Project Management Operations

Raouf S. Ghali is Hill's Chief Executive Officer and Acting President of the Americas. Mr. Ghali oversees Hill’s operations, implements short-and long-term strategic plans, and grows Hill’s businesses in current and new markets. He also acts as the main point-of-contact between Hill’s Board of Directors and the Company’s operations.

Mr. Ghali has been with Hill since 1993, serving in several leadership positions before assuming the CEO title in 2018. He served as President and COO from 2015 to 2018, President of Hill’s Project Management Group (International) from 2005 to 2015, Senior Vice President from 2001 to 2004, and Vice President from 1993 to 2001.

Over the course of his nearly 30-year career, Mr. Ghali has helped to deliver complex, high-profile building projects for clients around the world, including iconic commercial and high-rise developments, defense facilities, and theme parks in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Mr. Ghali has expertise in project cost control, financial analysis, planning and scheduling, procurement and contract administration, claims analysis, and accounting. He is also fluent in five languages.

Mr. Ghali earned a B.S. in Business Administration/Economics and an M.S. in Business Organizational Management from the University of LaVerne.

Abdo Kardous is Regional President (Middle East) with Hill International. Mr. Kardous has 39 years of experience in the design, procurement, construction and delivery of major projects, covering a wide spectrum of building, infrastructure and marine projects in several countries, many involving multi-cultural environments.

Mr. Kardous joined Hill International in 1997 and was instrumental in growing the operations of the firm across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He was subsequently transferred to set-up and grow the project management operations in the Asia/Pacific region where he led many hospitality, leisure, real estate and infrastructure projects in Greater China as well as various South-East and Southern Asian countries.

Prior to joining Hill, Mr. Kardous was the Real Estate Development Manager for the $2 Billion property company responsible for the reconstruction of the historical Beirut City Centre. Mr. Kardous started his professional career in 1982 with a leading Architectural/Engineering practice in the Middle East and led a large project portfolio covering countries in Asia and Africa.

Mr. Kardous earned a B.S., Magna Cum Laude, in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Waleed Abdel-Fattah is Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Hill's North Africa Region. He has more than 20 years of experience in the construction and management of complex capital projects. Mr. Abdel-Fattah's project experience includes airports, hotels and resorts, office buildings, residential developments, retail facilities, civil and infrastructure projects. Mr. Abdel-Fattah manages projects that facilitate business investment and job creation and maintains strong relationships with business clients and the commercial development community.

Mr. Abdel-Fattah holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Ain Shams University in Egypt.

John Milano, PE, Senior Vice President and Managing Director (Europe), is responsible for managing Hill’s operations, performance, and profitability in Europe. He has over 30 years of experience in the construction industry with roles in construction management, engineering, business development and general contracting.  Mr. Milano specializes in the transportation, cultural, education and commercial sectors and is adept with multiple project delivery methods. Prior to joining Hill, Mr. Milano was the New York Territory Manager for a multinational Engineering/Construction firm and the New York Operations Manager for a national construction management firm.

Mr. Milano earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Polytechnic University of New York and an M.S. in Public Administration from Bernard M. Baruch College.  Mr. Milano is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of New York.
 

Todd P. Cooper, PE, LEED AP, CCM, has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President, leading Hill’s operations in the Midwest, especially Ohio. Todd’s areas of expertise include construction management, contract administration, critical path method scheduling, delay analysis and claims analysis. His projects include a focus on public facilities, educational facilities, industrial, manufacturing, water/wastewater treatment, highway and bridge, as well as many other types of projects. During his career, Todd has come to be well acquainted with the unique business conditions and clients in Ohio. His assignments include work for key clients such as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, the City of Columbus, the Ohio Department of Transportation, Cuyahoga County, and the General Services Administration.

Prior to joining Hill in 2010, Todd worked with organizations such as DCK Worldwide, Middough Construction Services, and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. Todd is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, and Michigan. In addition, he is a LEED accredited professional and a certified construction manager. He holds certifications from the Ohio Department of Transportation, OSHA training certificates, and a construction claims certification from Columbus State College and Bricker & Eckler. Todd received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in civil engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

Robert A. Ferguson, CCPM, LEED AP, is Senior Vice President and Southern Regional Manager with Hill International's Project Management Group located in Hill's Houston, Texas office. Mr. Ferguson has nearly 20 years of experience in project management.

Mr. Ferguson’s experience includes job site troubleshooting, management of superintendents and field personnel, purchasing, subcontract and vendor bidding and negotiation, negotiation of change orders and final payment reconciliation, processing submittals, requests for proposals, requests for information and processing of pay applications and invoices. He also has an extensive background in pre-construction services, including estimating, value engineering, purchasing and development of schedules.

Prior to starting his career in the design and construction industry, Mr. Ferguson served as an Operations Specialist Second Class Petty Officer in the United States Navy.

Mr. Ferguson earned a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and he is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional.

Dominick J. Fickeria is Senior Vice President and Northeast Regional Manager, with operational responsibilities in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey.  His 35 years of experience spans the entire construction industry.  Early in his career he held positions as a scheduling engineer and cost estimator. He then moved into the general contracting field where he spent 10 years working as a project manager on numerous at-risk projects. He was a Vice President at URS Corporation and served as the Director of Construction Management .  In this role, he was responsible for the management of over 70 active CM projects with a staff of nearly 400 construction professionals. 

In addition to his role with Hill, he is an adjunct faculty member at New York University Polytechnic, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in construction management. He earned his A.A.S. in civil technology from Westchester Community College and his B.C.E. and M.C.E. in civil engineering from Manhattan College.
 

