San Diego professional services firm Kleinfelder tapped George J. Pierson, former CEO of engineering giant Parsons Brinckerhoff, as president and CEO, effective on Sept. 6, the firm said on Aug. 3. Pierson has headed his own management consulting firm since 2014, after leaving the PB chief role when the 14,000-employee company was acquired by Montreal-based engineer WSP Global. That firm announced on Aug. 3 Pierson’s resignation from its board, on which he served since Oct. 31, 2014.

Pierson replaces interim president and CEO Kevin Pottmeyer, in that role since the end of 2015 when William C. “Bill” Siegel “resigned to pursue other interests,” the firm said at the time. He had been with Kleinfelder since 1989 and CEO since 2009. Pottmeyer resumes the role of chief strategy officer.

According to Kleinfelder, Pierson "added nearly $1.4 billion of shareholder value" during his five years as PB's CEO.

Kleinfelder ranks at No. 48 on ENR’s Top 500 Design Firms list with $318 million in 2015 revenue. Kleinfelder says Pierson will “accelerate” the firm’s “strategic initiatives.”

Consultant Environmental Resources Management (ERM), has hired Charles “Chuck” Leichner as regional CEO for North America, based in Minneapolis. He was chief strategy and sales officer for ARCADIS North America and global director of corporate development.

Morgan State University, Baltimore, has named Michael G. Spencer, a Cornell University electrical-computer engineering professor, as dean of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering, effective in January. He is only the second educator to head the school, one of the largest producers of black engineers in the U.S., since its founding in 1984 by Eugene Deloatch, who is retiring. The school offers degree programs in civil; electrical-computer; and industrial-systems engineering; and one in transportation-urban infrastructure studies.