Our Team
Four decades of timber expertise, in one team
The engineers who publish the research are the same ones who inspect your structure. That’s not a marketing line, it’s how WRD is built.
Dr. Dan Tingley, Founder portrait
Founder
Dr. Dan Tingley
Senior Wood Technologist & Founder, pioneer of non-destructive timber evaluation and FiRP® Reinforcement.
Founder, 1984. He holds a B.Sc. in Forestry Engineering and an M.Sc. in Structural Engineering from the University of New Brunswick, and a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering and Wood Technology from Oregon State University. Licensed across multiple provinces and states in Canada, the USA, and Australia, he has designed hundreds of structural timber buildings and bridges in service globally and restored hundreds of historic timber structures, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Wingspread.”
- 40+ patents in wood and high-strength fiber composites
- 150+ conference and journal publications
- Charles Pankow Award (1996) and NOVA Award for Innovation (1997)
- Ph.D., Oregon State University
- Ph.D., P.Eng., P.E., MIEAust, CMEngNZ, RPEQ
The Team
The people behind every verdict
When you reach out to Wood Research and Development (WRD), your first contact will be one of our senior-level managers. Many are engineers and oversee our regional teams of engineers.
Your team member will help you understand the scope of your project, create a plan to better understand your structure, and match you with the right consultative partner for the duration of your testing, engineering, or restoration project.
Leadership Team
Stephen Richards
Global Contracts & Client Relations Manager
Fifteen years with WRD plus twenty years in local government make Stephen a valuable global resource and expert support for the engineering team. Based in the Australian office, he conducts inspections, writes reports, develops proposals, and oversees works and contracts for the business.
Operations Managers
Clay Hoger
P.Eng., P.E., BEng., MIEAust, RPEQ
Senior Timber Structure Engineer II
A licensed Professional Engineer with nearly 20 years of structural experience across Canada, the USA, and Australia. He specializes in timber structures and project management: greenfield and brownfield, and also designs steel, concrete, masonry, aluminum, and foundations. Skilled in 3D structural and finite-element analysis and fluent in US, Canadian, and Australian standards, he leads from the Western US office.
Engineering Team
Zane Li
Timber Structures Engineer I
An exceptional structural modeler with detailed command of Australian, Canadian, and US codes across all material types, and a passion for sustainable timber design. He joined WRD in 2022 with a civil background and over 15 years of design experience in China, and completed a Master of Engineering at the University of Queensland.
Paul Mathew
Timber Structures Engineer II
With WRD intermittently since 2012 and full-time since 2023, Paul analyzes inspection data, advises on civil and foundation issues, calculates load limits for deteriorated bridges, and writes reports and technical publications. Originally from South Africa and widely traveled, he is an expert on design codes across many countries, spanning concrete, steel, masonry, and timber under earthquake and cyclone loadings.
Casey Love
Timber Structures Engineer / Inspection Co-Ordinator
Casey joined WRD in 2023 with over 12 years in civil engineering and more than 20 years in construction, bringing a strong client focus and a drive for practical, sustainable solutions. Holding WRD’s Level II Timber Structures certificate, he leads WRD’s physical bridge inspection projects in Australia.
Connor Merrell
Timber Structures Engineer
Connor joined WRD full-time in 2024 after part-time work during his Civil Engineering studies at Oregon State University. An Engineer-in-Training pursuing PE licensure, he specializes in field inspections, condition reports, and structural repair designs.
Hannah Morrissey
Structural Designer / Engineering Project Manager
Hannah started with WRD as a summer student in the Canada office in 2022 and now works full-time as an engineering project manager while completing her M.Sc. in Civil Engineering. She turns complex designs into organized reality with clear communication at every step.
Jordan Solomon
Timber Structures Engineer I
Before joining WRD in 2025, Jordan built experience in restoration and structural-assessment consulting across the southeastern United States. He develops timber rehabilitation strategies and conducts bridge and pile condition assessments using non-destructive techniques such as Stress Wave Timing and Resistograph micro-drilling.
Amir Rahmani
Structural Designer
Amir joined WRD in 2025 with over a decade in concrete and steel, adding structural analysis, seismic-resistant design, and foundation engineering. His international portfolio spans Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Now a Level II Timber Specialist, he holds an M.Sc. and has begun the P.Eng. process in Canada.
Declan Wharton
RPEQ
Timber Structures Engineer
Declan joined WRD in early 2024 with over five years of building-industry experience and strong command of Australian and Canadian timber codes. He writes bridge reports and analyzes Level 2 CSR and Level 3 structural inspection data, and now registered as an RPEQ in Queensland, has managed sub-consultants on investigation projects.
Reza Mehraein
Structural Designer
Reza joined WRD in 2023 with experience in structural analysis and finite-element modelling and in structural health monitoring programs, including sensor installation coordination and data interpretation. He holds an M.Eng. in Structural Engineering from Western University and is pursuing his P.Eng.
Lab Division
Anthony Davis
Ph.D.
Inspection and Testing Manager
Anthony joined WRD in 2020 after earning his Ph.D. in Molecular and Evolutionary Biology from the University of South Carolina. A Level II Inspector, he manages WRD’s IAS-accredited testing laboratory in Jefferson, OR, qualified to conduct more than 30 ASTM standard tests, and oversees the lab’s microscopic species identifications.
CAD & Project Support
Chris Legg
AutoCAD Technician III / Architectural Designer
A Timber Structures Designer and Senior CAD Specialist in the Oregon office. His career spans retail, manufacturing, and residential architecture as well as timber-structure design for WRD. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Architecture in 2007 and joined WRD in 2012.
Nahid Mousavi
AutoCAD Technician II / Architectural Designer
An accomplished Architectural Designer with over a decade of international experience across Iran, Italy, and Canada. She holds a Master of Architecture from Politecnico di Milano and has been recognized internationally, including a DNA Paris Design Award for Sustainable Living.
Nino Sumbulan
AutoCAD Technician
With WRD since August 2024, Nino holds a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and nearly 20 years of design and drafting experience across the Philippines, Singapore, and Australia. The team’s Revit expert, he mentors other drafters and works on bridge drafting and 3D modelling.
Harjot Singh
AutoCAD Technician I & Bridge Inspector
Harjot joined WRD in 2024 with over four years in structural design and construction drafting across Canada and India. He completed the Building Technology: Structural program at NBCC and holds a Civil Engineering degree from India.
LaMont Klepper
AutoCAD Technician I
LaMont brings prior CAD experience and works under the guidance of Clay Hoger at the WRD Jefferson office in the USA.
Hana Benabdallah
Engineering Project Coordinator
Before joining WRD in 2025, Hana worked in project coordination, technical documentation, and energy-systems analysis. She combines engineering, research, and project support to help teams deliver efficiently, holding a Master of Applied Sciences from the University of Moncton.
Credentials
The governance signal buyers look for
Licensure across three countries. IAS accreditation. ALSC approval. The team holds the post-nominals public-sector and engineering buyers check for.
- Professional licensure: PE, P.Eng, CPEng, NER, RPEQ, MIEAust
- IAS-accredited inspection (ISO 17020) and testing (ISO 17025)
- ALSC-approved testing laboratory
Why the Team Matters
The people who publish the papers do the inspections
A research-rooted, evidence-driven culture, not a sales floor.
When the same minds that develop the methods also apply them in the field, nothing is lost in translation. Your structure is assessed by the state of the art, by the people who defined it.
Researchers in the field, same team