Meet the team
More than 35 years of creative thinking rooted in practical applications
Committed to our mission
Taitem has a unique combination of field-tested experience and deep expertise in building science. Our staff has planned, modeled, designed, commissioned, tested, and verified hundreds of buildings in the Northeast.
Arthur Barros
Engineering Associate
Arthur conducts preliminary utility analysis for buildings and assists with site visits, documenting existing conditions, and reviewing drawings. Before joining Taitem, Arthur was a research intern for the Syracuse Center of Excellence where he helped PhD candidates evaluate innovative HVAC solutions for office spaces. Arthur holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University.
Bennett Sandler
CPHC, Senior Energy Analyst
Bennett provides energy consulting services on a variety of projects relating to the implementation of energy retrofits in existing buildings and construction of new high-performance buildings. Before joining Taitem, Bennett ran his own home performance company and also directed two Heat Smart NY Programs.
Betsy Parrington, PE
Vice-President, Senior Engineer
Betsy leads Taitem’s executive team and maintains operations for the firm. Previously, Betsy managed Taitem staff providing quality assurance services to a range of NYSERDA programs. She has over 15 years of experience in energy auditing and retrofit projects, Betsy works from her newly constructed super-insulated home in Stamford, VT.
Bill King
Project Engineer
Bill conducts building energy studies and performance assessments to identify energy-saving opportunities in buildings. Before joining Taitem in 2011 he designed and installed geothermal, solar PV, and solar thermal heating systems in residential and commercial applications.
Brendan Mangino
Senior Engineer
Brendan designs energy-efficient and water-conserving plumbing, mechanical, and fire safety systems with a strong focus on eliminating fossil fuel use.
Chris Baca
Engineering Associate
Chris assists with design projects and completing REVIT work for the department. He has over 20 years of experience with AutoCad and over 10 years with REVIT modeling of MEP and structural systems across various building sectors.
Courtney Royal
LEED AP, WELL AP
Senior Sustainability Consultant
Courtney manages projects and collaborates with an interdisciplinary team engineers. She has over fourteen years of sustainable building experience . Her real passion within the built environment focuses on the health and wellness of the occupants. Courtney managed the design of her home, a LEED Platinum zero energy single-family residence.
Crista Shopis
LEED AP, Senior Engineer, Department Manager
Crista leads a staff of energy technicians, analysts, and engineers in her managerial role. Her experience ranges from managing major energy retrofit projects in urban high-rise buildings to community facilities development in remote villages in Paraguay. Since starting her work at Taitem in 2007, she has led over one hundred projects, including the design of building HVAC systems, comprehensive investment grade energy studies, LEED certification for several large, new construction projects.
Dave Tedeyan, PE
Senior Engineer
Dave continues to service Taitem’s existing solar PV systems for both residential and small commercial clients. As an electrical engineer, Dave is able to perform service work, troubleshoot electrical system issues and analyze production data for photovoltaic systems as well as review all system designs.
Dominick DeLucia
Senior Engineer,
Department Manager
Dominick manages an interdisciplinary team of MEPS design engineers. In addition to his managerial tasks, Dom focuses on HVAC design for commercial, industrial, multi-family, and residential projects.
Ethan Skutt
Project Engineer
Ethan provides energy consulting services on a variety of projects relating to the implementation of energy retrofits in existing buildings and construction of new high performance buildings. While in high school, Ethan was an intern at Taitem where he worked on a window weatherstripping research project and the resulting paper, Weather-Stripping Windows with V-Strip,” Home Energy Magazine, Sept/Oct 2012.
Evan Hallas
CEM, CPHC
Senior Energy Analyst
Evan has over 14 years of experience in building science and energy efficiency. Evan recognizes the importance of getting the details right, and to support this, he splits his time between office and field work. Evan brings his enthusiasm and vision for a better world to all of his projects.
George Aiken
Project Engineer
George works on code commissioning, commercial energy studies, and M&V studies. When not at work, George ceases to exist, becoming a gravitational singularity, only to reform the following business day at 8am.
