product

Mr. Gentry has successful management experience and has led the development and launch of numerous innovative products and market solutions. In 1980 he founded Con Com-T, Incorporated, a sales and marketing consulting firm. Recognizing the importance and urgency of action on climate change, in 2008 Mr. Gentry narrowed his focus to the emerging Building Performance Industry and the task of making our new and existing buildings more energy efficient. Working with a local green builder he has been involved in the specification and building process of multiple Passive Certified and other high-performance homes. In 2018 Mr. Gentry joined the board of Passive House California where he works with other leaders to promote awareness and application of Passive House protocols with policy makers, architects, developers, and builders, as well as home and business owners throughout California.

Mr. Taylor is a certified Passive House consultant and Passive House rater. He is a HERS Rater, and he is certified by Energy Star, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, IECC and BPI. Mr. Taylor has served on the ANSI/RESNET National Committee for water efficiency; on the Environmental Committee for the Town of Fairview, Texas, and as project manager for large commercial data centers. This is a second career after the US Navy, a computer science degree and 35 years in the computer services industry.

Mr. Westbrook designed his own solar home in north Texas in 1996, which won the Energy Value Housing Award for Innovative Design. It still ranks as one of the most efficient homes in Texas. While serving as Sustainable Development Manager at Texas Instruments International Facilities, Mr. Westbrook was the LEED AP for the 1.1 million square foot Texas Instruments factory, which was the first LEED Gold semiconductor factory in the world. He led the effort to improve the energy and water efficiency of TI’s 20 million square feet of existing global facilities. They were able to double the company energy and water efficiency in less than 10 years. In 2012, Mr. Westbrook was named a Senior Fellow for the US State Department’s Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas program. He visited Honduras, Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru where he worked with governments, universities, and industry on efficiency and renewable energy. Mr. Westbrook received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1982.

Christina Snyder Architect, Builder, CPHC, PHI-accredited Certifier; Owner, Equilibrium Energy Spaces, Michigan
Ms. Snyder attended Phius’ inaugural class in 2008 and became a CPHC in 2009, continuing a career focused on sustainable design, both in practice and education. A residential builder, an architect and sole proprietor since 2002, she also instructed architecture students as an adjunct professor, coaching them through winning the first & second Michigan Zero Energy Home competitions, as well as competing in the 2007 Solar Decathlon in Washington DC, and has also published a paper on zero energy homes utilizing seasonal heat storage systems. Ms. Snyder has been a partner in a renewable energy system installation business, Sustainable Systems, before starting her own architectural practice. She has volunteered on natural building projects including strawbale, cob, cordwood, and thatched structures; and has lectured throughout the Midwest on energy efficiency, and zero energy homes. Most recently Ms. Snyder has taught continuing education classes for professionals on passive houses. She is also walking her talk; she’s almost completed a new passive house on her rural southern Michigan homestead using an innovative foundation system of glass-fiber reinforced concrete structural insulated panels. Ms. Snyder has certified passive houses and provided PHPP assistance since 2015 as a founding member of CertiPHIers Cooperative.

Ms. White has been with Phius since 2012. Ms. White led the building certification review team for seven years and is an instructor for Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC®) training and WUFI® Passive energy modeling software training. She holds a degree in Environmental Sustainability with a minor in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master’s in Energy Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ms. White has a strong understanding of high-performance building design and how this is integral to the transition to a renewable energy grid. Her Masters’ thesis posed the question “What do Net Zero Buildings Cost the Grid?”, combining the concepts behind how building loads are shaped, how design techniques can alter that shape, and how that ultimately impacts the electricity generation resources needed to meet the load – all while considering the shift to more intermittent, renewable energy resources. Ultimately, this research concludes that energy conservation and demand response in buildings is a critical up-front investment to facilitate this transition.

Mr. Peel is a renowned expert in the field of Passive House buildings. He is the founder and principal of Peel Passive House Consulting, a consulting firm that specializes in supporting the design and constructing of high-performance, low carbon buildings. Mr. Peel has over 15 years of experience in the field and is an accredited Passive House certifier, consultant, and trainer. His passion for sustainable building began early in his career, and he has been dedicated to promoting energy efficiency and sustainability ever since. Mr. Peel has worked on a wide range of projects, including residential homes, multi-family dwellings, and commercial buildings, all with the aim of improving occupant quality of life, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing environmental impact. As a certified Passive House consultant, he is well-versed in the principles of energy-efficient design and construction. Mr. Peel has a deep understanding of building science and can apply this knowledge to create buildings that are not only energy-efficient but also comfortable and healthy for their occupants. He is also an active member of the sustainable building community, regularly attending conferences and events to stay up to date on the latest developments and innovations in the field. Mr. Peel is committed to educating others about the benefits of sustainable building and is always eager to share his expertise with clients, colleagues, and industry partners. With his passion, expertise, and commitment to sustainability, he is a leading figure in the industry and a valuable asset to any project.

