LEADERSHIP
Meet Our Team
The GLDD Leadership Team is committed to delivering innovative, industry-leading workmanship to our clients while executing every project safely – for our employees, clients, vendors, the communities where we work, and the environment.

Lawrence R. Dickerson

Elaine Dorward-King, PhD

Ryan Levenson

Lasse Petterson

Kathleen M. Shanahan

Ronald Steger

Michael Steuert
Lawrence R. Dickerson
LAWRENCE DICKERSON spent 34 years at Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (NYSE:DO), a deepwater oil and gas drilling contractor, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 2008 until his retirement in 2014. Prior to his service as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Dickerson served as Chief Financial Officer, during which he helped take the company public, and Chief Operating Officer, during which he gained substantial operating and commercial experience.
In addition to being a seasoned executive, Mr. Dickerson has significant board experience including posts as Member of the Board of Directors of Murphy Oil Corporation (MUR), a gas exploration and production company, and Oil States International (NYSE:OIS), an oilfield equipment services company, since 2014. Mr. Dickerson is on the Audit and Nominating and Governance Committees at Murphy Oil Corporation and is Chairman of the Compensation Committee at Oil States International. From 2015-2016, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hercules Offshore, Inc., an offshore drilling company, and from 2008-2012 he served on the Board of Directors of Global Industries, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GLBL), a subsea construction company that was sold to Technip in 2011.
Elaine Dorward-King, PhD
ELAINE DORWARD-KING, PhD most recently was the Executive Vice President, Sustainability and External Relations at Newmont Mining Corporation (“Newmont”) (NYSE:NEM), the world’s leading gold mining company. Dr. Dorward-King has spent the majority of her career in mining and joined Newmont in 2013. Prior to joining Newmont, Dr. Dorward-King spent 21 years with Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest diversified producers of metals and minerals, in general management and Environmental Health and Safety leadership roles. Dr. Dorward-King has over 25 years of leadership experience in creating and implementing sustainable development, safety, health and environmental strategy, and programs in mining, chemical, and engineering consulting sectors. Currently Dr. Dorward-King serves on the Board of Directors of Kenmare Resources plc (LSE:KMR, ISE:KMR), one of the world’s largest producers of mineral sands products.
Dr. Dorward-King holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Maryville College and received a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Colorado State University.
Ryan Levenson
RYAN LEVENSON is Principal and Portfolio Manager of Privet Fund Management, LLC. Mr. Levenson currently serves on the Board of Directors of Frequency Electronics, Inc (NASDAQ:FEIM), Hardinge, Inc. (NASDAQ:HDNG), Agjunction, Inc. (TSX:AJX) and Cicero, Inc. (OTC:CICN). Previously, Mr. Levenson served as a director of RELM Wireless, Inc., where he served as a member of the Audit Committee, and as a director and member of the Compensation, Organization and Corporate Governance Committee of Material Sciences Corp. from May 2013 until its sale in March 2014. Mr. Levenson also served as a member of the Board of Directors and Compensation and Audit Committees of The Middleby Corporation from May 2006 until November 2012. Prior to founding Privet Fund Management LLC in February 2007, Mr. Levenson served as Vice President of Business Development at MSI, a privately held building products distributor and construction services company, from 2003 until 2006. Prior to his service with MSI, Mr. Levenson served as a financial analyst for Cramer Rosenthal McGlynn’s long/short equity hedge fund after working at SAC Capital Advisors LLC in a similar capacity.
Lasse Petterson
LASSE PETTERSON has served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since May 2017. Most recently, Mr. Petterson served as a private consultant to clients in the Oil and Gas sector and served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Executive Vice President at Chicago Bridge and Iron (CB&I) from 2009 to 2013. Reporting directly to the CEO, he was responsible for all of CB&I’s engineering, procurement and construction project operations and sales. Prior to CB&I, Mr. Petterson was CEO of Gearbulk, Ltd., a privately held company that owns and operates one of the largest fleets of gantry craned open hatch bulk vessels in the world. He was also President and COO of AMEC Inc. Americas, a subsidiary of AMEC plc, a British multi-national consulting, engineering and project management company. Prior to joining AMEC, Mr. Petterson served in various executive and operational positions for Aker Maritime, Inc., the deepwater division of Aker Maritime ASA of Norway, over the course of 20 years. He spent the first nine years of his career in various positions at Norwegian Contractors, an offshore oil and gas platform contractor.
Mr. Petterson holds both Master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Norwegian University of Technology, and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Corporation.
Kathleen M. Shanahan
