Geoff Stodola has been named CEO of Exxel Pacific, Bellingham, Wash., as part of a leadership succession plan that has former CEO Kevin DeVries staying on as chairman of the board of directors. Stodola continues as president, a role he has held for 12 years.

Michelle White has been promoted to CEO of Harris & Associates, based in Concord, Calif. She has been chief operating officer and consulting division president since 2021, joining the firm in 2018 as chief people officer to lead human resources, learning and development and information technology.

Sound Transit’s board of directors has appointed Goran Sparrman as the agency’s interim CEO for a one-year term. He was vice president and business development officer at HNTB and also served a term as interim transportation director of the Seattle Dept. of Transportation in 2018.

David Callis, president of Swinerton Inc., Concord, Calif., has been elected CEO, succeeding Eric Foster, who has retired. Callis began his career at Swinerton Builders in 2001 as a senior project manager and has served as president since 2020. The contractor also elevated Ray Haj to chief operations officer and executive vice president. He was senior vice president and regional manager. Foster joined Swinerton Builders as a project engineer in 1982.

Mike Bieber, president of Willdan Group Inc., Anaheim, Calif., has been appointed CEO following the retirement of Tom Brisbin. Brisbin is now board chairman and a part-time consultant. CFO Kim Early and general counsel Micah Chen have both been promoted to executive vice president.

Alex Llerena has joined Blach Construction, San Jose, Calif., as CFO. Previously CFO of W. Bradley Electric, he has more than 30 years of experience leading financial and operational strategy, primarily in the construction sector.

Dahlin Architecture | Planning | Interiors, Pleasanton, Calif., has promoted Emily Bonato to chief operating officer, Vanessa Yust to chief marketing officer and Gabriela Eaton to chief people officer.

Dome Construction, San Francisco, has promoted Ralf Elsaesser to chief operating officer and Mike Firenze to chief business officer. Elsaesser, who joined the firm in 2000, will manage operations in California, while Firenze, who started as a summer intern in 1995, will align the firm’s departments with strategic objectives.

Jeff Bellerud has been hired as chief operating officer at Northwest Seaport Alliance in Washington, overseeing marine operations including rail, road, terminals, break-bulk operations and waterway management. Most recently, he served as director of intermodal and port operations at CN Rail.

Kevin Deters has joined SOLV Energy, San Diego, as COO. He was previously president of MYR Energy Services, an EPC services contractor in the utility and renewable energy industry.

Brad Jeanneret has been named president and chief operating officer at Hensel Phelps. He has been with the firm for 27 years, most recently as executive vice president. Tom Diersbock, who most recently led its Pacific region, was promoted to executive vice president overseeing operations in California and the Pacific regions. Jon Tseu takes over as Pacific region vice president.

Hamdi Mohamed has been elected commission president of the Port of Seattle for 2024. She is the first woman of color and first immigrant to be named to the role since the port’s founding in 1911. Mohamed has been a port commissioner since 2021. She says the port approved its largest budget, with $5.6 billion in capital development spending planned over the next five years. In addition, commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa will serve as commission vice president and commissioner Ryan Calkins as commission secretary.

Stephen Knobbe has been named president of HNTB’s Northwest division. He will oversee operations and strategic planning in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. He is based in Denver. Amy Scarton has joined the firm in Seattle as business development officer and vice president. She was deputy secretary of transportation for the Washington State Dept. of Transportation.

TranSystems has promoted Ayman Salama to executive vice president. He has been with the company for more than a decade and is based in Santa Ana, Calif. The firm says Salama has been instrumental in its work for Caltrans and for other clients in Southern California.

Sue Kershaw has joined AECOM as Los Angeles-based senior vice president and executive for the company’s program management global business line. She previously served as Costain managing director of transportation and also had been managing director for KPMG’s infrastructure advisory group and director of rail at CH2M.

Imad Feghali has been promoted to senior vice president for global program management at Jacobs, based in Irvine, Calif. He has more than 22 years of experience at the firm, serving in various leadership roles that have included senior vice president and regional director for Jacobs’ buildings and infrastructure business in the Americas and vice president and regional director for the Middle East.

