By Karen Robes Meeks
Rod K. Iwashita has recently been named Chief Harbor Engineer for the Port of San Francisco.
Iwashita, who officially took over the role May 15, is tasked with developing, planning and overseeing the port’s engineering division of more than 25 employees.
The division handles building and encroachment permits, engineering and architectural design, facilities assessment, construction management, and project management and other responsibilities.
“Rod is an experienced engineering manager and marine structures engineer. He will be a great addition to the port's executive leadership team and I'm proud to welcome him to our hard-working and talented port staff,” said Elaine Forbes, Port of San Francisco executive director.
“His expertise in seismic analysis and retrofit design of piers and wharves, development of waterfront sites and inspection and rehabilitation of marine structures will ensure the port successfully delivers critical engineering assignments, including the Seawall Resiliency Project and the Mission Bay Ferry Landing in order to keep our waterfront safe and vibrant,” Forbes said.
Before arriving at the port, Iwashita worked at Moffatt & Nichol as a supervisory engineer since 1995. In that role, he supervised structural engineers and worked on project development and management with an emphasis on structural and seismic engineering of piers and wharves; inspection and rehabilitation of structures; mooring and berthing analyses and advanced structural analysis, according to his bio.
Iwashita has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in science from UC Berkeley and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers standards committee for the seismic design of piers and wharves, ASCE 61.
