Urban Engineers has announced that Ronald Creswell has joined the firm as a rail and transit systems manager. He most recently served as a business center discipline lead at a firm in Walnut Creek, California. His hiring coincides with the opening of Urban’s San Jose office.
“Ron is among the top transit system engineers in the nation, and we are excited to have him come aboard,” said William T. Thomsen, PE, senior vice president/COO, national services. “His knowledge and insight will be invaluable to our robust transit team and the clients we currently serve across the country.”
Creswell will lead Urban’s rail and transit systems service line. Rail systems encompass a range of disciplines, including signals, train control, electric traction power, catenary, electrification, and central control and communications systems for light rail, heavy rail, commuter rail, and freight rail.
“My career as a systems engineer has included work within the field as well as between other rail disciplines as a lead designer, commissioning manager, construction oversight, and rail activation manager,” Creswell said. “There aren’t too many systems engineers in circulation, but I have found that, like me, most of my peers and clients have a passion for this sector of work. Systems is the icing on the rail transportation cake. I hope to bring this exciting profession to a higher level at Urban Engineers by seeking involvement at a national level.”
Creswell has more than 35 years of experience as a systems engineer. He has an in-depth background in systems integration, design support during construction, construction management, and field testing and commissioning for rail, communications, and computer systems in both the municipal and commercial sectors for numerous telecommunications, industrial automation, control, and monitoring applications. He also has experience in staff leadership, project management, and quality assurance/control.
A graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering, Creswell has worked for many transit agencies and authorities, including the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the Edmonton Transit System, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit. His early experience includes design and development of telecommunications systems and components on active duty as a captain for the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and as a contractor for the Department of Defense.
