Freese and Nichols Names Payne and Hatley as New Executive Vice Presidents
Freese and Nichols, Inc., has promoted Jeff Payne, PE, and Tricia Hatley, PE, two longtime managers with nationally recognized leadership experience, to Executive Vice President posts as the company prepares for succession changes.
As new members of the Executive Team, Jeff oversees South Central Operations, which covers Texas and Louisiana, while Trish oversees our operations in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Georgia and Florida.
Jeff has 24 years of experience in infrastructure operations and designing/leading urban and rural water transmission and wastewater conveyance projects. A key example: He managed the nationally acclaimed Lake Texoma to Wylie Pipeline project for the North Texas Municipal Water District.
He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and received a master’s degree in engineering and environmental management from U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology. His 20 years of active duty and reserves service as a military engineer included three tours in the Middle East, and he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is a member of the American Public Works Association, American Society of Civil Engineers and Society of American Military Engineers.
Jeff is in line to become Chief Operating Officer in 2022 when current COO Larry Eckersley steps down from that role. Mike Nichols, a member of the company-namesake family, retired in 2021 as a COO overseeing offices in the Central Plains and Southeast U.S. regions.
Trish will retain her role as Oklahoma Division Manager while also managing our continuing expansion across the Southeast. She has 30 years of experience, with technical expertise in transportation planning and design, drainage analysis and capital improvement planning. She also is proficient at managing large multidiscipline projects.
Trish has played critical roles in developing our offices in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. As an Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure-credentialed Sustainability Professional (ENV-SP), she is skilled in creating sustainable project alternatives for clients. She also has held multiple state and national leadership roles in professional associations and currently serves as President of the National Society of Professional Engineers.
She received her civil engineering degree from Oklahoma State University and is a member of WTS and the American Public Works Association.