Kleinschmidt Associates has hired Paul Larson as vice president of the Northwest region. Based in Seattle, he will oversee strategic direction and leadership for the firm’s regional business operations. Larson spent the last decade at Seattle City Light, most recently as engineering and operations manager.

Jeff Fisher has joined JE Dunn as a vice president in Portland, Ore. He brings nearly three decades of experience in managing large-scale construction projects.

Encinitas, Calif.-based Dudek has promoted Danielle Voss to vice president of human resources. She has been with the firm for more than eight years and has nearly two decades of experience.

Jeffrey Heymann has been elevated to vice president of sales and marketing at Giroux Glass Inc., Los Angeles. He joined the contractor last September as senior director of major projects. Heymann had been at MiTek - Benson, where he held various senior positions.

SCS Engineers, Long Beach, Calif., has promoted Gabrielle Stephens to vice president. She is a project director specializing in regulatory air permitting and compliance with more than 20 years of experience in environmental consulting.

Ken Kubacki has been promoted to vice president and regional manager of Sundt Co. transportation group in the Northwest region, based in Portland, Ore. Mads Sargent also joined in Portland as an industrial group project health, safety and environment manager for Oregon.

Peyman Tabatabaei has joined risk consultant HKA’s forensic technical services practice as a director based in Los Angeles. He has more than 20 years of civil-geotechnical experience and has worked on a wide range of infrastructure, residential and commercial developments.

Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a San Francisco-based consultant, has announced the promotions of Barbra Calantas, Paul Schlenger and Sarah Spano. Calantas now leads the firm’s national biological resources and land management practice. Schlenger and Spano have new roles as regional business group directors—the former named to lead the firm’s Pacific Northwest practice region and the latter leading the Southern California water group.

The Port of Los Angeles has appointed Chris Brown as chief harbor engineer, overseeing its engineering division. Most recently, he was the assistant chief harbor engineer. Brown succeeds Dina Aryan-Zahlan, who was recently promoted to deputy executive director of development.

James Sink has been promoted to higher education practice leader at HMC Architects, Los Angeles. He joined the firm in 2010. Christina Mannion and Eric Skiba have both joined its higher education practice as principals-in-charge, with Mannion based in San Diego and Skiba in San Francisco.

Kitchell Corp. has appointed Rafael Martin as executive director of technical support services, based in Sacramento. Formerly serving as director of technical services at Vanir, he now leads innovation in the construction firm’s program and controls division. Tony Mirenda has also been hired as executive director of the contractor’s South Bay practice located in San Jose, Calif.

Geoff Stodola has been named CEO of Exxel Pacific, Bellingham, Wash., as part of a leadership succession plan that sees former CEO Kevin DeVries staying on as chairman of the board of directors. Stodola began working for Exxel in 1992. Initially starting out as a carpenter, he worked his way upward, holding many positions over the years including estimator, project engineer, project manager, superintendent and vice president. He has been president for the past 12 years and will continue in that role as well.

Michelle White has been promoted to CEO of Harris & Associates, Concord, Calif. She joined Harris in 2018 as chief people officer, heading human resources, learning and development, information technology, and was promoted to chief operating officer and consulting division president in 2021.

Sound Transit’s Board of Directors has appointed Goran Sparrman as the agency’s interim CEO for a one-year term. Sparrman was previously vice president and business development officer at HNTB. He also served a term as interim transportation director at the Seattle Dept. of Transportation in 2018. Former Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm resigned in December, effective  Jan. 12.

David Callis, president of Swinerton Inc., Concord, Calif., has been elected as the next CEO of both Swinerton and its subsidiaries, effective January 2024, with the retirement of current CEO Eric Foster. Callis began his career at Swinerton Builders in 2001 as a senior project manager and has served as president since 2020. Foster first joined Swinerton Builders as a project engineer in 1982.

