Blog

Congratulations to the four engineers on the RGME staff who recently passed the exam to earn the designation of Professional Engineer (P.E.).  They are- – – Derek Deere, Brian Rabenaldt, Dennis Yazdanpanah, and Tucker Novosad.  All are profiled below:

Derek Deere, an Engineer Associate in the Transportation Department, has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and eight years of experience as an engineer.  He joined RGME three years ago after moving from Austin, where he worked for another civil engineering firm.

A native of College Station, Derek liked building with Legos as a kid, but it was when he attended “Engineering Day” at Texas A&M as a sophomore in high school that he decided on civil engineering as a career.  He says he appreciates the daily challenges presented in civil engineering and especially likes to work on the traffic side, designing transportation that will minimize the impact to the people who use roads and bridges to get where they want to go.

In his free time, Derek likes to play golf and hang out with friends.  A big Astros fan, he enjoys going to their games, as well as Texas A&M sporting events.

Brian Rabenaldt, an Engineer Associate in the Land Development Department, has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University.  He joined RGME after graduation in 2016.

Born in Midland, Texas, Brian moved with his family to Houston when he was 12 years old.  He says becoming an engineer was a natural progression for him, since he excelled in advanced courses of math and science throughout his schooling, and because of that, his friends and family recommended he become an engineer.  Upon graduating from college, a friend who had recently moved to Austin from Houston and had worked at RGME suggested he apply.  He interviewed with the firm four days after graduation and began work two weeks later.

In his free time, Brian likes to play golf with friends and hang out with his girlfriend, shooting darts and playing pool.

Dennis Yazdanpanah, an Engineer Associate in the Land Development Department, has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from UT-Tyler Houston Engineering Center.  He joined RGME after graduation in May of 2019.

Born in Puerto Rico, he moved with his family to Houston at a young age and considers himself a Houstonian.  Dennis came to engineering after seven years in the restaurant business, working his way from service staff to manager of several prominent Houston restaurants.  Tiring of the demanding lifestyle, he enrolled in Houston Community College where he discovered an innovative new HCC partnership program with the University of Texas at Tyler that offered four-year degree programs in engineering.  Having been good at math and science in school, he pursued a degree in engineering, finding civil engineering the most tangible and personally rewarding. 

When not working, Dennis enjoys cycling, going to Houston Dynamo games and exploring the city’s restaurants with his wife, Juliana.  They are expecting their first child in October.

Tucker Novosad, an Engineer Associate in the Land Development Department, has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University.  He joined RGME after graduation in June of 2019.  

A native of Needville, Texas, Tucker naturally gravitated to civil engineering due to his love of math and science and the times growing up when he got to go to his father’s office at the Texas Department of Transportation; he also did an internship there before graduating.  He says he saw the importance of civil engineering to a community: “It’s all around us, everywhere you look.”

In his free time, Tucker likes to play golf, travel, and spend time with family and friends.  An avid Aggie alum, he also enjoys attending Texas A&M football games and tailgating before the games.