PAPADAKIS Constantine “Taki” Papadakis, a civil engineer and construction firm manager who served as president of Drexel University in Philadelphia since 1995, died unexpectedly on April 5 at age 63. The university attributes his death to pulmonary complications. Papadakis joined Drexel at a time when its enrollment, physical plant and bottom line had sunk to new depths. During his presidency, the university experienced an academic and financial reinvigoration. Papadakis “famously insisted on measurable goals for his managers,” says the university, adding that he was one of higher education’s longest-serving presidents. Replacing Papadakis as interim president is Charles R. Pennoni, Drexel
Constantine "Taki" Papadakis, the president of Drexel University in Philadelphia and one of a few civil engineers to be running a major academic institution, died unexpectedly April 5 at age 63. According to the university, his death was related to pulmonary complications, although he was in remission from cancer. Photo: Courtesy of Drexel University Constantine "Taki" Papadakis Papadakis, a management veteran of three construction industry firms, joined Drexel in 1995, at a time when its enrollment, physical plant and bottom line had sunk to new depths. But during the 14 years of his presidency the university experienced an academic and
JOHNSON Wiley V.“Bif” Johnson III has been named president and CEO of Hurt & Proffitt, a Lynchburg, Va.-based engineer-surveyor. A 21-year company veteran, he had been chief operations officer. Troy D. Williams has been named vice president and a company board member. Doug Audiffred has been named chief financial officer of St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. He was vice president of finance and has been a member of the company’s executive committee since 2007. Todd McLeod has joined Harrington Engineering, Rocky Hill, Conn., as president of its newly formed energy services group. He previously served as manager of global
BURTON Michael J. Burton has joined The LiRo Group, a Syosset, N.Y.-based engineer and construction manager, as senior vice president and national operations manager. He was national operations manager at URS Corp. LiRo is a joint venture member of teams now managing transit projects in New York City. Burton, based in Manhattan, will also assist LiRo’s move into national markets. Burton received ENR’s Award of Excellence in 2002 for managing restoration of Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack. He has chaired two committees of the New York Building Congress. San Francisco contractor Dome Construction promoted Robert Lynch
HERZOG William E. “Bill” Herzog, founder of Herzog Contracting Corp. a major rail and transit construction firm in St. Joseph, Mo., that ranked 194 among ENR’s Top 400 contractors last year, died on March 6 in Platt City, Mo., at age 88. Herzog founded the firm in 1969 after a 22-year career in the public and private sectors. It had $385 million in 2008 revenue. Herzog also held numerous patents in materials and equipment techniques, and is a former president of the Associated General Contractors of Missouri. LORE H. Edgar Lore, a former contractor executive recognized by ENR in 1979
Evan Thomas and Max Gold were two of Bernard Amadei’s earliest disciples in Engineers Without Borders-USA as undergrads at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Now they are taking their EWB-USA site experiences and soon-to-be-earned graduate engineering degrees in a new direction to build sustainability and long-term earning power in developing communities that once could only hope for philanthropy. Photo: Manna Energy Foundation Manna’s Gold (above) with Rwanda site colleagues; Thomas and client (below) Photo: EWB-USA Related Links: 2008 Award Of Excellence Winner: Bernard Amade Engineers Go Global Looking for a Home Depot in Veron, Dominican Republic Thomas and Gold are leveraging
Alejandra Deza, a junior aerospace engineering major on her first Engineers Without Borders project trip abroad, was scouting storefronts in Veron, Dominican Republic, for a “ferreteria,” the local version of a Home Depot.
GRAPHIA Gary P. Graphia has been promoted to chief operating officer of The Shaw Group Inc., a Baton Rouge, La., contractor. He had been executive vice president of corporate development and strategy and has been with the firm since 1999, when he joined as corporate secretary and general counsel. Joining Shaw is Cornelius “Con” Murphy, former CEO of Fluor Hanford Inc. He becomes senior vice president of the federal division of Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Group. In addition, Shawn W. Hughes has been named a vice president in the nuclear division of Shaw’s power group, and consortium project director for
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