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ON THE MOVE DEWBERRY WELCOMES TRANSIT ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST ANTOINETTE QUAGLIATA Dewberry , a privately held professional services firm, has announced that Antoinette Quagliata, ENV SP, LEED AP, has joined the firm as manager of sustainability services for the northeast environmental practice, based in the firm’s Parsippany, New Jersey, office. Quagliata has more than 20 years of experience as an environmental professional with expertise in sustainability and environmental management for rail and transit projects. She spent more than a decade with the Federal Transit Administration, most recently as an environmental protection specialist. Her work focused on the intersection of environmental sustainability and mobility innovation. With Dewberry, Quagliata leads sustainability consulting efforts for both public- and private-sector clients. Her background will support agencies as they seek to develop, prioritize, implement, and measure sustainability projects and policies, and leverage potential funding opportunities.
“As part of Dewberry’s corporate sustainability initiatives, Antoinette applies the same exacting principles and practices both as a leader in the firm and with her clients,” says Dewberry Senior Vice President and Business Unit Manager Ileana Ivanciu, Ph.D. Quagliata earned her master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University and her bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell University. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and a certified Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure Envision Sustainability Professional. Dewberry is a leading, market-facing firm with a proven history of providing professional services to a wide variety of public- and private-sector clients. The firm is recognized for combining unsurpassed commitment to client service with deep subject matter expertise. Established in 1956, Dewberry is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, with more than 50 locations and more than 2,000 professionals nationwide.
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WILL SWEARINGEN, from page 1
perspective to get bought via acquisition than it may be to elevate insiders to an ownership/leadership position. By promoting professionals in the firm to a leadership position and possibly one of control, firms face the difficult task of shifting existing lines of authority. Standing relationships that were formerly tight-knit teams may be curbed or altogether severed as new roles and responsibilities are established. With additional authority and control comes additional accountability and the need for emotional intelligence which is required to manage change. Leadership needs to be able to make clear-minded decisions and remove emotions from the equation. This can be one of the trickiest things for firms in transition to navigate as the need for control can outweigh the best interests of the business. In the case of an owner/founder looking to exit quickly, the dynamics surrounding a new organizational structure and leadership team may not have had time to congeal. In any transition, the authority and allegiances that once existed will ebb and flow with the change. But sometimes, these variations and their association can move more aggressively than anticipated. The importance of exiting owners and leaders to carefully select, groom, and signal who will run the firm should happen years in advance of the actual transition. It’s not an instantaneous process and it’s important to identify, encourage, and cultivate the next round of leaders. This is essential. The understanding of who or what is in control of the firm is something completely different than the appointment of new leadership. Whether 51 percent ownership is the threshold or if there is a more formal board of directors or management committee that drives decision making, establishing the firm’s structure, and having a clear understanding of how the firm will be managed and controlled going forward can greatly increase the success of a large shareholder exiting the firm. WILL SWEARINGEN is director of ownership transition advisory services at Zweig Group. He can be reached at wswearingen@zweiggroup.com.
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Zweig Group’s 2021 ElevateAEC Conference & Awards Gala Will Swearingen will be speaking on Building a Strong Legacy at Zweig Group’s 2021 ElevateAEC Conference & Awards Gala in Denver, November 3-5. Click here to learn more or to register for the AEC industry’s top in-person learning and networking event of the year.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 4, 2021, ISSUE 1411
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