Biographies

Wanda M. Martinez
CEO & President

Twenty-three years ago, Ms. Wanda M. Martinez launched her career in Architectural and Engineering Project and Finance management. "Over the years, I've had my share of struggles to establish and develop solid relationships with City, State and local Government Agencies", she says. Ms. Martinez has lead her firm from a small beginning client base to our current base of over 100 federal and municipal government clients. Ms. Martinez's leadership and vision has made Dean Ryan one of the most respected engineering and environmental compliance firms in Southern California. Dean Ryan has a verifiable history of 100% successful completion of all projects on time and within contract budget with full client satisfaction and performance.

Wanda Martinez was born in Pueblo, Colorado, on March 23, 1955. She is the second of three children of a Christian family, descendants of Don Felix Martinez, one of the "hundred" soldiers recruited by Vargas in Spain, a native of Galicia. She came to Southern California in 1973 and attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she studied Program Management, Construction Management, Business Management, Financial Planning and Construction Contract Law. Wanda Martinez has since been a true pioneer for Latina women nationwide.

Ms. Martinez started Dean Ryan November of 1983 by becoming the first employee of the firm. Although her firm was new to the industry, she fought hard and overcame many obstacles. In a field primarily dominated by large, well-established mega-firms, Ms. Martinez persevered. Through hard work, she learned the protocols and procedures that has built Dean Ryan into a nationally recognized engineering, environmental, and construction management firm.

She is recognized as a leader in developing a small business in the public sector. In a nation where eighty percent (80%) of the workforce is employed by small business, Ms. Martinez's firm has been recognized as the type of business that our nations economy depends on. Ms. Martinez d.b.a. Dean Ryan Consultants was contracted by TRW Corporation to negotiate the design and construction of several major high-tech building facilities throughout the United States. Additionally, she secured contracts with other major architectural and engineering firms where she was responsible, in part, for the development of joint ventures and subconsultant teaming relationships in pursuit of major design and engineering projects such as wastewater treatment facility upgrades, airports, dams and reservoirs. Dean Ryan grew quickly due to the reputation that Ms. Martinez earned for producing excellent work on time and on budget. The firm won large prime contract as we built a reputation for excellent and professional services based on hard and honest work.

Through the vision of Ms. Martinez, Dean Ryan's current niche in the marketplace is civil engineering but also Remediation, waste management and environmental compliance and engineering. Thanks to the Small Business Program, Dean Ryan has won very significant projects as a Prime Consultant, with many of the large, renowned firms as our sub-consultants. The technology transfer that this teaming arrangement offers small firms through the Small Business Program shall remain a very important and significant component to developing the project management and technical credentials to perform increasingly complex projects.

Awards and Accomplishments

Ms. Martinez has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal for being one of the top 100 woman owned firms in the City of Los Angeles.

Ms. Martinez was honored by Mayor Hahn and the City of Los Angeles Minority Business Opportunity Committee (LA MBOC) with the Minority Engineering and Construction Firm of the Year 2004 Award.

Ms. Martinez was one of thirteen persons selected out of several hundred people to meet with the President of the United States to discuss the impact of Health Care in America upon the Small Business Community. Ms. Martinez received a letter of gratitude from the President as well as then SBA Administrator Erskin Bowles.

The City of Los Angeles, Equal Opportunity Employment Department selected Ms. Martinez to participate in a video designed to help minority and woman owned contractors in the City of Los Angeles. This video helps minority and woman-owned business entrepreneurs understand the procedures doing business the City of Los Angeles and related agencies. Professional Memberships

Ms. Martinez was also featured on Channel 5-KTLA's "Making It" documentary.

Ms. Martinez is a member of the following organizations in the Greater Los Angeles area:

  • Who's Who of Executive Women
  • Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
  • Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles
  • Latin Business Association, Los Angeles (LBA)
  • Latin American Management Association (LAMA)
  • Women's Transportation Coalition

  • Madhusoodan H. Bhatt, PE
    Vice President, Infrastructure Group

    Mr. Bhatt has over 30 years experience in Project Management, Engineering Design and Construction Management of Airports, Infrastructure, Water Supply and Distribution, Wastewater Collection and Treatment, Oil and Gas Facilities, Power-plants and process projects worldwide. Over the last ten years all projects were in the billion dollar project range. Mr. Bhatt has strong and effective people management skills managing small and large organizations including large members of professional support staff. Mr. Bhatt has extensive experience with multi-cultural and multinational environment.

    Mr. Bhatt is a registered Civil Engineer in California, Kansas, Utah and Florida. He holds the degrees of Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Southhampton, England and Construction Management from the University of California, Los Angeles.

    Mr. Bhattís professional qualifications and business experience complement Dean Ryanís in-house management capabilities with a number of proven skills and abilities including the execution, growth and management of the firmís professional engineering and infrastructure programs. Mr. Bhatt has a unique ability to develop, maintain and manage key clients with emphasis on long term relations with repeat business. Mr. Bhatt continuously provides guidance for enhanced levels of project performance. Specific strategic responsibilities include meeting or exceeding client expectations for quality, schedule and budget: financial performance for project specific targets, project team expectations: operational performance and business unit expectations and quality. Specific duties include planning, staffing, scheduling, budget management, quality control, safety, and coordination of sub-consultants, internal technical and support staff.

