WHO’S NEWS: Justin Mihalik new AIA-NJ president; Evan Yassky joins Rosen Johnson;

Rosen Johnson Architects announced this week that Evan Yassky AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has joined the practice.
With experience including large-scale projects such as the new United States Embassy in London, comprehensive renovations and additions to the two Saarinen residential colleges at Yale University, and new buildings for housing and dining at the University of Washington, Mr. Yassky extends the firm’s geographic range and market sectors.
Founded in 1996, Rosen Johnson Architects is known for complex repositioning design for Trinity, Newmark, Adams, Vornado, and other prominent owners. The firm has also had a steady practice in master-planning and designing upgrades to sizable retail installations and residential communities such as LeFrak City and Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesant Town.
Evan Yassky’s experience in higher education includes planning and design for new and renovated arts, research, office, and residential buildings and earned an AIA National Honor Award and finalist honors in the World Architecture Festival.
Mr. Yassky’s portfolio also includes base-building and fit-out projects for major companies such as Hines, UPS, Verizon, Sanofi Pasteur, and Star Media.
He joins the firm following 10 years with Kieran Timberlake and, before that, Hillier. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at Wesleyan University and Master of Architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
•••
Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering firm, announced that James V. Brunetti, P.E. has joined its New York Wall Street office as a vice president in the Forensics practice. Brunetti has 30 years of experience in structural and civil engineering and will help to grow the firm’s forensics business, focusing on the power and utilities sectors.
Prior to joining Thornton Tomasetti, Brunetti was a vice president and business unit manager at Nova Engineering and Environmental in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He also spent nearly a decade at Hardesty & Hanover as director of power engineering and, later, as director of the structural inspection and restoration division. He has also held management positions at Con Edison and the New York Power Authority.
Brunetti has a broad background in design and project management, with expertise in structural dynamics and mechanics, vibration analysis, earthquake analysis, fracture mechanics, construction materials testing and special and threshold inspections.
He is a registered professional engineer in Florida, New York and New Jersey, and a certified threshold inspector in Florida.
Brunetti has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He received a master’s degree in structural engineering and a professional degree in engineering mechanics from Columbia University in New York City.
•••
Joseph G. Pulicare has been named the president of the U.S. transportation and infrastructure sector at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, a global engineering and professional services firm.
Effective January 2016, Mr. Pulicare will succeed Cliff Eby, who is retiring after a distinguished career in the public and private sectors.
Mr. Pulicare currently serves as the chief operating officer of the U.S. transportation and infrastructure sector. As president he will oversee planning, design and construction services for highways, bridges, transit and rail, aviation, as well as ports and marine. He will be based in the firm’s U.S. headquarters in New York City.
A nationally recognized transportation industry executive, Mr. Pulicare has more than 30 years of experience. Prior to joining WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, he was executive vice president and chief executive for transportation for the Americas operations of an international consulting engineering organization.
He also held senior executive positions with several other consulting engineering organizations and previously served as a program manager and principal engineer with New Jersey Transit.
A registered professional engineer, Mr. Pulicare received a master’s degree in civil engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science in civil and environmental engineering from Clarkson University. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Public Transportation Association and WTS International.
•••
The New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA-NJ) announced the induction of Justin A. Mihalik, AIA, as the organization’s 2016 president.
A principal at Essex Fells-based J.A. Mihalik Architect LLC, an architecture firm with a satellite office in Brandon, Fla., Mihalik has been a member of AIA-NJ for over 18 years and an active board member for the last 10 years.
Most recently, Mihalik served as president-elect, previously serving as AIA-NJ’s first and second vice president and treasurer.
As President, Mihalik will be responsible for devising and implementing architectural policy and procedures on behalf of AIA-NJ’s 2,000 members. He will also be responsible for leading the organization’s various legislative and community oriented advocacy campaigns.
Mihalik served as a member of AIA-NJ’s Legislative and Government Affairs Committee, which monitors regulatory issues that affect the practice of architecture for the organization.