KATHLEEN M. SHANAHAN is a prominent Florida businesswoman with a long and distinguished background in business, politics and public service. Ms. Shanahan has recently been named co-CEO of Turtle & Hughes, an electrical and industrial distribution company headquartered in Linden, New Jersey. Prior, she was the Chairman of Ground Works Solutions, previously known as URETEK Holdings, Inc. Ground Works Solutions is a Florida based company focused on soil stabilization and densification for infrastructure rehabilitation. From 2011 until 2016, Ms. Shanahan served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company.
Ms. Shanahan currently serves as a Vice Chair of the Florida Council of 100, pro bono advisor to the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, board member of BioIQ, board member of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART), board member of Tampa General Hospital, board member & Executive Vice President of Marketing for Turtle & Hughes, and is a member of Women Corporate Directors and the International Women’s Forum.
Previously, Ms. Shanahan was Chairman and CEO of WRScompass, a civil and environmental construction company that experienced significant growth under her leadership from 2005 through 2011. Prior to her executive management posts, Ms. Shanahan was a senior consultant to former New York Stock Exchange CEO John Thain, and a senior executive in charge of public and community affairs at PaineWebber.
Her positions in federal and state public policy include serving as Chief of Staff for Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Chief of Staff to Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, Deputy Secretary of the California Trade and Commerce Agency, Special Assistant to then Vice President George Bush, and Staff Assistant on President Reagan’s National Security Council.
Ms. Shanahan previously served as a member and Chair of Florida’s State Board of Education, the Eckerd Board, the Lincoln Center Institute Board, member of the National Parks Foundation Board – a Presidential appointment, executive cabinet member of the American Heart Association’s Tampa Bay Heart Ball, executive committee member of the Republican National Convention 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee, member of the Terra Sea board, a Great Lakes Dock & Dredge company with Belgian based DEME/DEC, a board member of TRC (NYSE:TRR), which was later taken private after being acquired by a private equity firm, and as Chair of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission.
In recent years, Ms. Shanahan has been honored with the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Inaugural Community Leader Award at the 2012 Business Woman of the Year Gala. In 2011 she received the Governor’s Business Leader Award, and in 2010 she was awarded the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s Arts for Life! Guardian of the Arts Award.
Ms. Shanahan received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego and a Master’s of Business Administration from the New York University Stern School of Management.
Ronald Steger
RONALD STEGER serves on the Board of Directors of Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Corporation (since May of 2018) as a member of the Audit Committee; Global Eagle Entertainment, Inc. (since April 2017) as Chairman of the Audit Committee. Since September 2015, Mr. Steger has served as the Senior Technical Advisor to the Effectus Group, an accounting advisory firm based in Silicon Valley. He has also served on the Advisory Board of ATREG, a global advisory firm specializing in the semiconductor and related advanced technology verticals, since February 2014; Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. from August 2014 to June 2018 as its Audit Committee Chairman and member of the Corporate Governance and Risk Assessment Committee; and International Seaways, Inc. (from November 2016 to June 2017) as a member of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Risk Assessment Committee.
Mr. Steger began his career with KPMG in 1976 and was admitted into its partnership in 1986. Ron served as an SEC Reviewing Partner from 2003 to 2013, and retired from the firm in December 2013.
Mr. Steger holds a BS in Accounting from Villanova University.
Michael Steuert
MICHAEL STEUERT served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR), one of the world’s largest publicly traded engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management companies, from 2001 until his retirement in 2012. Prior to his service at Fluor, Mr. Steuert served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Litton Industries Inc., a defense contractor acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of GenCorp Inc., now Aerojet Rocketdyne, a technology-based aerospace and defense company (NASDAQ:AJRD), from 1990 to 1999. Mr. Steuert started his career at TRW, Inc.
In addition to his extensive executive leadership experience, Mr. Steuert has substantial board experience including posts as Member of the Board of Directors of LNG Ltd. (ASX: LNG) since 2015 and where he serves as a member of the Board’s Audit Committee and Chairman of its Risk Committee. He has been a Member of the Board of Directors of Weyerhaeuser Co. (NYSE:WY) since 2004 where he is Chairman and Financial Expert of the Audit Committee and a member of the Corporate Responsibility and Governance Committee.

