Parsons Brinckerhoff appoints senior principal technical specialist

Parsons Brinckerhoff has appointed Philip Stephens as a senior principal technical specialist in the Chicago office, the company announced June 25, 2015.

In his new position, Stephens will serve as quality task lead for the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Chicago to St. Louis high-speed rail program. His role is to provide oversight/direction audits of all program management sub-consultants and contractors that must implement quality assurance programs to meet federally mandated requirements.

Parsons Brinckerhoff is serving as program manager for the $1.6 billion effort to implement corridor improvements for the 284-mile route to allow passenger rail service to operate at speeds up to 110 mph, reducing the total trip time from Chicago to St. Louis by one hour.

Stephens has more than 20 years of management experience in the application of quality standards for the design and construction of large transportation infrastructure projects. He comes to Parsons Brinckerhoff from a Chicago construction/engineering firm where he was also involved with quality assurance activities for the Chicago to St. Louis high-speed rail project. Previously, he was a construction quality assurance manager with a construction management company, providing quality assurance services for Chicago Transit Authority projects.

Stephens received post-graduate diplomas in project management and highway engineering and geotechnics from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, Ireland and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in engineering surveying from the Dublin Institute of Technology. His professional affiliations include the U.S. Green Building Council; he is also a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) accredited professional. Stephens is also a member of the Registrar Accreditation Board and has been a certified principal QMS auditor since 1999.