2026 Speaker Biographies

Keynote Speaker

2026 Keynote Speaker: Eddie Penney

Founder of UNAFRAID & Contingent Group | Speaker & Author | Retired Seal Team 6 & Operator

Eddie Penney is a combat veteran with over 20 years of military service, including as a U.S. Navy SEAL and operator with SEAL Team 6, one of the most elite special operations units in the world. Over the course of multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa, Eddie was involved in some of the most high-stakes missions of the Global War on Terror — including Direct Action raids, Medical Evacuations, Security Advances, Intelligence
Gathering, and Dignitary Protection.

After retiring from the military, Eddie founded Contingent Group in 2013 — a security and consulting firm that provides global solutions for individuals, families, and corporations facing high-risk situations and complex threats. 

Today, Eddie is the founder and driving force behind UNAFRAID — an apparel, media and mindset platform empowering people to confront life’s battles through faith, courage, and leadership. Through unfiltered storytelling, coaching, speaking engagements, and podcasts, Eddie equips others to face adversity head-on and live boldly with purpose.

Utility Division Speakers

John Chambers, AGC of America Utility Infrastructure Division Director

John Chambers is the Utility Infrastructure Division Director for AGC of America, serving in this role since November 2023. While John is relatively new to AGC, he has over ten years of experience working in Washington in various government relations, public affairs, research and communications roles.

In his role as Utility Infrastructure Division Director, John leads AGC of America’s government relations profile on utility construction, including water and wastewater facilities and pipelines, energy generation and transmission, telecommunications infrastructure, and other underground specialty work like excavation, tunneling, boring and site preparation. John frequently collaborates with various federal stakeholders in Congress and at federal agencies, such as EPA, PHMSA and NTIA, where he advocates on behalf of contractors engaged in utility projects across the country. He also coordinates UID participation in various coalition groups and spearheads AGC’s various utility-based meetings and events.

Before joining AGC, John worked at the American Sportfishing Association as Public Affairs Manager. Additionally, John worked as a researcher in various public affairs and campaign consulting firms throughout Washington, DC. John started his career on Capitol Hill in the Office of U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, where he mostly worked on issues relating to energy, the environment, transportation and infrastructure.

Prior to entering the work force, John attended the George Washington University where he studied Political Science. John lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Abby, and dog. Originally from New Hampshire, outside of work you can find John spending time outdoors, experimenting with new recipes on the grill and cheering for the Boston sports teams.

Mark DeVerges, Forvis Mazars Director

Mark DeVerges joined the FORVIS Executive Search practice unit in 2016, adding nationwide experience with C-suite recruiting to our construction and real estate practice. His background includes placing top executive, finance, operations, and project management talent with general contractors, developers/owners, EPC companies, and specialty contractors. He leads the firm's advisory services and executive recruiting for construction and real estate companies from their Asheville location, working closely with team members across the firm’s footprint.

He is a member of the Construction Financial Management Association - part of the Charlotte Chapter’s Membership Committee - and an Eagle Scout with Boy Scouts of America. He was honored as a “Top 40 Under Forty.”

Mark is a cum laude graduate of Elon University, North Carolina, with a B.S. degree in business and economics.

Kathryn Schneider, Forvis Mazars Director

Kathryn Schneider is a Director at Forvis Mazars, LLP in Middletown, RI. She leverages her more than 25 years of experience as a technology evangelist to advise companies on rationalizing their existing tech stack, identifying redundancies, and strategically selecting tools that align with business goals. Kathryn helps organizations achieve cost savings, agility, and improved performance. She is a summa cum laude graduate of University of New Hampshire, with a B.S. degree in Business Administration.

Highway Division Speakers

Troy Brooks, NCDOT State Construction Engineer

Troy Brooks, P.E. serves as the State Construction Engineer for the NCDOT, where he leads the statewide administration of contract construction projects. With over a decade of progressive experience at NCDOT and in the private sector, he brings deep expertise in highway construction disciplines—including bridge and utility construction, asphalt paving, drainage systems, and traffic control implementation. Throughout his career, he has advanced through multiple leadership roles, providing strategic oversight, technical guidance, and uniform project delivery practices across the state. A results-driven engineering leader, Brooks is committed to innovation, collaboration, and improving infrastructure through sound construction management and contract administration.

