CDM Smith

Abraham Nejad is a senior project controls specialist whose expertise includes hands-on field supervision, project engineering, controls and project management experience in leading medium to large-scale horizontal and vertical construction projects. Through his work on multi-million-dollar design-build projects like Clean Harbors, Cambria and Camp Pendleton, Abe has improved water and air quality and performed system upgrades that have benefited countless communities. His work in advanced scheduling techniques such as stochastic modeling has also benefited clients in effectively managing schedule and costs contingencies on major projects. 

Al LeBlanc is a civil engineer with nearly 30 years of experience in water treatment design and construction. Al is inspired “when smarts and diligence translate to real-world benefit. Whether the project is small or large, it inspires me to see amazing results come from the solid use of fundamentals and attentive engineering work.”

Al’s expertise lies in municipal water and wastewater treatment, PFAS removal, hydraulic piping and pumping analysis, sanitary and storm sewer collection systems, application of sustainable design concepts, and construction cost estimating.

He also served as Chair of the New England Water Works Association Filtration Committee for eight years and has led training courses on filtration and granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption design and operation for the past 17 years. In addition, Al received the CDM Smith President’s Award for Mentorship in 2017 for his tireless work to guide and encourage young engineers. “I’ve been fortunate in my career to learn a ton, work on some great projects, and accomplish many of my goals,” he says, “so I’m always excited to have the opportunity to give back.”

Al’s passion project involves leading the charge to study and treat “forever chemicals,” AKA PFAS and other emerging contaminants, doing cutting-edge work that’s helping to set the standard for the water industry like the study and design for PFAS removal in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Tony's favorite quote is "there is no limit to what a person can do or where they can go, if they don't mind who gets the credit." Whether it is working on the largest wastewater treatment plant in the world – and the largest in Antarctica – or relocating his family to a new city and finding a pick-up hockey team, he believes the "no-limit" approach. It is all about the team. "As President and COO, it's my mission to make decisions aligned with our vision, and to connect and empower our staff to deliver on our four differentiators of providing legendary client experiences, unmatched employee experiences, to innovate and differentiate, and to remain private." Tony's equally passionate about the importance of mentoring. He gives this advice to an upcoming engineer: "While it's important to be an expert in your field, always maintain a broad perspective and get as much exposure to other areas as you can. Don't limit yourself."

Julia's passion for marketing and communications began when she realized the power of words. When she realized the impact, reach and connections that a brand can achieve by knowing who they are and how to capture what they value. This passion compelled her to change from an engineering major and join the world of marketing and communications. Now, as Chief Marketing Officer, she has the opportunity to cultivate the CDM Smith brand - which she holds close and believes is uniquely special. "In the fast-pace world we live in today and the multiple channels available to connect with each other, our clients and potential clients, there is a short window to tell our story and make it resonate. That's why my job is both challenging and rewarding. I love sharing the CDM Smith story whenever I have the opportunity to attend conferences, client meetings or visiting our offices."

From his competitive nature playing tennis and soccer, Thierry knew that his career would involve keeping score. An advocate of the power of analytics, Thierry knows that behind all of the numbers and financial data are people – the people who serve our clients with excellence and who make CDM Smith such a great place work. He believes that having a forward-thinking mentality drives better business decisions and providing people with the latest technologies to predict reliable forecasting will enable the firm to look to the future and adapt quickly with emerging trends. “The finance profession can seem very removed from the people side of the business, but I believe it’s through smart, analytics-driven decision making that we can provide the very best experience for our clients and employees.”

A key goal for Tim, and the rest of the Executive Leader Team, is to further advance the vision of unmatched client service, aggressive growth and performance excellence. Read more about Tim's career journey, why he believes open and transparent communication is vital to effective leadership, and what he hopes to be his legacy as CEO. 

Project manager Afaf Musa pursued her dream of a career in STEM by leaving her home in Jordan and moving across the world to get her engineering degree from the Ohio State University. Now based in our Columbus office, Afaf is an experienced water resources engineer, skilled in analyzing wastewater, combined and stormwater models, siting and designing green infrastructure, and developing SWMM models.

She has over a decade of experience implementing control rules to mimic system operation, performing alternatives analysis and RDII analysis, simulating bioretention facilities, as well as applying GIS and field data for hydraulic and hydrogenic systems for SWMM 5 model development.

Afaf is also dedicated to public service, having won the Kenneth J. Miller Founder’s Award for service to Water for People and serving as a mentor for OSU’s AWARES Program, which supports female students in engineering and STEM programs.

“CDM Smith cares about its employees and offers multiple programs to support their career from the first day they join. There is a lot of competition out there, but nothing compares to the effort CDM Smith provides to support its people,” Afaf says about her commitment to the firm. 

Aamod Sonawane is an environmental engineer specializing in waste-to-energy, landfill engineering, and other solid waste management practices. For two decades, he has been finding solutions to every solid waste problem imaginable, from liner design to construction services for pump station and pipeline projects to leachate collection and treatment.

He has assisted in the design and permitting of various solid waste projects, including lined landfills, liner design, transfer stations, landfill closures, landfill expansions, groundwater contamination assessments, drainage systems, gas collection systems, and leachate collection and treatment systems.

Aamod boasts a resume of over 1,000 projects completed, and he is inspired by “being able to sleep well at night thinking I did something good today that has a positive impact on human health and the environment in which we live,” he says.

“I had a huge fascination with environmental engineering as I was growing up. I was fortunate to earn my MS degree at UCF with Dr. Reinhart, aka the Landfill Lady, as my advisor. CDM Smith, which is a relatively big company but also functions as a family, gave me the perfect platform to launch a successful career,” Aamod says.

Ahmad Habibian’s accomplishments in water conveyance are driven by shaping the strategies to expand the boundaries of knowledge through innovative solutions.

With over 30 years of experience, Ahmad specializes in infrastructure management, pipeline rehabilitation and trenchless technology. He has been involved in the planning, design, construction, evaluation, and rehabilitation of water and sewer systems.

He serves as the Editor-In-Chief of the ASCE Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering & Practice, and has also lent his expertise to several EPA WERF- and WaterRF-sponsored research projects. He has held several leadership positions with ASCE and AWWA, including Chair of ASCE’s Pipeline Division Executive Committee (EXCOM), founding member and Chair of ASCE’s Underground Pipelines Asset Management Committee, and founding member and Chair of the ASCE’s Technical Committee for Trenchless Installation of Pipelines.

Ahmad joined the firm “because of the company’s rich history, commitment to the highest level of ethical standards, nurturing collaboration among highly talented and enthusiastic staff, challenging work experiences, career growth and ownership opportunities.”

Ahmad Habibian’s accomplishments in water conveyance are driven by shaping the strategies to expand the boundaries of knowledge through innovative solutions.

With over 30 years of experience, Ahmad specializes in infrastructure management, pipeline rehabilitation and trenchless technology. He has been involved in the planning, design, construction, evaluation, and rehabilitation of water and sewer systems.

He serves as the Editor-In-Chief of the ASCE Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering & Practice, and has also lent his expertise to several EPA WERF- and WaterRF-sponsored research projects. He has held several leadership positions with ASCE and AWWA, including Chair of ASCE’s Pipeline Division Executive Committee (EXCOM), founding member and Chair of ASCE’s Underground Pipelines Asset Management Committee, and founding member and Chair of the ASCE’s Technical Committee for Trenchless Installation of Pipelines.

Ahmad joined the firm “because of the company’s rich history, commitment to the highest level of ethical standards, nurturing collaboration among highly talented and enthusiastic staff, challenging work experiences, career growth and ownership opportunities.”