Mr. Taylor is a certified Passive House consultant and Passive House rater. He is a HERS Rater, and he is certified by Energy Star, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, IECC and BPI. Mr. Taylor has served on the ANSI/RESNET National Committee for water efficiency; on the Environmental Committee for the Town of Fairview, Texas, and as project manager for large commercial data centers. This is a second career after the US Navy, a computer science degree and 35 years in the computer services industry.

Mr. Westbrook designed his own solar home in north Texas in 1996, which won the Energy Value Housing Award for Innovative Design. It still ranks as one of the most efficient homes in Texas. While serving as Sustainable Development Manager at Texas Instruments International Facilities, Mr. Westbrook was the LEED AP for the 1.1 million square foot Texas Instruments factory, which was the first LEED Gold semiconductor factory in the world. He led the effort to improve the energy and water efficiency of TI’s 20 million square feet of existing global facilities. They were able to double the company energy and water efficiency in less than 10 years. In 2012, Mr. Westbrook was named a Senior Fellow for the US State Department’s Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas program. He visited Honduras, Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru where he worked with governments, universities, and industry on efficiency and renewable energy. Mr. Westbrook received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1982.

Principal and Founder of THE DEAP Energy Group, LLC
Mr. Duclos is a principal and founder of THE DEAP Energy Group, LLC, a consultancy providing a wide variety of deep energy retrofit, zero net energy and Passive House-related consulting services. He is a founder, on the board of directors, and director of education of Energy Raters of Massachusetts, Inc., a RESNET-certified HERS Provider specifically catering to independent HERS Raters in New England. Mr. Duclos also founded Energy Efficiency Associates, LLC, to provide conventional home HERS, energy audit, Stretch Code, tax certification and associated verification and consulting services.

Mr. Duclos was an energy consultant on the Transformations, Inc., Massachusetts Zero Energy Challenge entry, which was awarded the second prize of $15K. He has worked on a variety of Zero Net Energy, DER and Passive House projects, including two National Grid DER projects which qualified for the ACI Thousand Homes Challenge, Option B, both of which have certified with a year of energy consumption data to use less energy than specified by THC Option B. Mr. Duclos conducted a feasibility study of a retrofit to the Passive House new home performance standard. He assisted with the design and preparation of the PHPP for the first EnerPHIT certified home in the US.

Mr. Duclos also worked on the design and certification of the first National Grid DER  project to successfully qualify for the Zero Net Energy incentive, which completed a year of use with a surplus of 500 KWHR. He served on the NESEA Zero Energy Task force which analyzed utility bill data from applicants for the annual $10K award for the best zero net energy home. Mr. Duclos is a founding member and was on the board of directors of Passive House New England, Inc., a non-profit promoting high performance building, including Passive House. He is a member of the Northeast HERS Alliance Technical Committee and was on the MassSave New Construction Program HERS Rater Panel.

Mr. Duclos monitors the delivered performance of his projects using a variety of real time electricity monitors, as well as temperature, RH and CO2 loggers and correlates this data to the expected performance predicted by his energy models. The actual data, and the stories behind the data are made available to the public in speaking engagements in a variety of public venues, and in publications like Home Energy Magazine.

Mr. Duclos is an ITC-certified building science infrared thermographer, and he is the certified Passive House consultant responsible for the design and certification of the second Passive House in Massachusetts. He holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from UMass Lowell, and two patents.

Mr. Duclos consulted on the first multifamily Passive House certified in New Hampshire, a 24-unit affordable senior housing facility near Laconia, New Hampshire.

Christina Snyder Architect, Builder, CPHC, PHI-accredited Certifier; Owner, Equilibrium Energy Spaces, Michigan
Ms. Snyder attended Phius’ inaugural class in 2008 and became a CPHC in 2009, continuing a career focused on sustainable design, both in practice and education. A residential builder, an architect and sole proprietor since 2002, she also instructed architecture students as an adjunct professor, coaching them through winning the first & second Michigan Zero Energy Home competitions, as well as competing in the 2007 Solar Decathlon in Washington DC, and has also published a paper on zero energy homes utilizing seasonal heat storage systems. Ms. Snyder has been a partner in a renewable energy system installation business, Sustainable Systems, before starting her own architectural practice. She has volunteered on natural building projects including strawbale, cob, cordwood, and thatched structures; and has lectured throughout the Midwest on energy efficiency, and zero energy homes. Most recently Ms. Snyder has taught continuing education classes for professionals on passive houses. She is also walking her talk; she’s almost completed a new passive house on her rural southern Michigan homestead using an innovative foundation system of glass-fiber reinforced concrete structural insulated panels. Ms. Snyder has certified passive houses and provided PHPP assistance since 2015 as a founding member of CertiPHIers Cooperative.

