Richard Kessler, chairman of the New York District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI New York), announced that Felix A. Ciampa has been named executive director.
Ciampa joins ULI New York from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) where he served as Deputy Commissioner of Policy and External Affairs.
In 2010, Ciampa joined the Madison Square Garden Company as the senior vice president of government affairs. Previously, he worked in the office of the Mayor serving as chief of staff for then Deputy Mayor Robert C. Lieber.
For nearly four years, Ciampa worked for the New York City Economic Development Corporation as the senior vice president of government and community relations and was later promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer.
He began his career as a legislative attorney in the office of the General Counsel for the City Council and was later promoted to Chief Counsel on Ethics and Counsel to the Committee on Standards and Ethics. Ciampa holds a Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law and a Bachelor of Art’s degree from Fordham University.
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Jamestown Latin America (JTLA) announced Bret Rosen as the firm’s managing director of research.
He will be charged with macroeconomic and real estate market analysis of the countries that Jamestown will primarily focus on, including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Mexico.
Rosen brings more than 15 years of experience in the Latin American market to Jamestown. He most recently served as the Latin America strategist at Standard Chartered Bank in New York.
Before that, he lived in Buenos Aires and served as the co-portfolio manager and senior research analyst at Explorador Capital Management, a hedge fund. He also worked in Latin American equities at Goldman Sachs, as a Latin America sovereign analyst at Trust Company of the West and as an emerging markets product manager at PIMCO. In 2002, Rosen was a short-term consultant for World Bank/IFC in São Paulo, Brazil.
Rosen holds a bachelor of arts from UC Berkeley, a master’s of science from the London School of Economics and a master’s in business administration from the Anderson School at UCLA. He speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese.
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Castellano, Korenberg & Co. announced that Certified Public Accountant, Christine Hallahan, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) Nassau Chapter.
A longtime member of the NYSSCPA Nassau Chapter, Hallahan has previously served as the chairperson of both the Estate and Personal Financial Planning Committee and the Women’s Focus Group Committee.
Hallahan joined Castellano, Korenberg & Co. in November 2012 with over 25 years of experience in the management of closely held businesses and public accounting.
Hallahan has handled complex financial issues including tax and estate implications of same-sex marriage and domestic partnerships; fiduciary accountings; partnership, gift and estate tax reporting; and responses to taxing authorities with regard to client matters and IRS positions on various tax issues.
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Greystone announced the addition of Andrew Warren to the firm’s affordable housing preservation division as director of investments.
Warren will lead the group’s efforts in raising equity capital for properties through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, as well as securing debt and financing through various partnerships.
Prior to joining Greystone, he served as the director of portfolio management at Centerline Capital Group. He was previously an associate in Centerline’s Tax Credit Acquisitions Group where sourced, underwrote and closed real estate transactions comprising more than $500 million of equity investment and $100 million of debt financing.
Warren received a Bachelors of Science in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University.
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Winston & Strawn LLP has announced William (Bill) X. Lang has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the real estate practice.
Lang, formerly a partner at Nixon Peabody, focuses his practice on commercial real estate transactions and financing matters.
He experience representing clients in the acquisition and sale of commercial and multi-family properties, leasing of commercial and retail properties and borrower side financing of commercial properties.
He has been honored by The Legal Aid Society of New York with the Pro Bono Publico award several times.
Lang earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and a B.A. from Fordham University.
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Hollister Construction Services announced that Vincent Solano has been promoted to vice president, pre-construction and that Thomas M. Essase has been hired as senior project manager.
With more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry, Vincent Solano joined Hollister in 2009 as chief estimator.
Previously, he worked with Eastman Construction Co., Carson and Roberts Site Construction and The Holder Group.
Thomas Easse joins Hollister with more than 26 years of project management experience in the construction industry.
Prior to joining Hollister, Easse worked as a director of construction management at Picatinny Arsenal and as a senior project manager at several highly regarded construction companies.
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VHB announced that Rick Steiner, PE, LEED AP, has been named the New York City director of site/civil engineering.
Steiner will lead development projects throughout New York City and grow VHB’s civil engineering practice in the region.
With award-winning projects recognized by the Academy of Environmental Engineers and the American Council of Engineering Companies, Steiner has worked in all phases of urban redevelopment from initial site feasibility investigations to design and construction management.
He has extensive experience in permitting and approvals with the New York City Departments of Environmental Protection, Transportation, and Parks and Recreation.
