Woolpert Leadership
Our board and leadership team, guided by Woolpert's principles, are shaping our next era of growth. They represent our team, our culture, and our purpose.
Scott Cattran
Executive Chairman
Neil Churman
President and Chief Executive Officer
Salman Rashid
Chief Financial Officer
Aaron Golden
Chief Growth Officer
Laura Woolford
Chief Human Resources Officer
Carl Lucas
Chief Information Officer
Suzette Stoler
Executive Vice President, Buildings
Bryan Dickerson
Executive Vice President, Infrastructure
Amar Nayegandhi
Global Head of Technology and Innovation, Executive Vice President, Geospatial
Niall Murphy
Executive Vice President, Europe
Scott Cattran
Executive Chairman
Scott supports the company by advancing our strategy, ensuring our culture, and providing governance as chairman of Woolpert's board of directors. His experience at Woolpert spans more than two decades and includes multiple leadership roles, most notably president and CEO of Woolpert from 2015 to 2024.
During his tenure as president and CEO, Scott was responsible for setting the company’s vision and strategy, cultivating a strong trust-based culture, achieving long-term strategic goals, and meeting annual business objectives. He was instrumental in successfully leading the company through significant growth, transforming it from a small, regional firm to a global powerhouse with offices and talented professionals across the globe.
He is dedicated to helping Woolpert advance into the future as a global organization and a great place to work. Scott holds a Master of Business Administration from Duke University and a master's degree in GIS from the University of Edinburgh.
Neil Churman
President and Chief Executive Officer
Committed to global growth, innovation, and building a world-class culture, Neil carries forward Woolpert’s century-long legacy of supporting critical programs for its clients. Prior to becoming CEO, he led the company’s business operations and mergers and acquisitions program as Woolpert’s president. Neil initially served as the company’s first chief corporate development officer.
With a background in driving strategic growth and operational excellence, Neil has led Woolpert through multiple strategic acquisitions, expanding the company’s capabilities across the U.S., Europe, and APAC region. In 2024, under his operational leadership as president, Woolpert delivered the strongest financial performance in its 114-year history.
Prior to Woolpert, Neil held roles at TRC Companies, 7 Mile Advisors, Morrissey Goodale, and Michael Baker International. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, where he earned a Master of Business Administration, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in civil and environmental engineering.
Salman Rashid
Chief Financial Officer
Salman oversees and guides all aspects of Woolpert’s financial operations, including financial planning and analysis, controllership, legal, facilities, and administration, to help facilitate organic and acquisitive growth. In addition to fostering alignment across stakeholders, he is responsible for implementing operational excellence and rigor across the organization through the right governance, processes, technology, and talent.
With more than 25 years of financial and consulting success, including a decade of experience as an operational CFO, Salman has helped global technology and tech-enabled professional services companies strategically expand and advance. Before joining Woolpert, he held leadership roles at Edgile, QuickStart Technologies, and Dell Technologies, where he was part of the team that led the historic $67 billion integration of Dell and EMC Corp, Arthur Andersen, and Accenture.
He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston.
Aaron Golden
Chief Growth Officer
Aaron is responsible for advancing Woolpert’s strategic growth plan by expanding into new markets and driving connectivity and collaborative sales globally, as well as aligning sales, marketing, and service delivery teams to streamline go-to-market efforts and enhance client support.
A visionary sales executive with more than 20 years of experience in accelerating revenue growth, driving digital transformation, and building high-performance global teams, Aaron is a proven catalyst for change across the business. He excels at developing and executing multiyear growth strategies, backed by data and metric-based decision-making to inform strategy and optimize performance.
Through high-impact partnerships with some of the world’s most recognized brands, Aaron has delivered eight- and nine-figure strategic partnerships, fueling innovation, opening new revenue streams, and driving sustainable market expansion across the AMER, EMEA, and APAC regions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in journalism/communications and a Bachelor of Science in sociology from the University of Oregon.
Laura Woolford
Chief Human Resources Officer
Laura oversees human resources strategy, including talent acquisition and development, performance management, and employee relations for Woolpert. As firm grows rapidly and expands globally, her vision and leadership are integral to fostering a supportive and dynamic environment where all employees can thrive.
With more than 25 years of global HR experience, Laura has deep expertise in providing strategic leadership in talent acquisition, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and organizational development. She has built and led HR teams across multiple industries and served in senior roles at companies including GE, Tesla, GoDaddy, and AlertMedia. She also founded an HR consulting and coaching firm that helps companies grow while enriching the staff experience.