Gunnar Stockman
Project Engineer II
Gunnar works primarily on plumbing, fire protection, and HVAC design across various building sectors. As part of his coursework at the University of Concinnati, he had semester-long job placement at engineering firms in Ohio. This field training allowed him to jump right into project work alongside Taitem’s design engineers.
Ian Shapiro, PE
LEED AP, Founder
Ian founded Taitem in 1989. Since stepping down as President, Ian provides quality assurance for Taitem projects and serves on the Board of Directors. He is the author of two published textbooks and is a visiting lecturer at universities around the state. He currently works as the Associate Director for Building Science and Community Programs at SCoE and is Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Syracuse University.
Jade Melendez
Structural Design Intern
Jade is currently a structural engineering intern at Taitem working alongside Javier in the Design department. Some of her work includes drafting, structural analysis, and structural design on existing and new residential projects. In addition to structural design support, she supports various energy and sustainability projects. Jade is currently pursuing a B.S. in Civil Engineering at Cornell University and enjoys biking and sketching in her free time.
Jan Schwartzberg
Information Manager
Jan is the manager of Taitem’s Administration department, with oversight for Taitem’s HR, IT, Accounting, and other operations functions. She also manages projects in Taitem’s E+S department and is Taitem’s lead proposal writer.
Javier E. Rosa, PE
Senior Engineer, Partner
Javier has been working in the engineering and construction field since 1993. He joined Taitem in 2001, adding structural design to the list of the firm's service offerings. Javier has worked on new and existing low-rise and multistory buildings across multiple sectors, including energy code compliance for new residential projects and historic preservation. He is well-versed in analyzing structural problems and recommending solutions for structural deficiencies. Javier provides special inspections and expert testimony in litigations. In addition, he supports energy audits and heating and lighting design. Javier holds a BS from the Civil Engineering Program, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, and is a certified Geothermal Professional from the Heatspring Institute in Cambridge, MA. Javier is also an instructor in the sport of Light fencing (aka Lightsaber Combat Training).
Jim Holahan
CEM, Senior Energy Analyst
Jim has an extensive background in conducting energy audits and contributes his expertise in M&V to energy consulting and research projects. He worked as an On-Site Energy Manager (OsEM) for an international lumber company as part of a NYSERDA pilot program, saving over 10% of the company’s annual electric usage the first year.
Jordie van Ham
IT Manager
Jordie provides company-wide technical support at Taitem. In addition, he participates in building energy modeling, online marketing, and financial analysis.
Joy Joseph
Building Care
Joy has been cleaning and caring for our offices for many years. Joy supported our data collection for waste management and cleaning practices to attain our LEED certification. She continues to provide effective cleaning operations while minimizing adverse health impacts on her, building occupants, visitors, and the environment. She also brings a positive attitude and plenty of smiles to our office.
Lou Vogel, PE
LEED AP, CCP
Distinguished Engineer, Partner
Lou is a past President of Taitem and, in his semi-retirement, provides quality assurance on projects. He also continues to design district geothermal systems and has experience with effluent-recovery systems in varied building types. He has served on ASHRAE standards and handbook committees in the area of kitchen ventilation and participated in the design of the Energy Star Pilot Program for multifamily buildings.
Massimo De Francesco
Engineering Associate
Massimo conducts preliminary utility analysis for buildings and assists with site visits, documenting existing conditions, and reviewing drawings. Before joining Taitem, Massimo interned at SUNY ESF where he helped improve the efficiency of building energy systems, namely HVAC, across the university's campus. Massimo holds a BS in Environmental Science from SUNY ESF.
Mahmud Burton
Energy Analyst
Mahmud has over two decades of work in the building trades. In addition to performing numerous energy studies across multiple building sectors, he has performed benchmarking and Flex-Tech audits, and technical review for over 700 statewide projects in the Ground Source Heat Pump Rebate Program.
