Eric Elk has been named HNTB’s government relations officer and vice president. In his new role, Elk will partner and collaborate with HNTB’s regional, division and office leadership to drive the development and execution of the firm’s government relations strategies as well as foster continuous relationship-building with HNTB’s client organizations and elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. Elk most recently served as HNTB’s Great Lakes division government relations director, where he led government relations for Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Prior to joining HNTB, Elk operated a government relations consultancy. Earlier in his career, he served as a senior adviser, helping to oversee election campaigns to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

Permasteelisa Group, a contractor in the design, engineering, project management, manufacture, installation and after-sales service of building envelopes, has appointed Thomas Jefferson as vice president of human resources for North America. Jefferson brings more than 30 years of experience as an HR executive in various industries, including telecommunications, machinery and manufacturing, utilities and door and window manufacturing. Based in the company’s Minneapolis office, he will partner with the leadership team to identify and deploy organizational plans of action in keeping with Permasteelisa Group’s priorities of operational excellence and business growth.

Clayco, a St. Louis-based real estate, architecture, engineering, design-build and construction firm, has appointed Jeff Miller chief information officer. Miller brings more than two decades of expertise in information technology, cybersecurity and strategic leadership and will help drive forward the company’s IT and security initiatives. Prior to Clayco, Miller served as chief information officer at Quantinuum, where he managed global IT operations and developed a comprehensive security program for quantum computing. He also was chief security officer for advanced connected sustainability technologies at Honeywell, centralizing IT and security teams for emerging technologies. He also led cybersecurity and physical security as chief security officer for Honeywell Aerospsace, managing strategic risk management programs to safeguard information, products, employees and facilities. He also is a veteran and served as senior military adviser and biometrics director for the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan, establishing the country’s first biometric program and directly supporting counter-IED initiatives.

Louisville-based architectural and engineering firm Schmidt Associates has appointed Nick Holmes as client liaison. He will enhance the firm’s outreach and project development, focusing on K-12 and higher education facilities.

Scheeser Buckley Mayfield, a consulting engineering firm located between Akron and Canton, Ohio, has promoted Patrick Kasmar to the position of engineer 1/site civil engineer. Kasmar recently earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Akron. In addition, the company has hired Derek Manos as a full-time electrical engineer.

Terracon has named Travis Kassebaum assistant national manager for Stage1, a tool used for geotechnical and environmental site characterization. Kassebaum will support client service, innovation and project delivery as Terracon continues to grow nationwide. Kassebaum most recently managed the geotechnical department in Terracon’s St. Louis office.