PRESS RELEASE

ATLANTA – (July 14, 2022) – Pond—one of the country’s fastest growing engineering, architecture, and planning firms—is expanding its Federal practice with the addition of Dave Caldwell, Colonel (Ret.), as Army Client Account Manager. Dave joins the private sector following a highly decorated 30-year career in the U.S. Army during which he commanded two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) districts.

Dave most recently served as Defense Coordinating Officer for FEMA Region 7 (Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska), where he coordinated DoD support of emergency operations for COVID-19 mass vaccinations and ensured disaster preparedness for the New Madrid Seismic Zone to respond to hurricanes and other natural disasters. He was also instrumental in coordinating interagency operations in support of Afghan refugees at two U.S. sites.

Dave previously served as Chief of Staff for the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and as Director of the Engineer Directorate/Branch of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan in Kabul. Dave also served as Commander of the USACE New York District (2015-2017) and Walla Walla District (2010-2012).

Under Dave’s command, the New York District increased annual delivery from approximately $800 million to over $1 billion by focusing on continued improvements to meet milestones within a high-pressure, political environment. The district saw extremely low safety incidents across more than 150 active projects including military construction, civil works, Superfund, planning and interagency support projects.  This included the vast Post-Superstorm Sandy Recovery Program that integrated an executive interagency group to deliver rebuilding projects valued between $10 million to $600 million.

For the Walla Walla District, Dave managed over 800 civilian employees executing $210 million of annual civil works projects, including hydropower, navigation, recreation, and flood risk management projects as well as water resources planning work throughout four states across the Snake and Columbia River Watersheds. Dave worked closely with other federal agencies and partnered with many regional Indian Tribes.

“I’m very excited to be joining this vibrant and growing company,” Caldwell said. “For me, the draw to Pond includes the people, expertise, teamwork, and client-oriented approach that, in this case, will better enable the Army and Department of Defense to achieve its goals through the outstanding quality of services Pond provides.”

“Dave brings a significant skill set with him to Pond,” said Mike Magahey, PE, Vice President. “He is a proven, innovative, operationally skilled leader in our industry. His on-the-ground insight from many years of military service, along with his ability to apply practical solutions, will provide a significant benefit in our service to our Army and Federal clients.”

About Pond

Pond is a full-service consulting firm providing integrated engineering, architecture, planning, and construction management solutions to public and private clients since 1965. Our staff, located throughout the U.S. and globally, is committed to delivering tailored solutions. Recognizing that clients benefit the most when multi-disciplined expertise is leveraged, Pond builds teams based on client and project requirements, regardless of location, reinforcing our “One Pond” culture.