Aaron Earwood, NCDOT Regional Bridge Construction Engineer

Aaron Earwood is a graduate of UNC Charlotte and is a licensed Professional Engineer.  He has worked with NCDOT since 1998 and has worked with the Construction Unit as a Bridge Construction Engineer since 2008. He is currently Regional Bridge Construction Engineer.

Carolyn P. Fisher, P.E., SCDOT Construction Alternative Delivery Engineer

Carolyn Fisher is the Construction Alternative Delivery Engineer in the SCDOT Office of Alternative Delivery. In this role she is responsible for administering construction contracts, assisting in design-build procurements, and promoting continual improvements to the Alternative Delivery program in South Carolina. She has worked with design-build highway contracts for over 15 years. Carolyn has spent her career in the public sector, working with the Federal Highway Administration prior to joining the SCDOT in November 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and is a Registered Professional Engineer in South Carolina.

Chris Gaskins, P.E., PG, DBIA, CPM, SCDOT Director of Alternative Delivery

Chris Gaskins is the Director of Alternative Delivery for the South Carolina Department of Transportation where he leads an innovative, 22-engineer group that oversees the delivery of statewide design-build projects. Chris is an active member of DBIA and a recipient of DBIA’s 2018 Transportation Leadership Award.  He has also achieved DBIA Certification along with every member of the SCDOT Office of Alternative Delivery.  

Before joining SCDOT in 2007, Chris spent 10 years with Law Engineering as a project manager and senior geotechnical engineer where he worked on one of South Carolina’s first design-build projects in the late 1990s.  He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology and civil engineering, respectively, from the University of South Carolina. Mr. Gaskins is a Registered Professional Engineer and a Registered Professional Geologist in the state of South Carolina and is a Certified Public Manager.  He has 28 years of experience in geotechnical engineering and more than 15 years of experience in various aspects of alternative project delivery. 

Robbie Isgett, P.E., SCDOT Chief Engineer of Alternative Delivery and Construction

Robbie Isgett is the Chief Engineer for Alternative Delivery and Construction. Mr. Isgett has over 24 years of service with the South Carolina Department of Transportation. He began his career at SCDOT in 1999 as an Assistant Regional Construction Engineer in the Lexington Construction “A” Office. He has held the positions of Resident Construction Engineer, Assistant District Construction Engineer, and District Construction Engineer in District One. He served as Director of Construction from 2019 until being named Chief Engineer for Alternative Delivery and Construction in July 2024.

Mr. Isgett also serves as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of South Carolina. Originally from Darlington, South Carolina, Mr. Isgett is married with two children. 

Daniel Johnson, NCDOT Transportation Secretary

Daniel Johnson’s service as Secretary of Transportation began on Oct. 1, 2025. Appointed to the office by Governor Josh Stein, Johnson builds on his eight years of experience serving in senior executive roles at the N.C. Department of Transportation, including most recently as deputy secretary and general counsel.

Johnson’s service with the Department of Transportation continues a career that has largely been devoted to public service. Following his graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he accepted a commission in the U. S. Navy and served as a surface warfare officer on the USS Blue Ridge. 

Upon completion of his military service, Johnson worked for U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, of Georgia, where he focused on issues related to military affairs and veterans. Following a return to UNC-Chapel Hill to attend law school, Johnson served as an assistant district attorney in Wake County before going into private practice.

A native of Hickory, Johnson now lives in Raleigh with his wife and two children. 

Patrick Norman, P.E., Chief Engineer

In May 2025, Patrick Norman became chief engineer of the N.C. Department of Transportation. As chief engineer, he manages and directs the engineering program activities of NCDOT’s 14 highway divisions, Transportation Mobility and Safety Division, the Central Units and the Technical Services Division. 

He is a registered professional engineer and has held several positions at NCDOT during his 24-year career, including chief engineer for the Department’s Turnpike Authority. In this role, Norman oversaw all design, permitting, pre-construction, construction, maintenance, operations and asset management. 