    Mr. Bhatt works out of our Los Angeles office.


    Robert S. Wright, PE, GE
    Senior Project Manager and Geotechnical Engineer

    Mr. Wright has been associated with the Los Angeles Office of Dean Ryan Consultants & Designers, Inc. since 1990. He is a registered Civil Engineer in Illinois, California, Michigan and Arizona and he is a registered Geotechnical Engineer in California. Mr. Wright holds the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois and Master of Science in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

    Mr. Wright is a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC), Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (ISSMFE), U.S. Society for Dams (USSD).

    Mr. Wright has been a practicing Civil Engineer for over 40 years. For about twelve years, early in his career, he was engaged in the practice of Structural Engineering in the design and construction of heavy industrial structures, bridges, and their foundations. He has been engaged in the practice of Geotechnical Engineering for over forty years with a career emphasis on engineering for dams, heavy earthwork and grading, foundations in difficult conditions, tunnels and deep excavations. He is experienced in the analysis of problems relating to groundwater and seepage and is frequently called upon to provide consultation in the design of construction dewatering systems. Mr. Wright provides consulting Geotechnical Engineering services for the investigation, design and construction of engineering projects of all types. He is experienced in Value Engineering and in the development of innovative solutions for difficult design and construction problems.


    Richard S. Greer, RA
    Lead Architect

    Mr. Greer has over 30 years experience with 15 years dedicated to Aviation Projects, Aviation Facilities Planning, Design and Construction Management, and Transit related Planning and Urban Design. He has managed aviation terminal projects within the United States as well as in other countries such as Korea and Aruba. Richard has significant design/build experience, much of which was gained through management of airport and transit related construction projects. He understands the importance of delivering projects on-time, in-budget while meeting the needs of the stakeholders.

    Mr. Greer has garnered a wide variety of solid experience as a Project Manager of many high quality projects, including all building types, throughout a distinguished career as a professional architect. He works directly with sophisticated clients to create unparalleled projects all over the world.

    Mr. Greer currently works with AutoCAD 2005 to produce professional presentations of design concepts. As an architectural designer, he has programmed projects from their inception. As a project architect he has many times supervised and coordinated a multi-disciplined workforce on large-scale building projects. As a project manager he has tracked schedules and budgets and performed administration of multiple projects simultaneously. He has spent over five years planning and designing Hi-Rise Offices and an additional seven years with Retail Centers, large-scale Mixed-Use Developments and New Towns.

    Mr. Greer has demonstrated continuously his ability to lead both design and construction efforts within tight budgets, all the while keeping scope controlled and maintaining all his projects on schedule. Mr. Greer has a variety of experience working with seismic design and retrofit projects as a design professional in California.


    Dr. David W. Valentine, PhD
    President, Environmental Science and Engineering Group

    Dr. David W. Valentine has joined the Dean Ryan family as the President of our Environmental Science and Engineering Group. Dr. Valentine has a PhD in Environmental Toxicology, a Master of Science in Population Biology and a Batchelor degree in Field Biology. Dr. Valentine has over 25 years experience of project and program management experience in the environmental sciences including hazardous materials management, hazardous waste handling and disposal, site RI/FS, remedial action plans and site remediation for fuel hydrocarbon, DDT/PCB and chlorinated solvent contaminated sites, and NEPA/CEQA documentation. His experience includes services for international, state, federal and local agencies. He also has managed operations for commercial, industrial and municipal clients for CERCLA and RCRA activities.

    Prior to joining Dean Ryan, Dr. Valentine was the Director of Corporate Communications, Director of International Operations; and Senior Scientist for Tetra Tech, Inc. and Saudi Arabian Tetra Tech, LTD. Dr. Valentine has expertise in management of environmental operations, marketing management, program and project QA/QC and Group P&L. Dr. Valentine served as an invited expert on the Regional Water Quality Control Board's San Diego Bay Cleanup Advisory Committee which examined polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and heavy metal contamination and cleanup alternatives. He served as a committee member on the Hazardous Materials Management Division, San Diego County Department of Health Services, Contaminated Soil Work Group, Fate and Transport Work Group, Field QA/QC Work Group and was Co-Chairman of the Self Classification Work Group. In addition, he serves as a member of the Biohazard Safety Committee for the Agouron Institute in La Jolla.

    Among other projects, Dr. Valentine is currently managing operations of a $4 million contract for Preparation of Planning and Environmental Documentation for the U.S. Navy, Southwest Division. He is a member of the Association of Hazardous Materials Professionals and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

    Dr. Valentine reports directly to our CEO, Ms. Wanda M. Martinez.


    Dr. Walter Odening, PhD
    Director, Environmental Programs

    Dr. Odening has over 20 years of environmental operations and program management experience including responsibility for P & L and operations for a staff of 50 plus multi-disciplined professionals and support personnel in multiple offices, business development, proposal preparation and client coordination responsibility and regulatory agency liaison.

