Team

CCNY’s leadership of RIWI is spearheaded by the CUNY Institute for Urban Systems (CIUS), under the direction of Dr. Robert Paaswell, Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering. An elected Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Dr. Paaswell is a recognized leader in addressing problems of urban infrastructure and in workforce education. 

The development team includes: 

• Angelo Lampousis
  Executive Director (Interim) 
   
• Michael Bobker
  Project Lead and Founding Director, CIUS Building Performance Lab (BPL) 
   
• Tiffanie Burt
  Community Projects Manager, Office of Institutional Advancement and Communications
   
• Yusef Esa
  Curriculum Developer, Energy 
   
• Milena Gutierrez
  Mentor

• Nury Gutierrez
  Curriculum Developer and Pilot Program Manager 

• Salome Gvinianidze
  Associate Project Manager 
   
• Jason Iwanesky
  Curriculum Developer, Water, and Wastewater Systems 
   
• Tarendra Lakhankar 
  Digital Tools Instructor 
   
• Abraham Rodriguez
  Digital Learning Designer and Curriculum Developer, Built Environment
   
• Jessica Rodriguez
  Instructional Designer 
   
• Nora Sherman
  Director of Communications and Curriculum Developer, Food

The team is aided by ample research and workforce development resources at CCNY and across CUNY that have influenced the development of RIWI to date and will continue to be drawn upon to make it a success.

• CIUS Building Performance Lab: For more than fifteen years, BPL has worked closely with the City of New York, property owners and operators, and CUNY students to introduce the use of data to optimize building system operations and management (O&M). Their innovative internship program, the blueprint for RIWI’s internship program, places students with public agencies and private companies to upgrade O&M practices and provide career opportunities in building energy infrastructure. 
   
• Dr. Alex Couzis, Dean, the Grove School of Engineering: a champion of simulation-based training for infrastructure-related engineering fields.
   
• Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture: a leading architectural program with an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and partnership. 
   
• CUNY Energy Institute: a driving force in energy storage technologies and smart micro-grid development.
   
• Dr. Beth (Anne E.) Wittitg, Chair, Department of Civil Engineering: developing innovative approaches to the study of urban air quality. Other members of the department are experts in structural analysis, data analysis, transport systems, water systems, and environmental analysis.
   
• Dr. John Filos, Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Institute for Municipal Waste: a longstanding partner with NYC Department of Environmental Protection around biological processes in wastewater treatment.
   
• Dr. Hillary Brown and others in the Master's Program in Sustainability in the Urban Environment: advancing concepts of integrated urban infrastructures for sustainability and resilience.
   
• CUNY Remote Sensing of Earth Science and Technology (CREST): tracking the extensive history of weather and hydrological research, modeling, and forecasting for NYC and the region.
   
• Dr. Juan Carlos Mercado, Dean of the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education and Director of the Study Abroad and International Programs: instrumental in bringing the Global E3 (Global Engineering Education Exchange Program) to CCNY and working closely with NOAA-CESSRST to increase its presence internationally.  
   
• The Office of Continuing and Professional Studies at CCNY: providing competitive education and certification programs.
   
• The Office of Institutional Advancement and Communications at CCNY: working to develop and support a strong foundation of resources required to fulfill the educational mission of CCNY.
   
• Dr. Marco Castaldi and others at the Earth Engineering Center at CCNY: developing waste management alternatives and waste-as-a-resource road-mapping.
   
• Dr. Shawn Rickenbacker at CCNY’s Max Bond Center for Community Architecture: engaging community leaders for envisioning the development of the 135th Street corridor.
   
• Dr. John Krinsky, Professor at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership: studying community group engagements. 
   
• Dr. Susanna Schaller of the School for Worker Education: examining the role of business improvement districts in urban development.
   
• Dean Gregory Mantsios at the Joseph S. Murphy Institute, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies: The Murphy Institute has a long history of fostering union connections and developing union training programs in New York. Dean Mantsios will play a key role with RIWI in engaging with unions and their training programs.
   
• CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College: developing digital geography (GIS) skills. 
   
• Dept. of Civil Engineering Technology at NYC College of Technology: advancing next-generation Construction Management expertise.