DFI Board of Trustees
DFI’s Board of Trustees manage the strategy of the association as well as approve the activities in which the organization engages to fulfill its mission and vision. They are the fiduciaries of the membership’s contributions through dues, event attendance, advertising and sales to ensure the funds are used appropriately and to the benefit of the members and the deep foundations construction industry.
Meet the Executive Committee
DFI’s Board of Trustees is led by an executive committee consisting of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Immediate Past President. These trustees meet regularly with the Executive Director to discuss the progress of the board’s strategic plan and make recommendations to the full board to ensure the success of DFI’s activities.
Board President
James Johnson has been with Condon-Johnson and Associates, Inc. (CJA) for well over 35 years. Beginning as one of the first employees, and now serving as the president, Johnson has been the driving force in developing the overall strategy and company philosophy that has allowed CJA to become a leader in the field of geotechnical construction and one of the largest privately held foundation contractors in North America.
After graduating from the University of California, Davis with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Johnson began his geotechnical career working in the downtown San Francisco building market of the 1980s as a field engineer for Kiewit, driving precast piling and installing complex support of excavation projects. In 1985, James joined Mike Condon in assuming responsibility for the growth of Kulchin and Associates, Inc., where he spent three years as the area manager in Los Angeles and in 1990 became executive vice president of what was then Kulchin-Condon & Associates, Inc. The company was rebranded to Condon-Johnson & Associates, Inc. in 1996. James became president of Condon-Johnson in 2018.
Today, in addition to overall management responsibilities, Johnson continues to play a major role in developing the technical and innovative strategies for which Condon-Johnson has become so well respected. He is a developer and holder of multiple patents related to the field of geotechnical construction.
Johnson is a member of the Condon-Johnson Board of Directors. He is a past president of the ADSC West Coast Chapter, and currently serves on the West Coast Chapter’s Industry Advancement Fund. Johnson joined the DFI Board of Trustees in 2010 and was elected to the executive committee in 2019.
Other Executive Committee Members
Vice President
J. Erik Loehr, Ph.D., P.E.
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO
Treasurer
Lori Simpson, P.E., G.E.
LANGAN
Oakland, CA
Secretary
Morgan NeSmith, BC.GE
Berkel & Company Contractors, Inc.Bonner Springs, KS
Immediate Past President
Gianfranco Di Cicco
GD Consulting, LLC
Tampa, FL
Other Trustees
DFI’s Trustees lead and manage the association in concert with its Executive Director. The board can consist of 12-25 trustees and is made up of a balance of the disciplines and locations of its membership to ensure a diversity of perspectives.
John A. Anderson •  Specrete-IP Incorporated • Cleveland, OH
Paul Axtell, P.E., BC.GE •  Dan Brown & Associates, PC • Overland Park, KS
Andrew Burns, P.E.• Underpinning & Foundation Skanska •  Maspeth, NY
Allen Cadden, P.E., BC.GE •  Schnabel Engineering • Chadds Ford, PA
Peter Faust, Dipl.-Ing. •  Malcolm Drilling • San Francisco CA
Franz-Werner Gerressen, Dipl.-Ing. •  BAUER Maschinen GmbH • Schrobenhausen, Germany
Ed Laczynski, P.E.  • Wagman Heavy Civil • Petersburg, VA
Dan MacLean, P.Eng. •  Keller Foundations Ltd. • Acton, ON
Antonio Marinucci, Ph.D., MBA, P.E. • Google • New York, NY
Lucky Nagarajan •  Geocomp • Acton, MA
Morgan NeSmith, P.E. •  Berkel & Company Contractors, Inc. • Austell, GA
Silas Nichols • Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) • Washington, D.C.
Kwabena Ofori-Awuah, P.E., BC.GE, ENV SP •  Koforia, Inc. • Baltimore, MD
David Paul, P.E. •  Paul GeoTek Engineering, LLC • Arvada CO
Kathryn Petek, Ph.D., P.E.  • Shannon & Wilson • Seattle, WA
Howard A. Perko, Ph.D., P.E. •  Magnum Piering Inc. • Loveland, CO
Cassie Rutherford, Ph.D., P.E. • Iowa State University • Ames, IA
Trustee Emeritus & International Director
Emeritus trustees are chosen from past board members who have made extraordinary contributions to the association and have retired from industry practice.
William F. Loftus • William F. Loftus Associates, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Past Presidents
Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) started in 1976 and every year a president is elected by the board of trustees. Each term is one year but often an individual serves for two consecutive years.
Gianfranco Di Cicco • 2023-2024
Michael H. Wysockey, Ph.D., P.E. •  2021-2022
Matthew Janes, P.Eng. •  2019-2020
Dan Brown, Ph.D, P.E., BC.GE •  2017-2018
John Wolosick, P.E. •  2015-2016
Robert B. Bittner, P.E. •  2013-2014
James A. Morrison, P.E., P.Eng. •  2011-2012
Rudolph P. Frizzi, P.E., G.E. •  2009-2010
Seth L. Pearlman, P.E. •  2007-2008
Tracy Brettmann, P.E. •  2005-2006
Richard D. Short, P.E., G.E. •  2003-2004
Larry Rayburn, P.E. •  2001-2002
David B. Coleman •  1999-2000
M. Byrl Williams, P.E. •  1997-1998
Joel Moskowitz, P.E. •  1995-1996
Manuel A. Fine, P.Eng. •  1994
Henry R. Whitty •  1992-1993
Richard W. Hoener •  1990-1991
Austin S. Marshall, P.E. •  1988-1989
C. William Bermingham •  1986-1987
William F. Loftus, P.E. L.S. •  1984-1985
Carl W. Fenske •  1983
D.R. Jordan •  1983
William F. Loftus, P.E., L.S. •  1981-1982
G. Robert Compton •  1979-1980
Richard J. Goettle, III •  1978
John (Jack) Dougherty •  1976-1977