Smita Chandra Thomas is the founder and principal at Energy Shrink, a consulting practice focused on high-performance buildings. Dedicated to enabling energy efficiency in buildings through building science, Smita has more than two decades of experience performing and managing techno-economic for path breaking green buildings. Ms. Thomas is the instructor of the course Decarbonizing Buildings at George Washington University in Washington, DC. She has served as a green building consultant to the World Bank Group for six years. Ms. Thomas is a published author, blogger, and speaker. Ms. Thomas has a master’s degree in building science and has been certified as LEED AP and CPHC.

Ms. White has been with Phius since 2012. Ms. White led the building certification review team for seven years and is an instructor for Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC®) training and WUFI® Passive energy modeling software training. She holds a degree in Environmental Sustainability with a minor in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master’s in Energy Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ms. White has a strong understanding of high-performance building design and how this is integral to the transition to a renewable energy grid. Her Masters’ thesis posed the question “What do Net Zero Buildings Cost the Grid?”, combining the concepts behind how building loads are shaped, how design techniques can alter that shape, and how that ultimately impacts the electricity generation resources needed to meet the load – all while considering the shift to more intermittent, renewable energy resources. Ultimately, this research concludes that energy conservation and demand response in buildings is a critical up-front investment to facilitate this transition.

Mr. Halsted is responsible for increasing the market share for ready mixed concrete products through education, promotion, design, technical services, and construction activities at the local, regional, and state level. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the use of cement and concrete in the pavements and geotechnical industry. Mr. Halsted has knowledge of planning, design, materials testing, construction, and sustainability; has participated in numerous training and construction workshops involving state and provincial transportation agencies, public works departments, universities, material suppliers, and consulting firms; and has authored several publications related to cement and concrete construction. He currently serves as a voting member of several Transportation Research Board (TRB), American Concrete Institute (ACI), and ASTM International (ASTM) standing technical committees. Mr. Halsted holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Southern Polytechnic State University and is a licensed engineer in the state of Georgia. Prior to joining NRMCA, he held civil and geotechnical engineering positions with the Portland Cement Association, the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, and the Georgia Department of Transportation. 

Mr. Halcomb has over 17 years of geotechnical and cold regions engineering experience and works for Devise Engineering in Anchorage, Alaska. He regularly oversees geotechnical efforts on projects ranging from several hundred thousand to multi-million dollars in various environments including the arctic, subarctic, and marine. Mr. Halcomb has experience in designing various geotechnical infrastructure including shallow and deep foundations, flexible and rigid pavements for vehicle and aircraft traffic, retaining structures, excavations, and dewatering. Mr. Halcomb is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Geo-Institute. He earned his B.S., M.C.E., M.S. in Arctic Engineering, and an Earthquake graduate certificate all from the University of Alaska Anchorage. 

Mr. Halcomb has over 17 years of geotechnical and cold regions engineering experience and works for Devise Engineering in Anchorage, Alaska. He regularly oversees geotechnical efforts on projects ranging from several hundred thousand to multi-million dollars in various environments including the arctic, subarctic, and marine. Mr. Halcomb has experience in designing various geotechnical infrastructure including shallow and deep foundations, flexible and rigid pavements for vehicle and aircraft traffic, retaining structures, excavations, and dewatering. Mr. Halcomb is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Geo-Institute. He earned his B.S., M.C.E., M.S. in Arctic Engineering, and an Earthquake graduate certificate all from the University of Alaska Anchorage. 

