Meet our Planning Committee
Kate Anderson
Proposal & Marketing specialist
Gilbane Building Company
Kate Anderson is an energetic and enthusiastic proposal and marketing specialist with more than nine years of experience in the AEC industry. Working at Gilbane Building Company, Anderson collaborates virtually to support more than 45 offices worldwide with a focus on the Connecticut market. A flexible listener and strategic problem-solver, she prepares multiple simultaneous RFPs, maintains master database information, and designs and writes content for marketing materials – and will gladly tackle anything else you throw her way! Anderson is also passionate about volunteering and her community, serving as Selectwoman and Chair of Economic Development in Haddam, Connecticut. She co-chairs the SMPS CT Membership Committee and was awarded the first SMPS CT Trailblazer award in 2017. Anderson graduated magna cum laude with a BS in marketing from Central Connecticut State University. She is excited to bring her marketing mindset and community-oriented perspective to the 2021 AEC Leadership Conference!
F. Michael Ayles, Program Chair
Principal of Business Development
Antinozzi Associates
F. Michael Ayles, FAIA, is Principal of Business Development at Antinozzi Associates in Bridgeport, CT and is responsible for the firm’s marketing, operational, and human resource strategies. With the firm since 1994, he held the roles of project architect/manager and Director of Operations before becoming a firm Principal in 2008 and focusing on business development. Serving as a national leader with the AIA for over two decades, Ayles chaired the Center for Civic Leadership twice and was instrumental in its formation, growth, and Leadership Institute initiative since 2006. His passion, involvement, and leadership within the architectural profession, and as a 'Citizen Architect', elevated him to AIA Fellowship in 2017. He is currently serving a three-year term on the AIA/CT Board of Directors. Ayles has been actively involved on boards and committees with numerous professional organizations over the years such as the ACE Mentor Program, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, the Society of Marketing Professional Services, the Connecticut Building Congress, and the Construction Institute. He has been Chair of the Planning Committee for the AEC Leadership Conference since its inception in 2018. In addition, Ayles has served on many local committees in his hometown since 1998. He has served as an elected official on Guilford’s Board of Finance since 2007 and was appointed Chairman in 2017. Ayles received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Roger Williams University, from which he received the University’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2015.
Jim Cecil
VP of Business Development East
NEXII
A recognized leader in the construction industry known for his energetic personality and ability to leverage innovation, Jim Cecil has proven strengths in cultivating new business opportunities, increasing business with existing customers, and expanding the scope, level, and caliber of customer service. Known for having outstanding communication, interpersonal, and collaboration skills and a positive attitude, energy, and style that inspires sales teams to exceed assigned plans and performance goals. Cecil’s career includes over 15 years of experience in the chemicals and coatings industries where his concentration was on sales and marketing and creating new business opportunities. His expertise includes business coaching and leading sales teams. Cecil began his career at Sherwin Williams in Norwalk, CT, a Fortune 500 company in the general building materials industry. Over 12 years, he held positions as Operating Manager, Market Manager, Professional Coating Sales Representative, and Account Executive. He served as Director of Sales and Marketing at EverGreene Architectural Arts in Brooklyn, NY which is one of the largest specialty contractors and architectural arts studios in the U.S. Most recently, Cecil was Director of Business Development for A.P. Construction Company, a division of The Ashforth Company. He was responsible for developing new construction business opportunities for the Company’s Connecticut and New York operations. Cecil has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, CT.
Kathyann M. Cowles
Architecture Principal, Member
KC Architects, LLC
Kathyann M. Cowles, AIA, NCARB, AAA, studied at Boston College and received her Architectural degree from Pratt Institute. As an architect with over 35 years’ experience for diverse and complex design and construction projects, Cowles has a unique perspective on the multi-faceted issues facing today’s construction teams. She represents the interests of owners, designers, and contractors in complex science/technology, academic, industrial, manufacturing, civic and corporate projects, in the public and private sectors. Co-editor/author of “The Future of the Design and Construction Industry,” Cowles was awarded the 2018 Construction Institutes “Distinguished Achievement Award” for contributions to the advancement of the regions design, construction, and facilities communities.” A recipient of a 2018 “Higginbotham Fellowship” to study Alternative Dispute Resolution, she is now an active Member of the American Arbitration Panel, and a certified mediator, focusing on issues facing the AEC Industry.
