Leadership

Thomas Hand was named Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in 2022. He first joined Volkert in 1995 and returned to join the management team in 2003. He leads the development and implementation of the firm’s vision and strategic plan and oversees corporate profit/loss and operations. Prior to this, he was appointed as the firm’s chief marketing officer in 2017, after serving in similar roles for Volkert’s Gulf and Central regions, overseeing double-digit annual growth in both regional and corporate marketing. In these roles, he has also facilitated the firm’s teaming in major alternative delivery projects, such as the Inner Harbor Navigation Channel MR-GO Surge Barrier and the Biloxi Bay Bridge. Thomas began his Volkert career as a resident engineer for multiple projects with the Alabama and Florida Departments of Transportation. Thomas received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University in 1995.

Leon Barkan was appointed to the role of President in 2022 and Chief Operating Officer in 2020. He joined Volkert in 2000 and led Volkert’s program and construction management practice, as well as emergency management services for 20 years. Leon is an expert in successfully managing complex, multi-project programs that require a high level of collaboration among multiple user groups and funding sources. Leon has a bachelor’s degree in managerial economics and Russian language from Hampden¬-Sydney College in 1993, as well as a master’s in building construction from Auburn University in 1999. He is a certified construction manager through the Construction Management Association of America and is a licensed general contractor in numerous states.

Mike Sampson was appointed as Chief Financial Officer in 2018. Prior to this, he served as vice president and controller at Volkert. For more than half of his accounting career, Mike has worked at Volkert in a variety of roles, including staff accountant, senior accountant, assistant vice president, and assistant controller. Mike received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in accounting in 2000, and his master’s in the same field from the University of Miami in 2004.

David Webber was named Chief Engineer in 2022 where he leads Volkert’s engineering design management and processes. He also helps coordinate regional efforts to pursue and deliver large engineering projects. He served as President of Volkert’s East Division from 2020 to 2022, comprised of operations and marketing for Alabama, Tennessee, Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he served as the Senior Vice President of the Gulf regions and the national design and alternative delivery practice lead. David joined Volkert in 1993 and has over 35 years of experience in the industry, having served as a project engineer, project manager, principal-in-charge, and senior executive. He has managed some of the largest projects in Volkert’s history, including billion-dollar projects that included survey, civil, roadway, structural, environmental, utility, electrical, and construction management services. He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee and is a licensed professional engineer in 16 states.

Holly Gibney was appointed to Senior Vice President for administration in 2020, where she oversees Volkert’s human resources, IT, communications, safety, and fleet departments. Prior to her promotion, Holly successfully led Volkert’s human resources department for 15 years expanding Volkert’s workforce across multiple states and regions as well as growing Volkert’s benefits, employee programs, and service.

Scott Bennett, PE, was named Volkert’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Growth in 2022. Prior to that, Scott served as Volkert’s Senior Vice President for Florida and was previously the corporate transportation/infrastructure marketing director since April 2020. Since joining Volkert, Scott has worked with regional leadership on enhancing our marketing efforts, recruiting office managers, and establishing teaming partnerships. Scott worked for the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) for almost 32 years prior to coming to Volkert, where he served as its director from 2011–2020 and established ARDOT’s alternative delivery program. On the national level, Scott served on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) Board of Directors as Secretary/Treasuer and as Chair of the AASHTO/AGC/ARTBA Joint Committee.

Keith Weakley serves as Senior Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic Region. He joined Volkert in 2010 becoming chief engineer of the region in 2014 before being appointed senior vice president in 2020. He brings more than 28 years of experience in the design, development, and management of transportation infrastructure projects. While at Volkert, Keith has played an instrumental role in the region’s expansion in DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Leading more than 140 employees, he manages multi-disciplinary teams to deliver collaborative, sustainable, and innovative projects successfully. Since joining Volkert, he has assisted VDOT in the development of its very first cost-estimating manual. Keith received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech in 1993 and his master’s degree in the same discipline from the University of Virginia in 2006.