Lasse Petterson

William H. Hanson

Mark Marinko

Vivienne Schiffer

David E. Simonelli

James Tastard, PhD

Eleni Beyko, Ph. D
Lasse Petterson
LASSE PETTERSON has served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since May 2017, and was named Chief Executive Officer & President in 2020. Most recently, Mr. Petterson served as a private consultant to clients in the Oil and Gas sector and served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Executive Vice President at Chicago Bridge and Iron (CB&I) from 2009 to 2013. Reporting directly to the CEO, he was responsible for all of CB&I’s engineering, procurement and construction project operations and sales. Prior to CB&I, Mr. Petterson was CEO of Gearbulk, Ltd., a privately held company that owns and operates one of the largest fleets of gantry craned open hatch bulk vessels in the world. He was also President and COO of AMEC Inc. Americas, a subsidiary of AMEC plc, a British multi-national consulting, engineering and project management company. Prior to joining AMEC, Mr. Petterson served in various executive and operational positions for Aker Maritime, Inc., the deepwater division of Aker Maritime ASA of Norway, over the course of 20 years. He spent the first nine years of his career in various positions at Norwegian Contractors, an offshore oil and gas platform contractor.
Mr. Petterson holds both Master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Norwegian University of Technology, and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer & President of Great Lakes Corporation.
William H. Hanson
WILLIAM H. HANSON is the Senior Vice President – Government Relations & Business Development. A 40 year veteran of the dredging and maritime construction industry, Bill Hanson has been with GLDD for 29 years and a Vice President since 2004. In 2013, he opened GLDD’s first office in Washington DC. Mr. Hanson began his career with the US Army Corps of Engineers in Galveston and Los Angeles, and then worked for Connolly Pacific of Long Beach, California before joining GLDD in 1988. At GLDD, he served in management roles in the North Atlantic and Southern Divisions as well as managing Latin America for 12 years. Mr. Hanson serves on several Federal Advisory committees as well as on boards of groups with national and regional interest to GLDD, and several academic advisory boards related to ocean and coastal engineering. Mr. Hanson is a 1979 Ocean Engineering graduate of Texas A&M, where he was named a distinguished alumni in 2013.
Mark Marinko
MARK MARINKO has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer since 2014. Prior to joining Great Lakes, Mr. Marinko was President of the Consumer Services Division at TransUnion, where he led the company’s business-to-business and business-to-consumer sales, customer service, consumer compliance, and corporate marketing. Mr. Marinko held accounting and financial roles as Controller and Vice President of Finance at TransUnion, from 1996-2004. Previously, he served as Controller of Official Airline Guides.
Mr. Marinko has over 30 years of financial leadership practice, specializing in accounting, finance, sales, systems and business operations. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Augustana College.
Vivienne Schiffer
Vivienne “Lie” Schiffer joined Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in December 2020 as SVP, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel + Corporate Secretary, and leads the Company’s legal and compliance organization, providing legal counsel to Executive Management and the Board of Directors. Lie’s specific responsibilities include the oversight of corporate governance, policy and regulatory strategy development, litigation, environmental matters, intellectual property, global corporate compliance, and labor and employment laws.
Prior to joining Great Lakes, Lie was a senior corporate and securities partner in the global firm of Thompson & Knight, LLP. She has over 35 years of experience and has held significant legal, business and operational leadership roles in the industrials sector including advising clients on a range of corporate governance, capital markets and M&A matters. Lie is part of Great Lakes’ Executive Team and reports directly to the CEO.
David E. Simonelli
DAVID E. SIMONELLI is GLDD’s Chief Operating Officer and served as President—Dredging Division since April 2010. He has overall responsibility for the Dredging Division including safety, estimating, engineering, domestic and foreign operations, and plant and equipment. He was named a Vice President of the Company in 2002 and Special Projects Manager in 1996. He joined the Company in 1978 as a Civil Engineer and has since held positions of increasing responsibility in domestic and international operations and project management.
Mr. Simonelli earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. He is a member of the Hydrographic Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and The Western Dredging Association.
James Tastard, PhD
JAMES TASTARD, PhD joined Great Lakes as Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer in October 2020. As a member of the Executive Team, he is responsible for leading GLDD’s HR organization, Talent Management, Leadership Development, and Learning, Compensation, and Benefits, Employee Relations, Payroll, Risk Management, Marketing and Communications, and Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG).
James has been a leader in Human Resources for three decades, focused on driving business results through the unique intersection of strategy, leadership, and culture. With a distinct focus on leadership, his areas of expertise include developing top talent, succession planning for critical roles, helping organizations thrive in dynamic conditions, and leading large-scale complex change.
Before joining GLDD, James served as a strategic talent and leadership consultant. Previously, he worked as Chief Human Resource Officer at Geokinetics, VPHR at Freeport LNG, VPHR at Statoil (now Equinor), and SVP HR & HSE at Aker Solutions. James spent ten years working and living globally to deliver significant oil and gas capital projects in Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Norway. Earlier in his career, he held positions leading people and organization change strategy, M&A, health, safety and environment, and global human resources.
James holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and received a Ph.D. in Business, Organization, and Management from Capella University.
Eleni Beyko, Ph. D
Eleni Beyko, Ph. D joined Great Lakes in January 2021 as Senior Vice President, US Offshore Wind, starting January 25, 2021 and is responsible for US Offshore Wind strategy and business development, as well as leading GLDD’s US Offshore Wind Operations.
Ms. Beyko has over 20 years’ experience in program engineering, business leadership, and project execution for the automobile and offshore oil and gas markets. Her experience has also included Engineering, Technical Manager, Research & Development – Offshore Technology, and offshore projects. She most recently served as Director, Energy Transition for Americas at TechnipFMC responsible for positioning TechnipFMC to support the transition into new and economically viable wind energy resources, and managing the Makani wind-borne energy spar offshore platform installation in partnership with Shell and Google X.
Ms. Beyko graduated with a Diploma from National Technical University Athens in 1988 in Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering. She attended the University of Michigan where she earned her MSE, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (1990), MSE Applied Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering (1991), Master of Business Administration (MBA) (2003) and PhD, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (1992).

