Garry Higdem has joined Parsons Corp. as president of its new construction group, which the firm says will manage North

Higdem

American infrastructure construction. Based in Denver, he was president and CEO of the EPC group at CH2M Hill Ltd. since 2007 and its principal-in-charge of the $5.3-billion Panama Canal expansion. Higdem also was CEO of APAC and served as a division vice president of Granite Construction.

Barney T. Martin, president of bridge engineer Modjeski and Masters, Mechanicsburg, Pa., has been elevated to the additional role of CEO. He succeeds John Kulicki, who continues as chairman. Martin, a 36-year veteran, has been president since 2007.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has elevated Richard Hancock to chief of the military programs integration division in Washington, D.C., effective Aug. 25. The division works with military services to manage construction, installation support, interagency and environmental programs. He was regional business director of the Corps Great Lakes-Ohio River division in Cincinnati. The Corps also named David F. Dale as programs director in the Great Lakes-Ohio River division. The agency says he was deputy district engineer in Louisville, Ky., responsible for the Corps' $3.1-billion Olmsted Lock and Dam project.

Ronald D. Staley has been named principal-in-charge of southeast Michigan operations for The Christman Co., a Livonia, Mich.,

Staley

contractor. A senior vice president, he had led the firm's Washington, D.C.-based operations since 2003. The new role comes as the firm says it is expanding construction and real estate development in the Detroit area. Staley also serves as executive director of Christman's national preservation group.

Ahtna Inc., a native Alaskan-owned firm based in Glennallen, Alaska, has named Craig O'Rourke as president of its subsidiaries Ahtna Government Services Corp. and Ahtna Design-Build Inc., which provide design, construction and environmental services to private- and public-sector clients. Based in Irvine, Calif., he was the units' vice president and chief operations officer. Prior to joining Ahtna in 2011, O'Rourke was a principal at Terracon Consultants.

Gregs G. Thomopulos, chairman of Stanley Consultants, has been elected chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies, representing more than 5,000 firms. He had served as president of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers from 2009 to 2011.

Scott D. Zeringue has joined Excel Contractors Inc., Prairieville, La., as president. He was vice president of plant services operations at CB&I and at The Shaw Group Inc., which CB&I acquired this year. Excel is a unit of Excel Group, a construction, engineering, fabrication, maintenance and EPC firm in the industrial and power markets.

 

Novak

Balfour Beatty Construction, Dallas, has named Nancy Novak as national vice president of operations. Previously an independent construction consultant, she also was operations manager at Hensel Phelps Construction Co.

Michael Lee has joined Willbros Group Inc., Houston, as senior vice president of commercial services in oil and gas. He was president and chief operating officer of field solutions for ENGlobal Corp.

Granite Construction Inc. has promoted Martin "Pete" Matheson to senior vice president and manager of its California operations. A 22-year company veteran, he joined the firm as an estimator and was, most recently, vice president of its Washington state-based region.

Stuart Dean, a New York City architectural restoration firm, has named Thomas Lawless as senior vice president. He previously served in the same role at TEMCO Service Industries, a global cleaning, maintenance and security company.

Jeff Bowen has joined Springfield, Ill.-based Hanson Professional Services Inc. as a vice president in Jacksonville, Fla., and head of its Florida transportation and infrastructure work. Bowen was a vice president at engineering firm Reynolds, Smith and Hills Inc.

Paul J. Scagnelli, former executive vice president of Schiavone Construction, Secaucus, N.J., has joined Chicago-based contractor The Walsh Group as regional manager of its New York and New Jersey operations, based in Rutherford, N.J. Scagnelli, who also served as Schiavone's chief engineer, was a 40-year veteran of the firm, according to Walsh. Schiavone was acquired by Dragados Inversiones USA, the U.S. unit of Spanish contractor Dragados S.A., in 2007.