BALFOUR BEATTY US - Key Persons
Amy Kennedy didn't set out to be a role model … or a construction worker. Unlike a lot of her peers, Amy had never been exposed to construction and hadn't considered it as a career until it was time for college.
To speak with the passionate project executive today, it's hard to believe there was a time when Amy wasn't sure what she wanted to do. All she knew was what she didn't want to do - sit behind a desk doing the same thing every day.
Amy's mom also recognized her daughter needed a more hands-on career. At her mom's suggestion, Amy spent a day shadowing a family friend who owned a construction business, just to see if it sparked any interest.
That one day's experience was all it took to ignite a passion that's been burning ever since. But as Amy recalls, it did take some explaining at the time. "I'd never talked about construction so when I applied to study at Clemson University my friends were really surprised. It took them a while to understand what construction management was and why I would choose a program that had 8am classes."
There were only a handful of other women in Amy's classes, but she never saw it as an issue or cause for concern. Amy had discovered the career path for her, and she was determined to see it through - even if it meant she had to sacrifice the college tradition of sleeping in.
The gender imbalance in Amy's college program was a good indicator for the conditions she would experience in the field. When she entered the workforce as a young project engineer for Balfour Beatty, Amy was one of very few women working in the field.
This meant there weren't any female leaders for Amy to look up to as she rose through the ranks, but she had something just as powerful: a will to achieve and male leaders who believed in the power of inclusion.
As Amy explains: "I was determined to be the best I could be, and I always had really strong male mentors who made sure I was learning, improving and being respected at all times. If they heard any inappropriate comments or behaviors, they'd call it out immediately, so I never felt alone. I was completely supported."
The level of support and inclusion demonstrated by her mentors is a big part of why she is proud to have stayed with Balfour Beatty for almost 20 years and counting. It's also a major factor that helped shape her into the leader she is today. That is, a widely-respected, inclusive leader who is passionate in ensuring everyone experiences the same successes she has enjoyed throughout her career with Balfour Beatty.
There's no doubt that Amy has become a role model for women in construction, but true to her inclusive form, she sees herself as a role model for anyone who needs or wants a supporter - male or female, older or younger.
As Amy explains: "I'm not exclusive about who I take under my wing. More women are joining the field these days and I'll always make myself available to them as a mentor, but I think as leaders we need to be equally supportive of anyone who needs or wants some support. We're all professionals and we all have something to learn and share. Men can learn from women and vice versa. Things like gender and age don't matter, it's your knowledge and experience that counts."
Amy's willingness to help others learn and grow is well-documented - and it's not just limited to her project teammates, either. Amy recently shared an online video outlining her best practices for working with gypcrete (check it out here). It's just one example of how the self-described "sponge for learning" will go out of her way to ensure everyone can benefit from the same expertise that she has.
For Amy, every day is another opportunity - a chance to learn, a chance to grow and a chance to lift someone else up. In her mind this is all just part of the job that she loves, but for those of us who have been inspired or mentored by Amy, she's doing much more than that.
Through her work and her example, Amy is a role model leveling the field, for everyone.
Job Titles:
- SVP, Business Acquisition
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- Vice President, General Counsel, US Civils
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- President, Mid - Atlantic
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- Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, US
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- Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, US
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- Chief Financial Officer
- Executive Vice President
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- Vice President of Legal for Florida
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- Senior Vice President, Risk Management
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- Business Development Director
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- Executive Vice President / Texas
Howard S. Wright's New Home Next to Its Most Famous Project
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- Vice President
- SVP, Business Unit Leader
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- Chief Information Officer
- Senior Vice President
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- Senior Vice President, National Safety
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- Vice President, West - Civils
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- Vice President / Interiors and Special
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- Chief Executive Officer, US
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- Senior Vice President, Communications
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- Project Executive in Balfour Beatty 's Austin
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- Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President .
- Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Civils
- Local Leader
Mark Johnnie oversees the Civils operations in the Southeast and is the local contact for offices in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington D.C.
