Jacobs: If/When

Dr. Patrick C. Suermann, PE, LEED AP, Lt Col, USAF, ret., is the Department Head of the largest Construction Science program in the nation at Texas A&M University. After retiring from the Air Force as the first ever Chief of Emergency Services & Engineering at the newly formed Headquarters Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center AFIMSC, Suermann’s last teaching position as Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) set him up for unique and far reaching partnerships inside academia and the federal government. He has experience in deployed and international construction, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Fire & Emergency Services, and Emergency Management. He was the 2016 AFIMSC STEM Outreach Award nominee to the Air Force Chief Scientist. Suermann is a leader in the BIM field as a listed author on all three NBIMS versions. Now, as the Department Head of construction he seeks for people to join him as he and the Texas A&M Space Alliance take America back to the moon – this time, to stay.  But the knowledge learned there will return and help seek the continuous improvement of one of the oldest businesses in the world, construction.Kurt Maldovan serves as the Digital Delivery Global Solution Director for Jacobs. As the Digital Delivery Global Solutions Director, Kurt drives innovation by connecting, leading and growing Jacobs' internal capabilities and external market presence. He cultivates leaders supporting the company's Linear, Vertical and Plant Information Modeling as well as Robotic Process Automation, Automated Design and VR/AR initiatives. He has broad market experience spanning healthcare, mission-critical, federal, intelligence, higher education, aviation, water-treatment, transportation, energy, and power generation. Kurt has been responsible for enabling and equipping design, construction, planning and sales teams with the right technology, training and processes to effectively deliver on projects ranging to over $13B USD. He has presented at over 50 international conferences and is a recognized subject matter expert in BIM, Augmented  and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), and other emerging technologies. Additionally, Kurt finds time to be an instructor for the Associated General Contractors of America BIM Education Program and the Construction Management Association of America. Kurt currently holds leadership roles in the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Washington, DC Post and the Lean Construction Institute (LCI) DC Metro Community of Practice.  

Steve Pelham, Vice President, Jacobs Aviation—Americas, leads Jacobs’ Americas Aviation market, providing strategic advisory consulting and project delivery oversight services to our clients and aviation project teams. Leveraging more than 30 years of experience in airport planning, environmental, design, engineering, architecture, security, and program management and construction management (PM/CM), he delivers solutions and services to respond to our client’s challenges. Steve supports international, domestic and military airport projects of all sizes and levels of complexity across the U.S. and around the world. Steve’s commitment to and passion for aviation has driven his long-term involvement in numerous professional organizations focused on the latest technologies, project approaches, best practices and emerging issues. Steve has participated in various committees with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Airports Council International and Airport Consultants Council (ACC).  He is currently a member of the Aero Club of Washington and serves on the boards of ACC, ACI World Business Partners, the International Association of Airport Executives, AMAC, and Tony Janus Distinguished Aviation Society.Bill DiGuiseppi is a 30+ year experienced Principal Hydrogeologist with Jacobs in their Denver office. Bill is an expert in the history, occurrence and remediation of 1,4-dioxane and PFAS, and leads Jacobs Emerging Contaminants Community of Practice. He frequently conducts PFAS training for a variety of groups, including the Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC), American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Transportation Research Board (TRB), US EPA, the US DOD, the US DOE and the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). Bill has been actively engaged with the ITRC PFAS Team as the Treatment Technology Writing Subgroup Co-Chair and instructor on several PFAS topics for several years, and has been invited as session keynote and luncheon speaker for international conferences in the US, Europe and Australia. Bill is the Vice Chair for Emerging Issues for the SAME National Environmental Community of Interest (COI) and is a regular speaker for SAME national and Denver Metro Post events. Bill is also an adjunct faculty member in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the Colorado School of Mines. Bob Cipolletti is a 35-year experienced Principal Hydrogeologist with Jacobs in its Boston office. Bob is an environmental professional with expertise in management of construction related materials and the remediation and redevelopment of impaired properties, for a wide range of industries including aviation. He works closely with design and construction teams addressing concerns associated with environmental issues early in the design process centered on management of contaminated media management. Bob leads Jacob’s Aviation Environmental Community of Practice that includes a team of experts that cover air, noise, environmental permitting, sustainability, carbon reduction, waste management planning, and emerging contaminants, in addition to site characterization and remediation services. Bob is a member of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) PFAS Working Group and ACI-NA Environmental Affairs Committee.

