People News: STB, HNTB, WSP USA, Easy Aerial

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has designated a Chief Economist; HNTB named a Corporate President of Infrastructure and Mobility Equity; WSP USA hired Senior Directors for National Transit and Rail team; and Easy Aerial tapped a Chief Operating Officer.

STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman has designated William Brennan, Director of the Office of Economics, as Chief Economist. While the title will not add to his existing duties, Oberman said, it “signifies both Dr. Brennan’s many previous substantial contributions to the agency and our continued reliance on him as the Board’s primary economic advisor.”

Brennan first joined STB in 1999, and later, after a stint in the private sector, became Deputy Director of the Office of Economics in 2007 and Director in 2016. Prior to 1999, Brennan served as an economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, specializing in railroad issues, and worked for the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

At HNTB, Diana Mendes has been promoted to Corporate President of Infrastructure and Mobility Equity, a new position responsible for shaping transportation and mobility equity policy through collaboration with federal, state and local agency leaders. Mendes, an HNTB Fellow, served most recently as President of the Mid-Atlantic Division. Prior to that role, she was the firm’s Transit and Rail Market Sector Leader.

For several years, Mendes has been an adjunct professor at Rutgers University, teaching the National Transit Institute’s Advanced Environmental Justice seminar. She will receive a Certificate of Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University in April 2021.

“Diana’s background, experience and passion for inclusion, diversity and equity, combined with her strong relationships and stature within the industry, make her the clear choice to lead our firm in these important areas,” HNTB CEO Rob Slimp said.

At WSP USA, Terry Tiller and Andy Keefe have joined the National Transit and Rail team as Senior Director of Rail Engineering and Senior Managing Director for Rail Construction, respectively.

“WSP has a strong railroad business along the Northeast corridor and these two outstanding senior-level executives will support our local teams to ensure our clients have the resources and solutions they need to address complex challenges,” WSP National Transit and Rail Leader Jannet Walker-Ford said.

Tiller will expand and drive growth for the Railroad Systems Engineering and Construction Management practices, and monitor and ensure that production work is delivered within scope, schedule and budget.

With 40 years of signal design, construction, track production, structures construction, maintenance and inspection experience, he served most recently as Director of Engineering Production at Amtrak.

Keefe will drive growth for the Railroad Design, Construction and Maintenance Management practices, and will maximize the firm’s ability to deliver high-speed rail initiatives with minimal track outages and impacts to system on-time performance. 

With more than 44 years of heavy track, signal, structures and electric track production, construction, maintenance, and inspection experience, he has served as Assistant Vice President, Production and Maintenance for Amtrak.

Timothy T. Tenne is the new COO for Easy Aerial, a provider of autonomous drone-based monitoring solutions for commercial, government and military applications.

A former FAA Division Manager and U.S. Air Force leader and pilot, Tenne has more than 30 years of senior management experience. He has served as Senior Director of Standardization, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs and Simulation at Amtrak, where he was instrumental in developing the company’s first drone program. He also served as Deputy COO for Rail at the Maryland Transit Administration.