Management Team

Barbara Smith is Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Metals Company. Barbara joined CMC in June 2011 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. She was then promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2016 and to CEO on September 1, 2017.

Prior to joining CMC, Barbara was the Chief Financial Officer for Gerdau Ameristeel and FARO Technologies. Her career also includes over 20 years of service with Alcoa Inc. where she held a variety of leadership positions across various businesses within Alcoa.

In addition to her role at CMC, Barbara serves on the Board of Directors for Comerica Incorporated. She previously served on the Board of Directors at Minerals Technologies Inc. from May 2011 through July 2017. Barbara has been actively involved in various community organizations including serving on the Dallas and Tampa Boards of the American Heart Association.

In 2020, Barbara was recognized by S&P Global Platts as the winner of the Global Metals Award, 2020 CEO of the Year. Barbara was the recipient of the 2019 Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST) Steelmaker of the Year Award. In 2022, Barbara received the AIST William T. Hogan, S.J. Memorial Lecture Award and the Central Division EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Barbara currently serves as the American Heart Association Southwest Division Chairman. She is also a member of the G100 Network and served as Advisor to the Chair on the 2021 B20 Employment & Education Task Force.

Barbara is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Accounting and is also a Certified Public Accountant. In 2013, she was recognized as a Purdue University Old Masters distinguished alumnus.

Paul Lawrence is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Commercial Metals Company. Paul joined CMC in February 2016 as Vice President of Finance and has held various finance leadership positions, including Treasurer and Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, and was appointed to his current role in November 2021.

Prior to joining CMC, Paul worked with Gerdau from 2003 to 2016, holding several roles including North American Information Technology Leader, Assistant Vice President and Corporate Controller and Deputy Corporate Controller. From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Lawrence held several financial positions with Co-Steel Inc., which was acquired by Gerdau SA.

Paul studied at Queen’s University in Ontario and holds an Honors Bachelor of Commerce.

Jody Absher is Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary of Commercial Metals Company. Jody joined CMC’s legal department in May 2011 and most recently served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.

Prior to joining CMC, Jody was an associate at Haynes and Boone, LLP. In addition to her role at CMC, Jody is currently serving on the Board of the Genesis Women’s Alliance.

Jody holds a B.S. in Supply Chain Management from Arizona State University and a J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law.

Jennifer Durbin is Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer at Commercial Metals Company. She leads the company’s Human Resources and Safety organizations in support of CMC’s workforce of more than 11,000 employees. Jennifer oversees all areas within Human Resources, including attracting and retaining talent, leadership development, compensation and benefits, and succession planning.

Prior to this role, Jennifer served for 10 years in CMC’s legal department, most recently as Vice President, Human Resources & Safety. Before joining the Company, she was an attorney at Sidley Austin, LLP.

In addition to her role at CMC, Jennifer is involved in several community organizations, including currently serving on the Dallas Board of the American Heart Association and serving on the Board of Trustees of the Association of Iron and Steel Technology (AIST) Foundation.

Jennifer has a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa and a law degree from Boston University School of Law.

Ty Garrison is Senior Vice President of Operations for Commercial Metals Company. In this role Ty is responsible for operations and commercial teams in the U.S. and Poland, along with supply chain, engineering and operational excellence. Ty joined CMC in 2000 as a salesperson and estimator in rebar fabrication. Over the last twenty years he has served in many roles across both sales and operations, including Director of Sales for the West Region, Vice President of the West Region and Vice President of the East Region, before being appointed to his current role in March 2021.

Ty has actively participated in the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, Steel Manufacturers Association and is a member of the Association for Iron and Steel Technology.

Ty holds a B.A. from Texas Lutheran University in Education and Political Science.

Steve Simpson is Vice President of the Central Division of Commercial Metals Company. In his current role, Steve is responsible for all CMC’s recycling, mill and fabrication operations from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Steve joined CMC in 2019 as Director of Special Projects, before relocating to Cayce, SC as the Director of Commercial Operations in the East. He became Vice President of East Commercial in 2021, overseeing sales for rebar, wire rod and specialty steel products.

