FAIRFAX, Va. — Larry L. Melton Jr., PMP, has joined the board of directors of Dewberry, a privately held, national consulting firm. Melton brings decades of experience in engineering and construction to his leadership role, including management of major public infrastructure projects throughout the U.S. and Canada. He spent more than 20 years with Bechtel, where he was a principal vice president and served as design-build project director for the Edmonton Valley Line Light Rail Transit project in Alberta, Canada, and project executive director for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail–Phase 1 in northern Virginia.
Prior to his private-sector career, Melton served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he led Marine units in extended deployments throughout Asia, the Middle East, and South America. He holds an MBA in global management (2005) from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering (1984) from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. Melton is a member of the Project Management Institute, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, and The Moles, a fraternal organization of the heavy civil construction industry. In addition to his professional affiliations, Melton works extensively with nonprofit organizations that provide support to veterans and children with disabilities.
In addition to Melton’s appointment, Dewberry also named Merdith W.B. “Bo” Temple, P.E., PMP, vice chair of the board of directors. Temple joined the board in 2013 and has more than 40 years of experience in engineering and construction. He served in the U.S. Army for 37 years, retiring in September 2012 as the deputy chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after serving as the acting chief from May 2011 through May 2012.
During his Army career, Temple oversaw billions in military construction, civil works, and emergency operations programs. His many awards and citations include the Army Engineer Association’s Gold Order of the deFleury Award, the Engineer Regiment’s highest honor; the American Society of Civil Engineers’ OPAL Award for a lifetime achievement in government; and a nominee for ENR’s Newsmaker Award in 2010.
Throughout his tenure as a Dewberry board member, Temple has been instrumental in the firm’s ethics and compliance initiatives. He holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University (1985) and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering (1975) from the Virginia Military Institute. For more information, visit www.dewberry.com.