Leonel Almanzar, PE, BCEE, SECB, DBIA, Ph.D. Joins CDM Smith North America Unit

PHOENIX— CDM Smith is delighted to announce that Dr. Leonel Almanzar, PE, BCEE, SECB, DBIA has rejoined the firm as Design-Build (DB) Development Director in the North America Unit. He has 25 years of experience and expertise in designing water and wastewater treatment plants and associated infrastructure. 

Dr. Almanzar’s new role involves supporting the project teams from the initial pursuit phase through successful delivery. With the total sum of his DB project experience amounting to over $1-billion, Dr. Almanzar brings a wealth of knowledge about the delivery of DB projects including risk management and mitigation, contract and regulatory compliance, conflict resolution, and client relationship management. He is skilled in leading large, multi-disciplinary teams to help clients achieve their budget and schedule goals. 

One of Dr. Almanzar’s most notable contributions while he worked at CDM Smith from 2009 to 2022 was his leadership as design project manager for the Pojoaque Basin Regional Water System, a $140-million DB project in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The project includes a new source water intake system at the Rio Grande River and a new 6.21 million gallons per day water treatment plant to serve the pueblos of San Ildefonso, Pojoaque, Nambé, Tesuque and the applicable Santa Fe County service areas.  

Dr. Almanzar has extensive project experience in water reuse as well, including the Water Replen­ish­ment District’s Vander Lans Expansion, the DB of JR Simplot Process Water Treatment and Return Plant and a DB operation and maintenance program at Camp Pendleton for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest. Addi­tion­ally, he was honored by the Latin American Association of Desali­na­tion and Water Reuse for his technical paper, Reuse of Process Wastewater to Drinking Water Quality.  

Dr. Almanzar obtained his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and is recognized as an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Fellow Member and a Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Fellow Member. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Leonel Almanzar back to CDM Smith,” says North America Unit President Hala Titus. “His expertise in design-build delivery, commitment to excellent client service, and his leadership in water and water reuse will provide our clients with optimal solutions for their challenging water issues.”  

Dr. Almanzar expresses his enthusiasm in rejoining CDM Smith, stating, “I am most excited about collab­o­rat­ing with others to bring the best ideas and innovations to projects. I am looking forward to being part of an orga­ni­za­tion that truly provides value to the clients and the end users.” 

CDM Smith is a privately owned engineering and construc­tion firm providing legendary client service and smart solutions in water, environment, trans­porta­tion, energy, and facilities. Passionate about our work and invested in each other, we are inspired to think and driven to solve the world’s envi­ron­men­tal and infra­struc­ture challenges.