He also served as vice chair of the New Jersey Architects Political Action Committee (NJAPAC), an affiliate organization that helps inform AIA-NJ architects about how New Jersey legislation affects them and their profession.
He also recently served on the ArchiPAC Steering Committee, the political action committee of the American Institute of Architects. Mihalik is well-known for his expertise in resilient architectural design, and appeared on Al Jazeera, PIX 11, and News 12 in 2015 to discuss the safety of lightweight wood construction.
In recent years, Mihalik has co-helmed the AIA Regional Recovery Working Group, an organization comprising leaders of AIA chapters in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island, along with Architecture for Humanity. In this role, Mihalik was instrumental in organizing a series of workshops bringing together industry and community leaders for discussions on resiliency in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
Mihalik is a member of the Newark and Suburban Architects, one of AIA-NJ’s six local sections, for which he has served in several positions, including president, treasurer and membership chair. He is an alumnus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology College of Architecture & Design.
•••
Huntsman Architectural Group announced the promotion of Sandra Tripp, NCIDQ IIDA LEED AP as Principal. The appointment recognizes Tripp’s leadership qualities and her significant contributions to strengthen the firm’s position in the New York market.
As a Principal and Managing Director, Sandy oversees business operations, provides design and management direction on key projects, and is active in business development efforts. She has helped leverage Huntsman’s workplace expertise for technology, creative, media, and law firm clients to build upon the firm’s strength in the New York marketplace rooted in financial and professional services and commercial real estate.
Sandy’s focus is on creating functional and sustainable environments that reflect the unique culture, brand, and aspirations of each client.
Prioritizing these goals and involving clients in the design process is illustrative of Huntsman’s collaborative approach. Sandy’s recent efforts include developing new workplace strategies for clients such as Moody’s, Aquent, and Sheppard Mullin, in addition to building repositioning for Vanbarton Group in both New York and San Francisco.
To support the firm’s growth, Sandy is responsible for recent strategic hires and engages in staff development and mentoring – key elements of the firm’s culture and long-term commitment to its employee-owners. She ensures project teams focus on providing the highest level of design, technical execution, and service quality.
Throughout her 25 year career, Sandy has worked on a wide range of projects in the corporate, media, healthcare, and retail sectors. Sandy received her Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY and joined Huntsman in 2014.
•••
Arup, a global leader in multidisciplinary engineering, consulting, and design, announced today that Andy Howard has been appointed Chairman of the Americas Region and Leo Argiris has been named Chief Operating Officer of the Americas Region.
The new management team aims to bring the world’s best ideas and advice to clients in the Americas. By leveraging digital technologies to provide clients with efficient and inventive solutions, Howard will both drive the vision for the firm’s future and serve as a steward of Arup’s legacy.
As Howard and Argiris lead Arup into the future in the Americas, prospects are exciting on a number of fronts. For FYE 2016, revenues for Arup in the Americas will exceed $350 million (the firm’s global revenue is $2 billion), and the group is anticipating double-digit growth annually for the next five years.
•••
W Architecture and Landscape Architecture has promoted Kate Cella, AIA, to associate.
As a dual-discipline graduate in both architecture and landscape architecture, Kate is particularly deft at balancing the delicate relationships between the built and natural environments.
Critical to her success is her sensitivity to client needs, coupled with a clear understanding of site ecology.
Kate’s portfolio as project manager includes Plaza 33, the temporary plaza at Penn Station, and Prudential’s Newark NJ headquarters, which features an acre green roof and the largest green wall in the New York area.
Among her projects are the Maintenance and Amenity Building at St. Patrick’s Island in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; the Boathouse and Community Building for JB Lane Riverside Park in Tampa, FL; the Edgewater Waterfront in Edgewater, NJ; and the USS Constellation Education and Heritage Center in Baltimore, MD.
Cella holds a Master of Architecture and Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Certificate of Ecological Architecture from the same university. She is a registered architect in the state of New York.