He earned his master’s degree in Environmental Engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology and his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Arizona.
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Zetlin & De Chiara LLP announced the arrival of Roy H. Schwartz to the firm’s New York City office.
He has joined the firm as an associate principal with a focus on commercial and construction litigation.
Prior to joining Zetlin & De Chiara, Schwartz was with a New Jersey law firm where he represented design professionals in the defense of professional liability and related claims. He also clerked for the Honorable Anthony J. Parrillo, J.A.D., a New Jersey Appellate Division judge.
He received his J.D. from Rutgers Law School-Camden, and his M.S. (Global Studies) and B.A. (Political Science and Economics) from Rutgers College.
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CetraRuddy announced that Thom Ortiz has joined the firm as senior interior designer.
Ortiz brings more than 22 years of experience in architecture, interior design, branding, graphics and involvement with product design within the hospitality, retail, residential design and food and beverage industries to CetraRuddy.
Most recently at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., Oritz developed and managed the global design direction for the Le Méridien, St. Regis and Luxury Collection brands.
Prior to joining Starwood, he developed interior design architectural projects at the Rockwell Group in New York for projects such as the Trump SoHo Hotel, the Nobu Hotel, and the Ink48 Hotel.
Prior to focusing on hospitality design, Ortiz spent ten years in private residential design.
He studied architecture and fine art at The University of New Mexico and continued his education at the school of Architecture and Planning at Columbia University in New York.
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Skanska USA has promoted Anthony Colonna to vice president of prefabrication operations.
In his five years at Skanska, Colonna has led Skanska’s efforts to develop and implement new technology in construction as national director of innovation. He has also helped establish Skanska as a prefabrication pioneer.
In his new role, Colonna will work closely with Skanska’s business development, preconstruction and operations teams to implement prefabrication and modular construction techniques on Skanska’s projects throughout the U.S.
Colonna was previously national director for Skanska USA’s Innovation Group.
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The Rockefeller Group announced that Chris Brill-Edwards has joined the company as senior vice president, Design & Construction.
Brill-Edwards, who previously led the corporate real estate activities for Goldman Sachs in India, will be based in New York.
At Goldman Sachs, Brill-Edwards oversaw the development agreement and pre-development activities for a build-to-suit corporate campus in Bangalore.
At The Rockefeller Group, he will oversee all aspects of design and construction activities for the company’s ground-up development plans and initiatives throughout the United States.
Prior to Goldman Sachs, Brill-Edwards led the development activities of private equity firm Starwood Capital Group on all asset types globally. He has also held positions with Bovis Lend Lease as senior project manager, and with Boca Group International as senior project manager.
He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from Bucknell University, and an MBA from New York University.
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Skanska USA has promoted Daniel Maldonado to vice president of business development for its building business unit’s Metro New York office.
A 23-year industry ve4teran, Maldonado has spent over 15 years working in various Skanska offices all over the world, including five years in the Metro New York office.
He has worked on projects in Latin America, South America, and the Caribbean, where he played a key role in proposal development and operations and managed major pricing decisions for the benefit of Skanska’s clients around the world.
Maldonado graduated from the National University of Salta (U.N. Sa.) in Salta, Argentina with a degree in civil and construction engineering, earned a degree in project management from Polytechnic University of Madrid in Spain and received his master’s degree in business administration from Austral University, in Buenos Aires.
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Racanelli Construction Company, Inc. announced that Jerry Tudisco has joined the firm as a Project Manager.
He has over four decades of experience in project management and previously served as operations manager with Morgan Contracting.
His professional career also included senior positions with HRH Construction, Herbert Construction/IDI Construction, Structure Tone (New York, NY) and Nico Construction.
Tudisco attended Hofstra University for Business Administration.
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After serving as Interim Dean since October 2011, Kevin Hom, AIA, LEED, the founder and president of Kevin Hom Architects, has been appointed Dean of New York City College of Technology of The City University of New York (CUNY).
With more than 16,000 enrolled students in 65 baccalaureates, associate and specialized certificate programs, City Tech is the largest public college of technology in New York State.
Hom brings over three decades of broad professional and academic experiences to the position, including an extensive portfolio of creative work and structures designed and built by his architectural firm.
During his service as Dean, Hom will continue to lead the architectural practice he founded 22 years ago and to be engaged in the completion of the firm’s upcoming projects.
