FBPE, FEMC Select Chairs, Vice Chairs for 2025

The Florida Board of Professional Engineers elected Denise Ramsey, PE, as its chair for 2025, and James Gonzalez as its vice chair at its December 2024 meeting in Tallahassee, Fla.

Ms. Ramsey, who was vice chair in 2024, succeeds Dylan Albergo, PE.

Appointed to the Board in 2021, Ms. Ramsey is the vice president of AE Business Processes and chief engineer with Haskell Architects & Engineers. She is also the company’s chief of design project management.

She has spent her career at Haskell, starting in 1984 as a mechanical engineer intern, obtaining licensure in 1989 as a professional engineer in Florida. Ms. Ramsey has held a variety of positions at Haskell over her 40-year career, in both technical leadership and leadership of teams.

Ms. Ramsey graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Florida and has a Master of Business Administration from Jacksonville University. She is licensed as a PE in 45 states, is a LEED AP BD+C, showing her commitment to sustainability, is a Designated Design-Build Professional serving that organization on the National Certification Board, and is a member of the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Florida Engineering Society (FES).

Ms. Ramsey is passionate about mentoring young people by volunteering her time with the ACE Mentor Program of Northeast Florida, which she founded in 2006, as well as the ACE Mentor Program of America, which offer an after-school mentoring program exposing high school students to careers in architecture, construction, and engineering.

She is a graduate of the Leadership Jacksonville Class of 1999, the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute Class of 2007, was honored as a Woman of Influence in 2008 by the Jacksonville Business Journal and received the Outstanding Tutor of the Year Award in 2000 from Learn to Read Inc. In 2013 she was recognized by the Jacksonville Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women during Women’s History Month for her mentoring and engineering achievements. 2019 saw Ms. Ramsey honored by the Northeast Florida’s chapter of FES with the award of the James F. Shivler Jr. PE Award for Outstanding Service to the Engineering Profession.

Mr. Gonzalez is a co-founder of Cobb & Gonzalez, P.A., and has provided guidance to businesses and professionals for over a decade. Mr. Gonzalez graduated from the University of South Florida, in Tampa, and was a member of the Business National Honor Society. He earned his juris doctor from Villanova University School of Law in 2007. That same year, James also received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Villanova University School of Business.

Mr. Gonzalez has represented numerous architectural, engineering, and construction firms, as well as their employees, in professional negligence, construction defect, and contractual claims. He has also provided legal counseling and representation to general contractors, subcontractors, building material manufacturers, and suppliers in areas from corporate formation to contract disputes and construction defect claims. Currently, he provides legal counseling and representation to design professionals, general contractors, subcontractors, building material manufacturers, and suppliers in areas ranging from corporate formation to contract disputes and construction defect claims and everything in between.

In 2015, Mr. Gonzalez was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). As an assistant staff judge advocate, Capt. Gonzalez assists the staff judge advocate in providing legal advice to the wing commander (installation commander), as well as its subordinate units, including supporting the provision of military justice to thousands of airmen and reviewing and providing guidance on multi-million-dollar construction contracts.

Mr. Gonzalez moved to Jacksonville in 2009. He and his wife have two children. In his free time, Mr. Gonzalez enjoys building Jeeps, inshore fishing, woodworking, cooking, golfing, and spending time with his family.

He was appointed to the Board in 2022.

FEMC Chair, Vice Chair for 2025

At its December meeting, the directors of the Florida Engineers Management Corporation elected Safiya Brea, PE, as its chair and Dr. Mark Tumeo, PE, as its vice chair. Ms. Brea succeeds Satya Lory, PE, as chair.

Ms. Brea graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in civil engineering. She is a partner at Chen Moore and Associates where she has worked for over 20 years. Her current position as Broward office lead and principal engineer includes leading CMA’s flagship office in Fort Lauderdale, and designing and managing a wide variety of municipal projects.

She is a graduate of Leadership Florida Connect class 8, Leadership Broward class 35, and Florida Engineering Leadership Institute.

Ms. Brea was the Florida Engineering Society’s Broward Chapter president from 2010-12 and served on various committees for the organization. She is a mentor with the Women of Tomorrow mentoring program for young women. Ms. Brea and her husband, Mark, have a daughter, Nyla, and a son, Malakhi. She enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, and reading a good book.

She was appointed a corporate director for FEMC in 2018.

Dr. Tumeo holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in environmental engineering from the University of California, Davis, a J.D. from Cleveland State University, and B.S. degrees in civil engineering and biology from the University of Notre Dame. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Florida, Oklahoma, and Alaska, and is a member of the Ohio Bar. Dr. Tumeo is currently the senior engineer at Earth Systems, an environmental consulting firm with offices in four states.

Previously, he served as dean of the College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction at the University of North Florida. Prior to that, he was at Cleveland State University where he served seven years as the vice provost of research and dean of the graduate studies before returning to the faculty in 2000, where he served as the faculty advisor for the CSU Chapter of Engineers Without Borders and as the undergraduate program and ABET coordinator for the department. Prior to his appointment at CSU, he was a faculty member at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Dr. Tumeo has almost 40 years of experience in environmental consulting and research, and has extensive experience and publications in environmental risk assessment, policy, and regulation. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles, reports, and book chapters, and numerous conference proceedings in the area of waste treatment, management, and risk analysis. He has served as an associate editor for the American Association of Civil Engineers Journal of Environmental Engineering, and the Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice.

He was appointed a corporate director for FEMC in 2021.