Lawrence R. Dickerson

LAWRENCE R. DICKERSON spent 34 years at Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (NYSE:DO), a deepwater oil and gas drilling contractor, where he served as a member of the Board of Directors from 1998, and 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 time he helped take the company public, and as Chief Operating Officer, during which time he gained substantial operating and commercial experience. In addition to being a seasoned executive, Mr. Dickerson has significant board experience. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR), an oil and gas exploration and production company, and Oil States International (NYSE:OIS), an oilfield equipment services company, since 2014. Mr. Dickerson is a member of the Audit and Nominating and Governance Committees at Murphy Oil Corporation and is Chair of the Compensation Committee and a former member of the Audit Committee at Oil States International. Mr. Dickerson was Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hercules Offshore, Inc. (NASDAQ:HERO), an offshore drilling company, from 2015 – 2016, and served from 2008 – 2012 on the Board of Directors of Global Industries, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GLBL), a subsea construction company sold to Technip in 2011. Mr. Dickerson received a B.B.A. from the University of Texas.

Dr. Elaine Dorward-King

DR. ELAINE DORWARD-KING 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 20 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 as well as 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); Sibanye Stillwater plc (JSE:SSW, NYSE:SBSW); and NovaGold (TSX:NG, NYSE American:NG). Dr. Dorward-King holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Maryville College and received a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Colorado State University.

Ryan Levenson

RYAN J. LEVENSON is currently Principal and Portfolio Manager of Privet Fund Management LLC (“Privet Fund”). Mr. Levenson currently serves on the Board of Directors of Hardinge, Inc. Previously, Mr. Levenson served as a director of AgJunction, Inc. (TSX: AJX) from 2016 – 2019, Frequency Electronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:FEIM) from 2016 – 2017, Cicero, Inc. (OTC:CICN) from 2015 – 2017, and RELM Wireless, Inc. (NYSE:RWC) from 2013 – 2014, where he served as a member of the Audit Committee. He served as a director and member of the Compensation, Organization and Corporate Governance Committee of Material Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ:MASC) from May 2013 until its sale in March 2014, and as a member of the Board of Directors and Compensation and Audit Committees of The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD) from 2006 – 2012. Prior to founding Privet Fund in 2007, Mr. Levenson served as Vice President of Business Development at MSI, a privately held building products distributor and construction services company. Prior to 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. Mr. Levenson began his career as an analyst on the sell side in small cap research for CJS Securities. Mr. Levenson earned a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University.

Lasse Petterson

Kathleen M. Shanahan

KATHLEEN M. SHANAHAN is currently Chief Executive Officer of Turtle & Hughes, Inc., a private, certified women-owned business, which services the industrial, construction, commercial, electrical contracting, export and utility markets. Ms. Shanahan joined the Board of Directors of HireQuest (NASDAQ:HQI) in 2019 and currently serves on the Audit Committee. Ms. Shanahan has served as Chair of Ground Works Solutions (previously known as URETEK Holdings, Inc.), which provides foundation lifting and soil stabilization solutions, since 2011 and previously also served as Chief Executive Officer from 2011–2016. Ms. Shanahan also previously served as the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of WRS Infrastructure & Environment, Inc. (d/b/a WRScompass), an environmental engineering and civil construction company, as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of TRC Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRR) from 2015 – 2017, and as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Executive Compensation Committee of WCI Communities, Inc. (NYSE:WCI) from 2004 – 2007. Additionally, Ms. Shanahan has held numerous positions in government and public policy, having served on the campaigns and administrations as Chief of Staff for Florida Governor Jeb Bush and for Vice President-elect Dick Cheney; Deputy Secretary of the California Trade and Commerce Agency for California Governor Pete Wilson; special assistant to Vice President George H.W. Bush; and as staff assistant on President Ronald W. Reagan’s National Security Council. Ms. Shanahan currently serves on the boards of several private companies, including Lumia Analytics, PRISM, and Tampa General Hospital. Ms. Shanahan is a member of Women Corporate Directors and the International Women’s forum. Ms. Shanahan previously served on the board of TerraSea Environmental Solutions LLC, one of the Company’s previous joint ventures.

