ENR New York is honoring a diverse group of talented young professionals working across the region’s design and construction sectors who are making an impact on their employers and clients as they build their careers. Twenty winners were chosen by the following independent judges: Michael Shamma, president, HAKS; Judy Cooper, Judy D. Cooper Communications; and Charles Avolio, president and general manager, New York region, Suffolk Construction. The accomplishments of this year’s honorees are wide-ranging. Many have led teams working on large projects, while others have focused on developing innovations to improve industry practice. The competition accepted entries through an online system for those based in New York or New Jersey who were under age 40 as of Jan. 1, 2017, and submission forms asked nominees to provide information about their industry experience and education as well as career and industry leadership. Read on to learn more about ENR New York’s 2017 Top Young Professionals.

Sergio Callen
Industrial engineer has had a big impact working on the railroad
Business Development Manager
Atkins
New York City

Callen joined Atkins in 2014 as regional business development manager for the firm’s North American rail and transit business. In this role, he focuses on systems engineering business development and program management efforts in the Northeast.

Callen completed his undergraduate degree as well as his master’s degree in business and industrial engineering at Polytechnic University in Barcelona, Spain. He is a registered professional engineer in Spain and currently serves on the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association’s Technical Committee 17 on High Speed Rail Systems, which develops and publishes information pertaining to high-speed rail development best practices.

Jolene D’sa
BIM expert works across the globe
BIM Manager
STV
New York City

As building information modeling (BIM) manager for STV, D’Sa manages the team at the LaGuardia Redevelopment program. She is also responsible for the firm’s BIM 456 initiative, a program that seeks to increase efficiency and productivity of project controls activities by using BIM to improve collaboration and communication. D’Sa has also worked on the renovation and expansion of John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4 as well as projects in the United Arab Emirates and India.

D’Sa volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, where she helps repair homes affected by Hurricane Sandy. She also works with Habitat’s Brush with Kindness program that revitalizes community spaces throughout New York City.

Richard Gerbe
Site creator mentors younger engineers
Co-Founder
HIGHMARK
New York City

A 20-year industry veteran, Gerbe is the co-founder of HIGHMARK, a service that helps bring high-level HVAC technologies from around the world to New York City. Gerbe’s work includes Etsy’s global headquarters, Cornell Tech’s Bloomberg Center and KCG Holdings’ New York City headquarters. He has also authored articles discussing energy efficiency for a number of publications.

Gerbe is active in several associations, including the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and ConEdison Energy-Efficiency Program. He also mentors engineering students and, through HIGHMARK, has partnered with Franklin Control Systems to help raise more than $100,000 to defeat ALS.

Gabriel Giles
VP sets focus on water resources
Associate Vice President
AECOM
New York City

Since joining AECOM as an intern in 2005, Giles has worked his way to the position of associate vice president and serves as operations manager for its New York City metro area water business. In this role, he delivers infrastructure projects that improve water resources and manages operations for 130 engineering professionals.

Giles has a master’s degree in civil engineering from Columbia University as well as a master’s of business administration from Columbia Business School. He has served on alumni panels at Columbia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and is a violinist with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony.

Jared Green
Engineer pushes technical education in firm and sector
Senior Associate/Vice President
Langan
New York City

Green has spent his entire 14-year career at Langan, rising from staff engineer to his current position of senior associate and vice president. His projects include VIA 57 West, 590 Fulton Street and the five-tower Riverside Center development. Green is also involved in the firm’s center for technical excellence, a continuing education program.

Outside the firm, Green serves on the micropile technical committee of the Deep Foundations Institute. He participates in mentoring programs for Langan and for his alma mater, Syracuse University.

Eric Greenwald
Fire expert works to safeguard region
Vice President
Specialized Fire & Security
Branchburg, N.J.

Greenwald is vice president of sales for Specialized Fire & Security Inc. (SFSI), where he is responsible for business development and implementation of the firm’s sales and marketing strategy. He has been involved in fire-protection system design and installation for projects such as World Trade Center Vehicle Safety Center and Transportation Hub and American Dream Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

Greenwald has served as a volunteer firefighter and is a member of the National Fire Protection Association. He also serves as treasurer for the New York  Metropolitan Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.