Dr. Mazari is an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Cal State Los Angeles, specializing in transportation infrastructure and pavement materials. He is the program manager of the Sikand Center for Sustainable and Intelligent Infrastructures (SITI-Center) and founder of the Sustainable Infrastructure Materials Research Lab (SIM-Lab) at Cal State LA. His research interests include sustainable and resilient transportation infrastructure and transportation infrastructure materials. He is a member of technical committees at the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science and Engineering, and he is co-chair of the LTPP subcommittee of the Highway Pavement Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Dr. Mazari has published more than 70 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers. He has been actively involved in several national and state research projects, including the National Highway Cooperative Research Program (NCHRP) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Dr. Armen Amirkhanian is an assistant professor at The University of Alabama. His research interests are broadly based in infrastructure materials characterization with a primary focus on cementitious materials. Past research has been on emerging concrete pavement topics such as two-lift paving and internal curing. Current research topics are exploring the areas of alkali-silica degradation characterization, atomic-scale characterization of alkali-activated materials, durability issues associated with concrete pavement rehabilitation, and asphalt binder characterization using machine-learning techniques. Dr. Amirkhanian has been principal investigator or co-PI on projects with the Oregon, Alabama, South Carolina, and Maryland Departments of Transportation. He is a professional engineer registered in Oregon, Alabama, and South Carolina. Dr. Amirkhanian is a voting member on American Concrete Institute committees 124 and 213 and an associate member of ACI committees 236, 242 and 325. He is also a voting member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) standing committee AKP20. Dr. Amirkhanian is currently the secretary and treasurer of the International Society of Concrete Pavements. He is also the faculty advisor for the ASCE Concrete Canoe Team and the student ACI chapter at the University of Alabama.

Dr. Ayers is the president of Global Pavement Consultants, Inc. (GPC). GPC conducts business worldwide and concentrates primarily on pavement design, construction, evaluation, full-depth reclamation with cement, rehabilitation and concrete overlays. Dr. Ayers specializes in pavement analysis using the AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Procedure, forensic analysis, just-in-time-training prior to project start-up, troubleshooting both during and after construction and development and delivery of pavement and materials-related seminars and short courses.

Dr. Ayers has extensive experience in the design and construction of concrete overlays, concrete roadways, unbound and stabilized base courses including cement-treated bases, lean concrete bases, full-depth reclamation (FDR) utilizing existing asphalt materials and roller-compacted concrete (RCC). He recently completed development of the Aggregates and Portland Cement Concrete training modules for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Highway Materials Engineering course, the design chapter for the new FDR Guidelines and several chapters in the new FHWA Guide for Concrete Pavement Distress Assessments and Solutions. He also serves as an expert witness on a variety of design and materials-related issues focusing on concrete and RCC pavements. He has substantial experience in field investigations and forensic studies and has conducted numerous large-scale investigations using the MIT SCAN B2 for determining embedded steel location and alignment in concrete pavements.

Dr. Ayers has been very active in the industry serving on a variety of National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) expert tasks groups, FHWA projects and university-based research programs. He instructs design and construction courses for the University of Wisconsin, Halfmoon Education, FHWA and others. He is currently working on overseas projects in Belarus, Ukraine, and in Moldova, as well as numerous projects across the U.S.

Prior to founding GPC in January 2011, Dr. Ayers served as a director for the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), in Rosement, Illinois. He managed the contractor-based education and training program and provided technical services for ACPA as well as contributing to a variety of projects for both the public and private sectors. He has also served as a university professor at Oklahoma State University, a division manager at ERES Consultants and a group leader at Applied Research Associates, Inc.

Dr. Shafiee has several years of research and development experience in transportation geotechnics, pavement mechanics and highway construction materials. Since 2012, he has contributed to more than 27 journal publications and conference proceedings, and he has led and collaborated with different teams on major high-impact projects in climate-resilient pavements and sustainable materials. Some of his recent activities have resulted in development of unique and novel tools such as performance-graded asphalt cement under Changing Climate (PGAC3) and Pavement Adaptation Support Tool (PAST). His work is also related to the use of a innovative and sustainable solution towards circular economy and low-carbon pathways across the pavement sector by using waste by-products and recycled materials in hot-mix asphalt manufacturing.

Dr. Speakmon has over 10 years of experience with concrete paving, engineering, design, and research. He has a master’s degree in Civil-Structural Engineering and a doctorate degree in Civil-Materials Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has worked with mix design, structural design, life cycle analyses and many other aspects of concrete paving. Dr. Speakmon serves on the Pavement Design Committee for the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA).

Dr. Bruce Appleyard, Associate Professor of City Planning and Urban Design at San Diego State University
Professor Appleyard works with people and agencies to help them make more informed decisions about how we all live, work and thrive, now and well into the future. He specializes in applied research of human settlement and behavior patterns at the intersection of urban design, transportation, land use, and environmental science, and he has published dozens of peer-reviewed and professional articles guiding policies and practices toward achieving a range of sustainability, livability, and social equity outcomes. Dr. Appleyard is also the Associate Director of SDSU’s Center for the Study of Human Dynamics in our Mobile Age (HDMA), as well as SDSU’s Active Transportation Research Center where he is leading research on the relationship between elements of safety and security related to crime and sustainable and active mode choices on the transportation land use integration, travel behavior, pedestrian/bicycle safety promotion, and demand analysis. He combines GIS and a variety visualization tools and methods to better engage members of the public in scenario planning, pedestrian and bicycle planning and design, and regional/local transportation & land use governance and policy integration. Dr. Appleyard recently published Livable Streets 2.0 about the conflict, power, and promise of our streets (https://bit.ly/LivableStreets). Livable Streets 2.0 offers a thorough examination of the struggle between automobiles, residents, pedestrians, and other users of streets, along with evidence-based, practical strategies for redesigning city street networks that support urban livability.

