Relentless Ally since 2005

Christine McAnney is an expert in construction law, including the negotiation, mediation, and arbitration of large and complex construction-related legal matters. A Balfour Beatty Relentless Ally since 2005, Christine currently serves as Vice President and General Counsel for US Civils operations.

Christine obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Florida and her juris doctor from George Mason University School of Law. She maintains multiple state bar admissions, is a panel member of the American Arbitration Association, and is a Fellow and Board Member of the American College of Construction Lawyers.

A true leader in construction law, Christine also played an integral role in founding the Construction Industry Ethics and Compliance Initiative (CIECI), a non-profit association of U.S. construction industry participants dedicated to the promotion of integrity and ethical conduct in construction. She currently serves as CIECI treasurer.

Apart from work, Christine enjoys spending time with her family and her two lovable Irish Wolfhounds.

Relentless Ally since 2014

Jenni Kelley serves as Balfour Beatty’s chief financial officer where she oversees the financial operations of the company’s US Civils business.

With 20 years of corporate finance experience, Jenni began her career in construction traveling worldwide to offices and projects for Ernst & Young’s Assurance practice. Before joining the Balfour Beatty team, she also worked for a large hotel and resort chain where she contributed to the company’s largest acquisition.

A Relentless Ally since 2014, Jenni has successfully led teams through reorganizations, system conversions and finance transformations where she has leveraged her expert skills in financial reporting, accounting, treasury and financial systems.

Jenni received her bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in finance from Texas A&M University, and she maintains her status as a Certified Public Accountant. She enjoys traveling to new countries, experiencing new cultures and discovering the outdoors with her husband and son.

Relentless Ally since 2006

Kelly Phariss serves as vice president of the company’s Civils operations in the West where he manages its diverse project portfolio within the rail, highways and bridges and water sectors in California, Oregon and Washington. 

Kelly is a long-time Balfour Beatty Civils teammate and is a critical leader on Los Angeles World Airport’s (LAX) Automated People Mover (APM) project. In addition to his role as vice president, he will also serve as deputy director on the LAX APM project and support and pursue opportunities that blend scopes of work involving the company’s expert Building and Civils construction services. 

Kelly is a graduate of the University of California, Davis where he received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

Relentless Ally since 2000

Leslee Mallinson is an industry veteran who joined the company in 2000 and serves as our senior vice president of communications. As an experienced and passionate communications advisor, Leslee sits on our executive leadership team and is responsible for delivering strategic communications counsel and marketing and brand management across our entire U.S. business.

Leslee works closely with our operational, marketing and shared services teams to devise impactful communications that support our overall business strategy and our most valuable asset: our people. Among her team, Leslee is known as a caring and dedicated leader whose infectious laugh can be heard from a mile away.

Leslee is a graduate of Austin College and an active volunteer in the Dallas community that Balfour Beatty has helped build. In her spare time, Leslee enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and two teenage sons.

Mark Johnnie serves as senior vice president and chief operating officer for Balfour Beatty's civils business overseeing operations and delivery of highways and bridges projects throughout the United States, where he brings a strong local reputation and capability to Balfour Beatty clients. 

After an extensive career with some of the construction industry's most successful companies, Mark joined Balfour Beatty in 1998. In his tenure with the company, Mark has managed or overseen some of our most notable projects, including the San Mateo Bridge Widening, Smith Creek Parkway, Surf City Bridge Replacement, U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass, Maysville Bypass and the Northeast Water Purification Plant.

Since 2007, Mark has served various leadership roles in the Carolinas Association of General Contractors (CAGC) and beginning January 2023, he will serve as chairman of the CAGC Board of Directors.

Mark graduated from Oregon State University and holds two bachelor of science degrees – one in construction engineering management and the other in business administration. Mark is a father of three, grandfather of two and loves spending time with his family. He also enjoys the outdoors, whether on a bike as president of Cape Fear Cyclists or just in his yard.

Relentless Ally since 2001

Richard is a 40-year construction industry veteran who began his career as a chartered quantity surveyor for several construction companies in England and Ireland before relocating to the U.S.

In his critical role as senior vice president of national safety for Balfour Beatty’s US Buildings and Civils operations, Richard’s mission is to ensure Balfour Beatty continuously improves safety and sustainability practices across the company by creating safe and environmentally responsible workplaces for our teammates, industry partners and the public. He is responsible for leading efforts that reduce workplace injuries with the goal of achieving Zero Harm and enhance our impact on the environment by working with supply chain partners, clients and communities.

Throughout his career and tenure at Balfour Beatty, Richard has attained an unsurpassed understanding of how to successfully manage and deliver large-scale, complex and progressive delivery-model projects while being an outstanding champion for safety. He is known for his executive leadership and oversight of some of the company’s largest federal and healthcare sector projects to date, including Penn Medicine’s new Pavilion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center expansion and renovation as well as the National Institutes of Health – Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Relentless Ally since 2008

Sarah Brand serves as vice president of national business acquisition for Balfour Beatty’s national operations where she is responsible for the development and support of strategic pursuits, with a focus on Federal acquisition with other teams. Sarah also supports Public-Private Partnership (P3) programs with the company's Buildings and Investments operations, and she is active in researching U.S. Rail opportunities and partnerships within existing Balfour Beatty geographies.

Since starting her career at Balfour Beatty in 2008, Sarah has successfully led the planning, design integration, and delivery efforts for various civic and social projects partnering with a range of clients from private developers to federal government entities. She has also guided project teams through the successful execution of design-build or team-based delivery methods and played an integral role in the pursuit and delivery of many high-profile projects including the National Science Foundation Headquarters, the Utah Data Center (USACE) and the $700 million design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) Joint Government Center in Broward County, Florida

Sarah is a graduate of Duke University where she received a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering with an emphasis on structures and a certificate in architectural engineering. She is a Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Virginia, a certified Core Clarity instructor, Designated Design-Build Professional (DBIA), and LEED® Accredited Professional.

In her spare time, Sarah enjoys practicing yoga, reading and fishing as well as spending time with her husband and two children.

Relentless Ally since 2019

Steve Williams is a problem-solving leader for Balfour Beatty’s civils business as the vice president of risk management. While promoting a culture of risk awareness, he supports complex projects and bid pursuits with the development of a corporate risk management policy, program and financial structure.

Steve plays an active role in providing solutions and context to the understanding of risks for Balfour Beatty teammates. He is passionate about integrating new technology into the risk methodologies of daily operations to create value through efficiency, safety and positive outcomes.

Although he began his career as a teacher, Steve’s broad perspective on risk management was born from his developmental work for companies across Australia, Canada, Europe, South America and the U.S. His efforts in leading mergers and acquisitions sparked the desire to continually utilize available technologies to overcome business obstacles.

In his free time, Steve enjoys cooking for his family, camping as well as watching college football and baseball. His love of music and travel combine in his occasional performances for a jazz and big band group that have played festivals and community concerts across North Texas, Italy and France, with plans to continue to play across Europe in the future.