OUR TEAM

Jeff is the CEO/Founder, who has been with JOA Group since its formation in 1996. He started JOA Group to because he saw a need to provide results-oriented project management services to owners in the public and private sector. Jeff has over 30 years of successful experience in real estate, facilities and infrastructure projects in the United States and Mexico. Jeff has led the project management of over $1 billion worth of projects including many high profile and complex projects.

Jeff is a Licensed Civil Engineer in California. He graduated from California State University Long Beach with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and is also a certified yoga instructor.

Dennis is a Senior Program Manager, who has been with JOA Group since 2019. He is experienced in providing a diverse set of facility maintenance services, ranging from executing construction projects to facility maintenance planning services. He is an expert at providing cost estimating services and utilizing the Job Order Contracting alternative delivery method.  He started out his career as a draftsman in 1988 and then became a Project Manager in 2000. He has worked as a Project Manager for the County of Riverside and was also a Senior Account Manager with The Gordian Group.

He graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a B.S. in Urban and Regional Planning in 2008. He is also a Certified Project Manager.

Scott Simpson is a Sr. Project Manager, who offers the link that provides vision, expertise, resources, management, and communication between all stakeholders to ensure success. He started his career from the ground up. He worked as a Structural Steel Iron Worker for almost 13 years, before starting his own company providing deputy inspection services. He subsequently moved into a leadership role in the industry, working for almost 7 years at MARRS Services, Inc, as a business development and client relationship manager. Scott has been with JOA Group since 2021 and is an inspirational leader – providing key strategic guidance to help the company expand into the Los Angeles market. He truly understands construction, both from the field and a managerial perspective. Most notable clients include HACLA, County of Orange, LACMTA, LAX, OCTA, and SDCRAA.

Esmeralda has been with JOA Group since 2022 as an Operations Director. With seven years of experience as an Operations Director, she streamlines systems, creates efficient processes, and fosters a vivid staff culture that drives employee engagement within JOA Group.

She graduated from Fullerton University with a degree in Kinesiology before switching careers to Operations. In her free time, she enjoys almost any outdoor activity, the beach and all the sunshine in between!

Michelle is a Document Manager who has been with JOA Group since October 2020. She has a highly diverse set of titles ranging from Executive Secretary, Office Engineer, Project Engineer, Client Services Manager, and Document Control Manager to Project Manager/ OAR. With 30 years in the industry, Michelle has provided services in Program Management, Project and Construction Management and was a consultant for Transportation, Aviation, Infrastructure, and Facilities Projects. A few notable clients include Metro (LACMTA), LAUSD, and LAX.

Michelle is both a team player and a team leader. She loves improving our community.

In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, especially her four grandchildren. Apart from enjoying traveling anywhere near water, she loves home projects, biking, and hiking!

Adrine joined JOA Group in September 2022 as an experienced Project Manager. She has more than 28 years of experience in construction projects for public sectors, managing projects from initial project conception through close-out. Her expertise includes pre-construction activities, all phases of design, bidding, inspections, project management, and close-out activities.

She has a Master of Architecture. Her major was Building Design, and her minor was Energy Conserving Design from the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles.

Todd is the Chief Operating Officer, who has been with JOA Group since 2018. He has over 25 years of experience in Contract Administration, ranging from maintenance, repair, and service contracts. He is a proven leader in the AEC industry, who’s diverse experience includes facilitating client relationships, developing skilled teams, and managing a portfolio of capital projects. He currently manages all operations at JOA Group including business planning, finances, and technology. He is also a Consulting Sr. Project Manager with Orange County Sheriff Department.

Prior to JOA Group, Todd was the Development and Operations Officer at Mariner’s Church, and was also the CEO of several media and entertainment companies, producing Audio/Video/Lighting/Staging services with several notable clients, including Walt Disney Pictures and Paramount Pictures. JOA Group is grateful to have a visionary leader like Todd.

Todd graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a B.S. in Economics in 1987.

Mitul joined JOA Group in 2020 as a highly experienced project manager. A verifiable track record showcases his successful completion of multimillion-dollar projects through developing partnerships and building positive rapport with architects, engineers, local officials, and general contractors.

His diverse experience managing a wide range of projects from group-up construction to tenant improvements in multifamily, midrise, single-family residential, retail, and commercial sectors from conception to turnover makes him irreplaceable at JOA Group.

Mitul studied at San Jose State University, obtaining a Master’s in Construction Engineering. He also earned a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering at DDIT, Gujarat, India. In addition, Mitul achieved a Master’s in Real Estate Development from the University of Arizona.

April is a Special Projects Manager who has been with JOA Group since 2020. She has over 16 years of experience in strategic planning, communication, policy & budget analysis, program assessment and IT project management. She is an expert at asking insightful questions and listening well to support clients in solving their most critical business needs.  She has successfully deployed and managed integrated Enterprise Asset Management Systems for a mid-sized Airport. April is a great communicator who has diverse career experience in community relations, grant writing, child development, marketing, business process mapping and information technology system implementations.

She graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a B.A in International Relations and Spanish.

Peter is an Assistant Project Manager, who has been with JOA Group since 2020. He is experienced with facility management and planning, including taking inventory and managing maintenance construction projects. He is also adept at space planning and providing ad hoc drafting/design services. He started out his career as an intern with JOA Group in 2014, and then worked for multiple municipalities providing planning services.

He graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a B.S. in Urban & Regional Planning in 2017, and is a LEED Green Associate.