Kimberly Burton, is the President of Burton Planning Services (BPS) in Ohio. She established BPS in 2008. Ms. Burton is a licensed engineer and certified planner with 23 years of experience working in the public, private, and academic sectors. She focuses on community and transportation planning, hazard mitigation, noise and air quality analyses, and education. Ms. Burton has degrees in civil engineering, city and regional planning, and educational learning technologies. She is also an Associate Professor of Practice in City & Regional Planning at The Ohio State University where she teaches courses on sustainability and resiliency, transportation, green building, future cities, municipal planning and zoning, professional development, and energy.

Mr. Kubicki has had the privilege of working in the transportation industry for more than 10 years, both in the private sector and in-house as a consultant for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). He has been involved in numerous multimodal transportation projects throughout Florida and the rest of the United States. His experience ranges from research, planning, and design to construction documents and traffic operations. This gives him a unique and comprehensive understanding of the safety strategies that work best in each specific circumstance. At FDOT District One, Mr. Kubicki has overseen the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), utilizing traditional crash data analytics and safe system approach to address a variety of safety challenges. District One has put special emphasis on education and culture change within the district; he has led the way in getting to the root of the challenges, including the human factors that lead to crashes and – more importantly – how to address them. These efforts have helped the district incorporate safety into their decision-making processes.

Dr. Suguri is a community planner for FDOT D1. He has worked at FDOT for the past two years as a community planner managing transportation projects and studies. Dr. Suguri holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University (FSU). Prior to FDOT, he taught Urban and Regional Planning courses at FSU and currently teaches Political Science courses at FGCU. At FDOT, he works on transportation planning studies that capture the community’s vision for their transportation facilities, including how the land use relates to their transportation needs/vision.

Ms. Young has a 22-year transportation career in both the public and private sectors and it includes technical and management experience in planning, design, traffic operations, construction, modal development, and safety. She is active in the industry serving on various boards and statewide teams to advance transportation safety and mobility. In her role as FDOT’s State Safety Engineer, Ms. Young leads the statewide Highway Safety Improvement Program as well as FDOT employee occupational safety and health, and she fosters support and collaboration among FDOT districts, technical disciplines, and partner agencies to create a “force multiplier” effect in Florida’s vision zero charge as the department continues important work to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from UCF, and she is a licensed professional engineer and certified public manager.

Mr. Jones, P.E., is president of Hartech Engineering, which was founded in 2007 as a multi-discipline civil engineering consulting firm providing infrastructure, development, and municipal design services for the public and private sectors. Bringing over 30 years of engineering expertise along with specific state-of-the-art, computer-aided technology to achieve efficient, cost saving design solutions, he also provides hydrology and hydraulic studies and reports along with general civil engineering support for prime consultants to PennDOT or local municipality projects. Mr. Jones is a licensed pilot and studied Military Civil Engineering while serving in the U.S. Air Force and continues his master’s education locally through Penn State. He is also a registered professional engineer in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arizona, and Georgia.

Liam Braber is a shareholder with Charlson Braber McCabe & Denmark, P.C., located in Philadelphia and serving Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Over the course of 22 years, Mr. Braber has established an extensive construction law practice. He also has a considerable employment, labor and ERISA practice. In his construction practice, Mr. Braber drafts and negotiates construction contracts of all types, including general contracts, construction management agreements, subcontracts, supplier and vendor agreements, architect and design-build agreements, and many other commercial instruments that are fundamental to the construction industry. He also litigates construction cases in court and in mediation/arbitration throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Mr. Braber
has received many recognitions for his work, including being named a Best Lawyer, a Superlawyer, and a Lawyer on the Fast Track. He maintains an active commitment to the community and to legal service for those in need.

Vittoria D. Greene is a partner at Milber Makris Plousadis & Seiden LLP. Her practice focuses on the representation of engineers, architects, and other design professionals. She regularly acts as their advocate by negotiating contracts, addressing potential claims during design and construction, and defending them in litigation. Ms. Greene is also a contributing author to the Pennsylvania section of the Cumulative Supplement of the State-By-State Guide to Design and Construction Contracts and Claims (2nd Edition), published by Wolters Kluwer.

