Sweden-based Skanska AB has elevated Richard Kennedy to president and CEO of its USA Building unit, replacing William Flemming, who the contractor says is leaving “to pursue other opportunities.” No further explanation was released for his departure after eight years in the top roles and nearly 30 at Skanska. Kennedy has been at the firm for 12 years. He joined as general counsel in 2004 and has been chief operating officer of regional New York and New Jersey building operations since 2009. Paul Hewins succeeds Kennedy in that role.

Skanska also has rearranged executives in Britain and other European units. In the U.K., Steve Holbrook was named managing director of its London commercial building business, replacing Paul Heather who left for a senior role at British contractor Sir Robert McAlpine, says The Construction Index. Also in the U.K., Skanska named Executive Vice Presidents Gregor Craig and Thomas Faulkner to oversee its buildings and civil construction operations, respectively, and elevated Helen Martin to managing director of development. She held senior positions in Skanska U.K.’s infrastructure unit and has been its risk management lead. Martin Neeson also was promoted to executive vice president of services.

Skanska AB also said that as of Dec. 1, Mats Williamson will be senior executive team manager for operations in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia; and Pierre Olofsson, business unit president in Sweden, will become senior executive team manager for Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Spanish toll-road developer Cintra has elevated Belen Marcos to president of its $8-billion U.S. portfolio based in Austin. She was CEO of Cintra’s three-project operations in the Dallas area—the North Tarrant Express, LBJ Express and the NTE 35W project. Belen succeeds Nicolas Rubio, who was promoted to Cintra global operations director, based in Madrid, says a firm statement. Alberto Gonzalez will replace Marcos as CEO of the three projects. He was deputy CEO.

Persis Drell, the first woman dean of Stanford University’s School of Engineering, will become the California university's second-ever female provost effective on Feb. 1. She succeeds John Etchemendy, who said he is stepping down.

Stanford says it expects to have a new dean in place by the transition date. Drell, selected from other faculty candidates, will oversee academics and budgets for seven Stanford schools. Named engineering dean in 2014, she has taught physics since 2002, and launched last year what Stanford says was a “collaborative school-wide process to examine what the engineering school of the future should look like.”

Drell, who also expanded a push for more women and underrepresented minorities in engineering, formerly directed the SLAC [Stanford Linear Accelerator Center] National Accelerator Laboratory. Condoleeza Rice, former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State in the George W. Bush administration, served as Stanford provost from 1993 to 1999.

SLAC and Stanford also announced on Nov. 10 their joint launch of “Bits & Watts,” what the university describes as an initiative to design a 21st-century electric grid to better accommodate clean energy sources. The school says the effort will develop smart technologies “for cheap, efficient and secure national energy distribution, as well as new models for navigating the financial incentives behind clean energy."

Martin Seeger has joined Germany-based global contractor Lahmeyer Group as CEO, and as president of its main operating unit Lahmeyer International GmbH. He replaces Bernd Kordes, who held the post for six years and is leaving the firm at his own request, says Lahmeyer. Seeger previously headed his own small Düsseldorf-based consulting firm for companies targeting work in Turkey and the Middle East. He had been executive vice president for the Middle East and Asia at Bilfinger Industrial Services, and headed the international division of Hochtief A.G. Focusing on energy, water and infrastructure projects, Lahmeyer generates around 80% of its sales mainly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Lahmeyer was acquired from its private equity owner for an undisclosed sum in late 2014 by Belgium-based Tractabel, itself a unit of Paris-based ENGIE, a firm that was previously known as GDF SUEZ Group.

Merrick & Co., an Aurora, Colo., engineer, has elevated Chief Operating Officer Christopher Sherry to the added role of president, effective April 1. In that position, he succeeds David G. Huelskamp, who remains CEO and chairman. Sherry has been at Merrick since 1985.

Stanley Consultants, Muscatine, Iowa, has promoted Senior Vice President Mike Hunzinger to chief operations officer. A board member since 2012, he also was, most recently, its infrastructure business leader.

As of Jan. 2, Jeffrey R. Marrs will become president and CEO of Glendale, Calif.-based ACCO Engineered Systems, an employee-owned group of firms in mechanical construction, engineering and fabrication. Elected to the new post on Nov. 16, he most recently served as president of ACCO’s mechanical construction group. Marrs succeeds John Aversano, who has been in the roles for 25 years and will become chairman. ACCO Engineered Systems has nearly 3,000 employees in 30 offices and reported about $944 million in total revenue in its most recent fiscal year, according to the firm. It ranks No. 14 on ENR's list of the Top 600 Speciality Firms.

Gannett Fleming has named Mark Johnson and William Plumpton senior vice presidents for infrastructure and environmental services, respectively. Johnson is based in North Andover, Mass. and Plumpton is based in Harrisburg, Pa.

Nagi Naganathan, dean since 2003 of the College of Engineering at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio, has been named president of the Oregon Institute of Technology, effective next spring, says the school. The institute has 5,323 students on campuses in Klamath Falls and Wilsonville. The University of Toledo has begun a national search for a new dean for the 4,016-student engineering college, its largest on campus.