Steve has 30 years of steel industry experience, having previously worked in a variety of sales and marketing positions with CMC, Charter Manufacturing and Gerdau North America. Prior to joining CMC, his most recent position was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Charter Steel.

Steve studied at Concordia University in Montreal and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree.

Steve Henderson is Vice President of the West Division of Commercial Metals Company. In his current role, Steve is responsible for CMC’s mill, fabrication and t-post operations west of the Rocky Mountains. Steve joined CMC as a Technical Assistant at CMC Steel Texas in 1994. He has held various operations-focused leadership positions, including Vice President and General Manager of CMC Steel Arizona overseeing the construction and startup of the new micromill. After the successful startup, Steve accepted the role of Vice President of our East Region in September 2010. In May 2015, Steve accepted the role of Vice President & Chief Supply Chain Officer, focusing on strengthening and developing the company’s Supply Chain organization, and was appointed to his current role in January 2020.

Steve has been active in various civic and industry associations throughout his career. He currently serves on the AIST Board of Directors as the Past President and a member of the Executive Committee.

Steve holds a B.S. from Texas A&M University in Engineering Technology and an M.S. in Management Science from the University of Central Texas.

Brian Halloran is Vice President of the Northeast Division at Commercial Metals Company. In his current role, Brian is responsible for all of CMC’s recycling, mill and fabrication operations in and north of Tennessee and North Carolina. In addition, Brian manages CMC Recycling’s Nonferrous Marketing and Global Scrap Management groups, as well as the Ferrous scrap sales and mill scrap purchasing for the Southeast and Northeast Divisions.

Brian joined CMC in 1998, and has worked in numerous marketing and operational roles, including general management of International Development, Nonferrous and Ferrous Marketing, and Recycling Operations. He is also a member of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries’ Board of Directors and a former Chair of ISRI’s Ferrous Division.

Brian holds a BSBA in Finance and International Business from Bowling Green State University and an MBA in Finance from Southern Methodist University.

Greg Brandon is Vice President of the Southeast Division of Commercial Metals Company. In this role, he will oversee operations and commercial functions in the Southeast Division, including Impact Metals.

Greg started his tenure at CMC in 1998 as an Inside Sales Representative at CMC Steel South Carolina. Since then, he has held a number of roles in South Carolina including Inside Sales Manager, Shipping Manager and Works Manager.

Greg relocated to Birmingham, AL as the Director of Operations for CMC Steel Alabama in 2012, before returning to South Carolina in 2018 where he became the Director of Rebar Fabrication, before being appointed Director of Operations at CMC Steel South Carolina in 2021. Greg assumed the role of Vice President, Southeast Division in April 2022.

Greg earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Marketing, followed by an MBA, from the University of South Carolina.

Michael Doucet is Vice President, Commercial at Commercial Metals Company. In his current role, Michael is establishing CMC's mid-to-long term domestic commercial goals, including ensuring a consistent customer experience, leading efforts to maximize opportunities to enhance CMC's product portfolio and working to bring new products and services to market, and developing consistent commercial processes.

Michael began his career in the sales department at CMC Steel Texas in 1996. He served in numerous roles from 2002 to 2013 including General Manager, Regional Sales Manager, and Director of Sales. In 2020, he rejoined CMC as GalvaBar Director of Operations as part of the company's acquisition of the GalvaBar assets from AZZ. Michael most recently served as CMC's Vice President of the Southeast Region, a position he was promoted to in December of 2020. He was appointed Vice President, Commercial in April 2022.

Michael is active in various industry associations including Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute and Associated Builders and Contractors.

Michael holds a degree in Marketing from Texas Lutheran University and an MBA from University of Texas at San Antonio.

Mike Lawrence is Vice President of the Tensar Division at Commercial Metals Company. In his current role, Mike is responsible for overseeing all Tensar operations globally.

