One felt the thrill of a dramatic whitewater adventure as a teenager. Another saw a demonstration of a liquid damper in a college lecture. Others disassembled a nuclear aircraft carrier in the Navy, or grew up surrounded by a family of stone masons. And one survived not one but two opioid overdoses, rescued by Narcan.
These are some of the defining moments and experiences that shaped this year’s ENR Newsmakers, chosen by the editors. Those moments inspired each of the industry change-makers to rethink their career trajectory, come up with clever new solutions or galvanize a team to accomplish great feats of design and construction.
As varied as their backstories and accomplishments are, these 25 Newsmakers are united in their efforts to make the industry—and their communities—better places to live and work. Read their stories on the pages that follow and meet them in person at ENR’s Award of Excellence gala on April 13 at Pier 60 in New York City. Visit enr.com/aoe to register.
![Kevin Antonelli](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Antonelli_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Kevin Antonelli
Senior Director of Construction
Google
Mountain View, California
![Chad J. Basinger](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Basinger_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Chad J. Basinger
Vice President Project Management
Swank Construction Co.
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
![Sean P. Clifton](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Clifton-Sean_headshot_2023_ENRready.jpg)
Sean P. Clifton
Senior Principal
Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Seattle
![Matt Compher](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Compher_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Matt Compher
Vice President, Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality
Quanta Services
Houston
![Rick Cotton](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Cotton_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Rick Cotton
Executive Director
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
New York City
![Ron DeGregorio](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Degregorio_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
![Carlos Diaz](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Diaz_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Carlos Diaz
Project Director
McCarthy Building Cos.
Phoenix
![Brian Golden](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Golden_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Brian Golden
Former Director, Boston Planning and Development Agency and Partner, Keegan Werlin LLP
Boston
![Thomas S. Gunning](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Gunning_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Thomas S. Gunning
Executive Director
Building Trades Employers' Association Northeast (BTEA Northeast)
Boston
![Andrew Hallett](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Hallett_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Andrew Hallett
Senior Project Manager Infrastructure
Cianbro
Pittsfield, Maine
![Ryan Hamrick](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Hamrick_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Ryan Hamrick
Division Manager
Superior Construction
Tampa, Florida
![Tom Hunter](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Hunter_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Tom Hunter
CEO
Toronto Seniors Housing Corp.
Toronto, Ontario
![Jesse D. Jenkins](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Jenkins_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Jesse D. Jenkins
Assistant. Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dept. and Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
![Michael H. Jones](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Jones_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Michael H. Jones
Principal Engineer, Associate Vice President
HNTB
Los Angeles
![Burcin Kaplanoglu](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Kaplanoglu_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Burcin Kaplanoglu
Vice President, Oracle Industry Lab
Oracle Vertical Industries
Chicago
![Rosemary J. Knight](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Knight_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Rosemary J. Knight
George L. Harrington Professor of Earth Sciences, Stanford Universiay; Senior Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment
Stanford, California
![Jerry Lea](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Lea_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
![James Litwin](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Litwin_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
James Litwin
Vice President of Construction
Harbor Bay Ventures
Northbrook, Illinois
![Tony Mazzo](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Mazzo_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Tony Mazzo
President Urban Foundation/ Engineering LLC
New York City
![Valerie McCain](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/McCain_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Valerie McCain
Hanford WTP Project Director and Senior Vice President
Bechtel National Inc.
Richland, Washington
![Marty Parichand](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Parichand_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Marty Parichand
Founder
Outdoor New England
Franklin, New Hampshire
![Sarah Cherry Rice](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Rice_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Sarah Cherry Rice
Founder and Executive Director
Digital Ready
Boston
![Mario Rodriguez](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Rodriguez_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Mario Rodriguez
Executive Director
Indianapolis Airport Authority
Indianapolis
![Don Scott](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Scott_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Don Scott
Structural Engineer
Don Scott Consulting
University Place, Washington
![Wil V. Srubar III](/ext/resources/Issues/National_Issues/2023/30-Jan/headshots/Srubar_headshot_ENRready.jpg)
Wil V. Srubar III
Co-founder and Chief Technology Advisor, Prometheus Materials Science Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
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