Steven W. Becker

Christopher Gillespie

David Johanson

Russell F. Zimmerman
Steven W. Becker
STEVEN W. BECKER was named Senior Vice President, Fleet Engineering in 2020 after serving as Senior Vice President of the Plant & Equipment Division since 2013, and Vice President from 2006. Since 1995, he has managed the Equipment Maintenance and Mechanical Engineering Departments. Prior to serving as a Vice President, Mr. Becker held the positions of Chief Mechanical Engineer Manager and Manager of Production Engineering. He joined Great Lakes in 1984 as a Field Engineer after interning with the company during college as a Design Engineer/Draftsman. Mr. Becker earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.
Christopher Gillespie
CHRISTOPHER GILLESPIE is Senior Vice President, Cutter Suction Dredge Fleet Manager. Prior to this, he had been GLDD’s Vice President and Special Projects Manager since 1997. He joined the Company in 1987 as a Project Engineer and previously served as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Gillespie earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a graduate degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Tulane. He is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers.
David Johanson
DAVID JOHANSON serves as Senior Vice President, Project and Area Operations – Gulf at Great Lakes Dredge and Dock with overall responsibility for processes, policies and controls for ensuring that dredging operations are executed safely, efficiently, profitably and consistent with Corporate operating and site procedures. Mr. Johanson graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University with a BS in Ocean Engineering. He has been with the Company for over 25 years.
Russell F. Zimmerman
RUSSELL F. ZIMMERMAN is the Senior Vice President, Project and Area Operations – Southeast. Before that Mr. Zimmerman had been Vice President and Area Manager, South Atlantic since 2013. He was promoted to Vice President for Special Project in 2009 and served as Vice President, Chief Estimator from 2011 – 2013. He joined the Company in 1982 as a Field Engineer and has held positions of increasing responsibility in project management. Mr. Zimmerman earned a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management Technology from Purdue University. He is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers and the Western Dredging Association.

Steven R. Auernhamer

Steven L. Lane

Todd Lightfoot

Katherine Hayes O’Halloran

Christopher G. Gunsten, P.E.

