WSP USA Expands Leadership in the Southwest Mountain District

Former Arizona DOT Deputy Director Scott Omer joins the firm as transportation planning director for Arizona; Joshua Palmer named Southwest Mountain District water lead. 

PHOENIX —WSP USA, a leading engineering and professional services consultancy, is welcoming Scott Omer and Joshua Palmer to the Southwest Mountain District leadership team in response to rapid growth in the five-state area.

Omer is joining the firm as vice president and principal director for transportation planning in the district and will be based in the Tempe office serving Arizona. Palmer has been named district leader for water and will be based in Salt Lake City.

“WSP has been experiencing tremendous growth in the Southwest, so having proven leaders like Scott and Joshua join our team to guide our transportation and water businesses will be of tremendous value to our clients,” said Shaun Grimm, senior vice president and Southwest Mountain District lead. “Scott and Joshua not only bring a high level of expertise within their fields, but as former WSP employees, they arrive with a seasoned understanding of our operations and the depth of services we are able to provide to clients.”

In his new role at WSP, Omer will be responsible for leading the practice and coordinating technical expertise and sales across all sectors, maintaining relationships with clients in Arizona and bring an expanded view and integrated response to complex challenges by leveraging the firm’s full suite of offerings across all end markets.

Since 2010, Omer has worked for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), most recently as its deputy director and chief operating officer. From 2007-2010, he served as a senior project manager for WSP (then Parsons Brinckerhoff). Early in his career he worked as a transportation engineering specialist for ADOT, and as a capital improvement program project manager for the City of Yuma.

Omer is a graduate of the University of Phoenix with a bachelor’s degree in business management and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He was a member of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials and attended the National Transportation Leadership Institute.

Palmer arrives at WSP after serving as chief operations officer for a Salt Lake City-based natural resources and agricultural strategy and software company where he designed innovative water use transparency and analysis software that provides comparative use analysis and customer engagement, as well as water loss analysis.

He previously served as the water efficiency, education and engagement section manager for the Utah Division of Water Resources, where he authored a strategy that resulted in the first ongoing water conservation rebate funding allocation from the Utah State Legislature. From 2013-2015, Palmer served as a communications manager for WSP (Parsons Brinckerhoff).

Palmer is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in public relations, and Southern Utah University with a master’s degree in public administration. He is a member of the International Association for Public Participation and the American Water Works Association.

The Southwest Mountain District covers Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.