Gannett Fleming TranSystem, the transportation engineering firm formed in 2024 by the purchase of TranSystems Corp. from its private equity owner by Gannett Fleming Inc., said it has rebranded as GFT to reflect other business units. The firm also named as CEO Mike Orth, former president of governments and communities at Black & Veatch.

Frances Calosso has joined Robert A.M. Stern Architects, New York City, as interior design director. She held design leader roles at several hospitality-focused firms.

Bechtel, Reston, Va., has promoted Dena Volavar to president of its nuclear, security and environmental unit. Formerly executive vice president, she is a 26-year company veteran and succeeds John Howantz, who has retired.

Peter Cannone is named CEO of Manchester, N.H.-based Newforma, which provides project and information management support to firms and owners through software as a service and cloud-based services.

Jill Valdes Horwood has been named as the first chief climate and resilience officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), and Emir Skokic was named chief planning officer. Horwood had directed the Boston Waterfront Initiative at the Barr Foundation. Massport says it has committed more than $500 million to net-zero projects through 2030. Skokic was a Boston Consulting Group principal.

CannonDesign has hired James Miner as executive director for its East region, overseeing teams in Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Based in Boston, he is former CEO of design firm Sasaki.

Professional services firm Dewberry has promoted vice president Mark Montgomery to operating unit manager for its disaster recovery practice and Stacy McKavish to chief human resources officer.

Jason Mumford, vice president of New York City-based professional services firm STV, has been named director of its national planning practice in Washington, D.C. Michael Curto Jr., former legislative director for Rep. Troy E. Nehls, chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, has also joined the firm in Washington as vice president of national development. Alexa Heidrich joined STV in Baltimore as deputy director of its national planning practice. She was Maryland Transit Administration deputy director of the Purple Line light rail project.

Charles D. Brown, 96, who as engineering vice president at Wilmington, Del., chemicals giant Dupont led development of the landmark Business Roundtable Construction Industry Cost Effectiveness study in the 1970s and 1980s, died Jan. 22, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz., said the National Academy of Construction in an April note. That study offered more than 200 recommendations to reduce industry costs that led to creation of the Construction Industry Institute. In 1983, Brown received ENR’s top honor, now called the Award of Excellence. He was a charter member of the construction academy group and chaired the Business Roundtable.

Gerard A. Neumann Jr., 83, a former U.S. Navy Seabee officer who became, at age 38, CEO of family-owned New York City-based marine and sewer contractor Spearin, Preston & Burrows, died April 5, said a family obituary. He also was president of the General Contractors Association of New York City and industry group The Moles and an executive committee member of the New York Building Congress who negotiated union contracts and helped mediate labor disputes. The firm later became the marine construction division of Massachusetts contractor Modern Continental, which itself was merged into a division of Quincy, Mass., contractor Jay Cashman Inc. in 2004.