Matt joined the JOA team in 2023 as a Principal Advisor. He comes equipped with 37 years of construction management, facility maintenance and upper management experience. His project experience has ranged from small maintenance projects to a $350 million dollar jail project (and everything in-between). Prior to JOA Group, Matt was the Director of Research & Development within the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. In addition to his busy work life, he volunteers countless hours with his church and local faith based non-profits serving the needs of foster children and those marginalized.

Alicia is a seasoned Marketing director, who has been with JOA Group since 2019. She has experience in the private and non-profit companies since 2010. Since joining JOA Group, Alicia has been very successful in the AEC industry, and has been a key contributor in allowing our client base to grow significantly. Alicia provides key expertise in preparing proposals, our marketing campaigns, and strategic thinking.

Alicia graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S. in Advertising in 2010.

Michael is a Senior Project Manager, who has been with JOA Group since 2020. Michael is a civil engineering professional with over 18 years of experience in the management, design, and construction of engineering projects. He has a portfolio that includes the delivery of highway, bridge, aviation, tunnel, and urban regeneration projects. Mr. Newey has a strong track record of developing, aligning, and implementing data-driven business strategies through analysis and collaborative approaches in complex global matrix environments. He drives operational efficiency and growth initiatives while adapting to changing priorities to ensure optimal project outcomes and overall company success. Having worked in both the development and delivery of major projects, Mr. Newey has well established skills in communication, project management, and team leadership.

Michael is an Engineer-In-Training (Since 2021), is OSHA-30 certified, and is currently working on his Professional Engineering license. He graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Victoria University of Technology.

Ben is a Project Manager who has been with JOA Group since 2016. He provides consulting services to clients in aviation and healthcare. He is experienced in providing services in construction project management and engineering/analytics services – all to help clients achieve their Capital Improvement Plans aspirations. One of his passions is to leverage technology to create efficiency on construction projects, and has experience with building custom software applications, using tools such as Power Apps and Power BI in Microsoft 365. Also is an expert Administrator for Oracle Primavera Unifier and EPPM P6 technology.

Ben is an Engineer-In-Training (Since 2011) and is OSHA-30 Certified (Since 2022). He graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Civil Engineering (2011) and M.S. in Petroleum Engineering (2013) and is currently working towards a Professional Engineering license in California.

Cy Cyrus is an Assistant Project Manager, who has been with JOA Group since 2018. He chose construction management to pursue his interests in project engineering and construction financial management.

He graduated with a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University Technology Malaysia in 2019.

Danh is a Junior Project Analyst, who has been with JOA Group since 2022. He provides back-end support for the company, including task order and master agreement budget tracking, reviewing invoices, data analytics/business intelligence, and managing our SharePoint sites. He is also our website developer and is experienced with HTML/CSS coding. Danh has expertise in cybersecurity, and is a three-year experienced, GIAC-certified cybersecurity professional with certificates in GFACT, GSEC, GCIH, GCFA, and CompTIA Security+ with a focus in incident response and threat hunting.

Danh obtained a B.A. in Mathematics from CSU Fullerton in 2020. He has also completed the SANS undergraduate certification program and became a certified security professional through Evolve Security Academy.

Mindi joined JOA Group in March 2023 as a highly experienced Senior Project Manager. With 37 years of experience, her areas of expertise are project management cradle-to-grave, space planning, and tenant improvements. Before JOA Group, Mindi worked at OC Fire Department and OC Fire Authority.

During her free time, Mindi enjoys church, family time, biking, and bingo. She especially likes walking her two terrier mixes, Ms. Olive and Ms. Coco!

Robert (Bob) is a Sr. Program Manager, who has been with JOA Group since 2017. Bob has been in the construction industry for 42 years and his experience includes 3 years working on jobsites in the trades, 31 years in architecture and 8 years in project management. Bob has been involved in a variety of public as well as private projects and is frequently relied upon for his expertise in identifying project risks, restraints, and constructability issues.

Bob is a Licensed California Architect (1991), LEED AP (2004), and Project Management Professional (Since 2014). Bob graduated from Orange Coast College in 1982 with a Certificate in Architectural technology.

Preston has over 25 years of experience in construction in Southern California as a CAD draftsman, project engineer, manager, estimator, and inspector. He’s worked on projects in both the public and private sector including commercial buildings, public parks, street improvements, custom homes, and multi-family buildings. He’s savvy in technical problem solving and managing diverse parties to complete projects successfully.

Preston studied at UCLA and Cal Poly Pomona and graduated with a B.S. in civil engineering, an International Code Council certified residential building inspector, and is OSHA-30 certified. Besides construction, his passions include botany, health & wellness, languages, and Lakers basketball.

Suzanne joined JOA Group in August 2020 as a highly experienced Labor Compliance Specialist. She began her career in compliance in 1994 with HUD and continued to polish her skills ever since. With 29 years of experience, she monitors projects, performs audits and site visits, and reviews payment approvals for various Labor Compliance on State and Federal Funded projects.

In her free time, she loves to travel. Suzanne has visited many states in the U.S. and has just started to venture out to other countries.

Elisa is a storytelling intern, who has been with JOA Group since 2021. She manages the JOA Group blog and social media accounts, manages communication, provides storytelling for our company, and assists with a variety of other tasks. She has a passion for writing and how words can form a powerful story and is currently writing a novel.

She is currently a full-time student at San Jose State University in Business Administration and received an associated degree from Foothill College in 2022.

Bill Fountas has over 30 years of experience working with Orange County’s Sheriff Department. During his career, he has worked various specialty assignments including policy and procedure development, writing jail training manuals, and risk management. Most notably, he worked on several major construction projects for the Orange County Sheriff Department. Bill’s background in construction as well as his experience and specialty assignments gives him a unique ability to connect the complexities of the construction side of things with operational needs.