Matthew Best has been hired to manage the Frisco, Colo., office of engineering firm Kumar & Associates Inc. Best is experienced in construction observation and materials testing. His background includes training and oversight of field and laboratory personnel, project management, scheduling, project oversight, budgeting, proposals and billing.

Architect Brad Buchanan, one of the co-founders of Denver's Buchanan Yonushewski Group, joined RNL in November to lead the Denver design firm's commercial markets team. Buchanan has extensive experience in design-led, single-source project delivery and nearly all areas of design and construction. He is also the current chairman of the Denver Planning Board.

Architect John Yonushewski, the other co-founder of the Buchanan Yonushewski Group, has also joined RNL, where he will lead the project delivery team. Yonushewski has more than 32 years of experience in design and construction, from creating custom single-family residences to large-scale adaptive-re-use projects.

Leanne Miller has joined the environmental department of JVA Inc. as a design engineer and will be working in the firm's Boulder, Colo., office. Miller received her bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. She is experienced in the design of water and wastewater treatment systems and hydraulic modeling.

Dr. Russell Ford has been appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board Drinking Water Committee. Ford, a vice president at Denver-based CH2M HILL, will also transition to the role of the engineering firm's drinking-water infrastructure global service leader in 2012. As a member of the drinking water committee, Ford joins a panel of experts who will advise the EPA administrator on the technical aspects of the EPA's drinking water standards program.

Andy Stewart has been hired as the new area manager for Vanir Construction Management, Denver. Stewart is responsible for running the Denver office, including operations, business development and project management. He has worked in the engineering and construction industry for more than 22 years, the last 17 in Colorado. After graduating from the Colorado School of Mines with a degree in civil engineering, he began his career as a Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer, managing construction projects on military bases in California, Spain and Guam.