Additional Swinerton promotions include COO Ray Haj and chief administrative officer Lauren Nunnally to executive vice presidents on the Swinerton Executive Committee. Lia Tatevosian has been promoted to senior vice president and regional manager of Swinerton Builders’ Southern California and Hawaii operations and Daniel Camin to vice president and Orange County and Los Angeles Special Projects Division manager.

Mike Bieber, president of Willdan Group Inc., Anaheim, Calif., has been appointed CEO, effective Dec. 30, following the retirement of CEO Tom Brisbin. Brisbin will stay on as chairman of the board and as a part-time consultant. Bieber joined Willdan in 2014 as vice president, corporate development, and for the last seven years has served as president. Brisbin has served as Willdan’s CEO since 2007. Wildan’s CFO Kim Early and general counsel Micah Chen were also promoted to executive vice president.

Alex Llerena has joined Blach Construction, San Jose, Calif., as CFO. Llerena has more than 30 years of experience leading financial and operational strategy for large, multinational companies, primarily in the construction industry. He most recently served as CFO for W. Bradley Electric. Blach also announced promotions on its operations team: Keith Craw to vice president, field operations, Mike Grzanowski to vice president of operations and both Kevin McIntosh and James Woodbury have been promoted to vice president.

DAHLIN Architecture | Planning | Interiors, Pleasanton, Calif., has promoted Emily Bonato to chief operating officer, Vanessa Yust as chief marketing officer and Gabriela Eaton as chief people officer. Bonato’s promotion to COO comes after working for DAHLIN for over two decades as a principal/senior architect. Yust was hired in 2019 and was most recently senior director – branding, while Eaton joined the firm in 2014, serving as senior director – people & culture.

Dome Construction, San Francisco, has promoted Ralf Elsaesser to COO and Mike Firenze to chief business officer. Elsaesser, who joined the company in 2000, will manage operations across Dome's California offices, while Firenze, who started as a summer intern in 1995, will align Dome’s departments with strategic objectives.

Jeff Bellerud has been hired as COO at The Northwest Seaport Alliance, responsible for overseeing marine operations including rail, road, terminals, breakbulk operations and management of the waterway. Most recently, Bellerud served as director of intermodal and port operations at CN Rail.

Kevin Deters has joined SOLV Energy, San Diego, as COO. He was previously president at MYR Energy Services, an MYR Group subsidiary and EPC service contractor serving the utility and renewable energy industry.

Brad Jeanneret has been named president and COO at Hensel Phelps. He has been with the firm for 27 years, most recently serving as executive vice president. Tom Diersbock, who most recently led Hensel Phelps’ Pacific region, was promoted to executive vice president overseeing operations in Southern California, Northern California and the Pacific regions. Jon Tseu will replace Diersbock and take over as regional vice president for the Pacific region. Tseu spent the past seven years as an executive in the Pacific region.

Hamdi Mohamed has been elected commission president of the Port of Seattle for 2024. She is the first woman of color and immigrant Commission President in the port’s history, since its founding in 1911. Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa will serve as commission vice president, with commissioner Ryan Calkins serving as commission secretary. In November 2021, Mohamed made history as the first Somali woman elected to public office in Washington state and the first Black woman elected to the Port of Seattle Commission. She also holds the distinction of being the first Black woman to serve on any of the 75 ports in Washington.

Stephen Knobbe has been named president of HNTB’s Northwest Division. From the firm’s Denver office, he will oversee operations and strategic planning in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. Amy Scarton has joined HNTB’s Seattle office as business development officer and vice president. She previously served as deputy secretary of transportation for the Washington State Dept. of Transportation. Keith Collins has been hired at HNTB’s Los Angeles office as West Region business development leader for sports architecture. Collins was previously Southwest regional practice area leader and development director – sports at Gensler. Martin Ellwood has been hired as senior project director. He is based in the firm’s Los Angeles office and will focus on supporting rail infrastructure projects in the West Division.

