DRI Faculty List
2021 Fire Science and Litigation Virtual Seminar
February 11, 2021
Ali Ashrafi Thornton Tomasetti
Dr. Ali Ashrafi received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from Columbia University and is currently a Principal at Thornton Tomasetti. He is the Vice-chair of the ASCE Fire Protection Committee, and a member of the ACEC Metro Region Fire Codes Committee. Ali has extensive experience investigation damages to buildings, including as a result of fires. He also has overseen numerous projects including performance based structural fire engineering at several iconic structures throughout the US such as the Shed in New York City, Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, Pittsburgh International Airport and Kravis Center in Florida. Dr. Ashrafi is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, having taught both Structural Fire Engineering and Earthquake and Wind Engineering. |
Scott E. Dillon, PE P.E., CFEI
ESi
Scott E. Dillon, PE is a licensed professional engineer with over 20 years of experience in fire protection engineering, fire science and fire investigation. He provides clients with expert consultation regarding fire protection systems, fire dynamics, fire testing and compliance with codes and standards. He has experience performing origin and cause investigations involving residences as well as commercial, industrial, chemical and agricultural facilities. He also has experience managing large fire and explosion scenes as well as investigations involving fuel-gas systems and equipment. |
Adam Goodman S-E-A
Adam Goodman is a Senior Fire Protection Engineer/Senior Fire Investigator with S-E-A. In addition to fire/explosion origin and cause, he analyzes incidents involving fire-related deaths/injuries, fire suppression and detection system failures (water-based, commercial kitchen, special hazard, smoke/fire alarms), fire department responses/operations, confined spaces and carbon monoxide exposures. Analysis can include fire testing and research, fire dynamics, flame spread, computer fire modeling and code analysis. He is also an active firefighter and has served as a Chief Officer. |
Stephen Hill Jensen Hughes
Stephen Hill, PE is a Principal Fire Protection Engineer with Jensen Hughes, working out of the company's Baltimore office, where he serves as Vice President of the Fire Forensics service line. He has an area of focus on fire and explosion investigations and fire protection system performance. He has extensive experience in the application of scientific and engineering principles in the forensic support of fire and explosion investigations. He utilizes analysis techniques including computational fluid dynamics fire modeling, has designed and executed small and large scale fire tests and simulations and has developed and provided instruction related to fire science and the investigation of fires to federal, state and local fire investigators. He is a licensed professional engineer, has been an instructor for the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and has served as adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland's Department of Fire Protection Engineering. He currently serves as a member on three technical committees of the National Fire Protection Association and is the Committee Chair of NFPA 17/17A - Standards for Dry and Wet Chemical Extinguishing Systems. |
Melanie C. Lockett Partner
Lowe Stein Hoffman Allweiss & Hauver LLP
Melanie C. Lockett is a partner at Lowe, Stein, Hoffman, Allweiss & Hauver LLP, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She enjoys a diverse trial and appellate practice with an emphasis on insurance coverage and defense in the areas of commercial general liability, professional liability, extra-contractual liability, and bad faith. Melanie is a steering committee member for the DRI Insurance Law Committee, DRI Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is on the DRI Law Institute. Melanie was recently the DRI Co-Vice Program Chair for the 2020 Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium. |
Delmar R. (Trey) Morrison III, PhD, PE, CCPSC, CFEI Principal Engineer
Exponent
Delmar R. (Trey) Morrison III, PhD, PE, CCPSC, CFEI is a chemical engineer who specializes in investigating and analyzing products, equipment, systems and processes to aid owners, manufacturers, and insurers in incident investigation, root cause analysis, and evaluation and mitigation of risks. He has been presented as an expert and advised clients in various adjudicatory venues such as federal court, various state courts, mediations, and international arbitration tribunals. He investigates origin, cause, and engineering issues related to complex incidents involving fires, explosions, chemical processes and industrial operations. |
Kathryn A. (Katy) Regier Counsel
Sandberg Phoenix
Kathryn A. (Katy) Regier is an attorney with Sandberg Phoenix in its Kansas City, Missouri office. She is admitted to practice law in Missouri, Kansas and California. Katy has a wide range of civil litigation experience including product liability matters involving fires, explosions and carbon monoxide exposure in fatality, serious injury and high-dollar property damages cases. She currently serves as Chair of the DRI Fire Science & Litigation Group. Katy is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law. While in law school, she was Articles Editor for the Kansas Law Review and participated in the Judicial Clerkship Clinic at the Kansas Court of Appeals. |
James E. Weatherholtz Partner
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
James E. Weatherholtz is a partner in the Charleston, South Carolina office of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from The Citadel in 1996, and his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1999. His primary areas of practice are product liability - including building products and class actions - and construction law. Mr. Weatherholtz is a Past Chair of the South Carolina Bar Construction Law Section. He is also an active member of the DRI Product Liability Committee, having served as program chair, chair of the building products specialized litigation group, and currently as committee chair of the committee. He is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell and listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of construction law. He is the Chair of the Construction Practice Team at Womble and is a frequent lecturer on construction and product liability topics. |