Business leadership
Executive responsibility for strategy, financial performance, operations, and leadership development. At DEC, led a 220-person, majority employee-owned company through growth and a sale to private equity.
INFRASTRUCTURE EXECUTIVE & ENGINEER
Michel
Maksoud.
An engineer’s perspective.
A leader’s responsibility.
My work connects the technical demands of infrastructure with the people, decisions, and organizations that bring it to life.
Explore my background
01 / BACKGROUND
From designing bridges
to leading businesses.
My career has grown from structural and bridge engineering into project delivery, organizational leadership, and executive management. That technical foundation continues to shape how I approach business: understand the problem, listen to the people closest to it, and take responsibility for the outcome.
I have served as President and CEO of DEC and as a Senior Vice President of Public Infrastructure at Westwood Professional Services. My experience spans employee ownership, private equity, acquisitions, and the integration of engineering businesses.
Across those roles, a consistent priority has been helping capable people become effective leaders—giving them room to lead, clear expectations, and the support to succeed.
SELECTED LEADERSHIP RESULTS
50%
Revenue growth over four years as DEC President and CEO, reaching $65 million.
260
Employees across 19 offices and six states in Westwood’s public infrastructure division.
25%
Year-over-year organic growth in Westwood’s public infrastructure division in 2025.
02 / EXPERIENCE
Technical depth.
Organizational perspective.
Experience across the project, the business, and the transition between them.
Infrastructure delivery
Transportation and structural engineering, major project management, and design-build delivery. Project experience includes SH 242, Grand Parkway Segment F-1, and the Anzalduas International Bridge.
Growth & integration
Acquisition evaluation, transaction negotiations, and integration of acquired firms. Experience aligning teams, operating practices, and market priorities across offices and service lines.
People & partnerships
Leadership assessment, mentoring, and collaboration with public agencies, industry partners, and communities. An emphasis on clear accountability and long-term relationships.
CAREER AT A GLANCE
2025–2026
Westwood Professional Services
Senior Vice President, Public Infrastructure
1999–2024
DEC
Chief Structural Engineer → Transportation Principal → President & CEO
1991–1999
KBR
Structural & Bridge Engineer
03 / PERSPECTIVES
Sharing what experience teaches.
Writing, mentoring, and participation in the engineering profession.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Understand Your Stakeholders Before You Optimize the Design
TxDOT Noncontact Splices in Non-Circular Columns
Parameters for transverse reinforcement required in non-circular bridge columns.
There Is No Substitute for Experience
PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT
Board service with the North Houston Association and Highway 36A Coalition, alongside mentoring through organizations including WTS and ASCE.
RECOGNITION
Honorable Ray LaHood Award
WTS Houston · 2023
Most Admired CEO Honoree
Houston Business Journal · 2022
EDUCATION
MBA · University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium
Ph.D. & M.S., Civil Engineering · Penn State
B.E., Civil Engineering · American University of Beirut
04 / CONNECT
Get in touch.
Houston, Texas