Melina Minaya
Project Engineer
Melina is an electrical engineer providing design alongside our design team. She has designed power and lighting distribution systems across multiple sectors including multifamily and commercial buildings and has over Melina has over 11 years of experience in designing and engineering electrical installations.
Melissa Conant-Gergely
Accounting Manager
Melissa has a range of administrative and accounting support responsibilities at Taitem. She has many years of experience in the contracting and construction management field, including assisting with take-offs, bid management, and construction management processes; and managing safety and compliance documentation.
Nate Goodell, PE
CCP, EBCP
Distinguished Engineer
Nate has been commissioning buildings since 2008. Nate has led or assisted on Cx projects including $34 million school additions, GSA compliant government buildings, industrial buildings, offices, commercial, hospitality and multifamily buildings. He has experience with LEED NC, LEED EBOM, Ongoing Cx, NYC LL87, NYSERDA compliant Cx, and rehab and gut renovation projects. In 2020 Nate was recognized as one of the top 20 young Cx agents in the US by the Building Cx Association. Nate has extensive energy modeling, energy audit, and M&V experience. He has presented at various conferences, reviewed products and services as a subject matter expert for NYPA, and is the lead technical reviewer for the NYS CPACE program. Nate holds a BS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University.
Rob Rosen
CEM, BEMP, HERS
Senior Engineer
Rob focuses on energy studies and energy management projects including multifamily, commercial, and industrial facilities. He joined Taitem as a programmer working on the development of TREAT energy modeling software.
Samantha Lo Piccolo
Human Resources Manager
Sam has multiple roles at Taitem including human resources manager and facilities manager. As facilities manager, she has developed a maintenance and improvement schedule and has coordinated exterior painting, attic repairs, plumbing issues, building security, and pest control for Taitem’s office building.
Shrikant Joshi
LEED Green Associate
Sustainability Specialist
Shrikant supports research and analysis on low-carbon building retrofit solutions energy consulting, and M&V. He provides energy consulting for NYSERDA’s New construction program for multifamily high-rise buildings to meet EPA’s Energy Star program requirements and technical assistance for the new construction and reuse projects for NYS’s Homes and Community Renewal under the clean energy initiative.
Theresa Ryan
Marketing Manager
Theresa provides business development support to the team and serves on Taitem's Board of Directors. In addition to proposal writing and brand development, she helps technical staff communicate their research and system design to a broader audience. In the summer, she operates a small u-pick blueberry patch with her family.
Tim Allen
Senior Engineer
Tim has over 20 years of experience in energy analysis of buildings across multiple sectors. He applies his background in building science, statistics, and data analysis towards developing robust, customized approaches to M&V and energy modeling. Tim developed and implemented NYSERDA’s Energy Use Snapshot which is now used by a variety of NYSERDA programs for measuring the success of their energy retrofits.
Umit Sirt, PE
CEM, BEMP, HBDP Distinguished Engineer, Partner
Umit leads the energy modeling team and has gained a reputation for quality energy auditing and high performance design consulting. He is especially interested in building science and energy system assessments with simulation and modeling. He was one of the first ASHRAE HBDPs in NY State and was also one of the provisional assessors in ASHRAE’S Building Energy Quotient Pilot Program.
Vaibhavi Tambe
LEED, CPHC
Senior Sustainability Consultant
Vaibhavi develops building energy models, conducts commercial energy audits and performs quality assurance work across multiple building sectors. Vaibhavi has conducted research on ground-coupled heat pump systems and published two papers in the Geotechnical Special Publication of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Yossi Bronsnick, PE
President, Partner
Senior Engineer
Yossi oversees the firm's operations and provides quality assurance for the majority of Taitem’s engineering projects as Principal in Charge of the Design team. He has been with Taitem since 2006 and prior to taking over as president he led Taitem’s engineering team in the design of many high performance, fossil fuel free buildings. Yossi is a licensed professional engineer in NY, CT, PA, MA, CO, MI, ME, and NH.