Ronald Steger

RONALD R. STEGER Mr. Steger previously served on the Boards of Directors of Global Eagle Entertainment Inc., where he held the position of Audit Committee Chair; International Seaways, Inc. (NYSE:INSW) from 2016 – 2017; Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (NYSE:OSG) from 2014 – 2018, where he served as Audit Committee Chair; and Sentinel Energy Services Inc. (NASDAQ:STNL) from 2018 – 2020. Mr. Steger also served as an Advisory Board Member of ATREG, Inc. from 2014 – 2020. Mr. Steger is currently a Senior Technical Advisor at Effectus Group, a boutique accounting advisory firm that specializes in serving high-growth technology companies. Until December 31, 2013, Mr. Steger worked as an Audit Partner for KPMG LLP, where he served a broad array of clients in the Fortune 1000 and middle market technology, chemical, food service and semiconductor sectors. Additionally, Mr. Steger has gained significant knowledge regarding the marine services industry through his board service. Mr. Steger is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (retired status). He received a B.S. from Villanova University.

Michael Steuert

Earl Shipp

Lasse Petterson

LASSE J. PETTERSON was named Chief Executive Officer in May 2017 and assumed the additional title of President in March 2020. He has served as a member of our Board since December 2016. Prior to his employment with the Company, Mr. Petterson served as a private consultant to clients in the oil and gas sector, and was Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at Chicago Bridge and Iron Company N.V. (NYSE:CBI) (“CB&I”), an engineering, procurement and construction company, from 2009 – 2013. Prior to CB&I, Mr. Petterson was Chief Executive Officer 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 Chief Operating Officer of AMEC Inc. Americas, a subsidiary of AMEC plc (NASDAQ:AMFW), a British multinational 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 is a National Association of Corporate Directors (“NACD”) Board Leadership Fellow. He received a M.Sc., Engineering, as well as a B.S., from Norwegian University of Technology.

Scott Kornblau

SCOTT KORNBLAU was named Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in January 2022 after serving as our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since he joined the Company in October 2021. Prior to joining Great Lakes, he was with Diamond Offshore Drilling in Houston for over 24 years, serving as Vice President and Treasurer from 2007 until 2017, and more recently, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2017 until September 2021. Previously, he worked as an auditor for KPMG.

Mr. Kornblau graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Accounting and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas.

As a member of the Great Lakes’ Executive Team, Mr. Kornblau offers over 25 years of financial leadership, specializing in accounting, financing and strategy.

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.

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.

James Tastard, Ph.D.

JAMES TASTARD, Ph.D. 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.

David Johanson

DAVID JOHANSON was named Senior Vice President, Project Acquisition & Operation after serving as Senior Vice President, Gulf Region. Before that, Mr. Johanson was promoted to Vice President and Hydraulic Division Manager in 2015 and served as Vice President Project Director of Charleston Deepening Projects from 2018-2020 which included the largest dredging contract ever awarded by the US Army Corps of Engineers. He joined the company in 1994 as a field engineer and has held positions of increasing responsibility in project management.

Mr. Johanson earned a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and a MBA – finance specialization from University of South Carolina. He is a current board member of the Western Dredging Association Eastern Branch and is a member of American Society of Civil Engineers.

Christopher G. Gunsten, P.E.

CHRISTOPHER G. GUNSTEN, P.E. was appointed to Senior Vice President, Project Services & Fleet Engineering after serving as Senior Vice President, Project Services. Previously he served 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.

William H. Hanson

WILLIAM H. HANSON is the Senior Vice President – Government Relations & Business Development. A 44 year veteran of the dredging and maritime construction industry, Bill Hanson has been with GLDD for 34 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.