Dr. Adel K. Jemah, of Hill's Jeddah, Saudi Arabia office, has more than 25 years of experience in structural engineering and project management. Prior to joining Hill, Dr. Jemah was Chief Executive Officer for TPM and was a lecturer at the Cardiff School of Engineering at the University of Wales. Dr. Jemah earned both his B.E. in civil engineering and his Ph.D. in structural engineering from the University of Wales at Cardiff. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Chartered Manager.

Luis Lugo Jr. is Senior Vice President and Regional Manager (Southeast/Caribbean/Latin America) with Hill's Project Management Group. He is based out of the company's Miami, Florida office. Mr. Lugo has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the military and the private sector.  Mr. Lugo’s background includes projects in the transit, airport, housing and educational sectors. Prior to Hill, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer with PACO Group, a construction management firm. Prior to that, Mr. Lugo spent 20 years in the U.S. Army.  

He holds a B.S. in liberal studies from the State University of New York and an M.A. in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. 

Said Mneimne is the Senior Vice President for Hill’s operations in the Asia/Pacific Region (APAC). Having worked for more than 30 years in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, Said has held many diverse roles and responsibilities throughout his career. Said has expertise in property development, land use planning, infrastructure engineering, architecture and interior design, construction, project management, construction management, facility management, asset management, contract administration, operations management, P&L management, budget planning, change management, strategic alliances & partnerships, public-private partnerships, acquisitions & integrations, organic business growth, strategic planning, staff development, performance & quality standards, customer satisfaction, and allegiance leadership performance.

During his career, Said has worked in locations around the world, including the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, UAE, Qatar, and India. His diversity of geographical experience has well positioned Said to support Hill International’s APAC operations.

Said holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering as well as a Master of Arts in International Studies – Administrative from Ohio University, Athens.

Steven B. Morris is a Senior Vice President and Hill’s Aviation Sector Leader. He has more than 30 years of experience in practice building and management, business developing, professional consulting, program and construction management, strategic and sustainable planning-design-engineering management, client and government relations, operations management, project finance and due diligence, project assessment and management, and project controls for commercial and public works aviation programs. Morris has served as Global Vice President Aviation at Jacobs Engineering, and, prior to joining Jacobs, was President and CEO of Morris Airport Consulting, Inc. Mr. Morris has also been a Corporate Officer and Senior Vice President for several other global design and management firms, and has helped to deliver more than US$400 billion in aviation projects around the world. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas in Architecture/Engineering, and is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the American Associate of Airport Executives, and the Airports Council International. 

Edward C. Newman III, P.E., CCM, LEED AP, is Senior Vice President. Newman has more than 30 years of project and construction management experience, including work on office buildings, education facilities, highways, rail and transit, water treatment plants, detention centers and heavy civil and public works.  Prior to this promotion, he was Vice President in charge of business development for the region.  Prior to joining Hill, he was Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Area Manager for Heery International.  Newman earned his B.S. in civil engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  He is a registered Professional Engineer in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, a Certified Construction Manager and a LEED Accredited Professional.

John K. Skoury, PE, is Senior Vice President managing the operations of Hill’s Irvine, California, office and in charge of Hill’s Transit Practice in the Western Region. Mr. Skoury has over 25 years of experience in the construction industry with expertise in managing major highway and rail transportation programs across Southern California. Highlights of Mr. Skoury’s work include his leadership on multiple phases of the Metro Gold Line LRT project, Interstate 105 and LA Metro’s Red Line project.  Mr. Skoury’s work on these programs and projects has involved planning, design, right-of-way acquisition and construction, as well  as community involvement, agency coordination and mentoring and support for minority, women and disadvantaged business enterprises.

Prior to joining Hill, Mr. Skoury served as Director of Highway Infrastructure with STV Inc., before that he worked with EarthTech as Director of Transportation-Construction Management, and prior to that worked with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. as a Transportation Project Manager. Mr. Skoury began his career as an Assistant bridge Engineer with Caltrans.

He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from California State University at Long Beach and is a registered Professional Engineer in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Michael B. Smith is Senior Vice President and Western Regional Manager in charge of Hill International's offices in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona with the company's Project Management Group.

Mr. Smith has more than 27 years of experience in project management for transportation and building projects, including a strong background in program controls, project planning, cost control, estimating, scheduling, forecasting and claims management on both public- and private-sector projects. Mr. Smith joined Hill through the acquisition of KJM & Associates, Inc. in May 2007, where he was Vice President in charge of the Southwest Region. Prior to joining KJM, Mr. Smith was with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. as Program Controls Manager. Before that he was the Southwest Regional Controls Manager for IT Corporation.

Mr. Smith earned a Certificate in Management Practice for Engineering and Technical Professionals from the University of California at Irvine. Mr. Smith serves on the Board of Directors of the Support Sky Harbor Coalition–Phoenix, AZ, and Board of Directors of Friends of Transit–Phoenix, AZ.

Vic Spinabelli, Jr., PE, LEED AP, is Senior Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager for the company. Spinabelli has more than 30 years of experience in engineering, construction and project management in a wide variety of transportation and building projects. He joined Hill in 2010 through the acquisition of dck worldwide, LLC PM Group (formerly Dick Corporation), where he was Vice President of their Construction Management group with offices in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Spinabelli earned a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania and Ohio and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Dr. Samer T. Tamimi, PE, PMP, of Hill's Abu Dhabi, UAE office, has more than 30 years of experience managing major transportation projects including light rail systems, high occupancy vehicle facilities, advanced intelligent transportation systems and bridges. Dr. Tamimi earned both his M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a registered professional engineer in Colorado and a certified Project Management Professional.