Gina Colarelli O’Connor is Professor of Innovation Management and Fischer Family Chaired Professor at Babson College. She conducts research and teaches on the topic of Corporate Innovation. Prior to joining Babson in 2018, Professor O’Connor was a faculty member at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management, where she also served as the Director of the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship, Director of the MBA program, Director of the Radical Innovation Research program, and Associate Dean. Gina has published numerous scholarly papers and co-authored three books for organizational leaders on managing breakthrough innovation in large mature companies. Five of her papers have received best paper of the year awards. The second book, Grabbing Lightning was named one of the top books of the year by Strategy + Business Magazine in 2009 and the third, Beyond the Champion: Institutionalizing Innovation through People, was nominated for the Academy of Management’s Best Book of the Year in 2019. In 2018 Gina was honored to be named a Crawford Fellow by the Product Development & Management Association. She has worked with many mature organizations to help them build Strategic Innovation capabilities, and now is converting her research into Executive Education as the academic leader of Babson’s Corporate Innovation Practice area. Heather Wishart-Smith is the Senior Vice President, Technology & Innovation for Jacobs. A registered Professional Engineer and certified Project Management Professional, Ms. Wishart-Smith is a Fellow of Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and its National President for the 2020-2021 centennial year.Prior to her current position at Jacobs, Heather led Innovation and Jacobs Connected Enterprise (JCE) for Buildings, Infrastructure and Advanced Facilities, and before that she led the Buildings & Infrastructure Mid-Atlantic region, with oversight including design, consulting, and program management/construction management projects in the rail, highway, transit, Federal, corporate/commercial, science & technology, and related markets.A former Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer, she served at the Presidential Retreat, Camp David, under two different presidential administrations, among other duty stations. She has published and presented articles on several leadership, architectural, engineering, and construction topics in the military and transportation sectors. Ms. Wishart-Smith holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Jens Nielsen, founder and CEO of the World Climate Foundation, is a global executive based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has worked in more than 20 countries performing strategy work for some of the largest corporations in the world. Jens is the chairman of World Climate Foundation, an impact oriented, not-for-profit organization that focuses on accelerating a resource-efficient economy through meaningful cross-sector partnerships and focused sustainability investments. For over a decade facilitating collaboration between businesses, governments, financial institutions and civil society on formulating and designing markets and solutions for a clean and net-zero economy. World Climate Foundation is hosting several impact platforms such as the World Climate Forum, the Climate Investment Coalition and the World Biodiversity Summit.Zoe Haseman is Vice President, Global Sustainability with Jacobs and leads the sustainability and ESG strategy direction and delivery for the company. She has 20 years’ international experience as a sustainability executive, working across both public, private and start-up sectors. Since re-joining Jacobs in 2018, Zoe has led the creation of Jacobs first global sustainability strategy – PlanBeyond, as well as its ambitious Climate Action Plan. Jacobs is now a carbon neutral company and uses 100% renewable for its operations and business travel with a commitment to be carbon negative by 2030. In 2020, Jacobs was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index – North America for the first time. Zoe is a member of the UK Business in the Community Net Zero Taskforce and sits on the Senior Advisory Group for the World Economic Forum’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders. Pete Adams, Vice President and Market Director, leads Jacobs Power and Energy market with a focus on achieving the businesses objective of servicing the global energy transition. He is now based back in the UK following 20 years of growing the Jacobs business and servicing clients in the global theatre. This experience has seen him work in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific. He has experience in the development of both thermal and renewable generation projects and their associated transmission and substation infrastructure. His experience also covers operation and maintenance of process based industrial plants and power stations. Pete’s experience includes project management for several large-scale delivery projects in Australia and South East Asia. In the first part of his career he worked for both private sector business developing power infrastructure and a regulated networks business which has seen him gain experience with systems, processes, and tools to allow for successful outcomes on capital projects as well as regulatory reviews and investment decisions.

