Smith Warner International | Coastal & Environmental Engineering

Dr. David A.Y. Smith, P. Eng. – Managing Director
David has over 25 years experience in the field of Coastal Engineering. He holds a Doctoral degree in Coastal Engineering from Queen’s University, Canada, a Masters degree in Civil Engineering Hydraulics from the University of London, UK, and a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of the West Indies. Following graduation with his Ph.D., he lectured in Civil Engineering/Hydraulics and Fluid mechanics at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. After that, he worked in the Coastal Engineering Department of a leading Canadian Ports and Marine consulting company. During that time, he worked on a number of coastal related projects in North America, Africa and the Far East.

Since 1995, David has been the Managing Director of Smith Warner International Ltd. (SWI). In this role, he has been responsible for a number of Coastal, Oceanographic and Environmental projects. Under his stewardship, the company has garnered a reputation throughout the Caribbean for the high caliber of its personnel, the professionalism and the technical excellence of its work, and its strong Caribbean focus.

Mr. Philip S. Warner, M.Sc. – Executive Director
Philip has a Masters degree in Coastal Engineering from Queen’s University, Canada and over seventeen years of professional experience in consulting throughout the Caribbean and North America. He has wide experience in the writing and use of computer models for coastal and hydraulic designs, as well as design, inspection and appraisal experience for oceanographic studies, coastal protection, and marine structures. He has played an integral role in the development and operation of numerous civil, structural, coastal and hydraulic engineering computer programs. Philip has also worked in marine structures construction and inspection projects, hydrographic surveys and the deployment and data analysis of oceanographic field equipment.

Mr. Jamel Banton, M.Sc., MBA – Director
Jamel is a Coastal Engineer with experience in nearshore wave and sediment processes, storm surge analysis and the design of sea defense and beach enhancement structures. This is complemented by experience in construction supervision and management of coastal projects. He has designed, supervised and managed various coastal projects in Jamaica and the Eastern Caribbean, from the design of coastal defense systems and marinas to the preparation of coastal zone management and hurricane mitigation plans. A certified open water scuba diver, he also has experience in gathering oceanographic data and carrying out hydrographic and bathymetric surveys. As part of his M.Sc. thesis in Delft, Holland (one of the leading universities in this field), Jamel developed a hurricane wave hindcasting program called HURWave. This program is now used by SWIL in modeling extreme wave and storm surge heights for Coastal Zone Management and Hurricane Mitigation plans and for the design of marinas and sea defense structures throughout the Caribbean.

Mr. Graham Jervis, M.Sc. – Hydrodynamics Engineer
Graham has a Masters degree in Coastal Hydroinformatics from the Institute of Infrastructure, Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering (IHE) in Delft, Holland. He has experience in numerical wave modeling, hydrodynamic modeling and water quality modeling, as well as modeling nearshore coastal processes (including sediment transport) and storm surge. Graham has carried out a number of hydrodynamic and water quality investigations for coastal projects in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. He has also designed coastal structures for sea defense and beach enhancement. He is a certified PADI advanced open water scuba diver and is our resident field data gathering guru, deploying and retrieving wave recorders, current meters and tide gauges, as well as doing bathymetric and drogue surveys. He is also responsible for training new staff in the use and care of the equipment, as well as management of IT issues at SWIL. Graham’s M.Sc. research thesis was the development of a ‘Graded sediment transport model’ at HR Wallingford in England.

Mr. Christopher Hylton, M.Sc. – Senior Coastal Engineer
Christopher is an Environmental Coastal Engineer with sound knowledge in coastal engineering, structural design, construction supervision, hydrodynamic modeling, oceanographic data gathering and environmental engineering applications. As part of his Master’s thesis at the University of Southampton, England, he investigated the stability of artificial beach slopes under varying wave conditions. The study reinforced his knowledge of nearshore processes, necessary in developing coastal zone management plans and in the design and implementation of coastal protection structures.

