About Us

Leaders at Every Level

We are proud to have leaders throughout our company who encompass everything GSE is made of. These dedicated men and women provide inspiration and encouragement for both our employees and clients through their extensive experience, their industry knowledge and their versatile expertise.

Mark C. Arnold

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mark Arnold has been GSE's President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since September of 2009.

Experience

Prior to joining GSE, he was vice president and general manager at the Lubrizol Corporation. In addition, Mark brings to GSE over 15 years of experience in the global civil construction markets at Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS), the leading manufacturer of polyethylene pipe. His assignments included VP of international operations, VP sales engineering and market development and director of distribution operations. Prior to ADS, he worked for General Electric. His GE career began in GE’s Manufacturing Management Program, and was followed by assignments in GE’s Aircraft Engines business as a process engineer, quality manager, engine program manager, and manager of technical marketing and sales engineering.

Military Experience

Mark also served in the U.S. Army and is currently a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Education

Mark earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Ohio University, an MBA at Cleveland State University, and a Masters in International Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College.

Mike Kirksey

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Mike Kirksey joined GSE in January 2013 as executive vice president and CFO, and is responsible for all IT and Financial aspects of the business.

Experience

Mike has a great deal of domestic and international experience as a CFO for both publicly- and privately-owned companies. He began his career at Arthur Anderson Company, followed by increasing responsibilities as a financial and general management leader in the manufacturing and service industries. His most recent assignment prior to joining GSE was at Endeavor International.

Education

Mike earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting at Harding University.

Peter McCourt

Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing

Peter McCourt joined GSE as the executive vice president of global sales and marketing in July 2010. Peter is in charge of leading the company’s global sales and marketing efforts, while building and maintaining customer relationships and strategic partnerships.

Experience

As a native of the United Kingdom, Peter has spent over 20 years in international sales and marketing leadership roles, most recently as vice president of sales with ERICO International in Solon, Ohio, for eight years.

Prior to joining ERICO, he was at the Hilti Corporation in Schaan, Liechtenstein for 13 years, and held several major positions as president and general manager, director of sales, director of marketing and product manager, and regional sales manager. As an employee of global companies who operate in the non-residential construction and civil engineering markets, Peter gained exposure to many different business practices and cultures. He has lived in Scotland, England, Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam and the United States.

Jeffery Nigh

Executive Vice President, Global Operations

Jeffery Nigh joined GSE as the executive vice president of global operations in October 2010. Jeffery is responsible for leading all manufacturing, logistics and purchasing activities worldwide.

Experience

He began his career at Union Camp Corporation as a process engineer and was subsequently promoted to assistant plant manager for a large paper mill, manufacturing engineering manager and plant manager. After graduating from Harvard, Jeffery joined the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company in Atlanta. After a successful consulting assignment at Springs Industries, the leading manufacturer of textile home furnishings, he joined the company as president of its Basic Bedding Division. Jeffery was promoted to implement a new ERP information system for all of Springs Industries’ global manufacturing. Following that multinational assignment, he was promoted to several senior roles at Springs as vice president and general manager of the entire global Bedding business, executive vice president of global supply chain and Asian sourcing, president of Utility Bedding and president of Springs Renewables, LLC. He worked at various U.S., Brazil and Asia locations during these assignments.

Education

Jeffery was a national merit scholar and graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. Additionally, he earned his MBA at Harvard University.

Mark Whitney

Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Mark Whitney joined GSE as vice president, general counsel & secretary in October 2012, and is responsible for leading the company’s legal functions.

Experience

Prior to joining GSE, Mark spent several years in private practice with a corporate law firm in Sacramento, California, and from 2003-2009, he served as General Counsel at GenCorp Inc., a $700 million technology-based manufacturing company. Prior to working at GenCorp, Mark served as senior corporate counsel at Tyco International Ltd., focusing on mergers and acquisitions.

Education

Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Bowdoin College and a Juris Doctor degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center.

Gregg Taylor

Vice President, Finance

Gregg Taylor joined GSE as the vice president chief accounting officer in May 2010. Gregg is responsible for leading all financial reporting, performance analysis and accounting operations worldwide.

Experience

Before joining GSE, Gregg was a business consultant for four years at Alvarez & Marsal Business Consulting preceded by 11 years at Accenture where he held senior director and partner positions, respectively. Throughout his consulting career, Gregg served private equity and corporate clients across multiple industries including manufacturing, energy, healthcare, high-tech and retail. He has held multiple interim finance leadership positions including CAO for a U.S. waste equipment manufacturer and corporate controller for a global energy equipment manufacturer.

Gregg also has extensive finance systems experience having implemented multiple ERP, data warehouse and business analytic solutions for his clients. Prior to consulting, he worked 10 years for a large U.S. pharmaceutical distributor where he held accounting director, regional controller and divisional controller positions.

Education

Gregg earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington and is a Certified Public Accountant (currently inactive) in the state of Texas.

Edward Zimmel

Vice President, Engineering

Edward Zimmel is vice president of engineering at GSE. He is responsible for leading the global engineering organization in technical support and plant engineering for all GSE product lines worldwide.

Experience

Prior to leading GSE's engineering organization, Edward served as vice president of engineering and quality control for the U.S. products division since 2002. With over 24 years of geosynthetics experience, he has served various roles in engineering and installation management positions since joining GSE in 1986.

Education

Edward earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University.