Eleanor Allen is a world-leading water expert dedicated to helping billions of people access safe and sustainable water and sanitation services needed to save lives, stay healthy, find jobs, and thrive. Eleanor is fiercely passionate about improving the state of the world with respect to water and sanitation. She has dedicated her career to this goal, first as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic, then as a consulting engineer (at CH2M/Jacobs and Arcadis), and now as the CEO of Water For People. As a professional civil engineer, Eleanor has lived and worked all over the world. As a business executive with extensive experience in water, she has led large global and regional operations in consulting, project management, program management, business development, and engineering. Eleanor believes societal change can be accelerated through social entrepreneurship and the efforts of organizations like Water For People.Dr. Russell Ford is currently the Global Director for Drinking Water and Reuse Solutions for Jacobs. He has dedicated his 30+ year career to protecting public health and safety by advancing the field of drinking water treatment. His drinking water industry knowledge is acquired from his utility, consulting and academic experience. His experience covers a wide range of treatment processes design, treatability testing and treatment plant startups.  He has a Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering from Syracuse University and Master and PhD degrees in Environmental Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He is an AWWA Fuller Awardee. Dr. Ford is a licensed professional engineer and a board certified environmental engineer.

Nicole Hagerman Miller serves as the Managing Director of Biomimicry 3.8, a certified BCorp and social enterprise dedicated to helping change-makers create a more sustainable world by emulating nature’s designs and core principles. Since joining the company in 2012 Nicole’s leadership has played a pivotal role in the growth and success of the company’s core services. Nicole’s background in Corporate Sustainability and global supply chain development support her work to bring biological intelligence-based innovation solutions to a wide range of global clients dedicated to innovation and sustainability. As managing director, she also drives internal strategy, projects and initiatives that support the legacy of Biomimicry 3.8, with her primary goal to create a 100-year company. Monte Wilson is the Global Vice President and the Global Market Director for the Built Environment at Jacobs. Monte is responsible for partnering across the business to create an integrated strategy for Architecture, Interiors, Building Systems, and Cities and Places. He operates at the intersection of strategy, design, technology, sustainability and resilience on projects at every scale. Monte’s diverse experience and passion allows him to engage with clients at a strategic level in the delivery of innovative planning and design solutions. His specific areas of expertise include city-scale sustainability and applying systems thinking to a range of projects including urban regeneration, mixed-use/transit-oriented development as well as university, research and corporate campus master plans.Chris Allen is a Senior Consultant in the Advance Planning Group (APG) at Jacobs. With 30+ years consulting experience, he works with teams to integrate sustainability and resilience into business planning and design for a range of private and public sector clients all around the globe. Guided by strategic thinking and an interactive process, Chris specializes in working with clients and team to drive innovative outcomes that create new business and social value. He serves as the Jacobs strategic alliance liaison to Biomimicry 3.8 for ecologically aligned regenerative design and development.  

Ian Chapman, CEO of UK Atomic Energy Authority Ian Chapman became CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority and Director of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in October 2016. He has held a number of international roles in fusion, including membership of the Princeton Plasma Physics Advisory board, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Plasma Physics advisory board and chairing the IAEA International Fusion Research Committee. His research has been recognized with a number of international awards, including the Institute of Physics Paterson Medal in 2013, the European Physical Society Early Career Prize in 2014, the American Physical Society Stix Award in 2017 and the Royal Society Kavli Medal in 2019. He was made a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in 2013 and became a visiting Professor at Durham University in 2015.Clive White, Senior Vice President, CMS-IClive White is Senior Vice President for Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions International business unit which employs c5,000 people in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Australia. Clive is a physicist by training and has worked in the defense and nuclear industries. His early career was in safety case engineering, engineering management and project management. The majority of his career has been in leading businesses, including driving strong growth through businesses and setting strategy and strong direction.Prior to his current role, he held a number of executive positions within Wood, Amec Foster Wheeler and was previously a director of National Nuclear Corporation Ltd, the company responsible for designing and supporting all of the nuclear reactors built in the UK. Clive is a non-executive director of the Nuclear Industry Association and the National Skills Academy Nuclear. At the request of the UK Government, he also sits on the Nuclear Industry Council.