T. Christopher Roberts

Mark Reid
Steven R. Auernhamer
STEVEN R. AUERNHAMER was named Vice President, Commercial Clients in 2020 and was previously GLDD’s VP and Area Manager, Gulf Coast since 2012. He started with Great Lakes in 1990 as a Field Engineer after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University. He was promoted to Hydraulic Division Engineer in 1999, and a Project Sponsor in 2006 and Area Manager, Gulf Coast in 2011.
Steven L. Lane
STEVEN L. LANE has been serving as Vice President, Rivers and Lakes Division Manager since 2015. He is responsible and oversees the R&L division’s performance, business development, project operations, and equipment requirements to better suit the targeted market. He joined GLDD in 2013 as a Project Director until he was promoted to his present position in 2015. He has over 30 years of managerial experience in engineering, special marine vessel construction, and hopper/hydraulic dredging operations.
Mr. Lane attended the University of Minnesota for Mechanical Engineering before starting his career in the shipbuilding business.
Todd Lightfoot
Mr. Lightfoot was named Vice President, Finance in May 2019. He joined Great Lakes in 2011 as Senior Manager of Financial Reporting responsible for public company (SEC) reporting. In 2013, he was appointed to the role of Director and assumed financial planning and analysis and tax responsibilities. Prior to Great Lakes, he was a financial consultant to large publicly traded clients and was a divisional Director of Strategy for Equity Office Properties. Mr. Lightfoot has dual bachelor’s degrees in accounting and international business from Taylor University, and is a CPA.
Katherine Hayes O’Halloran
KATHERINE HAYES O’HALLORAN was appointed to her position of Vice President, Corporate Controller in 2013. She served as Company Treasurer since 2011 and previously held the role of Director of Investor Relations and Financial Reporting since joining the Company in 2006. Prior to Great Lakes, Mrs. O’Halloran was Director of Corporate Accounting at TransUnion, LLC. She is a CPA and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from St. Xavier University in Chicago.
Christopher G. Gunsten, P.E.
CHRISTOPHER G. GUNSTEN, P.E. serves as Vice President, International Operations with responsibility for acquiring projects, providing estimation data, and leading field supervision of work in progress. Chris began his career with Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company as a Field Engineer in1992. Career highlights include serving as Deputy Project Manager for Chevron’s Wheatstone LNG Project’s Engineering, Procure and Construct dredging subcontract in Onslow, WA, Australia valued at $1.2 billion AUD, as Project Manager executing a series of capital projects for the USACE New York District’s 45 and 50 Foot Harbor Deepening Programs, and as Operations Manager for GLDD’s Øresund Fixed Link Project in Copenhagen, Denmark. He received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Rutgers University.
T. Christopher Roberts
T. CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS was named Vice President in 2011 having developed and managed the Field Engineering Department from 1996. He joined the Company in 1989 as a Field Engineer Intern and within Engineering roles worked on Company projects throughout the US and Middle East. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Murray State University and a Master of Business Administration from Lewis University
Mark Reid
Mark Reid serves as Vice President, Northeast Region at Great Lakes Dredge and Dock with overall responsibility for processes, policies and controls for ensuring that dredging operations are executed safely, efficiently, profitably and consistent with Corporate operating and site procedures.
Mr. Reid earned a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management Technology from Purdue University. He is a member of the International Society of Explosive Engineers and the Western Dredging Association. He joined Great Lakes in 1993 filling engineering and management roles throughout the US, Middle East and Denmark. He has sponsored multiple capital Harbor Deepening Programs for a number of USACE Districts. Mr. Reid also manages the companies drilling and blasting operations and licensing.
STEVEN W. BECKER was named Senior Vice President, Fleet Engineering in 2020 after serving as Senior Vice President of the Plant & Equipment Division since 2013, and Vice President from 2006. Since 1995, he has managed the Equipment Maintenance and Mechanical Engineering Departments. Prior to serving as a Vice President, Mr. Becker held the positions of Chief Mechanical Engineer Manager and Manager of Production Engineering. He joined Great Lakes in 1984 as a Field Engineer after interning with the company during college as a Design Engineer/Draftsman. Mr. Becker earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.
LASSE PETTERSON has served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since May 2017, and was named Chief Executive Officer & President in 2020. Most recently, Mr. Petterson served as a private consultant to clients in the Oil and Gas sector and served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Executive Vice President at Chicago Bridge and Iron (CB&I) from 2009 to 2013. Reporting directly to the CEO, he was responsible for all of CB&I’s engineering, procurement and construction project operations and sales. Prior to CB&I, Mr. Petterson was CEO of Gearbulk, Ltd., a privately held company that owns and operates one of the largest fleets of gantry craned open hatch bulk vessels in the world. He was also President and COO of AMEC Inc. Americas, a subsidiary of AMEC plc, a British multi-national consulting, engineering and project management company. Prior to joining AMEC, Mr. Petterson served in various executive and operational positions for Aker Maritime, Inc., the deepwater division of Aker Maritime ASA of Norway, over the course of 20 years. He spent the first nine years of his career in various positions at Norwegian Contractors, an offshore oil and gas platform contractor.
Mr. Petterson holds both Master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Norwegian University of Technology, and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer & President of Great Lakes Corporation.