TranSystems has promoted Ayman Salama to executive vice president. Salama has been with the company for more than a decade, and is based in Santa Ana, Calif. He has been instrumental in the firm’s success with Caltrans along with many other clients and projects in Southern California. Lynne Marie Whately has been promoted to principal and senior vice president based in the Berkeley office. She has been with the firm for 13 years, both in the Florida and California offices. Darryl Moser, who is also based in Berkeley, was promoted to vice president. Moser managed the largest U.S. Navy project for TranSystems in recent years at MCB Camp Lejeune. 

Sue Kershaw has been hired at AECOM’s Los Angeles office as senior vice president, program management executive for the company’s Program Management global business line. Kershaw previously served as Costain’s managing director of transportation, managing director for KPMG’s Infrastructure advisory group, and director of rail at CH2M.

Imad Feghali has been promoted to senior vice president for global program management at Jacobs, based in the firm’s Irvine, Calif., office. He has more than 22 years of experience with Jacobs, serving in various leadership roles, including senior vice president and regional director for Jacobs’ Buildings & Infrastructure Business in the Americas and vice president and regional director for the Middle East.

Kleinschmidt Associates has hired Paul Larson as vice president of the Northwest region. Based in the Seattle office, Larson will oversee strategic direction and leadership for the firm’s regional business operations. He spent the last decade with Seattle City Light, most recently as engineering and operations manager.

Jeff Fisher has joined JE Dunn as a vice president in the Portland office. He brings nearly three decades of experience in large-scale construction projects.

Encinitas, Calif.-based Dudek has promoted Danielle Voss to vice president of human resources. She has been with the firm for more than 8 years and brings nearly two decades of expertise in human resources to her new leadership role.

Jeffrey Heymann has been elevated to vice president of sales and marketing at Giroux Glass Inc., Los Angeles. He started with Giroux in September 2023 as senior director of major projects. Heymann was previously with MiTek - Benson, where he held various senior positions for more than 20 years. 

SCS Engineers, Long Beach, Calif., has promoted Gabrielle Stephens to vice president. Stephens is a project director specializing in regulatory air permitting and compliance and brings more than 20 years of experience in environmental consulting to the role.

Ken Kubacki has been promoted to vice president and regional manager of Sundt’s Transportation Group in the Northwest region, based in Portland, Ore. He has more than 30 years of industry experience and has been with Sundt for nearly five years. Mads Sargent has joined Sundt’s Portland office as a project health, safety, and environment manager for its Industrial Group in Oregon. 

The Port of Los Angeles has appointed Chris Brown as chief harbor engineer, overseeing the Port’s Engineering Division. Brown replaces Dina Aryan-Zahlan, who was recently promoted to deputy executive director of development. Most recently, Brown was the assistant chief harbor engineer.

Environmental Science Associates (ESA), San Francisco, has announced the promotions of Barbra Calantas, Paul Schlenger and Sarah Spano. Calantas now leads the firm’s national Biological Resources and Land Management (BRLM) practice. Schlenger and Spano both take on new roles as regional business group directors, with Schlenger leading the Pacific Northwest BRLM group and Spano leading the Southern California Water group.

James Sink has been promoted to higher education practice leader at HMC Architects, Los Angeles. Since joining HMC in 2010, he has led the design of several significant higher education projects, guiding them from conceptual design through design development. Christina Mannion and Eric Skiba have both joined the higher education practice as principals-in-charge. Mannion will be based out of the firm’s San Diego studio, while Skiba will be based in San Francisco. HMC Architects has promoted Kevin M. Holland to managing principal of HMC’s Sacramento studio, responsible for bolstering business development initiatives in the pre-K-12 and community + culture practices. He joined HMC in 2022 as principal in charge, working out of the Los Angeles office.

Kitchell has appointed Rafael Martin as executive director of technical support services. He brings 25 years of experience to the role and will lead innovation in the Program and Controls Division. He was previously director of technical services at Vanir. Tony Mirenda has been hired as executive director of Kitchell’s South Bay practice in San Jose. Mirenda has more than 40 years of general contracting and construction management expertise in the region.

Peyman Tabatabaei has joined HKA’s Forensic Technical Services practice as a director based in Los Angeles. With more than 20 years of civil/geotechnical experience, he will analyze and evaluate geotechnical engineering issues and develop forensic engineering reports summarizing the facts, analyses, and tests performed to present expert findings and opinions.

