Mark Teague, Professional Engineer (PE), Certified Public Manager (CPM), serves as the principal engineer and owner. Mark’s primary role is project oversight, visioning, and forensic engineering including expert testimony as well as direct engineering services and facilitation of multi-agency collaboration. He possesses over 24 years of experience as a transportation engineer. Formerly with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Mark has spent most of his career working with small towns and is well versed in the challenges and opportunities present with and for these communities. His experience includes licensed and forensic work with communities and clients across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio, Arkansas, New York, Illinois, and Georgia.
Denise Teague has been named JMTE Finance Manager, after serving as Public Relations Specialist and Technical Writer since the company opened in 2010.
In her new role, Denise will manage staff payroll, accounts payable and receivable, company taxes and IRS-related matters, and other financial matters. She will also work closely with the company accountant and company attorney on all necessary financial and contractual matters.
Previously, Denise has worked in customer relations, marketing, social media development and other tasks with several area professional firms and western North Carolina nonprofit agencies. She also served as a grant writer and project manager. In addition, she is the former owner and operator of Fun Things Etc., a Waynesville, NC-based toy store.
Denise graduated from N.C. State University with a BA in History with a concentration in Education.
Duke Nonprofit Management Certificate Program
YMCA of the USA Senior Program Director Certification
Mountain BizWorks Foundations for Business Development
NCDOT Qualified Flagger
Girl Scouts Peaks to Piedmont Council, Service Unit 114 Chair
Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church
Jim Kellenberger, PE, Transportation Safety Engineer
Jim Kellenberger, PE, Transportation Safety Engineer
Jim Kellenberger, PE, Transportation Safety Engineer – Jim serves as the lead instruction and manager of the JMTE Academy. Prior to joining JMTE Jim was a long time NCDOT engineer and owner of Kellenberger Engineering. In mid-2015, JMTE acquired Kellenberger Engineering and brought Jim along as the Academy manager. Jim is a long-time member and affiliate of National Society of Professional Engineers, the National Transportation Research Board, and the American Society of Safety Engineers. He brings with him thousands of loyal clients & trainees, his Certification to provide Professional Development Credits, and a North Carolina Board registration for Registered Engineers and Professional Surveyors.
Patience Stepp, Senior Engineering Technician – As Senior Engineering Technician, Patience provides data collection for in-house projects as well as for the NCDOT Transportation Mobility & Safety Division. She is a North Carolina Department of Transportation qualified Work Zone flagger, Work Zone Installer, and has completed the ITRE at NC State University Pedestrian Crossing Assessments workshop. She comes from a long line of civil engineers & land surveyors and worked for her father’s engineering firm. Patience joined JMTE as Assistant Office Manager in 2014.
Anna Sexton joined JMTE as a Community Planner, with a specialty in public policy and finance. She recently received her Master of Public Policy degree from the Georgia State University Andrew Young School of Policy Studies in Atlanta. Sexton brings experience working with government agencies at all levels and she is adept at problem-solving, prioritizing, and managing multiple tasks within tight deadlines and high-stress environments.
Her responsibilities include assisting with and leading a variety of planning projects. Since joining JMTE, she has worked on the development of a countywide wayfinding master plan, assisted with drafting a city-wide Complete Streets policy; and co-authored the transportation chapter for a town’s updated strategic vision plan.
While attending Georgia State, she was a Public Finance Fellow at the university’s Center for State & Local Finance. Her experience included participation in the Center’s partnership with the Volcker Alliance to draft the annual Truth & Integrity in State Budgeting Report; drafting 26 budget-related responses each for the Georgia, Colorado and New Mexico reports; and analyzing transparency in state budgeting practices focusing on disclosure practices, rainy day funds, pensions & OPEBs and municipal securities.
She also served as a Graduate Policy Intern for the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners and as a Graduate Research Assistant for Georgia State University’s Public Performance Management Group.
Candace Hladick, Transportation Planner, GIS Specialist – A part of the JMTE Team since May 2012, Candace provides numerous research, development, mapping, and design services that are essential for our operation.
As Transportation Planner, Candace provides multiple support services to both the planning and engineering departments, including collecting statistical data, preparing reports, and geo-located drawings and maps.
In addition, Candace conducts field evaluations and assessments, researches, and compiles information from multiple sources to assist in the evaluation of local issues, such as rezonings, ordinance amendments, site plans, special use permits, and more. She also assists with permitting with state and local governing bodies and acts as a liaison between local stakeholders, including community groups, government agencies, developers, and elected officials.
Candace is an experienced Low Impact Development (LID) Professional and CAD/GIS Technician, Candace has prepared GIS maps and CAD designs for multiple projects. She also serves in a key support role for forensic engineering research, sign design, traffic control planning, wheel path analysis, and the creation of JMTE’s innovative Sidewalk Condition Survey.
She holds an AAS degree and GIS Specialist certificate in Low Impact Development from Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC.
Candace is an NCDOT Qualified Work Zone Supervisor and has served on the Planning Board for Haywood County, NC, and the Board of Directors of the Western NC Chapter of Women in Transportation (WTS) International.
