Congratulations to our New Vice Presidents!
February 1, 2022
Speight Marshall & Francis is proud to announce that two Principals, Jonathan Walesczyk, PE + J. Stephen Cowan, PE, have been promoted to Vice Presidents.
Jonathan Walesczyk, P.E.
Vice President + Director of Operations + Principal Structural Engineer
Jon joined the SMF family in 2000 and after a decade of service was promoted to Principal in 2011. Jon has earned a reputation for practicality and creativity by developing economic design solutions that exceed clients’ expectations. Jon thrives on fostering client relationships which develop into meaningful personal connections. As a Vice President Jon will be taking on new firm leadership responsibilities while mentoring up-and-coming leaders navigating their new roles.
“I am excited to explore new opportunities for SMF and push the envelope of what our firm can accomplish. We have an incredible team with unlimited and untapped abilities; providing everyone the opportunity to reach their potential is paramount,” states Jon.
J. Stephen Cowan, P.E.
Vice President + Principal Structural Engineer
Steve started at SMF in 2001. As a college student, he worked summers as a courier during which time he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Old Dominion University. He was hired full-time in 2003 and over the next four years, Steve accomplished his goal of progressing from an Engineer-in-Training to registered Professional Engineer. Through hard work and undeniable dedication, Steve was promoted to Principal in 2016. A creative problem-solver and innovative thinker, Steve spearheads our most complex projects at the design development phase to lay out vital strategic plans which attain advantageous outcomes throughout the design and construction process. As a leader and mentor, Steve works closely with the Engineer’s-In-Training (EIT’s) and project managers to further develop skills and outside-of-the-box idea-sharing.
"Being with SMF my whole engineering and drafting career has been a tremendous blessing in my life and I’m honored to have earned the trust to be part of the senior leadership team. I’ve held every possible job position at SMF at some point in time for the past 20+ years. Our team is passionate about constantly raising the quality of the product we put out and the responsiveness to our client’s needs and dedicated to working towards creative ways to push design to the highest level. I talk with Danny often about SMF’s legacy of excellence and my commitment to keep raising the bar for the future. I love my SMF family and am honored to be able to lead and work alongside my friends for another few decades," states Steve.