Ron is Vice-President and National Environmental Planning Leader for STV, a national planning, engineering, and architecture firm. Ron has over 35-years-experience managing NEPA environmental impact assessment projects for transportation infrastructure improvements, such as transit, passenger and freight rail, highways, and bridges, with special expertise in community impact assessment, cumulative effects analysis, and other federal environmental regulations. As Program Manager, Ron oversaw Phase I environmental, Phase II design, and Phase III construction management services for the $5 billion Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program, a public-private partnership between the USDOT, IDOT, CDOT, Cook County, Metra, Amtrak, AAR, and the nation’s freight railroads. He was instrumental in expediting the implementation of projects while developing Phase I, II, and III processes and procedures to streamline decision-making and optimize program delivery. As part of STV’s Metra Commuter Rail Program Management contract, Ron is the Project Manager for the Rock Island Third Main Intercity Improvement Project, a 41-mile rail, station and yard improvements project, managing the Preliminary Design and NEPA Environmental Assessment with an estimated construction value of $960 million.

Ron is a Past President of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) and IAEP (IL Chapter) and he is the Chair of NAEP’s Leadership Development Committee. Ron is a Certified Environmental Professional by Eminence and a NAEP Fellow for his exemplary service and over 35-year commitment to NAEP and the environmental professions. He is a Board Trustee of the Academy of Board-Certified Environmental Professionals (ABCEP), a member of The Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards. Ron is also an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University teaching a Masters in Project Management course in NEPA and Context Sensitive Solutions. Ron is a Founding Board Director of the International Professional Association of Transport and Health (IPATH). He is a published poet and has spoken nationally and internationally on many subjects, including key competencies for transportation professionals, environmental stewardship, transit equity, and the public health impacts and benefits of our transportation choices. Ron comes from generations of farmers in Illinois’ heartland, farmed for a living while attending college, and he is currently the Farm LLC Business Manager. Ron’s education includes a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in Urbana, a MA in English from the University of Illinois in Springfield, and post-graduate studies in NEPA and related environmental studies.