Leadership

Board of Directors

Richard M. Kunnath, PE
President
Richard Kunnath is the Chief Executive Officer for Pankow Operating, Inc., the holding company for the Pankow group of companies which include Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd., Pankow Special Projects, LP and Mid-State Precast, LP. Mr. Kunnath joined Pankow in 1979 and has been in the construction industry for more than 30 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Detroit, and is a registered Civil Engineer, a licensed contractor and real estate broker in numerous states. In 1993, Mr. Kunnath was among a handful of practitioners who founded the Design-Build Institute of America. He served as its National Chairman in 1995, helped to found the Design-Build Education and Research Foundation, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of its successor organization, the Foundation for Integrated Services.

Judy L. Vawter
Vice President
Judy Vawter began her association with Charles J. Pankow in 1985. In 1989, she became the curator for his extensive fine arts collections comprising more than 1,200 pieces of Asian and Egyptian Antiquities, Russian and Greek Icons, Impressionist and Post-impressionist paintings and Pre-Colombian Antiquities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Arts and Humanities (Cum Laude) from the John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California, and a Master of Arts in Museum Studies (Cum Laude) from San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California.

Timothy P. Murphy, Esq.
Secretary and Chief Financial Officer
Timothy Murphy is an 18-year Pankow company veteran and the former Chief Financial Officer of the Pankow Companies. Prior to joining Pankow, he worked in public accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the California State Bar. Mr Murphy holds both a B.A. degree in accounting and a J.D. degree from Gonzaga University, as well as a Master of Law degree from Boston University.

Ron Klemencic
Board Member
President, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Ron Klemencic is President of Magnusson Klemencic Associates, a major international structural and civil engineering firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Ron earned his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and his master’s degree in Structural Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He has served as a Charter Member of the Charles Pankow Foundation National Advisory Council since 2006 and has been instrumental in guiding CPF's strategic and functional directions in the Foundation's initial start-up period.
   Ron has acquired a reputation in the building industry as an "idea guy," based on his success in advancing innovative engineering solutions for large buildings and for his innate ability to "see the big picture." His unique contributions can be seen in his many structural projects that are found in 16 states in the U.S. and in 13 other countries.
   From 2001 through 2007 Ron was Chairman of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the only international organization that brings together all the disciplines involved in creating the global urban environment. He led the development of standards and criteria for naming the tallest buildings in the world; organized professional conferences on tall buildings in London, Seoul, New York among others, and represented the Council publicly on wide-ranging subjects relating to tall buildings and their effect on community life. Currently he is active with the American Concrete Institute; the Structural Engineers Associations of Washington, California, and Illinois, and the Young President's Organization.

Executive Director

Robert K. Tener, P.E., Ph.D., DBIA
Robert K. Tener, P.E., Ph.D., was installed as Executive Director of the Charles Pankow Foundation in March, 2005.
   Dr. Tener is a nationally recognized leader and educator in construction and engineering. He taught civil and construction engineering in Purdue University’s School of Civil Engineering and earlier served on the engineering faculty at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has authored numerous publications and presentations on industry-university partnering; experiential learning; design-build, and other subjects.
   His prior positions in industry include major management responsibilities in large-scale building programs in the public and private sectors. Dr. Tener completed a 27-year career in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the rank of Colonel. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in structural engineering from Iowa State University; is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a registered professional engineer, and has earned the Designated Design-Build Professional certification.

Advisory Council

The CPF Advisory Council was inaugurated in December, 2005. Comprised of senior leaders from across the U.S. building construction sector, this body provides invaluable guidance to the Board of Directors and Staff, helping us gain focus in the Foundation's primary work of advancing innovation in building design and construction.

Advisory Council Members

Steven M. Baldridge, P.E, S.E.
President, Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering
Honolulu, Hawaii

Glenn R. Bell, P.E., SCE
CEO, Simpson Gumpert & Heger, Inc.
Waltham, Massachusetts

Gregory R. Gidez, AIA, DBIA, LEED AP
Manager of Design Services, Hensel Phelps Construction Co.
Greeley, Colorado

Thomas F. Gunkel
President and CEO, M. A. Mortenson Company
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Patrick MacLeamy, FAIA, LEED AP
Chairman, HOK, Inc
San Francisco, California

Professor Jeffrey S. Russell, Ph.D., P.E.
Chair, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, Wisconsin

Mark P. Sarkisian, P.E.
Vice President for Design, Skidmore Owings and Merrill, LLP
San Francisco, California

Hans A. VanWinkle, P.E.
Program Manager, Parsons Brinckerhoff
Johannesburg, South Africa