Journey to Fellow: Navigating Your Journey

Dan Soto, F.SAME, is the Engineering Division Chief for Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale AFB, LA. Mr. Soto leads twenty-six engineering professionals that support the nuclear enterprise by providing Civil Engineering policy & guidance for ten wings, eight installations and more than one hundred tenant units worth $24 billion in plant replacement value. He also oversees the nuclear response task force, responsible for organizing, training, and equipping CONUS nuclear incident response teams. He was born at Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC, and raised in Montgomery, AL. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and received his commission from the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1989. He holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College, and a Master of Strategic Studies from Air War College.

His assignments include Design Engineer, Environmental Flight Deputy, and SABER Flight Chief at Luke AFB, AZ. Mr. Soto was then an Environmental Engineer at the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (now AFCEC), Brooks AFB, TX and Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, TX. He then moved overseas as Program Manager for the Aviano 2000 Construction Program, Aviano AB, IT and Deputy Base Civil Engineer at RAF Mildenhall, UK. Recent assignments include Energy Analysis Chief, Rates & Resilience Chief, and Energy Director at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Tyndall AFB, FL.

After nearly four years of active duty, Mr. Soto spent more than nine years in various Air Force Reserve Civil Engineering assignments, attaining the rank of Major before separating. He is a Panama City SAME Post Past President, is a certified Project Management Professional, and is a registered Professional Engineer in Texas.

LCDR Remley graduated from Utah State University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and from New York Medical College in 2025 with a Masters of Public Health. His career started in the private sector where his work focused on soil and groundwater remediation, hydraulics, and hydrology. He entered the public sector in 2016 when he joined Indian Health Service Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction in Spokane, WA. LCDR Remley then transferred to Fort Hall Field Office in Fort Hall, ID upon his Call to Active Duty with the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service in September 2017. In June 2021, he transferred to the Navajo Area IHS DSFC as the District Engineer for the Tuba City District. He then transferred back to the Portland Area IHS DSFC in Bremerton, WA as the District Engineer for the Olympic District.

LCDR Remley is a member the Society of American Military Engineers, serves as the USPHS Service Liaison Officer, and graduated from their National Leader Development Program in 2021. LCDR Remley has been married to his best friend, Kelli, for 22 years and they have four children. During his free time, LCDR Remley enjoys exploring the outdoors, exercising, playing board games, and baking.

With 24 years in the architecture/engineering industry, Sarah Cole leads OEI’s federal business development efforts. As Vice President of Business Development, she leads strategy, growth, and client engagement for this certified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), transforming it from a single-discipline firm into a multidiscipline engineering/architecture firm with regional and national contract vehicles extending through 2035.

Sarah’s journey with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) began in 2007 at the Fort Worth Post, where she was quickly made Young Member Vice President — serving continuously on the board through today and contributing at regional and national levels. Her involvement wasn’t just professional; it was pivotal. Despite not having a technical or military background, Sarah leveraged the relationships and insights gained through SAME to guide OEI into the federal arena, building trust, credibility, and long-term partnerships.

At OEI, Sarah leads all marketing and BD efforts. Her role spans the full lifecycle of pursuit and capture: identifying opportunities, crafting value-driven messaging, building strategic teaming relationships, and guiding proposal strategy from kickoff to shortlist interviews and contract negotiation. She also spearheads OEI’s marketing efforts, ensuring the firm’s voice resonates with technical audiences and federal clients alike.

Sarah holds an MBA from the University of Dallas and a BBA from Baylor University — a business foundation that fuels her strategic thinking and collaborative leadership.