Leading AEC Firms supported by Don Sherman , Principal & Director of AEC Market Masters, consistently achieve measurable outcomes including strategic growth, profitability, and client satisfaction. His proven expertise in governance, risk management, and financial strategy equips companies to navigate complex markets, maximize marketing ROI, and secure sustainable long-term success. His extensive experience across sectors—including transportation, land development, water & environment, IT/telecom/Broadband, healthcare, education, power & energy, mining, manufacturing, and agriculture—highlights his strategic thinking and financial acumen. 

As a board member, Sherman would bring a well-rounded skill set, blending industry-specific expertise with strong financial acumen and strategic foresight. His leadership across interdisciplinary teams and his entrepreneurial spirit exemplify the qualities needed to excel in today’s multifaceted board environments, where governance, risk management, and stakeholder communication are critical.

Leadership and Management Experience

Sherman has held executive-level roles across various industries, including telecommunications, transportation, and agriculture. Companies today often seek individuals with such leadership experience, and Sherman's background makes him well-suited to oversee organizations looking to increase market penetration, profitability, and marketing ROI. His experience with governance and management in large organizations positions him as an asset for any board.

Industry Expertise

Mr. Sherman has a proven track record in sectors such as infrastructure, smart-city planning, environmental sustainability, and broadband technology. His versatility is evident in his ability to work across industries, from A/E/C to telecommunications and sustainable agriculture, demonstrating a deep understanding of industry trends. His experience working with major global firms highlights his capability to operate within complex regulatory environments.

Most recently, Sherman has focused on large capital programs in transportation, including airports, rail and transit, and bridges & tunnels. He has also been involved in broadband and smart-city infrastructure expansion, ensuring these systems are future-proofed.

Commitment to Community

Don and his family are community-involved people, where he has served as Chairman of the local BID (Business Improvement District), Township Planning Board, County Solid Waste Advisory Board, Voter Registrar, State Elector, and Precinct Committeeman. 

In 2021, he established an off-grid farmstead with controlled environment agriculture (CEA) in the NJ 'Skylands' an hour from NYC and 15 minutes from the Appalachian Trail,  It serves as a model of how families and communities can build a future of health & wellness with food, energy, water, and financial security. 

Don and his wife established a local community group of nearly 500 committed to environmental stewardship, sustainability, and resilience. In 2025 they moved their farm and livestock to Greeneville TN with other community members, literally next-door to the Cherokee National Forest, in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Strategic Thinking and Financial Acumen

Sherman has continually demonstrated his ability to think strategically about a company’s direction. His expertise includes designing high-performance business development programs and managing multi-billion-dollar project portfolios. In today’s boardrooms, companies value directors with financial literacy, capable of understanding complex financial statements and overseeing investment strategies. Sherman's performance record of delivering high-impact projects across multiple continents underscores his deep financial insight.

Key Board-Level Responsibilities

• Governance and Oversight: Sherman has ensured ethical operations and regulatory compliance in his executive roles, qualities critical for board governance.
• Risk Management: Sherman has developed risk mitigation strategies for high-value projects, making him adept at addressing financial, operational, and reputational risks.
• CEO Evaluation: With decades of executive experience, Sherman is well-equipped to assist in hiring, evaluating, and advising senior leadership to ensure long-term corporate success.
• Board Positions:
• • Broadband Infrastructure Advisory Board, TeknoGRID, Newark NJ - Member, 2024
  • NEWIT Economic Development Corporation, Newark NJ – Member, 2022
  • Workforce Development Board, City of Newark NJ – Member, 2022 - 2023
  • Solid Waste Advisory Board, Warren County NJ - Member, 2021
  • Township Planning Board, Hackettstown NJ – Member 2018-2021
  • Business Improvement District, Hackettstown NJ – Charmian -2020, Member 2019

AEC Market Masters (2012 – Present)

As Principal and Director at AEC Market Masters, Donald Sherman offers award-winning program and project leadership across Civil & Environmental Engineering, Architecture, and IT/Telecom/Broadband Infrastructure for public, private, and non-profit clients. He specializes in building business development programs to consistently win and deliver large infrastructure projects valued between $5 million and $5 billion USD. Through his leadership, strategic pursuit teams have achieved an 80+% win rate on over 1,000 pursuits, capturing more than $10 billion in fees globally.

Recent clients include industry leaders like AECOM, Dragados, S.A. Healy/Lane, HDR, Egis/BLN, TYLin Group, SCS Engineers, and Terracon. Sherman's expertise spans sales and marketing, proposal management, organizational strategy, and consultative selling, making him instrumental in helping firms secure large, competitive projects.

AEC Market Masters is an Affiliate Member of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and serves on several committees including: 

• • Business Resources and Education (BRE)
• • International
• • Market Intelligence Committee (MIC)
• • Technology
• • Transportation
• • Water & Environment 

Long-term AEC Market Masters Assignments included:

• Consultant to TeknoGRID LLC (2018 – 2023)

As Consultant to TeknoGRID, Sherman served as acting Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing, and as a Broadband Advisory Board Member. His leadership in IT/Telecom/Broadband infrastructure business development has been instrumental in advancing smart-city master planning and optimizing telecom infrastructure in dense urban environments. His experience in digital technology, turnkey construction management, and contract negotiation provided a competitive edge for TeknoGRID in delivering critical infrastructure projects.

