2021 Public Works Conference Speakers
October 26, 2021
Hear from Owners and Industry leaders in the
Public Sectors for Arizona Construction
PATRICK BANGER
Town Manager, Town of Gilbert
Patrick S. Banger serves as Town Manager for the 81st largest town in the U.S., Gilbert, Arizona with a growing population of 275,000. Patrick has been a key leader in the process of transforming Gilbert into one of the most sought-after places for residential living and corporate expansions and relocations. He is a forward-thinking, change-orientated leader and has been instrumental in helping Gilbert become one of the most prestigious and award-winning communities in the nation: 22nd Best Place to Live by Money Magazine, 2nd Safest City in the U.S. according to the FBI Crime Statistics and the 5th Best Place to Find a Job in the U.S. by WalletHub. Patrick has been a key leader in the revitalization of the community’s historic downtown, Gilbert’s Heritage District, as well as the development of the burgeoning 202 business district which has seen over 700,000sf of class A office buildings built in the last four years and over 10,000 jobs added to the local economy. Since 2011, Gilbert’s financial performance has excelled and was recognized as the top performing city in the nation post-recession, tripling its general fund reserves, and receiving thirty six credit rating upgrades culminating in AAA ratings from all three agencies; Moody’s Investor Service, Fitch and S&P placing Gilbert in the top .002% of cities in the nation. Gilbert has also been an industry leader in Smart Cities initiatives receiving its first international recognition, the Smart 50 Award for Community Engagement, for its open data portal, “Alex”. Smart 50 Awards, in partnership with Smart Cities Connect, Smart Cities Connect Foundation, and US Ignite, annually recognize global smart cities projects, honoring the most innovative and influential work. Prior to coming to Gilbert, Patrick served as city administrator for the second largest city in the greater St. Louis region, O’Fallon, Missouri, for six years in addition to seven years in the private sector as a director in a $4 billion dollar privately held company and a small business owner himself. Patrick has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Missouri State University and a Master of Arts Degree in Management from Webster University. He is an active member of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Sr. Staff Committee, Past Chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Management Board, former Board Director for the Arizona City/County Management Association and a former Honorary Base Commander at Luke Air Force Base. He also received the 2019 John J. ‘Jack’ Debolski Award for Excellence in City Management by the Arizona City/County Management Association. This is the highest award ACMA bestows on a public official.
FRED FELIX
City Engineer, City of Tucson
Frederick “Fred” Felix has been with the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) since 1995. He began his professional career as a civil engineer for the City of Sierra Vista in 1981. Fred is a native Tucsonan and has a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Arizona where he majored in structural and construction engineering. He was an AGC Scholarship winner and worked on horizontal and vertical construction projects while in school. He is a registered engineer in the State of Arizona. The APWA Southern Arizona Branch recognized his efforts in 2012 with the Public Works Professional Award of Merit. He was also recognized in 2017 as the Southern Arizona and Arizona APWA Outstanding Public Works Employee of the Year. Fred is currently an Engineering Administrator for the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility. He also serves as City Engineer where he directs a staff of fifty-five employees. Fred is married to Carmen. They have four children- Marc, Eric, Rebekah, and Rachel. Fred and Carmen have eight grandchildren- Isabelle, Lily, Mack, Dane, Hayden, Judah, Ezra, and Rush. Fred likes to cook. He enjoys sports of all kinds- especially rugby and golf. He is also very actively involved in his church’s Children’s Ministry Program where he serves as the program director.
ERIC FROBERG
city engineer, city of phoenix
Eric has served as City Engineer for the City of Phoenix since January 2019 and recently completed a 6 month assignment as Interim Director of the Water Services Department. Eric possesses over two decades of relevant public works, residential, and commercial land development engineering experience. Prior to joining the City of Phoenix, most recently Eric was the New Mexico Operations Manager for TYLIN International and prior to that was a Senior Project Manager for RBF Consulting in Arizona. After spending two decades working as a private consultant, Eric desired to utilize his engineering and management expertise in a way that more directly benefited the public. As the City Engineer for the nation’s 5th largest City, Eric is responsible for overseeing the selection of architects, engineers & contractors and the execution the City's 5-year, $8.0 billion Capital Improvement Program. Eric holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Arizona and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Arizona, California, and New Mexico. Eric is currently a member of the Alumni Industry Council for the University of Arizona, previously held the position of State Director for ACEC-NM, and in 2013 was recognized by ENR as a “Top 20 under 40”.