Kenny Armstrong, Senior Transportation Planner, joined the JMTE Team in 2016, shortly after completing Western Carolina University’s public affairs graduate program, which included coursework and project application in community and economic development, land use and transportation planning, quantitative statistics and data analysis, policy analysis, public training and facilitation, and ethics. He has since worked on a variety of comprehensive land use and transportation plans, with an interest in multimodal infrastructure planning. In addition, Kenny brings ten years of professional graphic design and illustration experience to the firm, which translates well to his role at J.M. Teague as a planning project technician, where the need for visual communication is fundamental for effective print design, public dialogue, and concept renderings.
Linsey joined JMTE in February of 2021. She brings with her various skill sets in Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and Management positions. She started her career in Telecommunications in California with Pacific Bell and moved to various internet startups in the late 1990s with a great deal of infrastructure networking capabilities.
Her area of responsibility is the Work Zone Safety Training Coordinator for J.M. Teague. She is also responsible for the marketing initiatives for the company under the direction of the Executive Staff to help promote the growth of J.M. Teague Engineering and Planning in our field of expertise throughout the state.
Linsey moved to WNC from California in 2009 and has established her roots. She is currently in the process of renovating a 1925 farmhouse on 45 acres to make it her “forever home”.
Corinne Lembo joined JMTE in December 2016 as Executive Assistant to Principal Engineer Mark Teague.
Corinne’s primary responsibilities are to provide general support and manage the flow of information to Mark. This includes managing client files, handling sensitive and confidential information, record retention, client communication, assisting in multiple aspects of our forensic engineering work such as gathering subpoenaed information, scheduling depositions, securing evidence and more. She also is a Notary Public and provides back-up assistance to the Finance Department.
Corinne moved to western North Carolina from Florida, where she worked in the court system for about 18 years, mostly as a court reporter. Prior to that, she worked in Texas as a Real Estate Title Insurance Closer for commercial and residential properties. Her educational background includes obtaining a Court Reporting Certificate for the State of Florida from Segal Institute for Court Reporting and a Texas real estate license from San Jacinto Junior College.
In her spare time, Corinne enjoys working with Girl Scouts of America. While in Florida, she was also affiliated with organizations that supported young people, such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Youth and Family Alternatives.
Verda Davis joined JMTE as Assistant Office Manager in October 2016.
In this capacity, Verda provides support services for JMTE projects by organizing and assembling marketing materials, manuals and other materials, opening and closing projects, conducting research, reporting and providing general office support.
A Haywood County native and Pisgah High School graduate, Verda is also a graduate of Southwestern Community College. Prior to joining JMTE, Verda had previous experience as an office assistant and had worked as a medical laboratory technician and phlebotomist for area hospitals.
Verda is a Haywood County native from the Bethel area. In her free time, she enjoys animals and being out in nature and she loves to read. For the last 10 years or so, Verda has sponsored a child through the Uganda Child Fund International.
David is a North Carolina native with over 40 years of experience as a transportation engineer. His experience includes NCDOT, Local Government, and consulting. He has lived and worked in two States and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has stayed in transportation because he has been able to work on most big issues (the environment, climate change, safety, equity, economic development, resilience, health, and security) facing us today. He is particularly interested in helping small towns meet their residents’ demands for better, healthier lifestyles that let them choose how to live.
Dave brings over 46 years of professional urban and regional planning experience to JMTE. Prior to joining the firm in 2019, Dave served as a Principal at Wade Trim Engineering. In his more than 32 years with Wade Trim, he served as Senior Vice President and member of the Board of Directors along with managing public and private projects. His areas of experience include comprehensive master plans, land development regulations, waterfront planning and design, parks and recreation master planning, downtown and neighborhood development/redevelopment studies and plans, visioning, public engagement, securing entitlements for large scale developments, DOT Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) studies and expert witness. Before joining JMTE, Dave also served as Wade Trim’s Chief Business Development Officer for over 15 years. His passion is to serve as a trusted advisor and resource to the firm’s public and private clients and contributing to their success.
As JMTE’s Client Relations Manager/Urban Planner, Dave is intimately involved in building strong, longstanding professional relationships with existing and new clients, targeting and securing new clients and projects, developing and implementing strategic pursuit plans, building teaming partner relationships, conducting quality control reviews, and assisting the firm’s Planning and Engineering Department staff on select project assignments.
Pamela Waldron joins JMTE as a valued member of the Administrative Team. Born and raised in Mississippi, she attended the University of Southern Mississippi and received a BA in Psychology with a minor in Marketing. Pamela’s early career years were spent in mass communication endeavors. She was employed with the Biltmore Company before pursuing her dream career as a flight attendant. Pamela retired from flying in 2007 and moved to Western North Carolina.
Since joining J.M. Teague as a Data Counter in October 2015, Jon’s role on our team has continued to expand. He was named Office Manager in June 2016 and most recently became Human Resources Manager.
His areas of responsibility include supervising support staff; developing and managing job descriptions and employment packages; coordinating meetings, staff events and conferences; overseeing facilities maintenance; and coordinating record retention, transfer and disposal.
Jon brings a wide range of experience to J.M. Teague, from industries as varied as Disney Management, Law enforcement, Hazardous Materials removal and various marketing and sales management positions. He also holds certificates as a Human Behavior Specialist and conducts training in personnel utilization, communications within the workplace and conflict resolution.
Jon works with local youth sports organizations and musical theatre groups in his free time. He is a single father of four. He has a BA in Communications from Western Kentucky University and a BS in Theology from Beacon University.
