Jack Marchbanks has been named by newly elected Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) as state transportation department director. He was its assistant director for business and human resources and a former DOT district deputy director. Marchbanks also was marketing director of PRIME AE Group, a minority-owned architect-engineer. He told a state transportation finance panel on Feb. 5 that DOT faces up to a $1-billion funding gap in 2020.
Named as DOT head in Kansas by newly-elected Gov. Laura Kelly (D) is Julie Lorenz, formerly a principal and transportation senior strategic consultant at Burns and McDonnell. In the upcoming fiscal year, Kelly seeks to cut by $100 million the amount of sales tax revenue that can be withdrawn from the DOT budget for unrelated state operations.
KAI Enterprises, a St. Louis design-build firm, has elevated Darren L. James to president. He had been president and COO of the firm’s Dallas-based Texas operation.
Engineer Moffatt & Nichol, Long Beach, Calif., has promoted Doug Plasencia to COO. He formerly led its water practice.
Michael Horodniceanu has been named chair of New York University Tandon School of Engineering’s newly-formed Institute of Design and Construction Innovations Hub. He is a former president of New York City’s MTA Capital Construction, and is a faculty member in NYU’s urban and civil engineering department. Judith L. Cooper, former senior vice president of WSP, is named associate director. The industry-supported program will engage construction stakeholders in research and other efforts to confront project cost overruns and schedule delays, says an NYU Tandon statement.