Steve Horwitz
Marketer secures projects and advocates for brain cancer funding
Vice President - Marketing
AECOM
New York City

Horwitz began his career at Tishman Construction (now AECOM Construction) as an assistant marketing coordinator in 2001. Over the years, he has helped the firm secure high-profile projects such as One Manhattan West, the Jacob Javits Center renovation and expansion, and the World Trade Center transit hub. He has held the position of vice president of marketing for the past year. Horwitz is a board member of Voices Against Brain Cancer, which has raised more than $5 million to support brain cancer clinical trials and patient advocacy programs.

Carla Julian
Manager shines on transportation
Senior Manager Public Affairs/Community Outreach
Fluor Corp.
Tarrytown, N.Y.

With nearly 20 years of experience under her belt, Julian has recently accepted the role of senior manager, public affairs/community outreach for Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) for Fluor Corp. PLTP is the design-build consortium for the Purple Line light rail project, a public-private partnership (P3) in Maryland. Julian previously served as spokeswoman/outreach/diversity manager for Tappan Zee Constructors, the team designing and building the $3.9-billion bridge project.

Julian is currently a board member on New York’s Women Builders Council, where she focuses on recruiting New York’s up-and-coming female talent to the organization.

Robert Kipp
Army veteran takes on construction sector
Lead Superintendent
Tishman Constructon
New York City

Robert Kipp joined Tishman Construction in 2016 as lead superintendent, working on the Hudson Yards Tower B Retail Mall in New York City. He has worked on a number of projects in the New York and D.C. areas, primarily in fields such as heavy civil, residential, commercial, institutional and mixed use.

Kipp was a captain in the U.S. Army for seven years and was awarded the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Badge and the Parachutists Badge. He also volunteers with the Wounded Warrior Project.

Andrew Lyon
Architect designs large projects and also teaches architecture
Architectural Designer
Gensler
New York City

Lyon has worked in the industry for 12 years, the last two with Gensler as a designer. In his current position, Lyon contributes to all phases of the design process. While he has worked on a wide range of projects, his primary focus is commercial office buildings and building repositioning. Lyon’s key projects include 25-30 Columbia Heights and One Franklin Plaza. He also completed the National Museum of African American History and Culture and VIA 57 while working at another firm.

A graduate of Brown University, Lyon serves on the board of the Brown Alumni of New York. He is a visiting assistant professor at Pratt Institute, where he teaches third-year comprehensive design in the core architecture curriculum.

Jennifer Marcy
Flood expert helps government
Project Manager
Atkins
Buffalo

Marcy is a 16-year veteran of the engineering industry, having spent the last seven years leading flood risk-related outreach and training. She also provides expertise on floodplain management regulations for Atkins’ Buffalo office. Previously based in Washington, D.C., she supported a flood hazard mapping contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In her current role, Marcy assists multiple project teams linking flood hazard identification and flood risk assessments to mitigation strategies that reduce risk. She also serves on a team of National Flood Insurance Program experts conducting floodplain management, levee mapping and coastal erosion hazard area program training in every county in New York state.

Anthony Montalto
Company vet excels in new position
Associate Partner
Jaros, Baum & Bolles
New York City

A graduate of Villanova University’s engineering program, Montalto began his career at Jaros, Baum & Bolles (JB&B) as an intern in 1999. In 2002, he joined the company full-time and later earned a promotion to associate in 2008. In 2015, Montalto was invited into the partnership as an associate partner.

Montalto has worked on several large projects throughout New York City, including 2 World Trade Center, Columbia University Medical Center and Belfer Research Building at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is a longtime Habitat for Humanity volunteer and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) board member. He has participated in house rebuilding on Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy as well as building the Sydney House project, a 60-unit apartment house in the Bronx.

David Nemeth
Design manager takes lead on transit and helps high schoolers
Project Manager & Highway Design Group Leader
Gannett Fleming Inc.
South Plainfiled, N.J.