Previously, Norman worked as Highway Division 8 engineer, where he managed all highway related activities for an eight-county region in the central part of the state. During this time, he worked closely with the N.C. Department of Commerce to recruit several of the state’s largest ever economic development projects, including two large production facilities in Chatham County and a large battery manufacturing facility in Randolph County.  Patrick still represents NCDOT as a member of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina’s Certified Sites Committee

He has also served in various central office and field unit positions throughout NCDOT, including division staff engineer, assistant district engineer, county maintenance engineer, district engineer, division operations engineer, transportation planning branch manager, director of planning and programming, and director of highway operations. Prior to coming to NCDOT, he worked briefly in the private sector for a small land development planning and design firm in the Charlotte/Lake Norman area.

Norman earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at N.C. State University and is a graduate of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ National Transportation Leadership Institute, NCDOT’s Legacy Leadership Program and the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s Leadership Academy.  

He and his wife, Amber, have one daughter, Kate, and two dogs.

Rob Perry, P.E., SCDOT Deputy Secretary for Engineering

Rob Perry is the Deputy Secretary for Engineering at the South Carolina Department of Transportation. In this role, he is responsible for operating and maintaining the 4th largest road network in the nation with over 4,000 engineering staff, and approximately $1.8 billion annually in construction.

Mr. Perry started his professional career with the South Carolina Department of Transportation in 1999 with their Lowcountry bridge inspection team that is responsible for in-service inspections of roughly 1,000 bridges across six counties. In 2006, Mr. Perry transitioned to SCDOT’s preconstruction division and served as a program manager for the Upstate region.

Mr. Perry served as Director of Traffic Engineering from March 2018 to December 2022. He was promoted to Chief Engineer for Bridges in December 2022 and was named Interim Deputy Secretary for Engineering in January 2024. Secretary Powell appointed Mr. Perry as the Deputy Secretary for Engineering in April 2024.

Mr. Perry holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The Citadel and is a professional licensed engineer in the state of South Carolina. He is also a veteran from his deployment with the First Cavalry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He is happily married to his wife Kelly, and has three children, Kirk, Teal, and Ella.

Justin Powell, SCDOT Secretary of Transportation

Justin Powell is the Secretary of Transportation for the South Carolina Department of Transportation. As Secretary, he is responsible for leading the more than 4,000 employees of SCDOT and managing the day-to-day operations of the agency including its $6 billion construction program and maintenance of the nation’s fourth-largest state highway system.

Secretary Powell joined SCDOT in 2019 as Deputy Secretary for Finance and Administration with responsibility for SCDOT’s $2.7 billion budget and oversaw the growth of the construction program from $3 billion to $5 billion. In 2022, he was promoted to Chief of Staff, serving as the senior advisor to the Secretary of Transportation and led numerous strategic initiatives on the Secretary’s behalf. In 2023, he served as the agency’s Chief Operating Officer.

Before working for SCDOT, he served as Assistant County Administrator in Horry County where he provided financial leadership to the County’s $500 million roads sales tax program, managed a project to restore freight rail service to a three-county region and supported the County’s response to numerous disasters and subsequent resiliency efforts. In addition, Secretary Powell has also worked at other local government agencies including the Dorchester County, the City of Greenville, and Fairfax County, VA.

Secretary Powell was raised in Charleston, South Carolina and is a graduate of James Island High School. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wofford College.

Secretary Powell and his wife, Ashley, have 2 children.

Josh Quattlebaum, P.E., SCDOT Bridge Construction Engineer

Josh Quattlebaum is the State Bridge Construction Engineer in the Director of Construction Office for SCDOT, and the current co-chair of the Bridge Subcommittee for the South Carolina chapter of the Carolinas AGC. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, receiving his BS and MS in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

Prior to joining the department as a geotechnical engineer in 2014, he previously worked in the private sector as a structural designer, materials engineer, and geotechnical engineer with two local consulting firms. Josh is a registered professional engineer in South Carolina and currently resides in Irmo with his wife Leah, also an engineer with SCDOT, and their two children.

Clay Richter, P.E., SCDOT Director of Construction State Construction Engineer

Clay Richter is the Director of Construction at the South Carolina Department of Transportation. Mr. Richter began his career at SCDOT in the Beaufort County Construction Office before transferring to Anderson County. He served as the Resident Construction Engineer in Abbeville, McCormick and Anderson Counties before moving to Columbia in 2016 to become the Road Construction Engineer in the Director of Construction’s Office. Mr. Richter was named the State Construction Engineer in 2021 and was promoted to Director of Construction in 2024.

