David Nevins Interviews Tim Regan, President & CEO of Whiting-Turner and Brian Pieninck, President & CEO of CareFirst

Timothy Regan grew up in the Gardenville neighborhood of northeast Baltimore City. He attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1973. Regan then graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Upon his graduation, Regan worked with the Maryland State Highway Administration in construction inspection. In 1980, he moved to Whiting-Turner as a project engineer, where he now serves as President and CEO. As Regan began his career with Whiting-Turner, he worked on utility, public works and heavy industrial projects including water, wastewater, power and waste-to-energy projects. As part of that work, and in partnership with a Whiting-Turner superintendent, Regan received a patent for a Telescoping Scaffold used to help construct two three-million-gallon egg-shaped concrete digesters at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in East Baltimore.

In the early 1990’s, Regan was part of a team that led the expansion of Whiting-Turner’s presence in the life sciences industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceutical processing and federal laboratories. These industry clients included various private biotechnology companies, as well as the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Bureau of ATF.

Following the passing of longtime President and CEO Willard Hackerman in 2014, Regan succeeded his mentor. Under Regan, Whiting-Turner has continued to grow and expand. The company has added over 30 new locations, expanded their national programs and grown annual revenues to over $12 billion.

As President and CEO, Regan oversees Whiting-Turner’s 60+ entrepreneurial-led regional locations across the United States. Whiting-Turner is ranked third largest domestic builder by Engineering News-Record with over 600 active projects nationally and 60,000 trade partner craftspeople working in concert with 4,600 Whiting-Turner management and supervisory personnel. He is tasked with keeping the company in alignment with its core values of integrity, excellence, experience and leadership. He also leads the charge in Whiting-Turner’s commitment to safety, which he considers a foundational value of the company. Additionally, he leads the company’s philanthropic endeavors and its focus on creating the industry’s most welcoming jobsites and workplaces.

Regan sits on the board of many distinguished organizations. These include the Board of Directors of the Greater Baltimore Committee, the University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering Board of Visitors, University of Maryland College Park Foundation Board of Trustees and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation.

Much like his predecessor and mentor Mr. Hackerman, Regan has a passion for helping others and lifting the local community. This is exhibited by his co-founding of TouchPoint Baltimore with his friend and Exelon Utilities’ CEO, Calvin Butler. Located at Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore, TouchPoint Baltimore is partnered with three high-performing non-profit organizations with the goals of creating a workforce pipeline and scaling collective social impact by leveraging the strengths of each organization for the betterment of the local neighborhood and its residents. In addition to TouchPoint Baltimore, Regan and his wife Joanne purchased the former Target retail building at Mondawmin Mall with the goal of making it a hub for various organizations including local entrepreneurs, TouchPoint’s new home, Whiting-Turner’s mid-town office, as well as several healthcare service organizations. The hope is that The Village at Mondawmin will help to unleash significant human and economic potential in some of the historically underserved communities of West Baltimore.

Brian D. Pieninck is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a leading multi-line, not-for-profit healthcare company offering a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products through its affiliates and subsidiaries and administrative services. As President and CEO, Brian embodies CareFirst’s mission while leading over 8,000 individuals dedicated to transforming the healthcare system to be more equitable, affordable and accessible to the 3.5 million individuals and employers across Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia.

Brian joined CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in April 2015 as Executive Vice President of the Large Group Strategic Business Unit. He assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer in May 2017 with responsibility for the organization’s four Strategic Business Units and Technology & Operational Support Services. In May of 2018, Brian was unanimously selected by the CareFirst Boards to become President and CEO, beginning his leadership of the company on July 1, 2018.

Prior to joining CareFirst, Brian was a member of Aetna Inc.’s executive team, where he held key leadership positions during a 19-year tenure, including Director of Professional Employer Organizations, President of Southeast National Accounts, and President of the Americas for Aetna International.

Brian is proud to champion an array of health, economic and social interests. He is the Board Chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Board of Directors, Chairman of the Board for the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH). Additionally, he is an active member of several boards, including Federal Employee Program Board of Managers, Greater Baltimore Committee, Baltimore’s Promise, BCS Financial Corporation, Greater Washington Partnership, Synergie Medication Collective, the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the United Way of the National Capital Area, and a member of the Morgan State University Board of Regents.

In 2022, Brian was named to the Health Committee of Governor-Elect Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Aruna Miller’s transition team. He was also named a co-chair of the 2023 and 2024 CIAA Tournament, the nation’s oldest historically Black collegiate athletic conference that in 2022 had a positive economic impact of nearly $20 million in Baltimore City. Brian’s community involvement centers on equitably advancing opportunities at the intersection of health and economic wellbeing throughout the mid-Atlantic region, a personal investment of time and expertise that closely aligns with CareFirst’s mission.

Brian holds a B.S. in Business Studies Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University and is a graduate of Leadership Maryland’s Class of 2016. A native of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Brian and his family currently reside in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn

David Nevins is president & CEO of Nevins & Associates, a highly regarded strategic communications company and proactive public relations partner. The firm’s regional and national client base is a unique mix of organizations across a variety of industries including: healthcare, professional service firms, finance, not-for-profits, distributors, state agencies, national media companies, technology, political and grassroots campaigns, real estate development, sporting events, and more.

With more than 30 years of experience in marketing, public relations, and community and government relations, David is a talented and seasoned executive. Prior to founding Nevins & Associates in 1983, David served as the Director of Marketing for both Towson University and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, he was tapped by the CEO of Comcast to employ his marketing expertise as President of the company’s regional sports network, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. David is a Past President of the Board of Governors for the Center Club and is a former Chairman of the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland, a position to which he was appointed by the Governor of Maryland. David has chaired the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission and the Maryland Higher Education Loan Corporation, served as President of both the Jewish National Fund and the Towson Business Association and was a member of the PNC Bank board.

David is highly involved in the business, civic, and political communities, and his many years of active leadership in numerous organizations have built a network of contacts that he regularly puts to use for the firm’s clients. For more information, visit www.nevinspr.com.