    He has specialty expertise and experience in NEPA and CEQA (and other federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations), biological and ecological studies, site/route selection and ranking, ecological risk assessment and impact analysis, ecological, natural resource damage assessments, wetlands evaluations, and the Endangered Species Act consultation process. Dr. Odening has extensive experience managing projects for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, Navy, Department of Energy, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Forest Service, State and local agencies and numerous industry clients.

    Dr. Odening has a PhD in Botany and Ecology and a Masters Degree in Biology. He is an ESA Certified Senior Ecologist; Certified in Habitat Evaluation Procedures, USFWS; a Certified Biological Consultant and a Certified Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Preparer.


    Jean M. Freeman
    Vice President, Communications

    Jean Freeman joined Dean Ryan in May 1999, heading up the DC office and managing communication, marketing and public relations projects. These projects include administering the Department of the Navy's Energy Awareness Program and developing the Department of Defense, DESC's Marketing and Communications Plan. Ms. Freeman holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication and has completed post-graduate studies in environmental law, safety and industrial hygiene, management and governance. She has taught in several university programs through the years.

    Ms. Freeman's comprehensive utility management experience includes a strong background in competitive issues, extensive work in utility communications and marketing, in addition to intensive experience with customer needs satisfaction. She is proficient in developing utility programs targeted at board, management and employee levels and has specific project experience designing programs based on demographic studies and database development.

    For the nine years prior to joining Dean Ryan, Ms. Freeman was a Management, Governance, & Communications Consultant. She worked with companies throughout North America on the changing utility industry and developed targeted marketing and communications programs designed to help management and employees move through times of transition.

    Early in her career, Ms. Freeman established successful strategies for improving communication in businesses and other organizations. She has been responsible for public affairs, marketing and communications for such diverse groups as law enforcement, nonprofit organizations and public corporations.

    Ms. Freeman is a Certified Safety Professional and a Carver Governance Academy graduate. She is the author of many articles on a variety of management and communication issues.


    Roy Fedotoff
    Vice President Infrastructure and Engineering

    Mr. Fedotoff has been providing professional civil engineering services for over 30 years. This experience includes planning; studies and investigations; design; project, program, and construction management; environmental documentation; and alternative project delivery methods (e.g., design-build) of a wide variety of civil engineering projects throughout California. His experience has also included leadership positions in, business unit management, financial management, P/L responsibility, strategic planning, business development and client management. He has had progressively more responsible positions, such as, Senior Civil Engineer, Client Service Manager, Group Manager, Office Manager, Market Principal, Western Regional Program Manager, Project Director, Senior Project Manager, Principal-in-Charge, Business Line Manager, among others.

    Mr. Fedotoff’s consulting engineering experience was supplemented by a unique senior level leadership position with the third largest water utility [San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)] in California. His principal responsibility, as Senior Regional Project Manager, was the senior management of all project phases of the $565 million Peninsula Region (1/6 of the total SFPUC $4.3 Billion WSIP Program). The Peninsula Region consisted of 10 major CIP projects (and 6 sub-projects). Among these projects were (1) seismic and process improvements to a major 120 million gallons per day (mgd) direct filtration water treatment plant; (2) a new 4,200 foot, 8-foot finished diameter Franciscan mélange hard rock tunnel; (3) improvements to a 100-year old dam, dictated by DSOD; (4) numerous large diameter high pressure transmission pipelines; (5) a new 140-mgd pumping station, and (6) miscellaneous valve lots improvements.

    Mr. Fedotoff is a California Registered Professional Engineer, with a Degree in Civil (Environmental) Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, NY, a Master of Science, Civil Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT; Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA

    Mr. Fedotoff reports directly to our CEO, Ms. Wanda M. Martinez.


    Dr. Wayne T. Williams, PhD
    Senior Project Manager/Biologist

    Dr. Wayne T. Williams has joined the Dean Ryan family as a Senior Project Manager and Biologist. Dr. Williams has a PhD in Plant Pathology from UC Davis, a Masters Degree in Plant Pathology, and a Bachelor of Science in Botany. Dr. Williams has over 25 years experience of leadership and project/program management experience in the environmental sciences including Coastal Zone Management, Ecological Research, Pollution Assessment and Abatement for numerous Federal and State agencies; International Policy and Protocols and a specialization in Ecosystem Health, Land Management and Biodiversity Conservation.

    Prior to joining Dean Ryan, Dr. Williams was the Official Environmental Officer for the Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs for USAID; the Regional Environmental Advisor for the United States Agency for International Development within Central America; Chief of Party and Deciduous Fruit Production-Promotion and an International Agricultural Extension Agent for SDA/USAID. Dr. Williams has expertise in building inter-institutional strength in research and extension; cooperation with government agencies; training research personnel, extension agents and farmers, integrating research, extension and education efforts. He also has managed construction and operation of biotechnology laboratory, greenhouses, irrigation systems and demonstration orchards.

    Dr. Williams works out of our San Diego office.