Mark joined Balfour Beatty in 1998 to manage the construction of two high-profile bridges over water in California and North Carolina. In his current role overseeing the operations of the civils business in the southeastern U.S., Mark prioritizes safety and collaboration to deliver of some of the nation's most critical highway, bridge and water assets.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Senior Vice President
Melissa Morgan has always had a healthy curiosity for the world. As a kid she often took things apart just to see if she could put them back together. "One time I took apart my brother's gaming system," she chuckles, "he was not happy."
Melissa's first exposure to construction came through her mom, who owned a pool construction company. Even at a young age Melissa was involved in the business, helping to install and repair equipment - but she had other plans in mind for her own career path.
After serious consideration of law, journalism and advertising, Melissa was finally confident that she knew her career destiny: construction management. Any concerns about working in a male-dominated industry were brushed aside - with the benefit of her mom's wise experience and encouragement.
Melissa first came to our attention while competing in a student competition run by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) that asks students to create Request for Proposals (RFPs) based on real-life projects.
Balfour Beatty was assigned to review Melissa's team's RFP on-site at the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. According to the team, Melissa was a stand-out performer who immediately impressed with her aptitude and thought-provoking questions. It wasn't long before Melissa herself was part of the team, with two successful back-to-back summer internships.
During her internships with Balfour Beatty, Melissa contributed to three major projects - including retail, residential and hospitality/entertainment. She also had the opportunity to be mentored by some of Florida's most influential operations leaders, including Andrew Marshall, senior project manager; Neal Ernest, general superintendent; Ryan Walters, project engineer; and Brian Prebenda, vice president of operations.
"Neal and I often had lunch together, and we would talk about my future career and interests," recalls Melissa. "It was always clear that the team wanted me to do whatever was best for me, and we would talk a lot about what that could be."
In the end, Melissa determined that the personal investment demonstrated by her leaders meant Balfour Beatty was the right company for her. When an opportunity came up for a full-time time position she accepted immediately.
"No company gave me the same feeling," says Melissa. "Although it's one of the largest construction companies in the nation, it feels more like a family - something I feel is hard to find."
Now a proud graduate of the University of Florida and a full-time Balfour Beatty teammate, Melissa is encouraging of anyone who is considering an internship. "From hands-on field experiences to teambuilding activities with executive leadership, the internship experience here is second-to-none. I don't think I would have developed the relationships that I have in this company without having gone through the internship program, "says Melissa.
As a project engineer, Melissa can now appreciate how her interests have evolved from takings things apart and rebuilding them - to building huge structures from scratch with a team of great leaders and friends around her.
It seems the same curiosity that fueled Melissa as a child is still alive and well in this talented young professional who is only just beginning to make her mark.
Job Titles:
- SVP, Business Unit Leader
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- President, Mid - Atlantic
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- Senior Vice President, National Operations
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- SVP, Business Unit Leader
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- Local Leader
- Technical Director, Rail
Roger Wilson serves the broad US rail team advising on technical aspects of our projects.
Roger has thrived as a leader at Balfour Beatty for the sum of his three-decade career in the rail industry. A Chartered Engineer in Europe, Roger successfully delivered the MBTA Greenbush Railroad Restoration and Amtrak Northeast Corridor Electrification projects as project manager and the nation's first public-private partnership transit project as project executive.
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- President of Balfour Beatty 's Operations in Florida, Pr
- President, Southeast
Scott Skidelsky, president of Balfour Beatty's operations in Florida, praises, "Since joining Balfour Beatty, Earnest has been an incredible asset to the leadership of Florida serving his capacity as division counsel and business partner. He's the perfect fit for our culture."
In 2019, Earnest was promoted to the vice president of legal for Florida. He has proven his expertise, but what makes him truly valuable is his ability to teach his teammates the importance of managing risk properly: taking measured risks, learning and improving constantly and spreading the wealth along the way.
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- Vice President, Human Resources, US Civils
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- Vice President / Large Projects Group
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- Vice President, US Civils