Skanska has named Kay Jefferson vice president of business development of Atlanta building operations. Jefferson brings to the role nearly 20 years of experience in business development, strategic marketing and community engagement, including more than 10 years in the AEC industry.

Skanska has also announced Graeme Kelly as national director of quality assurance and quality control for Skanska USA Building. In this position he will foster greater engagement and accountability from project teams, in addition to his current role as senior vice president of operations in Florida.

Mark Balling has also been named executive vice president and general manager, leading building operations for Skanska in North Carolina and Virginia. He succeeds Greg Peele, who was recently promoted to regional executive officer for its Southeast and Central regions.

Jim Pfaendtner has joined North Carolina State University, Raleigh, as Louis Martin-Vega Dean of the College of Engineering. He was chair of the department of chemical engineering at the University of Washington. Pfaendtner’s research has focused on computer simulations to understand and control molecular scale driving forces for advanced materials development and other applications.

T. Parker McCrary has joined design firm HNTB as deputy program manager for freight and logistics in its Southeast division, supporting clients in the region and across the country on related infrastructure programs.

Construction firm ANF Group has hired Sasha Seco Alvarez as chief information officer, responsible for aligning technology resources and initiatives with company programs.

Nashville, Tenn.-based engineering and architecture firm Barge Design Solutions has appointed Karen Cosentino to a newly created role as chief people officer. The firm cites her experience in multiple industry sectors in developing employee experience strategies at the firm.

Barge also appointed Bassem Tannir to the role of bridge practice leader for Georgia and the Carolinas. He has more than 16 years of experience in the field and will further develop the company’s bridge design portfolio.

McAdams senior project manager Jay Matey will lead the Raleigh-based engineering firm’s new office in Winston-Salem, N.C. The company said the area construction market is expanding, with new investment in manufacturing and industrial sectors.

Architecture, engineering and geospatial consultant Woolpert has hired Aaron Smith as program director, based in St. Petersburg, Fla. A former Florida Dept. of Transportation aviation manager, he specializes in aviation system planning and airport development. Smith led the state’s $250-million annual aviation infrastructure program and directed development and implementation of a five-year, $1.5-billion infrastructure program. He also was department representative to local, state and federal agencies, boards and industry associations, says Woolpert.

Burns & McDonnell has promoted two Atlanta-based managers to principal, among a total of 49 employees elevated to the positio at the Kansas City, Mo.-based firm. The promotions recognize outstanding performance and technical excellence, according to the company. Justin Kanitz is a regional director with management experience on about 400 projects worth more than $200 million, it said. He was the account manager for firm client Southern Co. and project manager for Georgia Power’s $7.5-billion Grid Investment Plan. Ali Elnaamani leads the firm’s Southeast team covering services that include project management, utility management, cybersecurity and technology consulting.

Architecture and engineering firm Gresham Smith has hired Brian Miller as executive vice president of its industrial market operations. He formerly served as chief marketing officer and director of business development and senior engineer for I.C. Thomasson Associates Inc. He succeeds David Verner, who was in the position for four years and will continue in a new role as director of energy strategy, focused primarily on maintaining and growing relationships in the battery and electric vehicle sector, according to the firm.

The Fayetteville, N.C., Public Works Commission has named Timothy Bryant CEO and general manager. He was director of external affairs at Florida Power and Light Co., a unit of NextEra Energy, and had managed three of its energy centers, also specializing in development of renewable energy programs. Bryant previously managed power generation for utility Southern Co. and worked in energy engineering at Black & Veatch Corp. A former board member of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, he permanently replaces Elaina Ball, who resigned last year.

A. Morton Thomas and Associates Inc. has promoted John Underwood to senior associate. The design firm said he has been instrumental in growing its North Carolina construction engineering and inspection practice, which is based in Charlotte, and expanding its services to the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation and into South Carolina. He directs contracts and asset management services for the firm’s public sector clients.

Interdisciplinary design, engineering and planning firm Stewart has promoted Andy Young to practice leader of transportation and Jake Petrosky to practice leader of community planning. Young will oversee the firm’s environmental planning, roadway design, greenways and related activities. Petrosky specializes in land use planning and multimodal transportation, among other design areas. Both have more than 20 years of industry experience.

Shawmut Design and Construction, based in Boston, has appointed Julio Cruz project executive for South Florida, part of what the firm said is a 10-year strategy to expand work in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. He was a project executive at several large construction management firms in South Florida, which Shawmut did not identify. His project development experience is focused in education, high-rise condominiums, multifamily and hospitality sectors.

Tom Fitzgerald Jr. has joined Xeriant—a company specializing in development and commercialization of aerospace technologies and advanced materials—as vice president of composites manufacturing. He will be responsible for establishing operations and executing mass production of green building materials under a newly formed subsidiary called BlueGreen Composites. Fitzgerald was formerly executive vice president of TMF Corp., a Pennsylvania-based plastic industrial products manufacturer.

Aviation civil designer Jordan Duck has joined Hanson Professional Services Inc. in Sarasota, Fla., to provide design and construction services for the company’s general aviation and commercial service airport practice in Florida. Hanson has also hired Carson Rowell as a civil designer in Tallahassee, responsible for transportation design and plan production, working primarily on projects for the Florida Dept. of Transportation. Christa Barsanti has been named mechanical designer for Hanson in Raleigh after joining the firm in 2022 as an intern. She will assist in design of plumbing and HVAC systems. Alan Nickz joins the firm in Jacksonville, Fla., as senior roadway engineer for state transportation department and local agency infrastructure projects.

Codina Partners, a Coral Gables, Fla., real estate development, investment and property management firm, has hired Eric Blanco as vice president of accounting and finance. He had been a principal at The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Blanco led global accounting and tax for its aviation practice, which manages about $11.2 billion in worldwide assets, said Codina.

Suzanne Barnes has joined Spiezle Architectural Group as director of client services, bringing more than 40 years of experience in architecture, design and business development, having spearheaded large-scale senior living, mixed-use design projects that serve more than 7,000 residents. A member of the AIA National Design for Aging Advisory Board and Women in Architecture, Barnes is the former chair of the Orlando Foundation for Architecture and is currently part of the Urban Land Institute's Real Estate Diversity Initiative. 

T&T Construction Management Group, a woman-owned concrete specialty concrete contractor, has hired Ryan McDavid as Business Development Manager. McDavid brings more than 25 years of experience in business development, marketing and sales in the industry, primarily focusing on tilt-up construction. A member of Associated Builders and Contractors, NAIOP Orlando and South Florida, McDavid previously served as business development director for Tilt-Con, a Southeastern tilt-up construction company.