Melinda B. Peters has been appointed by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) to head the state highway administration. She is the first woman to run the agency, one of the state's largest with an annual budget of $1.1 billion and a staff of 3,100. A civil engineer who joined the agency in 1995, Peters had been, since 2006, project director of the $2.5-billion Intercounty Connector (ICC). The 18-mile, six-lane toll road, the largest single highway construction project in Maryland's history, opened in late November. Peters was named an ENR Newsmaker (ENR 1/17 p. 36) for her achievements on the project, which included $370 million in environmental protection. She succeeds Neil J. Pedersen, who retired on June 30 after eight years in the position; he remains an ICC project adviser. Beverley K. Swaim-Staley was named Maryland's first woman transportation secretary in 2009.

Seattle developer Lorig Associates has promoted Tom Fitzsimmons to CEO from chief operating officer. Before joining the firm, he was chief of staff to Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) and director of the state's Dept. of Ecology.

Brad Buchanan and John Yonushewski have joined design firm RNL, Denver, as principals. The new roles follow the firm's Nov. 1 acquisition of Buchanan Yonushewski Group, also Denver, of which they had been co-founders and principals since 1998. Buchanan now leads RNL's commercial market; Yonushewski will specialize in "project-delivery leadership," says the firm. Both are fellows of the American Institute of Architects. RNL ranks at No. 375 on ENR's list of the Top 500 Design Firms, with $26 million in 2010 revenue.

MW Builders Inc., a Temple, Texas-based building contractor, has elevated Jason Evelyn to president. Formerly vice president, he joined the military construction contractor as a project engineer in 1996. The firm, started in 1932, ranks at No. 295 on ENR's list of the Top 400 Contractors with $172 million in 2010 revenue.

Eric Telemaque has become president of Emteque LLC, a New York City-based asbestos abatement and environmental services firm that is now part of WCD Group LLC, a Pennington, N.J., group of firms that do environmental risk management and mitigation. The new role follows WCD's Nov. 21 acquisition of Emteque Corp., of which Telemaque also was president.

Donna Barry and José Pombo have joined Phoenix-based HMC Architects as design principal and associate principal/senior project manager, respectively, of a new unit that is called HMC+Substance Design. The roles follow HMC's Nov. 22 acquisition of Substance Design Consortium, a Phoenix architect of which they founding principals.

The Louis Berger Group, Morristown, N.J., has named Jim Stamatis as president of Holding Berger France and executive in charge of the parent firm's commercial international operations. He had been the parent's group vice president and president of its U.S. operations. Stamatis succeeds Fabrice Signor, who is "stepping down," says the firm. Signor will continue as its consultant in international markets.

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials has elected as its incoming president Zahir "Bo" Bolourchi, director of the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development's public-works and water-resources programs. The Lexington, Ky.-based non-profit group, which has more than 2,800 members in the public and private sectors, works to improve dam safety in the U.S.

Joseph Sensabe has joined global consultant ARCADIS as the vice president of its Malcolm Pirnie water division and the location leader in New Orleans and Metairie, La. Formerly, Sensabe was the water business group operations manager in New Orleans as well as the municipal client-relations director for CH2M Hill Cos. Furthermore, Sensabe was the supervisory project engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers' New Orleans District.

Clark Nexsen, a Norfolk, Va.-based architect-engineer-planner, recently promoted Patrick O'Keefe to managing principal. With the firm since 2004, he is director of architecture in its Raleigh, N.C., office. The firm also has hired Peter Kienle as director of marketing. Formerly chief marketing officer at McKim & Creed, he is a past national president of the Society for Marketing Professional Services. Kevin E. Kimmel joins the firm as a senior fire-protection engineer. Kimmel had been project manager and senior fire-protection engineer at LaSalle Engineering LLC.