No, initiators cannot assign a specific approver. Once an initiator submits the request, it will be auto-routed to the appropriate Approver Group based on the Department, the selected form, and the employee class (also known as “appointment type” in current state).
Only one person in that approver group needs to approve for the workflow to move forward. However, the approver can select a specific ad hoc approver from a drop-down menu of approvers who have the appropriate permissions.