Louis Mitchell joined Volkert in 2021, where he serves as the Senior Vice President of the Carolinas region. He has 28 years of experience with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), having last served as its Western deputy chief engineer, where he was responsible for overseeing seven transportation divisions. He also managed a staff of 4,500 employees, including 500 engineers and 2,100 transportation workers. In addition to his NCDOT career, Louis has also served for more than 30 years in the United States Army Reserve. He currently holds the rank of Brigadier General (BG) in the United States Army Reserve and is the Commander of the 94th Training Division. Louis’ Team is responsible for training approximately 19,000 Non-Commissioned Officers both active duty and reserve in the Personnel Services regiments. He served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and has received ten service medals (including the Bronze Star Medal), decorations, and badges during his tenure. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Clemson University and a master’s in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Randy Redmond serves as the Senior Vice President of the Southwest region, where he oversees the marketing and operations of Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah. Randy joined Volkert in 2016, serving as a regional vice president in Texas. He was promoted to Senior Vice President of the Texas region in 2018 after Volkert’s corporate initiative to grow marketing and operations in Texas, therefore creating a new region. The Texas region expanded to what is now the Southwest region in 2022. Before joining Volkert, Randy worked for the Texas Department of Transportation for over twenty-five years. He has extensive experience in planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance, and financial management.

William Adams joined Volkert in 2022 as Senior Vice President for the East Gulf region, which includes Alabama and Tennessee. William comes to Volkert following a 34-year distinguished career with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). William began his ALDOT career in 1986 as a construction laborer and with a statewide survey crew. He received his Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Auburn University in 1988. After graduating, he was appointed as a Party Chief of a statewide survey crew. Throughout his career, he has served as a project engineer, location planner, and state bridge engineer, working with in-house engineers and consultants to locate and design major highways throughout Alabama. William was promoted to Assistant Chief Engineer for Pre-Construction in 2017, where he supervised the Design, Bridge, Right of Way, and Quality Control Bureaus. He served in this capacity until his retirement in May 2022.

Mark McConnell serves as the Senior Vice President of the West Gulf region, where he oversees the marketing and operations of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Mark joined Volkert in 2016 and was appointed vice president and Mississippi operations manager. He has served as regional VP since January 2020. Mark retired from the Mississippi Department of Transportation after 29 years of service in roles ranging from project engineer to deputy executive director – chief engineer, where he oversaw all MDOT engineering. He served on several committees within the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO). He was also awarded Mississippi’s Government Engineer of the Year in 2010. Mark earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Louisiana State University.

David McFarlin, PE, PLS, PTOE, rejoined Volkert in 2022 as Senior Vice President of the Southeast region, overseeing marketing and operations of Florida and Georgia. David’s career in civil engineering and management has spanned over 27 years and a broad range of disciplines throughout the southeastern United States, with a particular focus on the states of Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. David’s experience includes design, CEI, maintenance, environmental, water distribution, and alternative delivery. David began his engineering career in the traffic department at Volkert’s Chattanooga, Tennessee office nearly three decades ago in the traffic and roadway departments, eventually serving as department head for the traffic and roadway groups, as well as survey office manager. Following his tenure in the Chattanooga office, David was promoted to the position of Vice President over Volkert’s Georgia office and joined the Board of Directors. David holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee. He is a registered professional engineer in sixteen states, a professional land surveyor in two states and he holds a professional traffic operations engineer (PTOE) certification.

Jimmy Screen was promoted to Senior Vice President of Volkert’s program management region in 2022, where he oversees the marketing and operations of the national program and construction management practice. These programs encompass several disciplines including construction management, program administration, grant management, owner’s representation, and disaster services. He joined Volkert in 2020 with over 25 years of experience in both program and disaster management. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy with an M.B.A from LSU, Jimmy has worked in senior leadership roles in these services for industry leaders Atkins, and Shaw Group.

Jason Watters has led the West Central region since 2020. Jason joined Volkert in July 2017 as operations manager for the West Central region and served as a regional vice president while growing Volkert’s energy sector practice across the company. Jason spent the first eight years of his career with the Illinois Department of Transportation. He has been in consulting for the past 20 years, focusing primarily on the transportation industry and right of way acquisition. Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and an MBA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Iowa, and Florida.