Lynn Nietfeld

LYNN NIETFELD was appointed January 2022 to Senior Vice President, Southeast Region for Great Lakes. Ms. Nietfeld previously served as Vice President – Senior Project Sponsor, Project Area Operations Southeast, and Senior Project Sponsor, overseeing projects in the Southeast and West Coast beginning 2011. Prior to this role, she worked as a Project Manager on several Great Lakes projects, including deepening project in Long Beach, California and the Columbia River. Ms. Nietfeld joined Great Lakes in 1995 as a Field Engineer and offers over 27 years of engineering and operations leadership.

Ms. Nietfeld received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Mark Reid

Mark Reid was appointed January 2022 to Senior 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, and 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 company’s drilling and blasting operations and licensing.

Garrett L. Gibson

Garrett L. Gibson was appointed to Vice President Project Sponsor & Gulf of Mexico Region Manager responsible for the overall acquisition, client management and project execution for the Gulf of Mexico Region. Prior to this, Mr. Garrett was promoted to Vice President, Senior Project Sponsor in 2020, working in the Gulf Region.

Garrett began his career with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company as a Field Engineer in 2000, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University.

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.

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.

Jason W. Campbell

Jason Campbell joined Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company in September 2013 as Risk Manager, and was appointed VP of Health, Safety & Environment in 2021. Jason has over 24 years of experience and has held various safety and risk roles in Oil and Gas, Utilities, Deep Tunnel, and Heavy Civil industries.

Jason has a B.S. in Safety Management from the University of Central Missouri State and served in the U.S. Navy. He is a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals.

Stan Ekren

Stan has over 39 years of experience in the dredging Industry working with 23 USACE District Offices, located on the West, Gulf and East Coast, as well as the Great Lakes, Mississippi River System and mid-America. He has completed numerous project types including Harbor/Channel Deepening, Beach and Marsh Restoration, Land Creation, Car/Rail Tunnel Crossings, Navigation Dredging, and Inland Reservoir Dredging. Additionally, Stan has been involved in the pricing of dredging opportunities on four (4) continents and both the Canadian & U.S. Arctic. Stan’s prior experience includes ownership of B+B Dredging, a small business, Hub Zone Hopper Dredge Company.

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.

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

Trond Ellefsen

TROND ELLEFSEN joined Great Lakes in September 2020, as Vice President for Digital and Innovation. Prior to joining Great Lakes, Mr. Ellefsen spent more than 25 years in several global leadership positions in the oil, gas and energy industries.

He most recently held the position of Chief Executive Officer for an artificial intelligence, analytics and consultancy company providing technical strategies and solutions for FT100 companies, as well as Chief Technology Officer for a Nano technology company.

Mr. Ellefsen holds an Electrical Engineering degree from Gothenburg University and Master’s Program in Technical Leadership & Development from the University of Stavanger.

In September 2021, Mr. Ellefsen was named Vice President, IT/IS & Digital, leading the company’s IT function in addition to implementing the company’s strategic digital initiatives.

Armand F. Riehl

In 2021, Armand F. Riehl was appointed to Vice President, Senior Project Sponsor in the South East Region. Previously, Armand worked as a Senior Project Manager on major US Port Deepening Projects and as a Project Sponsor from 2015 to 2021. Armand also worked in the International Division in various roles including Operations Manager / Project Sponsor for the 48 million m3 Joint Venture Project, Suez Canal Deepening with Dredging International NV.

Armand began his career with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company as a Field Engineer Intern in 2000, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University, and a Masters of Business Administration from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business.

Dave Allen

Dave Allen was appointed to Vice President, Cutter Suction Dredge Fleet Manager in January 2021. Dave’s career progression with Great Lakes includes General Superintendent of Dredging Operations, Hopper Division Dredge Manager, and Project Manager for various large scale projects on the East, West, and Gulf U.S. Coasts. Dave began his career with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company as a Field Engineer in 1998 and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University.