Collier names growth management chief

NAPLES — Collier County named engineer David Wilkison head of the growth management department.

Wilkison, a former principal with engineering firms Stantec and WilsonMiller in Naples, replaces Nick Casalanguida, who was promoted to deputy county manager in March.

“His fantastic credentials and previous work with the county make him an ideal choice for this assignment,” County Manager Leo Ochs says in a statement. “I will rely on David to lead our agency's efforts to develop and implement coordinated planning, regulation, construction and maintenance programs that will enhance the county's effectiveness and accountability.”

Wilkison will oversee a department that has 10 operating divisions, including transportation engineering and code enforcement, with a $100 million operating budget and more than 475 employees.

Wilkison, a professional engineer and University of Florida graduate, had been a principal with Stantec, a consulting engineering company since 2010. Stantec acquired WilsonMiller in 2010, where Wilkison was principal and vice president since 2002. Prior to that, he owned Wilkison & Associates, a Naples engineering, planning and surveying firm that WilsonMiller acquired.