Alumni Updates

Gretchen Stranzl McCann

Congratulations to landscape architecture alumna and lecturer Gretchen Stranzl McCann on receiving the Volunteer of the Year Award from Cal Poly's Alumni Association! Read more about Gretchen's achievements.

Joni Janecki

Congratulations to landscape architecture alumna Joni Janecki on being inducted into the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows on Oct. 8 during the 2024 ASLA conference in Washington D.C. Learn more about this year’s group of newly inducted Fellows. Each year, the society elevates members to this high honor for “their exceptional contributions to the landscape architecture profession and society at large.” Joni’s lifelong dedication to the profession and stewardship of natural environments as president of her award-winning firm, Joni L. Janecki and Associates, is testament to her leadership, commitment, and vision as a landscape architect. We are so proud to have Joni serve on our Landscape Architecture Department Advisory Council (LADAC) and are even more proud of all of her accomplishments. Learn more about Joni and her firm.

Dave Brink

Dave joined Structural Engineers, Inc. (SEI) in Santa Clara, CA in 1994 and became a principal in 2017. His experience, versatility and attention to detail and constructability have been a real asset to the firm and its clients. His firm has hired numerous Cal Poly graduates over the years to maintain the level of quality and expertise SEI has been known for.

M. Farid Shahid

Farid is a founding partner at Eighty20 Group, and this is Eighty20 Group's five-year anniversary in business. They are ending the year with a lot of successful accomplishments. The team is around 25 people and with two offices, SLO and Santa Maria, and opening a third office in Orange County in 2025. Farid and his team are also currently working on the largest mixed-use project in San Luis Obispo right now, San Luis Square.

Clancy Simon Monterrubio

Clancy, a construction management alum of 2007 and founder and principal designer of Simon Projects Inc., started their own business in residential interior design, remodels and flips.

Ashley Richardson

Ashley was named a Partner to Los Angeles-based EYRC Architects this past year. She worked on the newly completed University of California San Diego Theater District Living and Learning Neighborhood, a five building, 2,000 bed residential and academic complex. This project will serve as a model for other college residences.

Ron Schneider

Ron has been a structural engineer for over 35 years and for the last 25 years he has been running his firm, Schneider Structural Engineers. He has worked on complex and challenging projects throughout the U.S. as well as overseas. He has helped the University of Arizona start their own architectural engineering program and is now an adjunct instructor at the university. His firm has won a number of structural engineering awards and project awards and local business awards.