Harry (Jhan) Schmitz:
CLASS OF 1964
Washburn High SchoolClass of 1964
Minneapolis, MN
University of MinnesotaClass of 1968
Minneapolis, MN
Anthony Junior High SchoolClass of 1961
Minneapolis, MN
Anthony Junior High SchoolClass of 1961
Minneapolis, MN
Kenny Elementary SchoolClass of 1958
Minneapolis, MN
Harry (Jhan)'s Story
Life:
First - it's Jhan, not Harry. I legally changed my name in 1968.
I had a few tumultuous years after WHS in Minnesota, going to university and law school, and going through two marriages and fathering three sons. I left Minnesota in 1977, and have mostly lived and worked outside of the US since then. I was married again in 1984, to Connie Brennan, and added a step-daughter (McLaren) and step-son (Kelly, who died in an accident in 2002, at the age of 29). I met and fell in love with Connie in 1981, and I love her more every day, every year. She has been with me on all the travels and travails over the years, and we are enjoying being together for the rest of the journey. I have two living sons of my own, Agen in Seattle and Erik in Scottsdale. My youngest son, Karl, passed away in 2013, at the age of 40.
I have lived in China/Hong Kong, Iraq (where I was a Consultant to the World Bank, and then Program Director with the US Mission for the Ministry of Public Works), Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Dubai/UAE, Panama, and the United Kingdom, as well as the US. I ran a company out of the UK, and had operations throughout Europe (and still have business interests in the UK). Work, consulting and travel brought me to most countries in Europe, the Middle East and East, South and Southeast Asia (I lived in Hong Kong for 8 years) as well as Southern Africa. My "home" in the US is Palm Springs, California.
Workplace, my work history:
Honeywell, Minneapolis, 1968-1977.
Morrison-Knudsen Company, 1977-1980: Hafar Al-Batin, Saudi Arabia, 1977-1980. Positions: Principal Engineer, King Khaled Military City.
Morrison-Knudsen, 1980-1982: Boise, Idaho. Positions: Manager of Planning, MK Heavy & Marine Division, Project Manager for projects in Northern California.
Bechtel Corporation, 1982-1999: San Francisco, Saudi Arabia, Boston and Hong Kong. Positions: Senior Manager for development of new international airports in Riyadh and Dammam, Saudi Arabia (1982-1986); Senior Manager, Boston Central Artery/Tunnel project (1986-1991); Program Director for the new international airport in Hong Kong (1991-1999).
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S Corporation, 1999-2002: Hong Kong and London. Position: Managing Director, Europe, and Head of Air Transportation Business Line.
Independent Consultant, 2002 to early 2004. Owner and Managing Director of The McLaren Group, Director of Projacs (Kuwait), Director of Glenealy International (UK). I consulted on airport development and privatization in the UK, Central Europe and the Middle East. I was a Consultant to the World Bank on re-construction and development assessments in Iraq from July 2003 to February 2004.
I joined the company CH2M Hill as Senior Vice President and returned to Iraq as Director of the Program Management Office within the US Mission for the period March 2004 to April 2005, responsible for re-construction of the water sector in Iraq.I then worked on privately financed initiatives and projects for CH2M Hill in Europe and the Middle East, and ended up running operations for the company in the Middle East, working out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. From August 2007 to March 2009, I was based in Panama, heading up the $5-billion Panama Canal Expansion program as Program Director. In March 2009, we moved back to London, where I was Program Manager of the $26-billion Crossrail program. I returned to Panama as Program Director in mid-2010 at the request of the Panama Canal Authority and was in this positioin until the end of the year. We returned to the United States at the end of 2010, and established our residence in Palm Springs, California. During the period from January 2011 to July 2013, I was Program Director for the $6.4-billion Capacity Enhancement Program at Philadelphia International Airport for CH2M HILL. I "retired" in September 2013, although almost immediately ended up with assignments in Malaysia and Australia..I continue to take assignments as a consultant here and there.
We now live in the Palm Springs area in California.. I keep myself busy, Being on the Board of Commissioners for Palm Springs International Airport, and on the Governing Board of JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio, California. And running a vibrant non-fiction book club in our community.
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