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James L. Withiam, Ph.D. - Chairman of the Board
 A principal of D'Appolonia, a geotechnical engineering firm headquartered in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, Dr. Withiam attended Syracuse University where he earned B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering. Since joining D'Appolonia in 1978, Dr. Withiam has been responsible for management and technical direction of geotechnical projects and research studies. His principal areas of expertise comprise: foundations and retaining structures; soil and rock slopes; embankments and dams; remedial design of failed earthworks; characterization of soil and rock; and research investigations, including studies to develop specifications for the design of highway bridge substructures, and the application of nondestructive test methods to detect corrosion of metal-tensioned systems used for geotechnical applications. Dr. Withiam is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society for Testing and Materials, ADSC:The International Association of Foundation Drilling, the Deep Foundations Institute, and ASFE/The Best People on Earth. He is a former editor of the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, and has been chair of the editorial board of Geo-Strata, the magazine of the Geo-Institute of ASCE, since its inception in 2000. Dr. Withiam became a director of Terra Insurance Company in 2001.
R. David Charles, P.E
 Dave Charles is CEO of Duffield Associates, Inc., a 100-person engineering and geoscience firm headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. Licensed as a professional engineer in several Mid-Atlantic states, he joined Duffield in 1982, not long after earning Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in civil engineering from the University of Delaware. In addition to his management responsibilities, Mr. Charles serves as one of Duffield's senior consultants for geotechnical and construction-related projects. Specializing in deep foundations and soft soils solutions, he also provides guidance for many of the firm's projects involving geotechnical evaluations and analysis for foundations, earth structures and pavements, as well as construction observation and geotechnical instrumentation. He has served as principal in charge of some 1,200 projects and has authored a number of technical papers. Mr. Charles serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware, where he is also a member of the Department of Civil Engineering External Advisory Committee. He has served as president of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Delaware and president of the Delaware Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. A member of Tau Beta Pi, Mr. Charles also is active in ASFE/The Best People on Earth and the Deep Foundations Institute.
Gary M. DeJidas, P.E.
 Gary DeJidas began his engineering career with the Pittsburgh office of GAI Consultants in 1972. Ten years later, the firm selected him to open an office in Orlando, Florida, the firm's first office outside of Pennsylvania. Gary started with six employees and the philosophy that he would be successful by providing high-quality services to clients and establishing solid relationships with their representatives. He was right. By 2002, Gary had grown GAI's southeastern operations into a semi-autonomous subsidiary employing 125 professionals in Orlando and Jacksonville. That situation changed in 2003, when GAI consolidated all its operating companies into GAI Consultants, Inc. and elected Gary president and CEO. Today, Gary guides the growth and development of what has become a 600-person, multidisciplinary firm with eight offices in six states, consistently recognized by Engineering News-Record as one of America's top 500 engineering and environmental firms. Gary's technical experience encompasses engineering design, planning, and construction-related services for highway and transit system projects, urban utility networks, regional shopping centers, and industrial parks. Throughout his career, he has been an active member of numerous professional societies, and a contributing volunteer in a variety of community associations.
Kevin B. Hoppe, P.E
 Kevin Hoppe is the board chair, chief financial officer, and treasurer of NTH Consultants, Ltd., an infrastructure and environmental engineering firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. NTH’s staff comprises some 300 employees who serve a diverse Midwest and Mid-Atlantic client base from nine offices throughout Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Mr. Hoppe has more than 25 years’ experience in the fields of geodynamic, geotechnical, and environmental engineering, serving as a project consultant, project manager, project engineer, and expert witness. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in civil engineering from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Michigan State University. In addition to his other duties, Mr. Hoppe manages all NTH business operations, including human resources, information technology, marketing, and accounting functions. He also plays a key role in setting NTH’s strategic direction, and leads NTH’s award-winning Project Management Academy. A past president of ASFE/The Best People on Earth, Mr. Hoppe currently chairs the organization’s prestigious Council of Fellows. He is also affiliated with the Consulting Engineers Council of Michigan, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Society for Marketing Professional Services/Michigan Chapter, for which he chairs the Board of Influence.
Daniel G. Longo, P.E.
 Dan Longo is the founder and CEO of Geotechnical Consultants Inc. (GCI), a 70-person engineering firm headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, with a branch office in Charlotte, North Carolina. A New Jersey native, Dan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (at the time, the Newark College of Engineering). After graduation, he joined the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and enrolled in night classes at his alma mater, earning a master's degree in soils engineering in 1967. He also married and started a family, and was appointed an officer in the New Jersey National Guard. After several years with NJDOT, Dan affiliated with a private-sector organization and, in 1970, moved to Ohio. Nine years later he established GCI. Despite his many responsibilities as GCI's chief executive officer, Dan maintains technical involvement in a variety of major projects. Among these are "The Waterfront," located in Pittsburgh on the site of the original Homestead Steel mill, and the Morgantown (West Virginia) Mall, placed on up to 500 feet of fill. Dan and his wife, Anne, have been married for 40 years. They have four children and seven grandchildren.
Argo T. Parrello, P.E.
 Argo Parrello is president and CEO of French and Parrello Associates, a multidisciplinary engineering firm headquartered in Wall Township, New Jersey. A BSCE graduate of the Newark College of Engineering, Mr. Parrello also attended the University of Illinois, where he earned a Master of Science degree in civil engineering. After graduation, Mr. Parrello served in the United States Naval Civil Engineer Corps as assistant resident officer in charge of construction on various projects in northeast Thailand and the southwestern United States. His consulting assignments have been even more challenging, involving projects such as liquid natural gas facilities, waterfront structures, landfills, high-rise structures, sewage and water treatment facilities, subaqueous crossings, telecommunication systems, below-ground structures, power plants, industrial and institutional structures, residential developments, shopping centers and hazardous waste containment systems. As CEO of the firm, Mr. Parrello focuses principally on short- and long-term corporate planning, client relations, risk management, and image management. He also provides technical oversight and QA/QC control on a number of the firm's other civil and geoprofessional projects.
Andrew Sargeant
 Andrew Sargeant is president of USA Risk Group of Vermont, Inc.("USAVT"), the USA Risk Group subsidiary that serves as Terra's registered agent in Vermont, where Terra is corporately domiciled. As USAVT's president, Andy is responsible for the company's daily operations. He also oversees USA Risk Group's operations in South Carolina, Bermuda, and the British Virgin Islands. Andy began his career in 1980, when he joined Deloitte & Touche in Bermuda, working on the audits of captive insurance companies. He joined Sedgwick Management Services (Bermuda) Limited in 1982 and was appointed Controller in 1985 and vice president in 1989. Three years later, Andy was named executive vice president of Sedgwick Management Services (U.S.), located in Burlington, Vermont, becoming responsible for Sedgwick's captive operations in Vermont, Hawaii, and other U.S. domiciles. Andy joined USA Risk Group in 1995, as vice president of USAVT (then known as Vermont Insurance Management, Inc.). He became President of USAVT in 1996. Andy was admitted as an associate of the Chartered Accountants of England and Wales in 1979 and received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1993.
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