Mr. Richter received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Clemson University in 2003 and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of South Carolina. He is a 2019 LEAD graduate and is currently in the 2026 Certified Public Manager class. Mr. Richter resides in Lexington with his wife, Ruth, and their two children, Katherine and Will.

Boyd Tharrington, NCDOT Deputy Chief Engineer

Boyd Tharrington is a 1999 graduate from NC State with a BS in Civil Engineering. He has 20+ Years of service with the Department of Transportation which covers five years as Assistant Resident Engineer, twelve years as Resident Engineer, and two years as Division Construction Engineer. He is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina. 

Building Division Speakers

Steven Bimbo, Windle, Terry, Bimbo Construction Law Attorney 

In the principal area of practice of construction litigation, Steven Bimbo represents general contractors, owners, developers, subcontractors, vendors, and sureties at every stage of a construction project, including pre-construction, licensing, preparation of contract documents, bid preparation, bid mistakes, bid protests, change order negotiations, project correspondence, claim preparation, lien claims and analysis, defense of claims, termination, project close-out, and final dispute resolution through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation.

Steven has a long-standing passion for residential and commercial development and construction and a passion for learning and understanding the legal and technical complexities of construction projects. These passions fit well with his career choice as he has gained significant experience arbitrating and litigating all types of construction disputes, from a billion dollar environmental remediation project to large and small scale public and private project payment disputes. Representative matters for Steven cover an array of construction sectors, including buildings, heavy-highway, industrial, water, energy, manufacturing, sewer/waste, telecom, hazardous waste collection, environmental remediation, and residential. Avoiding disputes is as important to him as defending and prosecuting claims.

Maintaining a niche practice handling creditor’s rights litigation, Steven represents creditors and debt collection agencies against individual and class action allegations invoking federal and state consumer protection laws, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

Spending time with his wife, three children, and Golden Doodle “Daisy” is Steven’s favorite way to unwind. He also enjoys making time to play golf, fish, skeet shoot, attend NC State football games, and foster golden retrievers.

Brian Furniss, Point Construction Advisory Group Principal

Brian J. Furniss has served the construction industry for over 20 years, analyzing complex construction projects and providing expert testimony on scheduling, delays, productivity losses, and damages. Mr. Furniss applies his expertise both during and after the construction process, focusing primarily on CPM scheduling, delay and productivity analyses, change and risk management, cost analysis, dispute resolution, and claim analysis. He has provided expert analyses and guidance on projects ranging from $3.4M to over $15B USD.

Mr. Furniss is a licensed Professional Engineer (Industrial) in Florida, Texas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, Virginia, Georgia, and Kentucky; and is a Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP), a Certified Cost Professional (CCP), and a Certified Forensic Claims Consultant (CFCC) with AACE International. He is principal co-author of the books, Construction Delays: Understanding Them Clearly, Analyzing Them Correctly; and Productivity in Construction Projects, and has authored technical papers for construction industry publications. Mr. Furniss is an award-winning speaker, provides training and presentations to universities and construction industry organizations, and is a Fellow with the Project Management College of Scheduling (PMCOS).

Mr. Furniss has experience in airport, bridge, commercial, dam, entertainment, gas, oil, and plastics refinery, government, healthcare, high rise, highway, hospital, hotel, laboratory, multi-family, pipeline, prison, residential, sports arena, theme park, tunnel, transit, water, and wastewater projects in the United States, U.S. Territories, Canada, United Kingdom, Middle East, Australia, and Antarctica.

Additional Speakers

Mark DeShields, Local Artist

Spouse/Guest Breakfast Glassblowing Demonstration

Mark DeShields was introduced to glass pipe making by classmates while studying Scientific Glass Technology at Salem Community College. He was intrigued by the aesthetic appeal and interested in how his technical skills could be implemented in artistic glass pipes.

Shortly after school he moved to Raleigh, NC to work in scientific glass at Prism Research Glass and eventually founded Zephyr Glass with two partners, making glass pipes and smoking accessories.
In 2015, he moved to Asheville to get closer to the large pipe making scene there and expand his artistic career. He is currently dividing his time between Level 42 Gallery and Studio, where he makes a broad variety of production and artistic glass pipes, and NCGC, where he teaches introductory classes.