ARTBA Graduates 2026 Industry Leadership Class

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Twenty-seven emerging leaders in the transportation construction industry completed a three-day, deep-dive into federal issues and policymaking during the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Foundation's Industry Leader Development Program (ILDP) May 11-13.

Participants leave with a solid understanding of industry economics, how transportation work is funded and financed, how actions by the federal government impact the industry, and how they-and their organization-can become politically engaged.

This year marked a unique opportunity, as ILDP attendees met with their members of Congress to advocate for timely, robust reauthorization of federal highway and transit funding which expires Sept. 30.

The 2026 class includes:

• Adam Howell - AECOM
• Alexander Robert Stone - GFT Infrastructure, Inc.
• Bernie Carrasco - Texas Department of Transportation
• Brent Wilkins - RS&H
• David Pupkiewicz - Flatiron Dragados Constructors, Inc.
• Evelyn Warder - Duval Asphalt Products, Inc.
• Gregory Southwick - Tilcon Connecticut, a CRH Company
• Jamie Furney - Parsons Corporation
• Jeff Sparks - Parsons Corporation
• Jessica Hummell - Arizona Transportation Builders Association
• Jessica Miller - Skanska USA Civil Northeast Inc.
• Jessie Aubry - HNTB
• Jonathan Ard - Terracon Consultants, Inc.
• Joseph Morelle, Jr. - UNiCON Rochester
• Kenneth Wiemers - Texas Department of Transportation
• Kody Harris - Harrison Construction Company, Div. of APAC-Atlantic, Inc., a CRH Company
• Lisa Hagins - Arizona Transportation Builders Association
• Luke Guess - APAC-Atlantic, Inc., Savannah Division
• Madison Williams - Wright Brothers Construction Co., Inc.
• Matthew Komisarjevsky - HNTB
• Molly Nelson - County Materials Corporation
• Rob Gibbon - AECOM
• Rob O'Neill - Skanska USA Civil Northeast Inc.
• Timothy Matthews - Georgia Department of Transportation
• TJ Cooper - Bell & Associates Construction, LLC
• Wes Kimmell - Texas Department of Transportation
• Xiaoxiao Zhang - WSP USA

Nearly 1,000 graduates from over 200 industry firms and public agencies have completed the ILDP since 1996. HNTB, one of the world's leading infrastructure firms, is the program's exclusive sponsor.

About the Foundation

Established in 1985, the ARTBA Foundation is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt entity designed to "promote research, education and public awareness" about the impacts of transportation investment.  It supports an array of initiatives, including educational scholarships, awards, management and education programs, roadway work zone safety training and certificates, special economic research and reports, and an exhibition on transportation at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.