She is deeply passionate about helping leaders and employees find their purpose and realize their strengths, allowing them to discover their career’s meaning. Laura earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and history from Purdue University, and a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations and human resource management from Michigan State University.
Carl Lucas
Chief Information Officer
Carl oversees IT strategy, development, integration, operations, and security for the firm’s expanding global architecture, engineering, and geospatial operations. He is also responsible for bolstering Woolpert’s cybersecurity and IT bench strength, improving IT integration processes for acquired firms, and driving a holistic AI program designed to support corporate services, internal IT, generative AI, and operational needs.
With more than 30 years of global IT experience, including 10 years in the geospatial industry, Carl has provided IT strategy and leadership for a variety of tech startups, Fortune 500 companies, and private equity-backed firms, including NV5, BiLD, CoreLogic, and World Fuel Services. His business acumen, innovative mindset, and experience supporting rapidly growing organizations are pivotal to empowering Woolpert to scale with its expanding operations.
Carl holds a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from the University of Rochester, a professional certificate in management and leadership from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a professional certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship from Stanford University.
Suzette Stoler
Executive Vice President, Buildings
Suzette Stoler, FARA, AIA, is responsible for leading and guiding the architects, interior designers, planners, and engineers who serve the firm’s private, public, and federal markets, enabling them to innovate through smart planning, programming, and design.
She has extensive international leadership experience at some of the largest architecture and engineering firms in the U.S., including AECOM, Jacobs, and Stantec. A successful agent of operational change, Suzette has provided inspiration to support myriad design pursuits, fostered customized growth strategies for in-house talent, guided mergers and acquisitions, created and implemented business development strategies, and steered constructive organizational restructuring.
Suzette holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Architecture from Texas A&M University. She is also active with the Society of American Registered Architects regionally and nationally, and has held several leadership positions, including serving as national president of SARA and being awarded fellowship in 2008.
Bryan Dickerson
Executive Vice President, Infrastructure
Bryan Dickerson, IAM, supports the sector’s organic and acquisitive growth, strategic initiatives, operational improvements, investments, and business development.
With nearly 30 years of experience in critical infrastructure, geospatial innovation, and service delivery, Bryan guides Woolpert’s multidisciplinary infrastructure team, providing them with the tools and direction needed to solve some of the most challenging infrastructure problems, from aviation, transportation, water, wastewater, and stormwater to energy. He is also responsible for defining and executing Woolpert’s strategy in an evolving, technology-driven market.
Dickerson previously held roles at Black & Veatch, Esri, and the City of Overland Park, Kansas. He earned a Bachelor of Science in geography, geology, and chemistry, and a Master of Business Administration from Northwest Missouri State University.
Amar Nayegandhi
Global Head of Technology and Innovation, Executive Vice President, Geospatial
Amar works closely with Woolpert’s executive and operational leadership to align, optimize, and expand the firm’s technology portfolio across its globally integrated architecture, engineering, and geospatial platform.
As Woolpert’s global footprint expands, he is responsible for streamlining operational delivery efficiencies, workflows, tools, and processes, as well as building a world-class team to support the firm’s international growth strategy.
A respected American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Fellow, photogrammetrist, and remote sensing scientist, Amar has more than 25 years of experience in technology services. He held leadership roles at Dewberry and Jacobs prior to joining Woolpert. He is also a former director of the ASPRS Lidar Division, co-edited the ASPRS DEM User’s Manual, and has authored more than 65 book chapters, refereed journal publications, and reports.
Amar earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mumbai and his master’s degree in computer science and engineering from the University of South Florida.
Niall Murphy
Executive Vice President, Europe
Executive Vice President, Europe Niall Murphy is the chief executive officer of Murphy Geospatial Group, a Woolpert company. Murphy Geospatial is a private, family-owned geospatial solutions company that delivers a broad range of services, including survey, mobile and indoor mapping, asset monitoring, subsurface engineering, and 3D digital twin development.
Niall is responsible for the company’s overall performance and growth, and for enabling individuals across the organization to progress into senior leadership roles. He and his team continue to lead Murphy Geospatial in strategic alignment with Woolpert, helping expand Woolpert’s geospatial solutions footprint in Europe and supporting the advancement of mapping technology and innovation.
With more than 20 years of experience in the geospatial industry, Niall has been instrumental in many large infrastructure and natural environment projects. Most notably, he spearheaded the development and implementation of the GEOVOLVE25 strategy.
Murphy studied geomatics at Technological University Dublin and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geomatics and land surveying from the university.