PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Minette Cooper, chief consultant at Cooper and Associates, received a Royal Coachman Award from the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) on April 3. Cooper served as a member of the SORTA board for four years. Cooper has dedicated her life to helping children and her community grow and flourish. In her current role she advises candidates on campaign issues. Metra has hired Alex Z. Wiggins as its deputy executive director for Administration. He will serve as the top administrative officer for the Chicago area commuter rail agency under Metra Executive Director/CEO Alex Clifford. Mary Childress has joined the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) as CFO, announced APTA president Michael Melaniphy. Joseph Lawton, AIA, CCM, has been named HNTB's new national construction management practice leader. As part of HNTB's program delivery initiative, Lawton will lead the construction management practice across HNTB's infrastructure markets.