Albert Cuisinot was named chief financial officer at Degenkolb Engineers, San Francisco. Cuisinot has 25 years of experience in finance, including 14 years as a CFO. He replaces Bob Beggs, who is retiring early next year. Cuisinot had been CFO at Steinberg Architects, San Francisco, where he designed and directed the firm's business expansion from $10 million in revenue and a single location to $30 million and four locations, including Shanghai. Earlier he was CFO of the Parkinson's Institute, Sunnyvale, and spent 10 years in financial posts at Stanford University, rising to assistant controller. He received his bachelor's degree from San Jose State University and his MBA from Golden Gate University.

ValleyCrest Landscape Cos., Calabasas, has promoted Andrew J. Mandell to CEO of ValleyCrest Landscape Development, the firm's construction division. Mandell was previously executive vice president and CFO of ValleyCrest, and those titles will be taken over by Richard Wolff. In his new role, Mandell will be responsible for an extensive operational network that serves clients in major markets across the U.S. and in the United Arab Emirates, Asia and the Caribbean. Mandell brings more than 30 years of financial and strategic business experience to his new position.

Charles Dilworth, formerly a Studios Architecture principal, has joined HMC Architects as regional design director/principal in the firm's San Francisco studio. He will work with design teams across all of the firm's markets in a bid to expand the firm's presence in the Bay Area and Northern California.

The announcement comes on the heels of HMC's recent merger with San Francisco-based Beverly Prior Architects that was announced in April of this year. He has also held positions at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Frank O. Gehry and Associates and MBT Associates.

David Lawson has joined Tri-North Builders as vice president of West Coast operations at the firm's California office in Carlsbad. Lawson has 19 years of construction management experience in both commercial and retail projects. Before joining Tri-North, he served as director of business development at Bogart Construction Inc., Irvine.

Eric Edwards has joined Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz Architects, San Francisco, as director of marketing. Edwards comes to KMD with a range of industry experience, most recently as the West Coast marketing manager for SmithGroup's San Francisco and Los Angeles offices. In that role, he developed and directed strategic marketing and business development efforts along with oversight of West Coast marketing staff. Edwards also held positions as federal services marketing team leader for HNTB in Kansas City, Mo., as well other marketing positions in the A/E/C industry over the past 14 years.

Philip Klinkon has joined HNTB Corp.'s west division in Los Angeles as transit studio leader. He will head the division's transit architecture team and also coordinate with the transit group in New York. Klinkon has more than 26 years of experience designing and managing complex, large and small-scale public- and private-sector transit projects. His work includes numerous heavy-rail, light-rail and maglev station designs. Before joining HNTB, Klinkon led IBI Group's West Coast transit architecture practice in Seattle.

Joey Kragelund has been hired by HGA Architects and Engineers as associate vice president and principal of health-care design in the Los Angeles office. Kragelund has more than 20 years of architectural experience focusing on health-care design, with added background in civic, federal, science/technology and K-12 education. He currently is working on a health-care and housing facility for the California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Stockton. Before joining HGA, he had been a principal with HMC Architects, Los Angeles, since 2003.

Mike Jameson has been named chairman of the Urban Land Institute-San Francisco. Jameson takes over from Rick Dishnica, who led ULI-SF, the global organization's second-largest chapter, until July of this year. Jameson serves as the volunteer-leader of the 2,000-member chapter encompassing the Bay Area and is active in many capacities within the institute, including serving as chairman of sponsorship. Jameson is managing director of Prudential Mortgage Capital Co., San Francisco.

Nancy Darr has joined HGA Architects and Engineers as a business developer for the firm's Los Angeles office. Darr has more than 20 years of marketing and strategic planning experience. Before joining HGA, she was director of marketing and business development for several leading architecture firms in Washington, D.C. Her background also includes legislative experience; she worked in the U.S. Senate and served in the congressional liaison office at the White House.