WILLIAM H. HANSON is the Senior Vice President - Government Relations & Business Development. A 40 year veteran of the dredging and maritime construction industry, Bill Hanson has been with GLDD for 29 years and a Vice President since 2004. In 2013, he opened GLDD’s first office in Washington DC. Mr. Hanson began his career with the US Army Corps of Engineers in Galveston and Los Angeles, and then worked for Connolly Pacific of Long Beach, California before joining GLDD in 1988. At GLDD, he served in management roles in the North Atlantic and Southern Divisions as well as managing Latin America for 12 years. Mr. Hanson serves on several Federal Advisory committees as well as on boards of groups with national and regional interest to GLDD, and several academic advisory boards related to ocean and coastal engineering. Mr. Hanson is a 1979 Ocean Engineering graduate of Texas A&M, where he was named a distinguished alumni in 2013.
CHRISTOPHER GILLESPIE is Senior Vice President, Cutter Suction Dredge Fleet Manager. Prior to this, he had been GLDD's Vice President and Special Projects Manager since 1997. He joined the Company in 1987 as a Project Engineer and previously served as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Gillespie earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a graduate degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Tulane. He is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers.
STEVEN R. AEURNHAMER was named Vice President, Commercial Clients in 2020 and was previously GLDD's VP and Area Manager, Gulf Coast since 2012. He started with Great Lakes in 1990 as a Field Engineer after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University. He was promoted to Hydraulic Division Engineer in 1999, and a Project Sponsor in 2006 and Area Manager, Gulf Coast in 2011.
MARK MARINKO has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer since 2014. Prior to joining Great Lakes, Mr. Marinko was President of the Consumer Services Division at TransUnion, where he led the company’s business-to-business and business-to-consumer sales, customer service, consumer compliance, and corporate marketing. Mr. Marinko held accounting and financial roles as Controller and Vice President of Finance at TransUnion, from 1996-2004. Previously, he served as Controller of Official Airline Guides.
Mr. Marinko has over 30 years of financial leadership practice, specializing in accounting, finance, sales, systems and business operations. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Augustana College.
DAVID JOHANSON serves as Senior Vice President, Project and Area Operations - Gulf at Great Lakes Dredge and Dock with overall responsibility for processes, policies and controls for ensuring that dredging operations are executed safely, efficiently, profitably and consistent with Corporate operating and site procedures. Mr. Johanson graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University with a BS in Ocean Engineering. He has been with the Company for over 25 years.
JOHN F. KARAS is the Senior Vice President of Estimating and has been a Senior Vice President of the GLDD since 2009. Previously, he served as a Vice President since 2002, and was named Chief Estimator in 1992. He joined the Company in 1983 as Project Engineer in the Hopper Division. Mr. Karas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of the Western Dredging Association and the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering.
Vivienne Schiffer
Vivienne “Lie” Schiffer joined Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in December 2020 as SVP, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel + Corporate Secretary, and leads the Company's legal and compliance organization, providing legal counsel to Executive Management and the Board of Directors. Lie’s specific responsibilities include the oversight of corporate governance, policy and regulatory strategy development, litigation, environmental matters, intellectual property, global corporate compliance, and labor and employment laws.
Prior to joining Great Lakes, Lie was a senior corporate and securities partner in the global firm of Thompson & Knight, LLP. She has over 35 years of experience and has held significant legal, business and operational leadership roles in the industrials sector including advising clients on a range of corporate governance, capital markets and M&A matters. Lie is part of Great Lakes’ Executive Team and reports directly to the CEO.
DAVID E. SIMONELLI is GLDD's Chief Operating Officer and served as President—Dredging Division since April 2010. He has overall responsibility for the Dredging Division including safety, estimating, engineering, domestic and foreign operations, and plant and equipment. He was named a Vice President of the Company in 2002 and Special Projects Manager in 1996. He joined the Company in 1978 as a Civil Engineer and has since held positions of increasing responsibility in domestic and international operations and project management.
Mr. Simonelli earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. He is a member of the Hydrographic Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and The Western Dredging Association.
RUSSELL F. ZIMMERMAN is the Senior Vice President, Project and Area Operations - Southeast. Before that Mr. Zimmerman had been Vice President and Area Manager, South Atlantic since 2013. He was promoted to Vice President for Special Project in 2009 and served as Vice President, Chief Estimator from 2011 – 2013. He joined the Company in 1982 as a Field Engineer and has held positions of increasing responsibility in project management. Mr. Zimmerman earned a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management Technology from Purdue University. He is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers and the Western Dredging Association.
JAMES TASTARD, PhD joined Great Lakes as Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer in October 2020. As a member of the Executive Team, he is responsible for leading GLDD’s HR organization, Talent Management, Leadership Development, and Learning, Compensation, and Benefits, Employee Relations, Payroll, Risk Management, Marketing and Communications, and Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG).
James has been a leader in Human Resources for three decades, focused on driving business results through the unique intersection of strategy, leadership, and culture. With a distinct focus on leadership, his areas of expertise include developing top talent, succession planning for critical roles, helping organizations thrive in dynamic conditions, and leading large-scale complex change.
Before joining GLDD, James served as a strategic talent and leadership consultant. Previously, he worked as Chief Human Resource Officer at Geokinetics, VPHR at Freeport LNG, VPHR at Statoil (now Equinor), and SVP HR & HSE at Aker Solutions. James spent ten years working and living globally to deliver significant oil and gas capital projects in Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Norway. Earlier in his career, he held positions leading people and organization change strategy, M&A, health, safety and environment, and global human resources.
James holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and received a Ph.D. in Business, Organization, and Management from Capella University.
LAWRENCE DICKERSON spent 34 years at Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (NYSE:DO), a deepwater oil and gas drilling contractor, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 2008 until his retirement in 2014. Prior to his service as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Dickerson served as Chief Financial Officer, during which he helped take the company public, and Chief Operating Officer, during which he gained substantial operating and commercial experience.
In addition to being a seasoned executive, Mr. Dickerson has significant board experience including posts as Member of the Board of Directors of Murphy Oil Corporation (MUR), a gas exploration and production company, and Oil States International (NYSE:OIS), an oilfield equipment services company, since 2014. Mr. Dickerson is on the Audit and Nominating and Governance Committees at Murphy Oil Corporation and is Chairman of the Compensation Committee at Oil States International. From 2015-2016, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hercules Offshore, Inc., an offshore drilling company, and from 2008-2012 he served on the Board of Directors of Global Industries, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GLBL), a subsea construction company that was sold to Technip in 2011.
ELAINE DORWARD-KING, PhD most recently was the Executive Vice President, Sustainability and External Relations at Newmont Mining Corporation (“Newmont”) (NYSE:NEM), the world’s leading gold mining company. Dr. Dorward-King has spent the majority of her career in mining and joined Newmont in 2013. Prior to joining Newmont, Dr. Dorward-King spent 21 years with Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest diversified producers of metals and minerals, in general management and Environmental Health and Safety leadership roles. Dr. Dorward-King has over 25 years of leadership experience in creating and implementing sustainable development, safety, health and environmental strategy, and programs in mining, chemical, and engineering consulting sectors. Currently Dr. Dorward-King serves on the Board of Directors of Kenmare Resources plc (LSE:KMR, ISE:KMR), one of the world’s largest producers of mineral sands products.
Dr. Dorward-King holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Maryville College and received a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Colorado State University.
RYAN LEVENSON is Principal and Portfolio Manager of Privet Fund Management, LLC. Mr. Levenson currently serves on the Board of Directors of Frequency Electronics, Inc (NASDAQ:FEIM), Hardinge, Inc. (NASDAQ:HDNG), Agjunction, Inc. (TSX:AJX) and Cicero, Inc. (OTC:CICN). Previously, Mr. Levenson served as a director of RELM Wireless, Inc., where he served as a member of the Audit Committee, and as a director and member of the Compensation, Organization and Corporate Governance Committee of Material Sciences Corp. from May 2013 until its sale in March 2014. Mr. Levenson also served as a member of the Board of Directors and Compensation and Audit Committees of The Middleby Corporation from May 2006 until November 2012. Prior to founding Privet Fund Management LLC in February 2007, Mr. Levenson served as Vice President of Business Development at MSI, a privately held building products distributor and construction services company, from 2003 until 2006. Prior to his service with MSI, Mr. Levenson served as a financial analyst for Cramer Rosenthal McGlynn’s long/short equity hedge fund after working at SAC Capital Advisors LLC in a similar capacity.
LASSE PETTERSON has served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since May 2017. Most recently, Mr. Petterson served as a private consultant to clients in the Oil and Gas sector and served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Executive Vice President at Chicago Bridge and Iron (CB&I) from 2009 to 2013. Reporting directly to the CEO, he was responsible for all of CB&I’s engineering, procurement and construction project operations and sales. Prior to CB&I, Mr. Petterson was CEO of Gearbulk, Ltd., a privately held company that owns and operates one of the largest fleets of gantry craned open hatch bulk vessels in the world. He was also President and COO of AMEC Inc. Americas, a subsidiary of AMEC plc, a British multi-national consulting, engineering and project management company. Prior to joining AMEC, Mr. Petterson served in various executive and operational positions for Aker Maritime, Inc., the deepwater division of Aker Maritime ASA of Norway, over the course of 20 years. He spent the first nine years of his career in various positions at Norwegian Contractors, an offshore oil and gas platform contractor.
Mr. Petterson holds both Master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Norwegian University of Technology, and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Corporation.
STEVEN L. LANE has been serving as Vice President, Rivers and Lakes Division Manager since 2015. He is responsible and oversees the R&L division’s performance, business development, project operations, and equipment requirements to better suit the targeted market. He joined GLDD in 2013 as a Project Director until he was promoted to his present position in 2015. He has over 30 years of managerial experience in engineering, special marine vessel construction, and hopper/hydraulic dredging operations.
Mr. Lane attended the University of Minnesota for Mechanical Engineering before starting his career in the shipbuilding business.
Mr. Lightfoot was named Vice President, Finance in May 2019. He joined Great Lakes in 2011 as Senior Manager of Financial Reporting responsible for public company (SEC) reporting. In 2013, he was appointed to the role of Director and assumed financial planning and analysis and tax responsibilities. Prior to Great Lakes, he was a financial consultant to large publicly traded clients and was a divisional Director of Strategy for Equity Office Properties. Mr. Lightfoot has dual bachelor’s degrees in accounting and international business from Taylor University, and is a CPA.
KATHLEEN M. SHANAHAN is a prominent Florida businesswoman with a long and distinguished background in business, politics and public service. Ms. Shanahan has recently been named co-CEO of Turtle & Hughes, an electrical and industrial distribution company headquartered in Linden, New Jersey. Prior, she was the Chairman of Ground Works Solutions, previously known as URETEK Holdings, Inc. Ground Works Solutions is a Florida based company focused on soil stabilization and densification for infrastructure rehabilitation. From 2011 until 2016, Ms. Shanahan served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company.
