Leadership.

Aligning next-generation thinking and deep industry expertise to serve a common purpose.

Leadership_Dhiru

Dhiru Patel, PE

Chief Executive Officer

In 2018, LEE + RO named its long-time president, Dhiru Patel, as its new CEO. Dhiru oversees the project teams and serves in many cases as the principal-in-charge and project director. His extensive experience and leadership skills, along with his expertise in water system and facility planning, are key in his vital role in shaping the company’s direction, governance and values throughout the organization.

As a member of the board of directors, Dhiru is responsible for critical corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, service offerings, business planning and development, and policies and procedures.

Dhiru was president from 2002 to 2018. Prior to joining the company, he was president of Patel Engineering Consulting, Inc., from 1997 to 2002. He mastered his engineering and management skills during his 11-year tenure at Brown and Caldwell in Pasadena from 1986 

to 1997, where he focused on municipal, industrial and institutional clients. At the time of his departure, he was managing the environmental engineering section of the company’s Southern California consulting operations.

Prior to that, Dhiru was a project manager at ANCO Engineers in Culver City from 1983 to 1986, where he focused on energy management and utilities consulting. From 1980 to 1983, he was a process engineer at Fluor Engineers in Irvine.

Dhiru received his M.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California and his B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, India. His technical expertise is in water system and facility planning, and he is a California-registered professional engineer (civil). 

Leadership_Charles

Charles Ro, PE

President

Charles Ro was named president and chairman of the board in 2018. He is responsible for directing the vision of the company as well as overseeing critical corporate functions, including business planning, policies and procedures, quality control, and staff training and development. He also leads the corporate leadership team and is responsible for the company’s continued commitment to excellence for its employees, projects, clients and the people of California.

Charles began his engineering career at LEE + RO in 2000, but his association with the company dates back much earlier as he learned the business and its processes under the tutelage of his father, Steven Ro, one of the founding partners.

Charles served as vice president of marketing from 2015 to 2018 during which time he oversaw business development strategy, corporate relationship 

management, and improvements to the company’s customer relationship management programs. His engineering duties from 2000 to 2015 included positions as principal-in-charge, principal project engineer, project manager, and construction inspector for linear and facilities-based design and construction projects in water and wastewater engineering.

Charles received his B.S. degree in civil engineering from Cal State LA. Prior to that, he received his B.A. degree in history from UC Berkeley. His technical expertise is in water systems and facility planning. Charles is a California-registered professional engineer (civil).

Outside of work, Charles enjoys the outdoors, gardening, working with his hands, and spending time with his wife and four children.

Leadership_Jay

Jay Jung, PE

Vice President + COO

Jay Jung was named vice president and COO in 2020. He’s responsible for overseeing the company’s operations, resource management and planning, as well as staff development and training. Reporting directly to the President and CEO, Jay is an integral part of the senior management team.

Between 2006 and 2020, Jay held a dual role as manager of operations and project manager. As one of the premier treatment plant and reservoir experts, he continues to provide his project management expertise on these types of projects.

Jay has conducted extensive research in the field of environmental engineering. From 2002 to 2005 he was a research assistant for the department of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California. While in South Korea, he worked as a research engineer at the National Institute of 

Environmental Research from 2001 to 2002 and at Yonsei University from 1999 to 2001.

In 2005 Jay earned his second M.S. degree in environmental engineering from the University of Southern California. In 2001 he received an M.S. degree in environmental engineering from Yonsei University, South Korea. His technical expertise is in water and wastewater treatment plant design, process and mechanical design for chemical supply to the plants, and disinfection systems.

Jay has been a California-registered professional civil engineer since 2010 with over 18 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment research, engineering, process design, and consulting experience in the area of municipal water and wastewater treatment.

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Rick Liskow, PMP

VICE President, MArketing

Rick Liskow brings more than 20 years of experience in the engineering and design of municipal water and wastewater facilities, pump stations and emergency power-generation systems that support treatment plants and pump stations.

Named vice president of marketing in 2020, Rick oversees the company’s marketing and business development efforts. His responsibilities include developing and implementing the company’s long-term marketing strategy and identifying new customer acquisitions. Additionally, Rick manages the business development groups in the four California offices while also overseeing the in-house team that’s responsible for competitive project proposals.

Rick joined LEE + RO in 2005. With his diverse engineering and client services background, he has held multiple positions from project manager and 

project engineer to client services manager. In 2010, he was named business development manager.

Prior to joining LEE + RO, Rick oversaw product sales for USFilter from 2002 to 2005. He was responsible for global sales, marketing and business development for their water treatment products. From 1995 to 2001, Rick served as vice president of Amtec Engineering, an engineering, design, construction and service company. He developed his project and operations management expertise while working for Serck Baker from 1989 to1995, where he was responsible for setting up the company’s operations in Southeast Asia. Before that, Rick worked as a drilling engineer for Phillips Petroleum Co. and Aminoil USA.

Rick received his J.D. from South Texas College of Law. He holds a B.S. degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and is a certified PMP.

Leadership_Eric

Eric Lovering, PE

Vice President + Chief ENGINEER

Eric Lovering was named vice president and chief engineer in 2020. He reports to the president and is an integral part of the senior management team. 

As Chief Engineer, Eric will apply his 20 years of engineering experience, strong leadership qualities, and problem-solving skills to help solidify the company’s position as a leader in the design, engineering, and implementation of water, wastewater, and recycled water infrastructure projects throughout California. 

From 2003 to 2020, Eric was the San Diego regional manager, which covered the territory from the border of Mexico up to Orange County. His responsibilities included business expansion, project management, and client relations, while also providing team direction, goal setting, and career development.

Eric successfully completed dozens of public works projects from engineering design through construction, start-up, and commissioning. He's a pump station subject matter expert, which has led to guest speaking engagements for ASCE and CWEA. 

Eric has extensive training and hands-on knowledge in civil, hydraulics, mechanical and electrical, including instrumentation & controls (I&C), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and SCADA systems.

Prior to joining LEE + RO, Eric was a project engineer at James Hardie Building Products from 2002 to 2003. During college, he worked as a carpenter with Cochran Interiors, Inc., in Arcadia, and for an HVAC engineering firm in Sacramento.

He received his B.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from UC Davis. His technical expertise is in pump station hydraulics; mechanical piping and HVAC design; and electrical and controls engineering. He holds California-registered licenses as a professional civil engineer and an electrical engineer.

Leadership_Tony

Tony Park, PE

Vice President

Tony Park was named vice president in 2018. He leads LEE + RO’s Northern California regional operations with offices in Walnut Creek and Sacramento. Tony oversees business expansion, projects and client relations, while also providing team direction, goal setting and career development. Reporting to the president, Tony is an integral part of the senior management team.

From 2015 to 2020, Tony was Northern California regional manager. Prior to joining LEE + RO, Tony was Vice President at LEE Incorporated in San Francisco from 2010 to 2015. He spent ten years, from 2001 to 2010, at Carollo Engineers in Walnut Creek as a project manager. Tony was at Stetson Engineers in San Rafael from 1993 to 2001 as a water resources engineer.

Tony received his M.S. degree in engineering from San Francisco State University. He also holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from UC Berkeley. His technical expertise is in hydraulics (both open channel and pressurized systems). He has been a California-registered professional civil engineer since 1997 and has over 28 years of experience in water resources and treatment of water and wastewater.

Tony is a member of the Water Environment Federation and has served as a chair of the professional development committee for the San Francisco Bay section of the California Water Environment Association.