Bryan Harvey, a leader in global program management with 30 years of experience tackling infrastructure challenges, joins Donald Morrison, a senior VP and advocate for diversity in infrastructure delivery. They dive into the urgent need for modern practices in the industry post-COVID-19. Topics include the power of collaboration in UK infrastructure, London's role in smart city development through AI, and the shift toward community engagement in public projects. Together, they explore innovative solutions to make infrastructure resilient and efficient in today's world.

Kenneth J. Kutsmeda, PE, LEED® AP is the Global Technology Leader for Jacobs Mission Critical.  Over the past 22 years, Ken has built a catalogue of over one million square feet of completed data centers for numerous commercial, federal, co-location and cloud providers. He has focused his career on adapting the latest technologies to electrical system design for mission critical facilities across the globe. He is responsible for developing, engineering, designing and commissioning critical power distribution systems. His expertise has given him the opportunity to present and publish articles on mission critical power distribution systems, and he is currently a member of Consulting-Specifying Engineer editorial advisory board. Ken is a graduate of Drexel University. Paul G. D’Onofrio, AIA, LEED® AP is the Global Program Architect for the Jacobs Mission Critical Design Group.  With more than 25 years in architectural practice, Paul has worked on a wide range of different building types and project scopes including data centers. For the past seven years, he has focused on the research & development, masterplanning, design, and the construction administration of large hyperscale data center campus projects in regions around the world, including projects in the US, EMEA, APAC and LATAM.  He especially enjoys collaborating with the engineering disciplines and hyperscale clients in fostering the evolution of current data center technologies, and pursuing the development of new and innovative design concepts for the cloud data center market.  Originally from Long Island, Paul is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and has lived in Philadelphia for the past 26 years. David Seger is a Senior Mechanical Engineer, Mission Critical Technologist with Jacobs’ Advanced Facilities group. With over 35 years of operations and design engineering experience in the U.S. and internationally, clients turn to David for his expertise in mission critical facilities.  He is experienced in semiconductor plant operations and has executed design projects for various critical mission industries including major data centers, high performance compute facilities, and microelectronic semiconductor and lithium ion battery manufacturing facilities. His facility design experience includes multiple configurations of critical environment airflow management systems for cleanrooms and data centers, central plant systems, general HVAC systems, process and general exhaust systems, and plumbing and fire protection systems. He has developed innovative design solutions for data centers that utilize direct and indirect air-side economizers, water-side economizers, high and low-temperature chilled water systems, heat recovery systems, and thermal energy storage systems. 

Lieutenant Hugo Mitchell-Heggs joined the Royal Navy as an Officer after completing  his Mechanical Engineering Masters at the University of Sheffield. After an intensive training and academic curriculum, he qualified as a Nuclear Reactor supervisor, serving on Vanguard Class Submarines. He says he has been truly fortunate to have led and worked with teams of highly trained technicians and operators in particularly challenging operational conditions. He has always enjoyed pushing himself physically and feels fortunate to have had a career which has encouraged this endeavour; be it indoor rowing competitions whilst deployed on operations, competing at Ironman 70.3 events or representing the Royal Navy at the International Defence Forces Rugby World Cup in Australia. He claims as his sporting highlight was being selected to sing the UK national anthem before playing the Army in 2012 in front of a packed Twickenham stadium.Tom Parsons, BeyondZero Culture Manager Europe, Jacobs Engineering - A Chartered Engineer with expertise in leading teams in successful project delivery since 2012, Tom has held lead roles in delivered major infrastructure projects in the UK and Ireland and is passionate about working with high-performance teams. Tom moved into the area of safety, wellbeing and culture following completion of a Master’s degree in professional leadership in 2018. Tom believes the wellbeing of people is fundamental to Jacobs success. Tom’s new remit is leading Jacobs BeyondZero culture of caring in Europe, but he also brings a unique experience through his high-performance background in sport, playing with the Mayo Senior football team since 2008, and he speaks from experience with respect to team culture, resilience and performance.