KEVIN HITCHCOCK
Supervisor & Construction Manager, City of Buckeye
Kevin joined team Buckeye in 2019 to become part of the fastest growing city in the country, for the last decade. He is the supervisor of construction project managers with over $800 million in planned CIP projects. This fiscal year, the city has approved $151 million for CIP projects to meet the expanding growth of the city. Previously, Kevin worked as a consultant for various government agencies and private sector projects throughout Texas, Louisiana and California. Multiple projects in multiple locations has provided Kevin the opportunity to experience a vast array of clients and project types, his experience includes multiple megaprojects and construction programs. He received his Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Idaho. He is a Certified Construction Manager, and Project Management Professional. Kevin thoroughly enjoys building a better Buckeye.
Beth Huning
CITY ENGINEER, City of Mesa
Beth Huning has served as Mesa’s City Engineer since May 2007, with more than 42 years of related private sector design and construction and municipal city engineering. She currently leads a team of over 100 engineers and professional staff in the development, design and construction of a $1.2 Billion dollar 5-year capital improvement program and oversees the staff who work with the private development community and utilities to build in the City of Mesa. Beth’s Department has responsibility for managing the City’s Right of Way, issuing ROW permits, ROW inspections, property acquisitions and management, design and construction of the City’s Capital Improvement Program.
HENRY Ikwut-Ukwa
DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT & PLANNING, VALLEY METRO
Henry Ikwut-Ukwa is a transportation leader with over 20 years of experience in transit industry leadership and management. He is currently the Director of Capital Development at Valley Metro where he leads the Capital Development Division of Valley Metro Rail, Inc. and the Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA). Prior to this he held executive and management positions with Atlanta BeltLine Inc., Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA), and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). His early career covers extensive consulting experience with major engineering companies including Parsons Corporation, URS Corporation, and HDR Inc. Henry holds a PhD in civil engineering with minor in public policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a graduate of the Atlanta Regional Leadership Institute and a 2016 graduate of Leadership APTA, the executive leadership program of the American Public Transportation Association. He is a registered professional engineer (PE).
CHARLES JONES
DIRECTOR, FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
Charles started with Maricopa County Facilities Management in September 2015 as a Project Manager. Also served as the Design and Construction Division Manager, Deputy Director and today, serving as the Director of Facilities Management. Prior to Maricopa County, worked at Pima County Facilities Management. Have managed, overseen, and or participated in the design and construction of a multitude of facility types including court houses, detention facilities, small stadiums, offices, and laboratory spaces to name a few. Graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Construction Management.
STEVE O'BRIEN
Senior Division Administrator, ADOT
Steve received both his Bachelor and Master’s degree from Purdue University. He has a total of 36 years of experience in transportation. The first 33 years working in the private sector the last 3 with ADOT as the SR Division Administrator in charge of the ADOT's Project Management Group (PMG). PMG is responsible for the development of the projects in the five-year program for construction. This equates to about 70 -100 projects advertised each year. Although Steve traveled extensively for work, he’s been based in AZ for his entire whole career. He’s married and has three grown daughters which he’s happy to say live close by but no longer in his house. Hobbies include cars, concerts, college football/basketball and building Halloween props.
WENDY SPRINGBORN
Engineering Services Manager, City of Tempe
Wendy is currently the Engineering Services Manager for the City of Tempe since 2007. She oversees procurement for professional and construction services, contract administration and compliance, as well as the Service Line Protection Program (SLiPP) for the city. Prior to joining the City of Tempe, Wendy worked seventeen years with a private fire and ambulance company where she had worked as a paramedic and in the later years, as the marketing manager for ambulance service. Between the two professions, Wendy was a co-owner of a veterinary clinic for eight years. Wendy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Management; a Master’s in Business Administration and is credentialed as a Public Works Executive and Public Works Leadership Fellow through the American Public Works Association.
DAN WORTH
Public Works Director, City of Scottsdale
Dan Worth has directed Scottsdale’s public works programs since November 2006. In this capacity, Dan is responsible for the City’s transportation program; for streets, facilities and vehicle maintenance programs; for the City’s solid waste service; and for administering the City’s capital program. During this time, he also served a year as Acting City Manager from July 2012 through June 2103. Prior to his tenure in public works, Dan served as the Scottsdale City Engineer, where he was responsible for administering the City’s $1 billion capital improvements program. He first came to the City in May of 2004, following 22 years as an active duty Army officer in the Corps of Engineers, where he served in engineering and public works leadership positions around the world. Dan has degrees from the US Military Academy and the University of Maryland and is a registered professional engineer in the states of Arizona and Georgia.