Denver – September 21, 2026 -- Phillip A. Washington, the former chief executive officer of Denver International Airport, has joined engineering firm HNTB Corporation as president of strategy and client service, markets and services, and senior vice president.
Washington brings leadership from three major U.S. transportation agencies to HNTB
Washington most recently ran Denver International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports, where he oversaw a multibillion-dollar capital improvement program targeting capacity, customer experience and safety. He previously served as CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, leading an 11,000-person organization responsible for the largest modern public works program in North America, and earlier headed Denver's Regional Transportation District, where he delivered the FasTracks expansion program and the redevelopment of Denver Union Station.
HNTB frames the hire as strengthening client engagement across transportation markets
Mike Inabinet, PE, president of markets and services at HNTB, said Washington's track record of leading organizations and shaping policy would help advance client programs. In the new role, Washington will work across HNTB's transportation markets, services and offices to identify emerging opportunities and strengthen strategic client engagement as agencies and infrastructure owners navigate a rapidly changing transportation landscape.
Washington's career includes APTA Hall of Fame induction and a 24-year Army career
Washington was inducted into the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Hall of Fame in 2023, having previously been named APTA's Outstanding Public Transportation CEO of the Year in North America. He chaired APTA from 2014 to 2015, received the Honorable Ray LaHood Award from the Women's Transportation Seminar in 2018, and the Norman Mineta Award from the Mineta Transportation Institute in 2017. A 24-year U.S. Army veteran, he retired as Command Sergeant Major, the highest noncommissioned officer rank for an enlisted soldier, and holds degrees from Columbia College and Webster University plus a Harvard Kennedy School credential for senior state and local government executives.