Ms. Véronique Morin, M.Sc. – Senior Coastal Engineer
Véronique is a Coastal Processes Specialist. She completed her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering, and has a Masters degree in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada, where her thesis topic was the hydraulics and mixing of density stratified two-layer flows. Véronique has experience in various types of physical hydraulic model studies, including shore stabilization studies, ports and marinas and offshore structures. She also has experience in numerical modeling of nearshore wave and sediment processes, storm surge analysis and the design of sea defense and beach enhancement structures.

Ms. Elizabeth McGhie, M.Sc., MBA – Coastal Zone / Environmental Manager
Elizabeth has a Masters degree in Marine Management from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. She is a practicing marine ecologist and has carried out marine inventories and environmental impact assessments on many projects throughout the Caribbean. Elizabeth is experienced in developing mitigation plans for reducing or removing the potential for damage during the construction of coastal and marine developments, and is responsible for preparing the environmental component of technical specifications for detailed designs prepared by SWIL.

Elisabeth Mondon, M.Sc. – Coastal Process Specialist
Elisabeth is one of the newest members of the Smith Warner team. She joined us after an internship in Australia, with a Master of Science degree in Marine Engineering from the Superior Institute of Engineering, Toulon & Var, France. She has experience in numerical coastal processes modeling for water quality, sediment transport, beach morphodynamics, estuary dynamics, tidal inlets, rip cells and flood modeling. She is also experienced in field data collection and is a certified open water diver.

Gustavo Oliveira, M.Sc. – Civil Engineer
Gustavo recently joined our coastal process modeling team after finishing his M.Sc. thesis at the University of Delaware, USA. He has a background in oceanography with experience in hydrodynamic and wave modeling, ocean satellite imagery, and GIS. He also has experience in collecting field data and has participated in projects concerning their environmental impact on coastal areas, as well as coastal zone management.

Nicholas Gordon, B.Eng.-Construction Engineer
After completing his degree in Construction Engineering at the University of Technology in Jamaica, Nicholas began working on beach construction projects. He was integrally involved in the construction of a revetment to protect the JPS-Old Harbour site. He also worked on beach improvement projects at the new Iberostar Rose Hall Resort, Half Moon Beach Resort and the luxury Palmyra-Rose Hall Resort. He has experience in collection of site information, supervision of the work force, construction of breakwater and groyne structures to design specifications, dredging, supervision of excavators and front end loaders and ensuring the quality of boulders and other materials used on site.

Glenford Ricketts, B.Sc. (pending) – Construction and Engineering Technician, Drafting
Glenford is an engineering and construction enthusiast. He has an Honors Diploma in Structural Engineering and his degree in Construction and Engineering Management from the University of Technology in Jamaica is pending. He also has an Associate Degree in Architecture and Construction from the Montego Bay Community College. He has worked on a variety of projects and has acquired experience in structural design, CAD drafting, and in preparing specifications and bills of quantities. He is analytical and efficient and hopes, as he improves his technical skills and gains experience, to be one of the most reputable people in the industry.

Roberto Lyn – CAD Technician
Roberto is our senior CAD Technician and is currently reading for his bachelor’s degree in Construction Engineering from the University of Technology in Jamaica. Roberto is responsible for GIS and CAD for our projects from concept to construction. He is also experienced in planning and carrying out oceanographic and field surveys.

Peter Jackson – Financial Controller
Peter is the most recent addition to the administrative side of things at SWIL. He brings years of experience and great organizational skills to the table and is in charge of all things financial.

Corinne Smith – Administrative Officer
Corinne is the Administrative Officer at SWIL. She is about to embark on a new career in creative writing but maintains a strangle-hold on editing, to ensure that every technical report, manual, or proposal that leaves SWIL’s office is readable by even a non-technical audience. She sometimes assists with research and gathering of background information for proposals, technical reports, feasibility studies and, from time to time, helps prepare colorful and informative presentations.

Dyonne Harper – Administrative Assistant
Dyonne is the Administrative Assistant at SWIL. She is usually the first voice you’ll hear when you call, and is the chief coordinator of travel and other logistics. She often assists in drafting correspondence, and manages the maintenance of the office and generally makes sure things run smoothly.