Woolpert’s Federal Market Promotes from Within to Strengthen, Expand, Diversify

DAYTON, Ohio (May 14, 2021) — Woolpert has put the shift on in the federal market, promoting from within and making key hires to have a broader influence worldwide and to implement a diverse strategy for serving federal clients. Woolpert Vice President and Federal Design Practice Leader Doug Brown has been promoted to federal market director, assuming the former position of Senior Vice President David Ziegman, while Senior Associate and Senior Project Manager Joseph Bissaillon has been promoted to federal design practice leader, filling Brown’s former role.

From left: Woolpert's Joseph Bissaillon, Doug Brown and David Ziegman.

“Doug has done a little bit of everything for the market for close to 18 years, and he has earned the trust and respect internally and externally to deliver what is required for every project, every time,” Ziegman said. “He has had a lot of success with federal and military clients, and his background as an Air Force officer has been an asset to his relationships with a variety of federal, state and local officials. Doug is the man for this job.”

Brown is the son of a U.S. Army officer and served in the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineer officer before joining Woolpert’s Fairview Heights, Ill., office. He is a Professional Engineer and Project Management Professional who holds advanced certification in LEED AP Building Design + Construction. Brown said he benefited from the vast experience of Ziegman and other leaders at Woolpert to methodically grow into this key firm role.

“We know what we do and why we do it. It’s important to us to take care of our current and repeat clients and help them achieve their mission,” Brown said. “At Woolpert, it’s not just about positioning people as leaders, but about continuing to build our strengths to optimally execute our projects. It’s great to work at a place where you are appreciated and can continually achieve more for each client and for the firm.”

Bissaillon is a registered architect, Project Management Professional and Green Globes Professional, who also is credentialed in LEED AP BD+C. Brown said he has worked closely with Bissaillon for several years, calling him a team player who excels at everything he does. He has been impressed by Bissaillon’s client and industry knowledge.

“I’ve been consistently working over the last several years to not only advance my skills to best support each project and each client, but to also to effectively lead and mentor others,” Bissaillon said. “I appreciate that this role will give me more opportunity to be influential with our strategic pursuits and key clients, ensuring that we keep moving our design process and the industry forward.”

Woolpert Project Manager John Martin also was moved to the federal market from Woolpert’s landscape architecture discipline, underscoring the firm’s architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) bench strength. Morgan Grohol was hired as a project manager, and Brown said there will be at least one more hire this summer.

Ziegman, who has been with Woolpert for over 30 years, will move into a program director position. Brown said Ziegman “intuitively understands how things work,” and that his knowledge and relationships are invaluable to the firm and its clients. Ziegman added that the market will benefit from some new blood and new ideas.

“It’s good to have someone else take over the leadership that has been in place for so long,” Ziegman said. “The people moving up deserve to be moved up. This is a great team, and it’s time for them to have their fun in the sun. We’re getting some really sharp folks in, and it’s going to pay off for the next 10-20 years.”

Brown said this group of talented individuals will help Woolpert reinforce its strong foundation with the U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy and expand its work with others, like the U.S. Coast Guard.

“The secret formula for being successful is agility and expertise, where you can execute any project, be responsive and make decisions quickly,” Brown said. “We’re the right size firm to offer AEG expertise and support for federal and military clients, from planning through completion, around the world. We look forward to all that lies ahead.”

About Woolpert
Woolpert is the premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG) and strategic consulting firm, with a vision to become one of the best companies in the world. We innovate within and across markets to effectively serve public, private and government clients worldwide. Woolpert is an ENR Top 150 Global Design Firm, recently earned its fifth-straight Great Place to Work certification and actively nurtures a culture of growth, inclusion, diversity and respect. Founded in 1911 in Dayton, Ohio, Woolpert has been America’s fastest-growing AEG firm since 2015. The firm has over 1,100 employees and 42 offices in three countries. For more, visit woolpert.com.