People: Atlanta Transit CEO Becomes First Woman to Lead Boston Area System

In a unanimous vote on Sept. 24, the Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation board appointed Beverly A. Scott as general manager of both the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and of the DOT's rail-and-transit division. Set to start in late 2012 or early 2013, she is currently CEO and general manager of the Metropolitan Atlanta Transit Authority (MARTA); she will be the first woman to serve in her upcoming roles in Massachusetts. Scott also has been chief of the Sacramento Regional Transit District and general manager of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.

SCOTT

She replaces MBTA's acting general manager, Jonathan Davis, who will resume his position as agency chief financial officer. He was in the acting role for the past year since Richard Davey became secretary of transportation. Also a finalist for the Massachusetts posts was Dwight Ferrell, MARTA deputy general manager and chief operating officer, says a published report.

Paris-based transportation engineer SYSTRA has named William "Bill" Crosbie president and CEO of its U.S. subsidiary, SYSTRA Consulting Inc., Little Falls, N.J. He replaces Diego Diaz, who was in the role since 2009 and now will be an adviser to Guy Verzat, CEO of the parent firm, a SYSTRA spokeswoman in Paris tells ENR. Crosbie had been vice president of railroad programs and deputy sector manager at Parsons Corp. as well as chief operating officer of Amtrak. Crosbie is based in New York City.

Thomas Peck has joined AECOM Technology Corp. as senior vice president and chief information officer, leading its global IT operation. He had been in CIO positions at Levi Strauss & Co., MGM Mirage and the entertainment business unit of NBC Universal. Peck is based at AECOM's headquarters in Los Angeles.

Day & Zimmermann, Philadelphia, has named David Hughes as vice president of construction in its NPS division, which provides plant maintenance, modification and construction in the fossil-fuel and nuclear-power sector. He was president and general manager of Applied Process Technology International, a biofuels process technology firm, and vice president of projects at Delta T Corp. He is based in Lancaster, Pa.

TREADWAY

The American Public Works Association (APWA) on Sept. 24 elected Elizabeth Treadway as its 2012-13 president. She is principal scientist for water resources at AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, based in Johnson City, Tenn. Treadway is a 13-year AMEC veteran and leads its water-resources practice area. She previously served as environmental services director for the city of Greensboro, N.C. Treadway has been active in APWA since 1986 at both the chapter and national levels. APWA has 28,500 members in public-works roles in the U.S.

Johanna Knapschaefer, ENR’s New England Special Correspondent, has been writing about trends in design and construction of buildings, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure for more than a decade. She also profiles award-winning industry leaders and delves into broader construction issues such as workforce training, worker safety and health, climate change remediation and emerging offshore wind and tidal energy developments. Over the past two decades, her articles have appeared in Architectural Record, BusinessWeek, the Boston Globe, American Banker, Modern Metals, BusinessNH Magazine, Pittsburgh Magazine and many other publications. Johanna is fluent in Japanese, and taught English and academic writing in the Science and Engineering Department of Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, while living in Japan for eight years.

When not writing, Johanna enjoys mountain climbing, singing and playing her Spanish guitar.

As ENR Editor-at-Large for Energy, Business and Workforce, Debra K. Rubin has a broad vantage for news, issues and trends in global engineering and construction related to key areas of global energy development and transition, corporate business and management, regulation and risk and next-generation workforce development.

Debra also launched and manages ENR's Top 200 Environmental Firms annual ranking, which defines key players in the dynamic global market for environmental services; and is editor of ENR WorkforceToday e-newsletter on industry talent management news and trends. Click here to receive this free monthly newsletter.

She also is a key organizer of ENR's annual Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference, a major AEC industry forum for talent management and women's career advancement. Click here for more detail on plans in formation for the next live event.

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