Across North Texas, companies are promoting and hiring people to take on leadership positions within their organizations. Dallas Innovates covers prominent personnel moves in Dallas-Fort Worth businesses and nonprofits—from the newest startups to well-established companies. Here are people moves tied to innovation and technology in the region.

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Jacobs appoints Hickton new COO, president of aerospace, technology, and nuclear business

Dallas-based global engineering and design company Jacobs announced that Dawne Hickton has been appointed chief operating officer and president of Jacobs’ Aerospace, Technology, and Nuclear business.

As a result of the executive appointment, Hickton has stepped down as a director of the company, Jacobs said. She is now a member of the company’s executive leadership team.

The appointment, effective June 3, comes with the retirement of Terry Hagen, who has been with Jacobs for more than three decades. Hagen will begin serving as an executive strategic adviser to Chair and CEO Steve Demetriou, overseeing integration planning for Jacobs’ recently announced pending acquisition of KeyW, as well as other business improvement initiatives across the company.

Transplace names Harding as vice president of data science

Matthew Harding

Transplace, a Frisco-based provider of transportation management services and logistics technology solutions, announced that Matthew Harding has been appointed senior vice president of data science. 

The company said that Harding will lead its Data Insights & Analytics team to derive useful and actionable insights out of internal network data, while supporting partnership and collaboration with companies with expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Harding joins Transplace from Chainalytics, where he was vice president, freight market intelligence consortium. There, he developed transportation market intelligence products for shippers and third-party logistics providers.

He will report to Transplace Chief Technology Officer Jim French.

Projekt202 promotes Sims to technology practice lead in Dallas

Mark Sims

Projekt202, a leader in experience-driven transformation for the world’s most-respected companies and well-known brands, announce that Mark Sims has been promoted to technology practice lead in the Dallas office.

Sims joined projekt202 in January 2012 as a UX designer, and has been a senior UI developer and managing architect. In August 2018, he was named director of technology in Dallas.  

“Over the last seven years, Mark—as both an individual contributor and people manager—has helped projekt202 grow, having successfully worked with a variety of clients. In addition, he has assisted in several major pursuits and worked closely with the Business Development team to further enrich and develop our client relationships,” General Manager Kevin Fisher said in a statement.

Boudreaux named CFO at BioNorth Texas Inc.

Darlene Boudreaux

BioNorth Texas Inc. announced that Darlene Boudreaux will be its new Chief Financial Officer. 

She will be working with President and CEO Jorge Varela, who joined BioNTX in October. The organization represents the life sciences industry for 26 counties in North Texas, including those in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington. The organization said the former CFO Dave Carlson will remain on the board of directors.

“I’m excited to be working again with Darlene,” said Varela. “She brings not only financial expertise but deep entrepreneurial experience as founder and CEO of her own pharmaceutical company, as well as several years of coaching life science entrepreneurs as the Executive Director of TechFW, and starting the Cowtown Angels investor group in Fort Worth.”

Wang joins Cushman & Wakefield as research director 

Ching-Ting Wang

Ching-Ting Wang has joined Cushman & Wakefield’s Dallas office as research director.

Most recently, she served as senior research manager for CoStar Group in Richmond, Virginia. Wang will manage all of Cushman & Wakefield’s research activities in Dallas, and will lead the research team as it monitors and analyzes local commercial real estate activity and trends. 

This insight will be invaluable across service lines and property types, aiding the firm’s brokers in business development efforts and client consultation.

“This is a critically important role, and we could not be more excited to have Ching-Ting’s leadership, energy and experience,” Ran Holman, managing principal of Cushman & Wakefield, said in a statement. “She will make an immediate impact.”

Masergy names Gotes as chief human resources officer

Maria Gotes

Plano-based Masergy—a provider of managed SD-WAN, cloud communications, and managed security solutions—announced that Maria Gotes has been named chief human resources officer to lead its global HR organization.

Gotes brings more than 15 years of experience leading human resource teams to her new position. She has held senior positions across recruitment, operations, and strategic talent development at several leading technology companies. 

She comes to Masergy from TriTech Software Systems, where she was senior vice president of human resources. There, Gotes oversaw the HR function, focusing on employer branding, employee engagement, and corporate culture. 

Dave & Buster’s names Bowman as SVP and chief financial officer

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Inc., a Dallas-based owner and operator of entertainment and dining venues, announced that Scott J. Bowman was elected as senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Previously, Bowman was senior vice president and chief financial officer of Hibbett Sports Inc.

“Scott brings a proven track record of success and deep experience working with brands that, like us, are focused on creating a great customer experience,” CEO Brian Jenkins said in a statement. “His strategic vision, financial discipline, and care for the people he supports will make him a great addition to our senior team.”

Dave & Busters also announced Joe DeProspero to the role of senior vice president, supply chain and business development. DeProspero has served as interim chief financial officer since August 2018. Before that, he was vice president of finance from May 2010 to August 2018, and was assistant vice president from August 2006 to May 2010.

McKenzie joins FTI Consulting in Dallas as managing director

Peter McKenzie

Washington, D.C.-based advisory firm FTI Consulting has appointed Seth Arnold and Peter McKenzie as managing directors, with McKenzie joining the transformation practice in Dallas.

Arnold will join the company’s turnaround and restructuring practice in New York.

FTI said it has continued its investment into restructuring and business transformation services for power and energy sector clients. In November, the company added Jim Franks as a senior managing director in Dallas, focused on delivering business process transformation services for energy companies.

McKenzie has 25 years of industry and consulting experience in business development, IT transformation, and project management, and will support energy sector clients with operations and corporate strategy.

DHG names Grasher as Dallas tax market leader

Chris Grasher

Dixon Hughes Goodman, a leading national public accounting and advisory firm, announced it has new office in the Victory Park area of Dallas, and that Chris Grasher has joined the firm as Dallas Tax Market Leader.

Troy Taylor also joins the DHG Dallas office as a tax senior manager. 

Grasher will lead growth in tax specialty services across a variety of industries, DHG said in a release. He has more than 38 years of experience serving multinational businesses with federal, state, local, and international tax planning as well as prior market leadership at a global public accounting firm.

DHG has had a presence for more than 20 years in Fort Worth.

Domercq joins the DMA as assistant curator of European art

Julien Domercq

Julien Domercq has been named as the Lillian and James H. Clark Assistant Curator of European Art at the Dallas Museum of Art. He will begin his new role on May 14.

The appointment was announced by Agustín Arteaga, the DMA’s Eugene McDermott Director. 

Domercq joins the museum after serving as the Vivmar Curatorial Fellow at the National Gallery in London from 2016 to 2018, the DMA said in a release.

Domercq will contribute to the European department’s research, exhibition, and collection programs under the direction of Nicole R. Myers, the museum’s Barbara Thomas Lemmon Senior Curator of European Art.

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