"I think it's a great opportunity, especially for young officers new to USACE, to be able to come out here and help the community," he said. "I have gained a lot from this mission. I hope I have given a lot back to the public, and I hope to do a lot more with USACE in the future."
Lowder graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and he is now pursuing his professional engineering license through USACE.
Robert Ramos, Quality Assurance
Robert Ramos has served in USACE for 38 years and is currently working as a quality assurance specialist for debris removal in Los Angeles. In this role, he supervises crews conducting private property debris removal and ensures operations are being carried out safely and smoothly. He also verifies that all debris is being carefully handled and removed according to the agreements and parameters set forth with each property owner.
This mission hits particularly close to home for Ramos, an LA native and longtime employee of USACE Los Angeles District, where he serves as a project engineer.
"After 38 years of working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this is the worst disaster I've experienced, and this one is personal. My brother had to evacuate from his Eaton Wash home due to the fires," Ramos said. "So, I'm proud to be here, making a real difference."
Ramos holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona.
Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly, Task Force Commander
Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deputy commanding general for Civil & Emergency Operations. Normally based at USACE headquarters in Washington, D.C., he is currently deployed to LA as overall task force commander overseeing the USACE mission here.
He expresses pride in this mission and his USACE teammates, who are drawn from all around the nation:
"We have come together from all different places to coalesce and do good work...to help the people of LA get back on their feet," said Kelly. "If you see someone in a red (USACE emergency operations) shirt or this (Army) uniform, they are getting after it. They are leaving nothing on the table."
A native of Flint, Michigan, Kelly has served as an Army engineer officer for over 30 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from West Point, and master’s degrees in Engineering Management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, in Statistics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy from the National Defense University and in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
For more information:
Visit the SoCal Wildfire Response 2025 DVIDS feature page for further news and imagery about federal and military support to LA's recovery.
For questions or further information about the debris removal program in LA, visit the USACE website.
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