Nemeth is a project manager and roadway design group leader at Gannett Fleming Inc.’s office in South Plainfield, N.J. He has spent the entirety of his 13-year career with the firm. Nemeth has been involved in projects for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and New Jersey Transit. He is currently working on a $1.9-billion project for the MTA Long Island Rail Road.

Outside of the office, Nemeth has volunteered since 2005 for the New Jersey Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology, a support program for high school students.

Rahul Parab
Manager takes the leads on sustainable infrastructure
Assistant Department Manager, Water Resources
Dewberry
New York City

Parab advocates developing a sustainable infrastructure to enhance community resilience in the New York metropolitan area in the wake of October 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. Parab currently serves as Dewberry’s resilience group director as well as assistant department manager for water resources in the firm’s New York City office and has worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Parab is active in several engineering organizations and supports a school in rural India founded by his grandfather in 1956. The school provides free education and lodging for poor and disadvantaged students.

Julie Pietrzak
Civil engineer pushes flood mitigation and career education
Senior Civil Engineer
STV
New York City

As a senior civil engineer in STV’s buildings and facilities division, Pietrzak has contributed to innovative flood-mitigation solutions for New York City Transit’s Coney Island Yard in Brooklyn, the 207th Street Yard in Manhattan and Hammels Wye in Far Rockaway, Queens, as well as for power and signal facilities along Metro-North Railroad’s Hudson Line.

Pietrzak began her engineering career in California in 2009 and earned her professional engineering license in New York last June. She is STV’s civil engineer representative for Exploring, Learning for Life—a career education program for high school students.

Pierce Reynoldson
Manager takes the lead on virtual design and construction
Senior Virtual Design and Construction  Manager
Skanska USA
New York City

Reynoldson has worked in virtual design and construction since 2009 and has spent the last four years as Skanska USA Building’s senior VDC manager for the metro New York area. In this role, Reynoldson works on VDC on all major projects in New York, including the World Trade Center PATH Hall and the new LaGuardia Central Terminal.

He is a faculty lecturer at the Yale School of Architecture, where he created the school’s first fully BIM-enabled course.

Evan Swiker
Lead engineer tackles nuclear waste cleanup
Engineer V
AECOM
Princeton, N.J.

Swiker is AECOM’s lead engineer on all water, steam and fly ash systems for a flue gas desulfurization and selective catalytic reduction retrofit project.

In this role, Swiker has spent time as an engineer onsite working on a nuclear waste removal project and was part of the team that procured the filtration system for all contaminated water on site as well as the means for removing all nuclear waste off site in concrete canisters.

Swiker earned his master’s degree in nuclear engineering while working full-time as an engineer. He has participated in evaluating projects that were applying for assistance from Engineers Without Borders.

Michael Thomas
Group leader puts teams to work on top New Jersey projects
Group Manager
T&M Associates
Middletown, N.J.

Thomas joined T&M Associates in 2012 and currently serves as group manager in the firm’s site-development group. He has taken the lead on several large projects, including Carnegie Center Office Park in West Windsor, N.J. Thomas also is the first professional in New Jersey to obtain the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED AP in Neighborhood Development accreditation.

In his spare time, Thomas has been an active lecturer and mentor for the Project Lead the Way programs, a national nonprofit that provides resources and educational aid to students interested in science and engineering.

Allison Tomlinson
Lawyer provides global support for architecture and design firm
Regional Counsel
Gensler
New York City

As Gensler’s lead counsel in the Northeast region and Latin America, Tomlinson provides legal support to the firm’s New York, Boston, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Morristown, N.J., offices, in addition to Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica. She acts as a liaison and advises human resources on employment law issues and oversees responsibilities for the global technical leadership committee and product design group.

Tomlinson is on the board of directors of the Greater New York chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and also is the co-chair of the Long Island chapter.

Christy Ullo
Manager builds brand awareness globally
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Faithful+Gould
New York City

Currently serving as vice president of marketing and communications at Faithful + Gould, Ullo has 14 years of industry experience. In her current role, Ullo has integrated marketing departments through acquisition and leadership changes in the energy and construction industries. She also leads a global team that promotes the firm’s brand and image.

Ullo is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, where she has previously served as vice president of finance, vice president of administration and diversity chair.