Texas & Southeast People: June 2025
Courtney Pittman has been elevated to president of Davis Architects, Birmingham, Ala., succeeding Neil Davis, who now is board chairman. She was vice president and director of architecture and is currently a University of Alabama College of Engineering director. The firm also promoted Gabrielle Fuller to senior vice president, architecture, and Stephanie Pope to senior vice president, interiors. Founded in 1912, the company said it is Alabama’s oldest continually operating architecture firm.
Ahmed Mantawy has joined DeSimone Consulting Engineering in Miami as associate principal. A structural engineer, he was an associate and senior project manager at McNamara-Salvia Structural Engineers. Most recently, Mantawy managed structural design of the 42-story Art House in St. Petersburg, DiSimone said.
Dickerson Wright, executive chairman and founder of NV5 Global, and Ben Heraud, CEO of the Hollywood, Fla., design, testing, asset management and data analytics consultant, will join Acuren, a Tomball, Texas, firm that does testing, inspection, certification and compliance, following what the firms said May 15 was a merger. An NV5 spokesman could not confirm the executives’ new titles at Acuren until the deal closes, expected later in 2025, but they will join its board. The transaction, which must be approved by both firms’ stockholders, creates a global services company with about $2 billion of combined revenue and total 2024 adjusted earnings of about $350 million, Acuren said.
Eric Reichard, president of Rodgers Builders Inc. in Raleigh, has assumed the added role of CEO. He joined the firm in 1991 as assistant superintendent and became president in 2023. The firm also named as executive vice presidents Matthew Agner, who began his career with Rodgers in 2002, and William Caulder, who joined in 1997.
Financial management consultant Grant Thornton has named Tyler Jones to head its energy sector practice, which advises domestic and multinational energy clients. It is based in Dallas. Jones is a partner of the firm, which says it has more than 400 clients in the natural resources and mining supply chain, including power generation, distribution and infrastructure.
The University of Texas-Permian Basin in Midland has named Rafic “Ray” Bachnak as the first dean of the school’s new College of Engineering and Sciences, effective July 1. He now is interim dean of the College of Sciences and Humanities at Marymount University, Arlington, Va., and also had held engineering leadership roles at Penn State University and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The new college says it offers engineering degrees in civil, mechanical, petroleum, chemical and electrical disciplines.
Alterman, a San Antonio electrical contractor serving Texas and New Mexico, has elevated Paul Mendoza to chief operating officer. Formerly vice president of its Austin division, he began his career there 28 years ago as a pre-apprentice.
Pfluger Architects, Austin, has hired Dina Mavroudis as director of people and culture for its five Texas offices. The firm specializes in educational facility planning, design and construction administration. She had been global director of human resources at Austin-based Velocity Electronics Corp.
Mark Trueman, Houston-based president of Worley Americas, which is a unit of Australian engineering and professional services company Worley, will have a new title as of July 2. He will be group president of major projects and programs, tasked to streamline delivery of major energy, chemicals and resource projects globally, the firm said.
