Diana C. Mendes has joined design firm HNTB as senior vice president and leader of its national transit-rail practice, based in Arlington, Va. Since 2015, she had been director of transit-rail design and consulting services for AECOM’s Americas unit, which HNTB describes as “the largest transit consulting practice in North America.” Mendes is a former director of the American Public Transportation Association. Also joining as senior vice president is Katherine “Katie” Nees, formerly director of the Texas Dept. of Transportation strategic projects division. HNTB notes her expertise in innovative project finance and alternative delivery. Jack Allen and Michael Voinis have been named vice presidents in Dallas and Houston, respectively, the firm adds.

Global designer WSP Global/Parsons Brinckerhoff, Montreal, has elevated Hugo Blasutta to president and CEO of its 8,000-person Canada unit. He was CEO of Toronto services firm MMM, which WSP Global/PB acquired in 2015. Blasutta replaces David Ackert, who becomes manager of the firm’s global energy and resources practices, says a spokeswoman. WSP Global/PB also has named Jorge A. Chaves Dominguez as president and Asdrubal Montenegro as chief financial officer of its Latin America region, based in Bogota. Chaves was general manager of Schrader Camargo, an engineering firm based in Cundinamarca, Colombia. Most recently, Montenegro was a financial executive at Halliburton. The WSP/PB spokeswoman says the firm also is set to name “by fall” a replacement for corporate CFO Alexandre L’Heureux, whom in April it said would succeed Pierre Shoiry as president and CEO. Shoiry will take a newly created position as vice chairman.

Christian Brown will take a newly created position as corporate development officer on Aug. 1 at design-builder SNC-Lavalin Group, Montreal. Formerly president of oil and gas, he also was CEO of U.K.-based Kentz, a large oil-and-gas engineer that SNC-Lavalin bought in 2014. Brown, who led Kentz’s integration into its parent, will manage future large acquisitions by SNC-Lavalin and cross-selling among units “to keep margin in-house that is currently subcontracted to other firms,” says industry analyst Yuri Lynk of Canaccord Genuity, Montreal. Replacing Brown is Martin Adler, who was CEO of Seafox Contractors, a Dutch marine services firm. Maxim Sytchev, analyst for National Bank Financial, Toronto, says SNC-Lavalin likely won’t buy contracting capability in Canada since “it already has a very strong footprint directly and via partnerships.” He also cites lower margins and added risk.

Locus Technologies, a leading Mountain View, Calif., environmental compliance software consultant, has elevated J. Wesley Hawthorne to president. Formerly operations senior vice president and a 17-year firm veteran, he succeeds Neno Duplan, who stays as CEO.

Jeffrey Colton has joined Monarch Landscape Holdings, a private equity-backed group of western landscape companies, as president of its construction division. Now based in the San Francisco area, he had been senior vice president and regional manager of ValleyCrest Cos. Monarch, formed last year, reports revenue of more than $80 million and 1,000 employees.

ARCADIS NV has elevated Joachim Ebert to CEO of its Colorado-based North America unit. Formerly chief operating officer, he succeeds John Jastrem, who becomes a non-executive director. Both assumed their former roles in early 2015, after the firm bought Callison Architecture Holding LLC, of which Jastrem had been CEO. Ebert was a partner in management consultant McKinsey & Co. ARCADIS also named Matt Bennion, now COO of Arcadis Asia, to succeed on Sept. 1 Kenneth Poon as CEO of the unit. Poon retires at year-end.

Four Florida-based executives have formed a Miami construction firm, NV2A Group, to focus on infrastructure and commercial building. Named as chairman is Agustin Arellano Sr., founder and former chairman of OHL-Arellano Construction; Gilberto Neves, previous president and CEO of Odebrecht USA, is the new firm CEO; Jesus Vazquez, former chief operating officer of Facchina Construction, is COO; and Agustin Arellano Jr., previous CFO of OHL-Arellano, has that role in NV2A. South Florida’s condo market is soft, but commercial construction is booming, the executives told a local real estate publication on July 20.

Hanson Professional Services Inc., an employee-owned transportation consultant in Springfield, Ill., has elevated Jeff Ball to president, succeeding Sergio “Satch” Pecori, who becomes chairman and CEO. Ball is also the firm’s markets leader. Eugene Wilkinson becomes chairman emeritus. The firm ranks at No. 192 on ENR’s list of the Top 500 Design Firms, with $65.1 million in revenue reported in 2015.

Michael W. “Mike” Matthews is named president of Mason & Hanger, the Chantilly, Va.-based government-services engineering unit of contractor Day & Zimmermann. The new role follows the firm’s July 1 acquisition of Hankins & Anderson, a Glen Allen, Va., mission-critical design firm of which Matthews was president. He succeeds Mick McAreavy as head of Mason & Hanger, which will integrate the new acquisition. H&A ranks at No. 412 on ENR’s Top 500 Design Firms list and has 200 employees.

Hill International has hired Paul Roberts as senior vice president in charge of Asia and Australia for the construction-claims group of Hill International. Now based in Brisbane, Australia, he is formerly director of contract, commercial and dispute services for Aquenta Consulting.

Seattle-based engineer Hart Crowser has elevated David Winter to CEO and Jeff Wagner to Chief Operating Officer. Winter, formerly vice president is a 26-year firm veteran and senior engineer. He also has served in leadership positions with the American Council of Engineering Companies and Society of American Military Engineers. Wagner most recently was the firm's geotechnical services manager.