Mortenson has announced the promotion of Nate Jenkins to director of business development, based in the firm’s Seattle office. Since joining Mortenson in 2005, Jenkins has served in a variety of roles, most recently as director of project development.

Elizabeth (Liz) Cousins has been named chair of the Infrastructure Group at Nossaman, Los Angeles. Cousins joined Nossaman in 2014 from Clayton Utz Lawyers and has served as a key advisor on infrastructure projects delivered through a range of alternative delivery methods.

Shahin Fasa has been named director of IT at RBB Architects Inc., Los Angeles. He has been with RBB for 18 years and in his new role, Fasa will continue managing firm-wide IT systems and overseeing maintenance and upgrades.

Amber DeVine has been hired as director, interior architecture and design at Ware Malcomb’s San Francisco office. Her 25 years of design experience includes working on complex projects at several major design firms, most recently at M Moser Associates. Luciana Arim, has been named practice leader, science and technology, at Ware Malcomb’s Pleasanton, Calif., office. She joined the firm in 2021. Kate Lyle has been promoted to practice leader, industrial cold and food at the firm’s Irvine, Calif., office. She joined Ware Malcomb in 2019. Shannon Suess has joined Ware Malcomb’s Seattle office as director, interior architecture and design. She previously served as principal at MG2 Design.

John Zeman has been hired as a principal at Acentech to lead the Los Angeles office. Zeman brings 20 years of experience in architectural acoustics, environmental and entertainment noise, and MEP noise and vibration control consulting. 

Ross Balfour has been promoted to the Spokane buildings market group office leader at Morrison-Maierle, relocating from Montana to Spokane, Wash. He has been with the firm for seven years.

DCI Engineers has promoted seven individuals to principal across its West Coast offices: in Portland, Ore., Adam Jongeward; in Spokane, Wash., Jon Hammond and Matthew Thomas; in Seattle, Erik Pearson and Kyle Holman; and in San Diego, Jonathan Deck and Justin Wei.

Nathan Hicks has been promoted to principal at TYLin, based in Los Angeles. He joined the firm in 2009 as the recipient of the Silman Fellowship for Preservation Engineering and now heads up the sector's Los Angeles office.

JCJ Architecture has hired Shaowen Chou as associate principal and senior project manager, based out of the firm’s San Diego office. Chou brings 20 years of experience as a project manager and architect, leading large interdisciplinary teams on a range of project types in the U.S. and internationally.

CO Architects has promoted two individuals to associate principal at its Los Angeles office: Jill Cheng and Lauren Coles. Cheng has more than 20 years of experience working on healthcare, higher education, justice and K-12 projects. She was with CO from 2001-2017 and rejoined the company in 2020. Coles has nearly 20 years of experience, with a focus on higher education and healthcare projects. She joined CO in 2015.

Parametrix announced multiple new hires across its West Coast offices. In Seattle, Stacy Patterson has been hired as a senior consultant and environmental infrastructure group lead, Molly Alar as a senior scientist, Michelle Reuss as a senior consultant, Stephanie O’Brien as a senior cultural resources specialist and Anna Saint Mullaire as a senior planner. In Berkeley, Patrick Echols has joined Parametrix as a senior consultant. In San Diego, Paul Morel has been hired as a senior bridge engineer and Jason Sanders as a project manager and bridge engineer.

Coffman Engineers Inc., Anchorage, Alaska, has hired Amber Benham as a control systems engineer. She has nine years of experience in the refining industry as a process control and control systems engineer. Benham previously served as a process control engineer on the Marathon Marinez Renewable Fuels project and at Marathon Kenai Refinery.

Paul Wallis has joined Moffatt & Nichol, Anchorage, Alaska, as a marine structural engineer. Wallis has more than 26 years of experience in the design and analysis of building and non-building structures across a range of industries, from marine and upland facilities to upstream oil and gas, advanced industrial manufacturing, institutional, commercial and retail.