Gresham Smith Names Five New Board Members
Gresham Smith is proud to announce a new makeup of the firm’s Board of Directors. Two external directors will join three new internal directors on the firm’s 12-member board, and will provide guidance and counsel for the firm’s long-term growth and stability.
The two new external directors are Peggy Scott, who has held a variety of C-Suite executive roles in the healthcare industry, and Cora Carmody, who has served as CIO for engineering and government services firms.
“We are pleased to welcome both Peggy and Cora to our board,” said Al Pramuk, Chairman and CEO of Gresham Smith. “Peggy’s specialized knowledge and experience with finance, transformative thinking and strategic planning, along with broad experience in healthcare—our largest market—will serve as a perfect complement to the composition of our board. Cora’s previous roles leading transformational change in technology infrastructure, along with her experience in implementing a diverse culture, dovetails well with what we were seeking in an external board director,” he added.
Scott is a sought-after advisor and Board Chair of Cleco, a $2 billion power company where she previously served as CEO. She has also served as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and in similar executive roles—both domestically and internationally—for companies including Novant Health, General Health and Pan-American. Peggy was the first female Office CEO at Deloitte—the nation’s largest global accounting firm. As a nationally recognized leader, experienced board director and a financial expert, she will serve on the board’s finance committee.
“Gresham Smith creates beautiful, functional and innovative infrastructure,” Scott said. “I am excited about the opportunity to serve with such creative people and bring my board and executive experience in strategy and transformative change to contribute to the company’s success,” she added.
Carmody is a globally recognized CIO who specializes in the intersection of people, technology and innovation. She currently serves as an Adjunct Research Advisor with International Data Corporation (IDC). As CIO of Jacobs Engineering Group, she led technology globalization and modernization initiatives for the firm, while developing a culture of diversity within the information technology practice. In her prior role as CIO for SAIC, Cora led the modernization of the company’s IT infrastructure, including remediating compliance issues, overhauling the firm’s data center and disaster recovery systems, and transforming the IT practice into an enterprise-class organization. Previously, she served as CIO for Invensys (now Schneider Electric) and served as CIO for Litton PRC (now Northrop Grumman IT). In addition to being on Gresham Smith’s Board of Directors, she will join the Innovation Advisory Group, which oversees the firm’s Studio-X Innovation Incubator program.
“What drew me to Gresham Smith was the culture of caring combined with the interest in innovation,” Carmody said. “The firm performs an essential mission of improving the built environment, and I am excited about the opportunity to play a part in the company’s success,” she continued.
Scott and Carmody join three other internal directors who joined the firm’s board earlier this year. The new internal directors include Kent Black, P.E., Executive Vice President of Transportation; Kelly Knight Hodges, NCIDQ, LEED AP, Market Vice President of Corporate + Urban Design; and Jeff Kuhnhenn, AIA, LEED AP, Director of Architectural Design.
Black leads the growth and strategy development for the firm’s Transportation market. Under his leadership, the Transportation market has doubled in size over the past five years.
Hodges has demonstrated success in a variety of roles during her 19 years with the firm. She currently leads operations and delivery for the Corporate + Urban Design market. She has also played a key role in helping the firm create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
Kuhnhenn, a longtime designer and practice leader at the firm, has worked with and supported innovative design practices across all of Gresham Smith’s vertical markets, including Aviation, Corporate + Urban Design, Healthcare and Industrial. He also serves as a key member of the firm’s Innovation Advisory Group.
The five new directors join the following to comprise Gresham Smith’s Board of Directors: Al Pramuk (Chairman), Rodney Chester, Randy Gibson, Orlando Lopez-Isa, Carl Munkel, Craig Parker and Dwayne West.