David Makara is a partner of Davis Bucco & Makara, having joined the firm in 2006. He has practiced in Pennsylvania since 1996, primarily representing clients in business litigation. Mr. Makara has litigated and arbitrated hundreds of cases to verdict in Pennsylvania and has argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania supreme court. Specifically, he argued two cases before the Supreme Court, involving interpretation of the Pennsylvania Mechanics Lien Law. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Makara worked with a general practice firm in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, where, in addition to handling commercial litigation matters, he represented parties in all types of civil litigation. He then worked with a large Philadelphia defense firm, where he practiced in the Architects, Engineers and Contractors Liability Department.

Veronica Morrison is an experienced litigator who focuses her practice on construction law. She also assists with a range of commercial, real estate and environmental litigation issues as well as procurement and administrative matters. Her clients include commercial real estate owners and developers, general contractors, subcontractors, local governments, national health care insurance providers, and large and small commercial business owners. Ms. Morrison counsels clients, particularly those with large construction projects, on risk avoidance and options for alternative dispute resolution. She also represents clients in mechanic’s lien claims and cases before the Board of Claims. Ms. Morrison is a Hearing Committee Member for the Supreme Court Disciplinary Board, serves on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Committee on Rules of Evidence and sits on the PBA Civil Litigation Section Council. She also serves as chair of the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Inclusion, Diversity and Unity Committee and is a member of the organization’s Workforce Development Committee.

Hon. AIA Partner, Milber Makris Plousadis & Seiden, LLP
Mr. Davies’ practice is focused on the representation of engineers, architects, and other design professionals, as well as scientists and designers/manufacturers of complex products. Mr. Davies regularly handles cases involving errors and omissions affecting façade, structural, mechanical, plumbing, and fire protection systems, as well as accessibility (claimed violations of ADA, FHA, state or local accessibility requirements) in industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. He also handles schedule impact (such as delay, acceleration, and inefficiency) and extras claims, licensing prosecutions, and serious personal injury/wrongful death claims arising from construction projects. He serves as a lecturer on Contracts at the Thomas Jefferson University College of Architecture and The Built Environment. Mr. Davies and his partners in Pennsylvania are the Contributing Authors of the Pennsylvania section of the Cumulative Supplement of the State-By-State Guide to Design and Construction Contracts and Claims (Second Edition) published by Wolters Kluwer. He serves as Counsel to the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and as Counsel to The Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia. Mr. Davies is a Member of the Board of The Philadelphia Center for Architecture & Design (having served as its chairman for 5 years). He serves as a member of the Legal Reform Task Force for the Government Affairs Committee of AIA’s Pennsylvania Chapter working on legislative changes to positively affect the design community. He is a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Legal Counsel Forum, a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), and a Charter Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America (CLSA).

Dr. Delaney is president and general manager of the construction management services group at Delaney CMS in Union Springs, New York. He is the former president of C&S Design Build Inc., C&S’s program and construction management company, where he started the agency construction management business. In his 12-year career there, he developed it into the fastest-growing and most profitable of the firms’ business units. At C&S, Dr. Delaney was responsible for more than $1 billion in completed projects in the education, municipal, wastewater, airport, and private development sectors. In his 25 years as a construction professional, he has served in many roles including those of project engineer, design coordinator, superintendent, construction manager, program manager, general manager, and president. Dr. Delaney is a licensed professional engineer, holds the program management professional (PgMP®) credential, is a certified construction manager (CCM®), and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) accredited professional. Dr. Delaney is the only person in the world with all these credentials. In addition, he is an expert critical path method scheduler and has presented both nationally and internationally on construction, project, and program management. Dr. Delaney received his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He enjoys sharing his experience leading teams, and he has provided management training to senior management including his colleagues at the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Senior Executive Institute and at Fortune 500 companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Inc., and L3 Communications. Dr. Delaney was recently the keynote speaker at the Tri-State Diversity Summit where he shared Delaney CMS’s (a woman-owned business enterprise) vision for equality and empowerment. He is also a professor in the Construction Management Department at Southern Mississippi University. He recently published a university textbook titled Construction Program Management by CRC Press. The textbook is used to teach undergraduate and graduate students and by practitioners to help them formulate a process-based approach for management of large projects and programs.

