Schnabel Engineering Announces New Hires

Schnabel Engineering announced several new hires recently.

Rick Vincent, PE, joined the firm as a Principal on Schnabel’s Tunnels and Underground team. Vincent brings over 30 years of experience in the design, construction, and management of complex underground and heavy civil infrastructure projects both in the U.S. and internationally. He’s served in senior leadership roles and as Engineer of Record on numerous high-profile tunnel projects and is known for his technical expertise, strategic mindset, and collaborative leadership style. Most recently, he led more than 90 projects for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, playing a key role in advancing Project Clean Lake, a monumental initiative to reduce combined sewer overflows into Lake Erie by 4.5 billion gallons annually.

“Working as an owner and focusing on servant leadership for over nine years has given me a deep appreciation for the positive impacts our work can have upon the communities we serve,” says Vincent. Through meaningful engagement and informed project execution, Vincent looks forward to furthering the needs and strategic goals of Schnabel’s clients.

Doug Johnson joins the Seattle office as a Senior Consultant, bringing with him over 40 years of expertise in dam safety and water resources engineering. Most recently, he served as Regional Engineer at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), where he oversaw dam safety across six northwestern states.

Prior to his 14-year tenure at FERC, Johnson dedicated more than 20 years to the Washington State Department of Ecology, including 13 years as Supervisor of Engineering and Dam Safety.

Throughout his distinguished career, he has led numerous dam inspections and conducted extensive hydrologic and hydraulic analyses. He is also a respected leader in the dam safety community, having served on the ASDSO Board of Directors and as President from 2002 to 2003.

Eli Branch, PE, is an experienced geostructural engineer with a strong 17-year track record in structural and geotechnical engineering, support of excavation, and construction inspection. His career began in New York City and continued in Seattle, where he has played key roles on a wide range of building, transit, and bridge projects across the region.

Branch brings expertise in concrete and steel design, project management, and mentoring junior engineers. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee.

His addition supports the ongoing growth of Schnabel’s Geostructural services in the Pacific Northwest and underscores the firm’s commitment to technical excellence and team development.

Michael Thelen, PE, D.GE, brings more than 30 years of progressive civil and geotechnical engineering experience. Most recently, he served as the Geotechnical and Dam Safety Risk Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Consumers Energy.

Over the course of his career, Thelen has played a key role in major projects across Michigan, providing risk estimates, leading civil and geostructural design efforts, and helping geotechnical teams expand into new market areas.

An active member of ASCE and USSD, Thelen also serves on the USSD Risk Training Subcommittee. He is highly regarded for his expertise in dam safety risk estimation and deep knowledge of the Risk-Informed Decision-Making (RIDM) process. He joins the Greensboro, North Carolina, office.

Geoff Kruger, PE, brings 28 years of experience in dam engineering, with a career dedicated to the safety, design, and construction of dams. His expertise spans inspection, field investigations, design documents, and construction observation—including leading the implementation of Quality Control Inspection Programs on several major projects.

A previously approved Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Independent Consultant, Kruger has served as the Independent Consultant on thirteen FERC 5-year dam safety inspections in addition to numerous inspections for municipal, state, federal, and private dam owners.