Nick Panofsky, PE

Vice President – Water Resources

Nick has over 17 years of professional consulting experience in the water resources industry. Nick has advanced his expertise through a variety of municipal infrastructure design projects including potable water, recycled water, wastewater, and stormwater. He has been involved in every stage of the design process, including planning, analysis, design, construction management, and operational assistance. He actively manages projects to meet or exceed client expectations while also achieving technical and financial goals. As the MNS Water Resources team leader, Nick is responsible for comprehensive project delivery of planning, design, and construction projects. Nick oversees a team of high-performing engineers to support client infrastructure goals.

Peter Minegar, AICP

Vice President – Planning

Peter is an experienced Planning and Environmental Professional with more than a decade of professional experience serving municipalities throughout California. Peter is responsible for managing the firm’s Planning group, spanning a range of subdisciplines including environmental compliance, regulatory permitting, community planning, and staffing services. Prior to joining MNS, Peter held a leadership position managing a multi-discipline office in the Inland Empire for an Engineering News-Record Top 35 National Design Firm. He has a Bachelor of Science in City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo and a Master of Science in Environmental Policy Management from the University of Denver. Peter holds an American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification from the American Planning Association and serves on the Association of Environmental Professionals Inland Empire Chapter Board of Directors.

Tanya Bilezikjian, PE, ENV SP

Vice President – Chief of Staff

With over 22 years of experience, Tanya is an established leader in the engineering consulting industry. During her technical career, she specialized in surface water quality and program management for large-scale utilities and transportation agencies. Her contributions extend beyond the firm, making her a respected figure in the broader civil engineering community. Tanya serves on the Board of Directors for the City of Anaheim’s Public Utility and as the 2023 Co-Chair for the California Stormwater Quality Association. She formerly served as the Board Vice President for the Women’s Transportation Forum—Inland Empire.

As the Chief of Staff/Vice President at MNS, she leverages her extensive industry knowledge and passion for civil engineering excellence to spearhead the corporate team and drive the firm’s success in the marketplace. With her exceptional communication skills and adeptness at fostering high-functioning teamwork, she navigates the complexities of the industry with finesse, ensuring seamless collaboration among all stakeholders. Her ability to translate vision into actionable plans empowers the firm to make informed decisions and chart a path toward continuous expansion and success.

Nick Panofsky, PE

Vice President – Water Resources

Mr. Panofsky has over 17 years of professional consulting experience in the water resources industry. Nick has advanced his expertise through a variety of municipal infrastructure design projects including potable water, recycled water, wastewater, and stormwater. He has been involved in every stage of the design process, including planning, analysis, design, construction management, and operational assistance. He actively manages projects to meet or exceed client expectations while also achieving technical and financial goals. As the MNS Water Resources team leader, Nick is responsible for comprehensive project delivery of planning, design, and construction projects. Nick oversees a team of high-performing engineers to support client infrastructure goals.

Darren K. Riegler

President and Chief Executive Officer

Darren is a seasoned professional with more than 25 years of experience leading engineering, architecture, and planning consulting practices throughout the United States. Prior to joining MNS, he held several leadership roles for an Engineering News Record (ENR) top design firm responsible for the management and growth of various geographies including New Jersey, Arizona, and Southern California. Throughout his career, he has served in executive leadership, managerial, and technical roles supporting the delivery of complex multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects. His diverse experience has involved transportation, intelligent transportation systems, structures, geotech, architecture, land development, survey, asset management, surface water, water quality, water/wastewater, landscape architecture, construction management, and environmental planning. Darren’s mix of business acumen and entrepreneurial mindset positions the firm with strong leadership and operational excellence.

Jeffrey L. Edwards

Vice President – Government Services and Federal Markets

Jeffrey brings a highly diverse background with over 30 years of expertise in project and construction management, civil engineering, soils engineering, urban planning, landscape architecture, and construction inspection. In his current capacity, Jeffrey is a Principal-in-Charge and oversees the municipal engineering services group for the various city, county, and special districts engineering contracts. In addition, he oversees federal contracts for various military installations, including Vandenberg Space Force Base (SFB) and Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme (NAVFACSW).

For nearly 20 years, Jeffrey has served as Project Manager to oversee Vandenberg SFB’s IDIQ Title II Construction Management contract. He has overseen more than 160 projects worth over $200M and is currently supporting Vandenberg’s High Voltage Replacement Program. As a US Air Force veteran, he actively recruits military veterans to support the Government Services Division.

Gregory A. Chelini, PE

Vice President – Construction Management

Greg, a Principal Construction Manager at MNS, is responsible for managing the firm’s Construction Management group. Greg brings over 33 years of construction management and engineering experience in managing a variety of public works projects including highways, roadways, bridges, interchanges, water and wastewater facilities, drainage, and park projects.

Shawn M. Kowalewski, PE

Vice President – Transportation Division

Shawn manages the Transportation Engineering group. He joined MNS in 1995, bringing knowledge gained while working for the New York State Department of Transportation. His broad range of experience encompasses civil engineering and construction management of a variety of public infrastructure projects. His current responsibilities include project management, civil engineering design, structural design and analysis, cost estimating, plan and specification review, and report preparation.

While Shawn enjoys finding technical solutions for his clients’ projects, he is also an outside-the-box strategist helping to meet client goals.

Miranda Patton, PE

Chief Business Development Officer

Miranda has over 22 years of industry experience in the design and management of civil engineering projects. As a Chief Business Development Officer at MNS, Miranda uses her industry knowledge to advocate for the engineering profession and municipal infrastructure.

Miranda has engaged in many local civic efforts to advance key legislation and public policy in support of public infrastructure. Most recently, Miranda served as President for the 2021 – 2022 fiscal year of the American Council of Engineering Companies, California (ACEC-CA), a statewide association representing more than 1,000 private consulting engineering and land surveying firms. She has also served on the Board of the National Engineers Week Committee for Ventura/Santa Barbara and participates in multiple committees to annually honor top engineers and projects around the state. Miranda is a local advocate serving on the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) Citizen’s Transportation Advisory Committee/Social Services Transportation Advisory Council, a City Council appointed position, she is charged with providing input to the VCTC on a variety of transportation issues, including the review of findings developed from an annual “unmet transit needs.”

Wes McClendon

Vice President – Chief Financial Officer

Wes brings over 20 years of experience in the field of finance and accounting with Architectural & Engineering firms. In this role, he is responsible for driving the financial operations and strategy for MNS. Wes is a strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer overseeing finance, accounting, budgeting, forecasting, capital strategy, and risk management. He has a passion for mentoring and elevating the knowledge and dedication of all team members to perform at the highest level collectively. Fostering this environment for learning and growth complements the firm’s objectives.