John J. Gazzola is an Associate at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP’s Philadelphia office. Mr. Gazzola’s practice focuses on litigation and arbitration associated with construction projects. He represents project owners, EPC contractors, construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers in disputes arising from a wide array of construction projects, including mass transit systems, pipelines, colleges and universities, medical facilities, senior living facilities, museums, quarries, hotels, and other large commercial buildings. In addition to representing clients in state and federal court, arbitration proceedings, and appellate matters, he assists clients with contract drafting, review, and negotiation. Mr. Gazzola also provides counsel on issues arising throughout the lifetime of construction projects, including preservation of claims and defenses, dispute avoidance, negotiations, and formal and informal dispute resolution. Mr. Gazzola has substantial experience litigating and defending mechanics’ lien actions and issues.

Vittoria D. Greene is a partner at Milber Makris Plousadis & Seiden LLP. Her practice focuses on the representation of engineers, architects, and other design professionals. She regularly acts as their advocate by negotiating contracts, addressing potential claims during design and construction, and defending them in litigation. Ms. Greene is also a contributing author to the Pennsylvania section of the Cumulative Supplement of the State-By-State Guide to Design and Construction Contracts and Claims (2nd Edition), published by Wolters Kluwer.

Mr. Fisher has been serving the legal needs of a wide variety of clients for almost 20 years. His clients range from the individual facing their first legal concern, to multi-million-dollar organizations and government agencies. Mr. Fisher’s litigation experience includes negotiations, arbitrations, mediations, administrative proceedings, County Courts, Federal Courts, Bankruptcy Courts and Appellate Courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as numerous other jurisdictions where he has been admitted to handle specific cases. His experience also allows him to assist clients in navigating their business activities through the myriad of legal issues facing today’s businesses. Mr. Fisher’s business clients include charitable and religious organizations, construction and trade organizations, financial and banking institutions, professional firms and agencies, real estate investors, manufacturers, health services, wealth advisors, auctioneering and the services industry. He is a member of the Pennsylvania, Cumberland County and Dauphin County Bar Associations, as well as a Council Member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Real Property Probate & Trust Law Section. Mr. Fisher is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He earned his law degree from Widener University School of Law-Harrisburg, in 2005, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. 

Mr. Lee practices in construction law, government contracts, construction litigation, real estate law and municipal law. He represents owners, contractors, subcontractors and surety providers in all fields of the construction industry. During his more than 35 year career, Mr. Lee has handled litigation (including Mechanics’ Liens) matters in numerous state and federal courts including certain states’ specialized courts such as the Pennsylvania Board of Claims and the West Virginia Court of Claims. In addition, he has tried cases before the American Arbitration Association, the Federal Mediation Service and “private” dispute panels. he redrafted the Contracts Section of the Pennsylvania Standard Jury Instructions (2003 Ed.), published by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Mr. Lee received his B.A. degree from Gettysburg College, his M.A. degree from Villanova University and his J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and he is a graduate of The Mercersburg Academy. Every year since 2005 he has been selected by his peers as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer and for inclusion in The Best Lawyers In America. Mr. Lee previously was a member of the Surety and Contract Committees for the Associated General Contractors of America; the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors; and the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania; and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Allegheny, Dauphin and Cumberland Bar Associations. He is a Charter Fellow and Barrister (Order of Maximus) of the Construction Lawyers Society of America as well as a Member of both the Diversity Law Institute and Trial Law Institute.

Mr. Fisher has been serving the legal needs of a wide variety of clients for almost 20 years. His clients range from the individual facing their first legal concern, to multi-million-dollar organizations and government agencies. Mr. Fisher’s litigation experience includes negotiations, arbitrations, mediations, administrative proceedings, County Courts, Federal Courts, Bankruptcy Courts and Appellate Courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as numerous other jurisdictions where he has been admitted to handle specific cases. His experience also allows him to assist clients in navigating their business activities through the myriad of legal issues facing today’s businesses. Mr. Fisher’s business clients include charitable and religious organizations, construction and trade organizations, financial and banking institutions, professional firms and agencies, real estate investors, manufacturers, health services, wealth advisors, auctioneering and the services industry. He is a member of the Pennsylvania, Cumberland County and Dauphin County Bar Associations, as well as a Council Member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Real Property Probate & Trust Law Section. Mr. Fisher is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He earned his law degree from Widener University School of Law-Harrisburg, in 2005, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. 

