People News: HNTB, TRB

Why It Matters

HNTB’s hires deepen its advisory capacity for public‑sector transportation clients, especially in tolling and complex infrastructure projects, while TRB gains a seasoned research leader poised to shape national transportation policy and innovation.

Key Takeaways

• Francis O’Connor joins HNTB to drive agency and tolling growth
• O’Connor previously led NJDOT and chaired NJ Turnpike Authority
• Ivan Salvatierra adds 21‑year Southern California transit design expertise
• Ann Brach becomes TRB Executive Director, overseeing $200 M research program
• Brach’s federal and state background positions TRB for strategic impact

Pulse Analysis

HNTB’s recruitment of former New Jersey Department of Transportation commissioner Francis O’Connor signals a strategic push to deepen its foothold with public‑sector clients. O’Connor brings firsthand experience running one of the nation’s most intricate multimodal network, overseeing tolling initiatives such as the launch of E‑ZPass, and chairing agencies like NJ Transit and the Turnpike Authority. By placing him as Senior Vice President and Business Development Director, HNTB aims to translate that operational insight into advisory services that help agencies navigate funding, regulatory, and technology challenges across the United States.

The firm’s Los Angeles office also gains Ivan Salvatierra, a veteran civil engineer with more than two decades of design and project‑management work on high‑profile rail and roadway programs. Salvatierra’s résumé includes leadership on the Metro Westside Purple Line Extension and the Foothill Gold Line Phase 2B, projects that blend complex tunneling, intelligent‑transportation systems, and stakeholder coordination. His addition strengthens HNTB’s capacity to deliver integrated mobility solutions in a market where California’s infrastructure spending and sustainability goals are accelerating.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Research Board appointed Ann Brach as its new Executive Director, succeeding Victoria Sheehan. Brach’s tenure at TRB’s Technical Activities Division and her oversight of the $200 million Second Strategic Highway Research Program give her a deep grasp of interdisciplinary research on safety, infrastructure resilience, and operations. Coupled with her federal experience at the FHWA and Maryland State Highway Administration, she is positioned to steer TRB toward emerging priorities such as autonomous vehicles, climate‑adapted highways, and equity‑focused mobility research, influencing policy and funding decisions nationwide.