• Consultant to Egis / Beam Longest & Neff (2017 – 2018)

As Marketing & Business Consultant, Sherman helped lead large capital project strategic pursuits, focusing on transportation and water infrastructure. His contributions to proposal process improvement, CRM implementation, and business development staffing and training.

He enabled firms like Egis / Beam Longest & Neff to improve their strategic positioning and pursue high-value infrastructure opportunities with increased efficiency.  Noteworthy wins included the $50 million D4 Services (Decommissioning, Deactivation, Decontamination, Demolition) to acquire and prepare the site for the $5.3 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit MI, USA and Windsor ONT, Canada.

FLP Acres LLC (2021 – Present)

As Owner and Farm Operations Director, Mr. Sherman provides Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) advisory services for on- and off-grid food, energy, and water production facilities. His hands-on experience in aquaponics, greenhouse upgrades, and water and energy system resiliency have positioned him as a leader in sustainable agriculture. His expertise in permitting, certification, and licensing adds to his deep understanding of the complexities of commercial CEA ventures, providing strategic guidance for clients looking to develop resilient and sustainable agricultural operations.

American Council of Engineering Companies (2014 – 2016)

As Executive Director of the Private Client Practice at ACEC, Sherman led sales and marketing initiatives, A/E/C market forecasting, and business development training. He developed Best Practices publication and webinars on topics such as Benchmarking and Business Plan Assessment, Opportunity Assessment, and Capture Planning. His publication 33 Proven Secrets to Writing Successful Client-Centered Proposals is a “guidebook to everything about proposals they didn’t teach you in school”.

His strategic foresight enabled firms to enhance their business development processes and achieve greater success in capturing private sector opportunities.

HDR Engineering (1998 – 2008, 2010 – 2012)

During his tenure as Senior Vice President of Strategic Pursuits at HDR Engineering, Sherman created and implemented a firm-wide Strategic Pursuit Program across all engineering and architecture business groups. His leadership helped secure wins in global transportation projects, earning him three prestigious ACEC Grand Conceptor Awards. His efforts in business development training and coaching positioned HDR as a dominant player in the global A/E/C industry.

Stantec / MWH Global (2008 – 2010)

As Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Sherman played a key role in sustaining Stantec’s business during the 2008 recession. He led the firm’s global strategic pursuit program, known as the “President’s List,” and was responsible for winning major contracts with U.K. water companies and contributing to the Panama Canal expansion project.

Malcolm Pirnie (Arcadis) (1984 – 1998)

Sherman held multiple roles at Malcolm Pirnie, including Senior Associate and Marketing Manager for the Central and Western U.S. regions. He managed strategic pursuits in water and environmental projects and helped develop a CRM system for business development in the West Region. His leadership contributed to the firm’s ability to consistently secure public sector contracts in water and environmental engineering.

Dames & Moore (AECOM) (1988)

As Marketing Director for the Inter-mountain Region, Sherman managed business development and marketing strategies for environmental and hazardous waste engineering projects. His expertise helped Dames & Moore secure major industrial and municipal clients.

Centec Corporation (1978 – 1984)

Sherman served as Senior Projects Engineer and Federal Systems Marketing Manager, where he worked on turnkey IT systems for federal budgeting and program management. His ability to understand client challenges and navigate government contracting processes helped Centec secure high-level federal contracts.

SCS Engineers (1976 – 1978)

As a Project Engineer at SCS Engineers, Sherman began his career in environmental engineering. He quickly transitioned into a “seller-doer” role, winning his first contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and setting the foundation for his long and successful career in business development.

Dewberry (1976)

As Engineer and Laboratory Director, Sherman was responsible wastewater conveyance system and treatment plant evaluations and preliminary design. As laboratory director he was responsible for regional water quality monitoring programs on the James River and the Tennessee & Big Sandy Rivers.

Additional Credentials

• Languages:
• • English (Native)
  • French (Limited Working)
    
    
• Licenses & Certifications:
• • Professional Engineer (PE), VA License
  • Aquatic Farmer, NJ License
  • Hemp Grower, NJ License
  • Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, OSHA Certificate
  • Planning and Zoning Board of Adjustment, NJ Certificate
    
    
• Awards & Recognition:
• • Hoover Dam Bypass– ACEC Grand Conceptor Award, ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement for World’s tallest concrete arch bridge
  • Washington State SR520 Floating Bridge – ACEC Grand Conceptor Award for World’s longest floating bridge
  • Panama Canal Expansion – Autodesk BIM Award, H2’s Modern Marvel for “Future-Proofing” Third Set of Locks for Post-Panamax Class Ships

Conclusion

With a solid academic foundation from Cornell University, recognition through prestigious industry awards like the ACEC Grand Conceptor, and his active participation in key professional organizations and his community, Sherman embodies the blend of technical expertise, strategic foresight, and leadership qualities that are critical for any consulting assignment or corporate board position. His commitment to innovation and sustainable practices positions him as an invaluable asset for any forward-looking organization.