Mr. Lee practices in construction law, government contracts, construction litigation, real estate law and municipal law. He represents owners, contractors, subcontractors and surety providers in all fields of the construction industry. During his more than 35 year career, Mr. Lee has handled litigation (including Mechanics’ Liens) matters in numerous state and federal courts including certain states’ specialized courts such as the Pennsylvania Board of Claims and the West Virginia Court of Claims. In addition, he has tried cases before the American Arbitration Association, the Federal Mediation Service and “private” dispute panels. he redrafted the Contracts Section of the Pennsylvania Standard Jury Instructions (2003 Ed.), published by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Mr. Lee received his B.A. degree from Gettysburg College, his M.A. degree from Villanova University and his J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and he is a graduate of The Mercersburg Academy. Every year since 2005 he has been selected by his peers as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer and for inclusion in The Best Lawyers In America. Mr. Lee previously was a member of the Surety and Contract Committees for the Associated General Contractors of America; the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors; and the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania; and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Allegheny, Dauphin and Cumberland Bar Associations. He is a Charter Fellow and Barrister (Order of Maximus) of the Construction Lawyers Society of America as well as a Member of both the Diversity Law Institute and Trial Law Institute.

Mr. Davidson is partner with Hummel, Lewis & Davidson, LLP, in Bloomsburg, where his practice emphasizes real estate, boundary disputes and land use. He serves as solicitor for several municipalities and planning commissions. Mr. Davidson previously served as Chief of Land Use and Natural Resources for the Department of Agriculture, where he worked with the permitting of agricultural facilities, Clean and Green, and Agricultural Conservation Easements. Prior to joining the Department, he worked in zoning, planning and code enforcement for local government and as a surveyor and project manager for a civil engineering firm. Mr. Davidson is a Pennsylvania resident title insurance agent, Pennsylvania sewage enforcement officer (SEO), and Pennsylvania licensed land surveyor (PLS).

Ms. Lathrop is licensed as a professional land surveyor in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and as a professional planner in New Jersey. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and has been involved in surveying since 1974 in projects ranging from construction to boundary to environmental land use disputes. Ms. Lathrop is also a certified floodplain manager through the Association of State Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM) and a certified floodplain surveyor through the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors. A former adjunct instructor at Mercer County College in New Jersey, she has also taught as part of the team for the licensing exam review course at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. Ms. Lathrop has been teaching seminars for surveyors since 1986 and has been writing articles for surveyors since 1983. She is a contributing editor for The American Surveyor magazine, and she has four articles included in the American Bar Association’s text, Land Surveys: A Guide for Lawyers and Other Professionals. She and Stephen V. Estopinal, PLS, PE co–authored a book entitled Professional Surveyors and Real Property Descriptions: Composition, Construction, and Comprehension, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2011. She is also on the faculty of GeoLearn, a web-based educational provider. Ms. Lathrop is a past president of the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors and of the National Society of Professional Surveyors, and she has served on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Geodetic Surveying.

Ms. Echikson has been a paralegal working almost exclusively in family law for over 20 years and has been with Materese Family Law in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, since its inception. Prior to her time at MFL, she worked in the family law departments at the Greater Philadelphia area law firms of Dischell Bartle Dooley, Weber Gallagher, and Wolf Block. Ms. Echikson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies from Peirce College and holds a Pennsylvania paralegal certification from the Keystone Alliance of Paralegal Associations. She currently serves as President of the Montgomery County Paralegal Association. Along with Ms. Sheriff and other paralegals across the Commonwealth, Ms. Echikson is a founding Board member of the Family Law Paralegals of Pennsylvania (FLPP), a paralegal association dedicated to providing resources and support to paralegals practicing family law in Pennsylvania. She also currently serves as FLPP’s Vice-President and membership chair. In addition, Ms. Echikson is FLPP’s primary delegate to the Keystone Alliance of Paralegal Associations, where she also holds the position of Secretary. She is also a member of various community organizations, including serving as an Area Leader for Free Mom Hugs of Pennsylvania, a Board member for the LGBT Equality Alliance of Chester County, and Secretary of Soroptimist International of Phoenixville.

Ms. Sheriff  has over three decades of experience as a family law litigation paralegal. She assists attorneys and clients in a variety of family law matters with an emphasis on complex property distributions and difficult custody cases. She is a PACE Registered Paralegal and a Pennsylvania Certified Paralegal. Ms. Sheriff received her paralegal degree in 1988 from Central Penn College (formerly Central Penn Business School) and subsequently returned and completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in legal studies. She is a past President of the Keystone Alliance of Paralegal Associations and still serves on several of its committees. Ms. Sheriff is also a past president of the Central Pennsylvania Paralegal Association and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2017. In 2019, she, along with six paralegals from across Pennsylvania, founded Family Law Paralegals of Pennsylvania (FLPP). FLPP is a practice specific paralegal association. Its goal is to provide family law paralegals throughout the state with better access to information and resources relating to family law matters. Through the collective skills of its members, FLPP provides a reliable resource for paralegals practicing family law. Ms. Sheriff is proud to serve on FLPP’s Board of Directors where she has held the position of President for the past year.