Bill Panos

The company’s leadership understands the intrinsic value of innovation and integrated systems thinking. Our deep partnerships with clients provide a solid knowledge base to improve risk mitigation efforts and help them flourish in a risk-aware culture. Gannett Fleming also has a storied history, and it’s a privilege to join this fantastic team.

I was recruited out of high school by an aerospace and defense company. Because of great mentors, I never looked back. I worked in the national safety and security space and world-class automotive manufacturing.

The second half of my career was in government, transforming infrastructure programs and organizations, most recently as the North Dakota Department of Transportation director. I’ve helped ports, universities, and transportation and environmental agencies change how they do business and serve citizens.

Organizational transformation, complex infrastructure programs, and projects that improve people’s daily lives.

I helped to establish groundbreaking environmental affairs programs for one of the largest technology companies and the nation’s largest university system.

My work involves integrated systems thinking, applied in complex physical planning and development organizations.

These system-based approaches are a set of concepts, a toolkit that enables us to organize complexity, focus on outcomes, and manage risks. I will serve our clients and the firm’s vision by collaborating with our teams and using systems thinking to find sustainable solutions to our most challenging problems.

Change is with us, and organizations that can learn the fastest will adapt and grow. I see a future for Gannett Fleming where team members will move toward deeper employee engagement and learning organization characteristics. Employees will see new initiatives to prioritize, measure, and optimize engagement, and we will continue to acquire, retain, and exchange advanced knowledge with clients.

At the TRW Automotive Group, I was fortunate to be nominated and receive the Chairman’s Award for Innovation for my efforts to eliminate chlorofluorocarbons. My work in Massachusetts was nominated for and won the Harvard University/Ford Foundation Award for Excellence in American Government. I am a Henry Toll Fellow with the Council of State Governments and was president of the Western Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials. Most of all, I am proud of the countless colleagues, clients, and communities I have served.

Gratitude, integrity, empathy, courage, and respect.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), authoring its first national DEI resolution and founding the first national DEI task force.

At Gannett Fleming, we solve our clients’ most complex problems, and there must be diverse opinions, backgrounds, and approaches from different people to develop the best solutions and achieve true success as trusted advisors.

I trust my intuition and have always worked to develop self-awareness and self-acceptance. I look for work that I am passionate about, set long-term goals, and live with clear intentions. I love to learn and seek knowledge in both challenges and failures. I am curious, enthusiastic, courageous, focused, and positive, and I believe there are unlimited opportunities available to me.

My wife, Michelle, and I are committed to supporting local, national, and international organizations dedicated to providing community services, improving education, and supporting veterans. As I start a new journey with Gannett Fleming, I plan to spend more time volunteering with Ashoka, an international organization that supports the world’s leading social entrepreneurs.

For many years, my family camped in the Sierras of California. These annual vacations formed the basis of a deep and lifelong appreciation of the natural world. Today, this family tradition still resonates in my work and personal life.

Minor League Baseball, supporting the arts, boating, fishing, and international travel.

After a 20-year absence, we’re making a move to California to be near my father in his twilight years and reconnect with my family and friends.