A recognized leader in both the engineering and construction industries, Donald has a unique background having developed hands-on experience in each. He has successfully organized, developed and turned around underperforming business units to deliver industry leading financial performance. Donald led the incorporation of technology applications into the businesses and was a pioneer in the integration of engineering and construction processes. He is known for his staff recruitment, development, and retention - exemplified by staff who have followed Donald throughout his career.
Donald was nominated for and accepted into the prestigious National Academy of Construction in 2019 and is widely known as an integrated delivery leader throughout the engineering and construction industries. He actively serves in leadership capacities on several professional organization boards, including ARTBA, CIRT, and the Beavers Construction Organization.
As a President at Parsons, he was responsible for directing all aspects of two strategic business units:
(1) the Connected Communities unit, a $400 million unit that was formed in 2018 to combine Parsons’ Smart Cities, Rail Transit, Aviation, ITS and Digital Solutions infrastructure technology sectors. Donald’s leadership enabled this unit to surpass 2019 financial targets and the unit’s first quarter 2020 exceeded forecasted plan by over 16%. And;
(2) the Construction unit, a 2012 Corporate investment initiative. In its first 2 years - while still an investment initiative – Donald’s leadership helped the group grow to nearly $400M (20%CAGR) in representative revenue, with gross profits over $40M (60% CAGR), and 2017 net profits in excess of $20M
With more than 38 years of industry experience, Donald has an extensive background in operations, business development, organizational management, and business turnarounds. His public-private partnership (P3) experience includes procurement history on North America's largest P3 projects, with experience in winning and/or delivering on over 16 of these signature projects. Donald led the incorporation of software and technology into integrated engineering design and construction processes delivering industry leading performance by cutting decades of industry duplication and inefficiency. Donald’s work ethic and values were instilled in him through his upbringing in Western Nebraska, where his family still farms. He is active in a number of charities and professional organizations.
Donald holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska and completed the Senior Executive Programme at London Business School. He is a registered professional engineer in several US States. In addition to his responsibilities at Parsons, Donald was just inducted into the National Academy of Construction, is on the ARTBA and Beavers Construction board, and is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Associated General Contractors of America, the Design-Build Institute of America, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers
$2B+ Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
$1.4 billion Newark Airport Terminal One Redevelopment Design-Build in Newark, New Jersey
$1.3 billion California High Speed Rail CP-1 Design-Build in Madera/Fresno County, California
$1.2 billion Regina Bypass P3 in Regina, Saskatchewan
Donald has the unique experience of having won and delivered the industry’s largest and most aggressive projects for the engineering and construction industry’s largest companies.
$337 million O’Hare Airport Automatic Transit System Expansion & Modernization Design-Build in Chicago, Illinois
New York City Transit Authority (NYCT) Bus Radio System
$1.2 billion I-25 Transportation Expansion (TREX) Design-Build in Denver, Colorado
$1.8 billion North East Stoney Trail P3 in Calgary, Alberta
$1.4 billion North Tarrant Express project in Dallas, Texas