Dewberry appoints David Mahoney CEO to accelerate design‑build growth, challenge Jacobs Solutions

Dewberry names Mahoney to steer design‑build and risk strategy

Dewberry is appointing David J. Mahoney as chief executive officer effective April 1, 2026, a move that sharpens the privately held firm’s emphasis on alternative project delivery and integrated risk oversight. The national engineering and professional services firm, which serves public‑ and private‑sector clients from its Fairfax, Virginia headquarters, is positioning leadership to accelerate growth in design‑build and transportation markets that are also core to larger rivals such as Jacobs Solutions.

Implications for Jacobs in competitive infrastructure delivery

The leadership change signals intensified competition in the U.S. public‑sector infrastructure space where Jacobs operates. Mahoney has been central to Dewberry’s expansion in alternative delivery, having shaped more than 175 design‑build projects and negotiated risk profiles and teaming arrangements with construction partners. For Jacobs, which competes across large engineering, environmental and construction management programs, Dewberry’s push underscores a market trend toward packaged delivery models and tighter owner expectations on risk allocation and multidisciplinary integration.

Jacobs may face renewed pressure to differentiate on scale, technical breadth and integrated program risk management as mid‑tier firms like Dewberry win work by offering streamlined design‑build teams and focused transportation expertise. Clients increasingly prize a single‑team approach that combines engineering, architecture, environmental and construction management — an area where Mahoney’s background in alternative delivery gives Dewberry a sales advantage on certain public‑sector procurements. At the same time, Jacobs’ larger global footprint and program management capabilities leave it positioned to pursue megaprojects and international engagements less accessible to regional operators.

The development also highlights procurement dynamics in state and federal transportation programs, where alternative delivery is gaining traction. Dewberry’s emphasis on teaming decisions and negotiated risk may influence how agencies structure requests for qualifications and proposals, potentially favoring firms that can demonstrate repeatable design‑build experience and integrated risk frameworks — attributes Jacobs already promotes in its bids.

Other relevant details

Mahoney has led Dewberry’s transportation practice since 2017, overseeing about $25 billion in construction and generating over $1.5 billion in firm revenue from transportation clients. He most recently served as president of the holding company, steering alternative delivery operations and risk management across business lines.

Dewberry is a roughly $763 million, 2,500‑person firm entering its 70th year. Donald E. Stone Jr. relinquishes the CEO role but remains in an advisory capacity through June 30, while the firm reinforces commitments to disciplined growth, integrated oversight and expanded public‑sector infrastructure leadership.