Prior to joining CMC in 2022 through the acquisition of Tensar, Mike was the President and CEO of Tensar International Corporation. Before joining Tensar, Mike undertook a variety of roles at Johns Manville, including Senior Vice President and General Manager of their Engineered Products Americas Group, leading their Insulation Systems team, and Vice President of Sales & Marketing for their Building Insulation Division. Mike also worked for more than 20 years at Allied Signal (now Honeywell) in various roles including HR, safety, environmental, sales, marketing and general management.

Mike has served on multiple boards, including as Chairman of the North American Insulation Manufacturer’s Association, the Alliance to Save Energy, Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, and others.

Mike received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from American University in Washington, D.C., and his MBA from Farleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ.

Brad Cottrell is Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Commercial Metals Company. In his current role, Brad is responsible for procurement and logistics at all U.S. based operations as well as the Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning (SIOP) for our U.S. based divisions.

Brad originally joined CMC in 1993 as a steel trader in our global trading business. After a three-year absence during which time he pursued an MBA and worked as an analyst for Air Products and Chemicals, Brad returned to CMC in 2005 and spent time in rebar fabrication sales and operations, as well as mill sales. From 2015 until his appointment to his current role in January 2020, Brad served as the Vice President of our West Region. He currently serves on the Board of Directors as well as the Executive Committee of the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI).

Brad holds a B.A. in International Relations from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Purdue University.

Andy Sarat is Vice President Engineering, Technology and Innovation for CMC. In this role, Andy is responsible for all aspects of CMC engineering, including budgeting, planning and execution of major projects, along with planning and executing CMC’s yearly capital plan. Andy also has responsibility for the Operational Excellence teams across all lines of business for CMC, and leads a team tasked with ensuring CMC is an industry leader in innovation and technology.

Andy joined CMC in 2004, and since then has held several engineering and managerial roles, including Large Projects Manager for CMC Americas, Construction Manager for CMC Steel Arizona, Director of Engineering for CMC Americas, Director of Rebar Fabrication Southwest, and his most recent role as Director of Operations for CMC Steel Arizona and Southern Post Utah, before being appointed to his current role in January 2023.

Andy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics from State University of New York at Brockport and a master’s degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Jerzy Kozicz is Managing Director of CMC Poland. Jerzy joined CMC Poland as Managing Director in 2007, and in this role, he is responsible for all Polish operations including recycling, mill production and fabrication. Prior to joining CMC, he served as Country Manager for Foster Wheeler in Poland. He also worked at Arthur Andersen.

Jerzy is a graduate of City University of New York with a degree in Accounting.

Chris Westrick is Vice President of Sustainability and Government Affairs at CMC. In his current role, Chris is responsible for leading our sustainability efforts, all governmental affairs and trade matters, and leading our marketing teams.

Chris joined CMC in 2017 as the Director of Business Development and M&A. He later served as Area Manager in our Rebar Fabrication business and most recently has led integration efforts for recent acquisitions.
Prior to joining CMC, Chris worked for Gerdau where he led their business development and strategy group and subsequently served as General Manager of their Wire Products business.

Chris has a B.S./B.A. in Finance and International Business from Georgetown University.

Billy Milligan is a Vice President at CMC. Most recently, he was the Vice President of Sustainability and Government Affairs, where he was responsible for governmental affairs and trade matters, in addition to leading our sustainability reporting, environmental compliance and marketing teams. Billy joined CMC in 1999 and during his time with the company has held various leadership roles in sales and marketing, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions and business development.

Prior to joining CMC, Billy served as Vice President of Engineering and Technical Marketing for Chaparral Steel and Structural Engineer at TechniStructures Consulting Engineering.

Billy is active in various industry associations and currently serves on the Department of Commerce’s Industry Trade Advisory Committee 7 (ITAC), which advises the Department of Commerce on industry trade issues.

Billy holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Arlington and an Executive MBA from Southern Methodist University.