Denise Richards

Philadelphia-based structural engineering firm Keast & Hood has made a transition to its third generation of ownership. On Jan. 1, Keast & Hood veterans Denise Richards and John Davis assumed full ownership of the firm. Richards is the majority shareholder. Former owners Frederick Baumert, Constantine Doukakis and Thomas Normile remain involved with the management transition and transfer of institutional knowledge. 

Richards leads some of Keast & Hood’s institutional projects and has been involved in such notable other projects as Fashion District Philadelphia. She is a founding member of the Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers’ Women in Structural Engineering  Committee and is co-founder of the DVASE Sustainable Design Committee. 

Davis’ historic preservation projects include the Arlen Specter Center for Public Policy/Roxboro House at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia; the Van Amringe Building/Sterling House in Delaware City, Del.; and the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. He is past president of the Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers.

Lori Garrett

Richmond-based design firm Glavé & Holmes Architecture has named Lori Garrett as the firm’s first woman president. The firm says the move makes Glavé & Holmes the largest woman-led architecture firm based in Virginia as well as one of few women-run design architecture firms nationwide with more than 60 employees. Garrett—who will continue to lead projects she is managing for the firm’s higher education studio—succeeds Randy Holmes, who will continue to serve as a senior principal.

Glavé & Holmes also added as owners Crystal Newman Jones, Robert Parise, Winnie Sung, Kevin Svensen, Neil Walls, Matt Anderson, Susan Reed and Jessica Ritter.

Kimberly Burkert

Bala has promoted Kimberly Burkert to chief executive. She most recently served as chief financial officer for the Philadelphia-based design firm. The firm says Burkert was a leader throughout Bala’s mergers and acquisitions, expanding the firm to five offices from one.  She succeeds Michael Anastasio, who will remain with Bala as board chair. 

Matt Ezold, vice president for digital planning at Bala, has also become a shareholder at the firm. 

Dustin J. Kuhlman has become the first non-founder chief executive of Pittsburgh-based Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. He takes over for Ken Miller, who will continue as president and chairman of the board of directors until a date to be determined. Kuhlman has held numerous leadership positions at the firm, including civil engineering practice lead in the Pittsburgh office. He also serves on the firm’s board of directors. 

Keller, a Hanover, Md.-based geotechnical contractor, has appointed Eric Drooff as president of its Keller, North America unit. Drooff, who had been Keller, North America’s chief operating officer, succeeds James Hind, following his retirement. Drooff has been involved in American Society of Civil Engineers technical committees, DFI and is a member of  the Moles. 

CRB veteran Paul Skinner has been promoted to chief financial officer. Tim Henquinet, the current CFO, has announced his pending retirement. Skinner, based in Philadelphia, previously was senior vice president for performance and enterprise risk at CRB. 

Gilbane Building Co. hired Erica Kimmel and Nina Manguiri as business development managers in Baltimore. Kimmel previously held a similar position at DPR Construction. Manguiri was director of business development for Toscano Clements Taylor Cost Consultants.