Bechtel promotes exec to president of nuclear, security, environmental unit

John Howanitz has been with Reston construction, engineering firm for 39 years

Published July 27, 2021 by Katherine Schulte

Reston-based global engineering and construction company Bechtel Corp. has promoted John Howanitz to president of Bechtel Nuclear, Security & Environmental Inc. He will begin Sept. 1.

Craig Albert, Bechtel president and chief operating officer, said in a statement, “John’s experience in delivery of energy, environmental, national security and mission-critical projects combined with his long record of developing and maintaining customer relationships make him an ideal choice.”

In his new role, Howanitz will oversee a business unit providing engineering, construction, project management and site operations services to the United States, allied nations and the civil nuclear power industry. Projects his unit is working on include the engineering and construction of NASA’s Mobile Launcher 2, the ground platform structure that will be used to assemble and launch blocks rockets and spacecraft for the agency’s upcoming Artemis lunar program.

Howanitz, who has been with Bechtel for 39 years, is currently senior vice president and general manager of Bechtel’s nuclear security and operations business line, overseeing the management, operation and building of sites in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Security Enterprise and commercial projects. He succeeds Barbara Rusinko, who presided over the unit for five years, overseeing its expansion into the space and naval infrastructure markets.

“The men and women on Bechtel projects are passionate, patriotic and dedicated to the mission,” Howanitz said in a statement. “They deliver extraordinary results for our customers, and I’m honored to succeed Barb in this role.”

Founded in 1898, Bechtel provides engineering, construction and project management services. The company has completed projects in 160 countries.

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