Villanova University has appointed Michele Marcolongo as the Drosdick Endowed Dean of the College of Engineering, effective July 31. Marcolongo is currently department head and professor of materials science and engineering in the Drexel University College of Engineering. She has held numerous leadership positions at Drexel, including associate vice provost for research, senior associate vice provost for translational research and associate dean for intellectual property development. In 2018, Marcolongo was appointed co-chair of Drexel’s strategic plan, leading a committee of university officials charged with setting a vision and focus for the next decade of education.

BL Cos., a Massachusetts-based multidisciplinary architecture, engineering, environmental and land surveying firm, recently named John Thatcher principal in its Harrisburg, Pa., office.

Larson Design Group, based in Williamsport, Pa., has promoted its president and chief operating officer, David Martin, to be its new CEO. Martin succeeds Keith Kuzio, who will transition to a leadership advisory role with the firm. Martin will lead LDG from its Pittsburgh office while also maintaining an office in Williamsport. His background includes operations and project management; engineering design of buildings; and infrastructure projects in the commercial, federal and institutional marketplace.

Aaron Betsky has been named director of Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Betsky previously was  president of the School of Architecture at Taliesin (formerly known as the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture). He also has taught at the University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky, the University of Michigan’s Taubman School of Architecture and Design, and SCI-Arc (the Southern California Institute of Architecture).

Betsky was slated to begin his new job on June 1. Hunter Pittman, who led the School of Architecture + Design since 2016, will return to the school as an associate professor. 

Shamarukh Billah, recently named chief civil engineer in STV’s buildings and facilities division, has been promoted to vice president. Billah, who is based in STV’s Douglassville, Pa., office, has experience in site development, water resource engineering and infrastructure design.

Dewberry has hired Keith Hull as a program manager for its intelligence community market segment, based in Fairfax., Va. Hull spent much of his career with the Naval Research Laboratory, where he most recently was director of the public works division. He was responsible for public works projects and logistics, including planning, design, construction, maintenance, space planning and facility and utility management as well as environmental compliance, base support vehicles and transportation services. Hull also supervised the design and construction of more than $200 million in restoration and modernization of laboratories and office buildings, utility distribution projects and military construction projects.

Columbia, Md.-based American Contracting & Environmental Services (ACE) has promoted five staff members. They include: Brandon Lumm, from senior project manager to project executive; Brandon Sambataro and Mark Montgomery, from senior project engineers to project managers; and David Phillips and Evan Caterson, from project engineers to senior project engineers.