Ms. Shanahan currently serves as a Vice Chair of the Florida Council of 100, pro bono advisor to the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, board member of BioIQ, board member of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART), board member of Tampa General Hospital, board member & Executive Vice President of Marketing for Turtle & Hughes, and is a member of Women Corporate Directors and the International Women’s Forum.
Previously, Ms. Shanahan was Chairman and CEO of WRScompass, a civil and environmental construction company that experienced significant growth under her leadership from 2005 through 2011. Prior to her executive management posts, Ms. Shanahan was a senior consultant to former New York Stock Exchange CEO John Thain, and a senior executive in charge of public and community affairs at PaineWebber.
Her positions in federal and state public policy include serving as Chief of Staff for Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Chief of Staff to Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, Deputy Secretary of the California Trade and Commerce Agency, Special Assistant to then Vice President George Bush, and Staff Assistant on President Reagan’s National Security Council.
Ms. Shanahan previously served as a member and Chair of Florida’s State Board of Education, the Eckerd Board, the Lincoln Center Institute Board, member of the National Parks Foundation Board – a Presidential appointment, executive cabinet member of the American Heart Association’s Tampa Bay Heart Ball, executive committee member of the Republican National Convention 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee, member of the Terra Sea board, a Great Lakes Dock & Dredge company with Belgian based DEME/DEC, a board member of TRC (NYSE:TRR), which was later taken private after being acquired by a private equity firm, and as Chair of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission.
In recent years, Ms. Shanahan has been honored with the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Inaugural Community Leader Award at the 2012 Business Woman of the Year Gala. In 2011 she received the Governor’s Business Leader Award, and in 2010 she was awarded the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s Arts for Life! Guardian of the Arts Award.
Ms. Shanahan received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego and a Master’s of Business Administration from the New York University Stern School of Management.
RONALD STEGER serves on the Board of Directors of Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Corporation (since May of 2018) as a member of the Audit Committee; Global Eagle Entertainment, Inc. (since April 2017) as Chairman of the Audit Committee. Since September 2015, Mr. Steger has served as the Senior Technical Advisor to the Effectus Group, an accounting advisory firm based in Silicon Valley. He has also served on the Advisory Board of ATREG, a global advisory firm specializing in the semiconductor and related advanced technology verticals, since February 2014; Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. from August 2014 to June 2018 as its Audit Committee Chairman and member of the Corporate Governance and Risk Assessment Committee; and International Seaways, Inc. (from November 2016 to June 2017) as a member of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Risk Assessment Committee.
Mr. Steger began his career with KPMG in 1976 and was admitted into its partnership in 1986. Ron served as an SEC Reviewing Partner from 2003 to 2013, and retired from the firm in December 2013.
Mr. Steger holds a BS in Accounting from Villanova University.
KATHERINE HAYES O’HALLORAN was appointed to her position of Vice President, Corporate Controller in 2013. She served as Company Treasurer since 2011 and previously held the role of Director of Investor Relations and Financial Reporting since joining the Company in 2006. Prior to Great Lakes, Mrs. O’Halloran was Director of Corporate Accounting at TransUnion, LLC. She is a CPA and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from St. Xavier University in Chicago.
MICHAEL STEUERT served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR), one of the world’s largest publicly traded engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management companies, from 2001 until his retirement in 2012. Prior to his service at Fluor, Mr. Steuert served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Litton Industries Inc., a defense contractor acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of GenCorp Inc., now Aerojet Rocketdyne, a technology-based aerospace and defense company (NASDAQ:AJRD), from 1990 to 1999. Mr. Steuert started his career at TRW, Inc.
In addition to his extensive executive leadership experience, Mr. Steuert has substantial board experience including posts as Member of the Board of Directors of LNG Ltd. (ASX: LNG) since 2015 and where he serves as a member of the Board’s Audit Committee and Chairman of its Risk Committee. He has been a Member of the Board of Directors of Weyerhaeuser Co. (NYSE:WY) since 2004 where he is Chairman and Financial Expert of the Audit Committee and a member of the Corporate Responsibility and Governance Committee.
CHRISTOPHER G. GUNSTEN, P.E. serves as Vice President, International Operations with responsibility for acquiring projects, providing estimation data, and leading field supervision of work in progress. Chris began his career with Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company as a Field Engineer in1992. Career highlights include serving as Deputy Project Manager for Chevron’s Wheatstone LNG Project’s Engineering, Procure and Construct dredging subcontract in Onslow, WA, Australia valued at $1.2 billion AUD, as Project Manager executing a series of capital projects for the USACE New York District’s 45 and 50 Foot Harbor Deepening Programs, and as Operations Manager for GLDD’s Øresund Fixed Link Project in Copenhagen, Denmark. He received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Rutgers University.
T. CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS was named Vice President in 2011 having developed and managed the Field Engineering Department from 1996. He joined the Company in 1989 as a Field Engineer Intern and within Engineering roles worked on Company projects throughout the US and Middle East. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Murray State University and a Master of Business Administration from Lewis University