Our People

People
& Culture

At Halff, we’ve built one of the nation’s largest infrastructure consulting firms on a core tenet: Focus on people, treat them well, and success will follow. So we hire the industry’s most talented professionals, make them owners and continually develop and reward them. After all, Dr. Halff believed that a company is nothing more than the sum total of its people.

Employee Spotlight

Take a look at the people who make our firm great.

Ashley Purkey

Public Works Team Leader

“I come to work every day with the goal to ‘improve.’ This is applied in different situations daily, but I always want to make something that I work on better. Some days the priority is to improve a project by devoting time and energy into developing the best possible design, others I want to improve how my coworkers interact. There are some days where I simply want to improve someone’s day by talking to them beyond the daily work conversations. I want to improve lives every single day in whatever form it may take.”

Vasileios Kalogirou

Survey Practice Leader

“Halff values growing and developing people that stems from the leadership team through any entry level position.”

McKayla Benner

Graduate Civil Engineer

“At Halff, I have been able to pursue my interests by supporting two teams simultaneously. Both teams embody the contagious Halff culture. The environment I have experienced is one of empowerment, comradery, compassion and integrity. It extends to the client, and the relationships and communities flourish. Work can be found anywhere, but the culture at Halff is one of a kind.”

RJ Endsley

Operations Manager

“When you walk into the door at Halff, you’re surrounded by an entire company of people who are not here to punch the clock but are here working on projects in their community, doing their best to move those communities forward.”

Melanie Cleavelin

Public Works/Transportation Team Leader

“We have enough resources that we will always have an expert to help our clients out. We are responsive to their needs and take full responsibility for our work.”

Erin Atkinson

Senior Vice President of Technology

“I appreciate Halff for our culture that promotes not merely a job, but a meaningful career. We encourage personal growth by offering opportunities for professional advancement and helping individuals discover their passions. Our people have the opportunity to enhance their technical abilities, elevate their leadership qualities, and engage with clients to deliver impactful, innovative solutions.”

Gabriel Benavides

Electrical/ITS Team Leader, MEP Practice QA Manager

“When the client is happy, we are happy. I love providing clients with excellent quality of service to gain their confidence, friendship and business.”

Sherri French

PLA Deputy Practice Leader

“My career at Halff means so much to me. I am developing meaningful relationships, expanding my technical knowledge and leadership abilities in such a way that I am a better person outside of work because of what I am doing within Halff. I’m so grateful I’ve found a company I can grow with over time.”

Mark Llewellyn, Jr.

Operations Manager

“We are a large full-service professional consulting firm with a small company approach to supporting our people and our clients. We strive to be trusted advisors through establishing strong relationships built on trust and confidence.”

Leadership Team

Creating a culture built on people requires the right people at the top.

President and CEO

Jessica Baker Daily, PE, CFM, PMP

“I love nothing more than seeing people in our firm grow in their abilities and confidence in taking on new roles and challenges.”

“I love nothing more than seeing people in our firm grow in their abilities and confidence in taking on new roles and challenges.”

Jessica has always been a passionate and talented servant leader. She began her career at Halff as an intern in 2003. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin with her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, she joined the firm’s Water Resources practice and quickly became passionate about flood risk reduction. Jessica served on Halff’s Board of Directors for three years. She joined Halff’s Leadership Team as chief marketing officer in 2021 and shifted to chief people officer in 2023, reflecting her aim to create an authentic employee experience. She now serves as Halff’s president and CEO, committed to continuing the firm’s people-focused culture.

Jessica and her husband Brett have a son, Bennett, and live in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas. Their favorite activity is traveling and exploring new destinations.

Chief Operating Officer

Todd Jackson, PE

“During my career here, one thing has remained unchanged: Halff has great people, great projects and great career opportunities.”

As chief operating officer, Todd leads the operations team and managing firmwide processes. Engineering has always been in his blood; his father and brother work as engineers and his mother as a math teacher. He joined Halff’s Public Works practice after graduating from Louisiana Tech University in 1996. He helped open the company’s Austin office in 2002 and began overseeing the Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Conroe and Tyler offices. He was named executive vice president in 2018. He serves on the HCI board of directors, is a member of ACEC’s Austin Chapter, and served on the company’s board of directors from 2016 to 2019.

In his community, Todd serves on the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Williamson County ESD No. 4 boards. He has also been an elder at his church in Georgetown and has coached more than 40 basketball and baseball teams for his three children, Tyler, Reed and Kate. In his free time, there’s a good chance you’ll find him hunting, kayaking or singing and playing music with his kids.

Chief Strategy Officer

Steven Miller, PE

“With strategic growth, we can continue taking care of our clients and communities while providing opportunities for our people.”

Steve brings a unique perspective and insight to everything he does. As chief strategy officer, he leads all strategic initiatives for Halff, integrating our Solutions, Marketing and Client Advocacy teams to deliver cross-collaboration across practices and geography, partner more effectively with clients and enhance growth opportunities for Halff’s employees. He joined Halff as senior vice president and Transportation practice leader before ascending to Mobility solutions leader in 2022. Additionally, he served on Halff’s Board of Directors for four years.

Steve obtained his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Oklahoma State University and earned a master’s degree in construction engineering and project management from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is active in Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).

He lives in Austin with his wife, Jennifer, and their daughter, Danielle, where they are all active in autism and disability advocacy. When not working, you’ll probably find them traveling, hiking, kayaking or working in the garden, or find Steve minding the smoker on the back porch.

Chief People Officer

Benjamin Pylant, PE, CFM

“We are focused on supporting the growth, well-being and success of each individual here at Halff. Halff S.E.R.V.E.S. is the culture we live every day as we serve our clients and each other, so we can improve lives and communities together.”

As chief people officer, Ben is passionate about helping grow Halff while maintaining the unique qualities that differentiate us. He is committed to developing leaders that enhance our culture and aligning HR practices to drive the sustained success of Halff. He is focused on Halff’s recruiting efforts, workforce engagement, training programs and communications.

Ben joined Halff in 2004, after earning his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Louisiana Tech University and later earned his master in business administration from University of Texas at Arlington. He most recently served as Halff’s Water Resources practice leader and served on Halff’s Board of Directors before being selected as chief people officer.

He lives in Keller, Texas, with his wife Jennifer and children Elise, Henry and Duke Ryan. They enjoy being outdoors, fishing, hiking and camping.

Chief Financial Officer

Joseph Sagel, PE

Joseph’s career at Halff began with a newspaper ad fresh out of college in 2005. He became an engineer in the company’s Land Development and Public Works practices, working at three offices over nine years. He joined the Accounting department in 2014 as financial manager before advancing to finance director. As an engineer working in accounting, Joseph “bridged the gap” between the Accounting and production teams throughout the company. He began serving Halff as chief financial officer in 2020.

Joseph graduated from Trinity University in 2005 and earned his MBA from Southern Methodist University in 2009. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Cassie, and cheering on his three children, Mirabelle, Lillian and Grayson, at soccer games and gymnastics meets during the weekends.