JE Dunn names Colby Cox chief legal officer ahead of 2027 retirement

JE Dunn has named Colby Cox its next chief legal officer, effective Jan. 1, replacing Tom Whittaker, who will retire at the start of 2027 after more than three decades with the Kansas City, Missouri-based builder.

The company announced the move Thursday. Cox returns to the firm where he worked for a decade — from 2006 to 2017 he served as vice president and regional general counsel in the Atlanta and Kansas City areas, according to his LinkedIn profile.

After leaving JE Dunn in 2017, Cox held chief legal officer roles at two contractors. He led legal at EMJ, a general contractor based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and at Gray, a design-build firm based in Lexington, Kentucky.

In his new role, Cox will help JE Dunn navigate opportunities and challenges with his experience leading complex legal, risk, compliance, governance and growth initiatives, per the announcement.

Who is Cox replacing?

Whittaker began his career at JE Dunn in 1994, according to the announcement. Over three decades, he helped steer the firm through sustained expansion while building and leading its legal, risk management, compliance and government affairs functions.

His retirement lands at a moment of aggressive growth for the company. 2026 has already brought two structural additions:

• April: JE Dunn launched Form Off-Site Solutions, an offsite manufacturing arm (prefabricated building assemblies produced in a factory rather than on site) focused on four groups of assemblies — metal, wood, building skin and multitrade.
• August: The company expanded its advanced technology group with a power generation unit, responding to a surge in offshoring and artificial intelligence infrastructure demand, along with aging power infrastructure. Vice President Ryan Wilson, an internal leader, now heads that unit.

What does this change for JE Dunn?

The practical question is continuity. A builder pushing into prefabrication and power infrastructure needs legal leadership that can handle the risk and governance load those new businesses carry. Cox's mandate, as the announcement frames it, is exactly that — complex legal, risk, compliance and governance work tied to growth.

The transition gives the firm a 14-month runway. Cox takes over Jan. 1, while Whittaker's formal retirement arrives in 2027, allowing an extended handover between the outgoing 30-year veteran and the returning alum before the fiscal change fully settles.