Kaitlyn Dobberfuhl
Project Engineer
Gilbane Building Company
As a Project Engineer, Kaitlyn Dobberfuhl works for Gilbane Building Company and is currently in an Owner’s Rep position at UCONN Main Campus, Storrs. She is a member of the team for the construction of the ground up building for STEM Sciences (Science 1) and North West Science Quad Infrastructure (NWSQ) which includes extension of the underground utility tunnel connecting the Campus Utility Plant (CUP) to future Supplemental Utility Plant (SUP). Within Gilbane, Dobberfuhl greatly values participating in her company’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) included ones focusing on Emerging Professionals and Women Empowerment. These groups also engage and host joint events with other employee groups. As a part of the Construction Institute, this is Dobberfuhl’s 4th consecutive year participating on the planning committee for the AEC Leadership Conference. She also sits on the board of directors and has been a Co-Chair of the Young Professionals Council since 2016.
Bryan Dodge
Business Development Manager
Gilbane Building Company
Bryan Dodge is Business Development Manager for Gilbane Building Company’s Connecticut business unit. Dodge focuses on strategically positioning and enhancing Gilbane’s presence and portfolio across all major markets through relationship development with clients and industry partners. He has 9 year of experience in the construction industry. Dodge previously worked for Consigli Construction as both an estimator and business development lead prior to joining Gilbane in the fall of 2020. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from St. Michael’s College. Dodge played on the St. Mike’s men’s ice hockey team from 2005-2009, serving as assistant captain his senior year, helping lead the team to back-to-back NE-10 Championships in ’08 and ‘09. He still enjoys playing men’s league hockey and is also an avid golfer, guitar player, and hiker. He is a proud native of Goffstown, NH. Dodge and his soon-to-be wife, Nina, currently reside in Unionville, CT with their cat Fira.
James M. McManus, FAIA
Retired Chairman, The S/L/A/M Collaborative and
President, S/L/A/M Construction Services
As former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of The S/L/A/M Collaborative, James McManus has over 45 years of experience in the design and construction industry. He has lead dozens of complex projects in Education, Science and Health Care including the 800,000sf Campus Crossroads project and the Eck School of Law at the University of Notre Dame and the Shriners Hospital for Children, Mexico City. He has been instrumental in developing the firm’s Integrated Project Delivery process that combines planning, design, and full construction services for client projects. McManus holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He is also a member and Past President of AIA/Connecticut and has been an active participant in Large Group National Roundtable of AIA; American Arbitration Association, Alumni Advisory Council Notre Dame School of Architecture; and the Board of Advisors of The Construction Institute.
Tony Messina
Vice President
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Tony Messina is a Vice President at The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company in Shelton, CT and is also the firms Retail National Leader, responsible for coordinating the efforts of over 50+ operating groups within the retail industry. Starting his career in 1997 as a project engineer after graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, his career has afforded him the opportunity to work with some of the most dynamic retail developers and consultants within the industry throughout Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and California. In 2014, Messina was named as an ICSC Leader Under 40 and is currently serving on the 2021 ICSC CenterBuild Conference Planning Committee which addresses the interests of retail real estate professionals of like disciplines within the industry and provides opportunities to share experiences, discuss best practices, raise awareness about industry developments and fosters network building. Messina is excited to join the diverse group of professionals currently contributing to this year’s AEC Leadership Conference and hopes to contribute to the conference for many more years to come.
Ellen Feldman Ornato
Founding Partner
Bolder Company Inc
Founding Partner Ellen Feldman Ornato has a diverse work background that includes stints as a city planner, an economic development official, and a marketing director in a large retail chain. She is an entrepreneur at heart and owned a learning company and a marketing & public relations agency prior to launching Bolder Company with Jenny Drescher in 2014. Ornato has extensive experience working in the AEC industry, building essential supervisory and leadership skills with leadership teams and individuals. She is bilingual (English/Spanish) and blends her knowledge of Unconscious Bias, DiSC®, AQai (Adaptability Quotient) and other leadership content with a wide variety of experiential methods that make learning stick. The Bolder Company works with organizations that are in acceleration mode and undergoing change, helping individuals and teams to make positive changes in their communication and behaviors through fully experiential, improvisation-based learning.
Nancy Greenwald
Executive Director
Construction Institute
Nancy Greenwald has 38 years of experience a lawyer and business executive in the design and construction industry, dealing with projects ranging in value from $100,000 to $5 billion. She is the Executive Director of the Construction Institute, a non-partisan association of diverse professions working to improve the construction industry by sharing knowledge, exchanging innovative ideas, building relationships, and developing business leaders. Its mission is to promote cross-industry collaboration. Greenwald serves on the American Arbitration Association's Commercial and Construction Industry Panels of Arbitrators and Mediators and has been appointed as a n arbitrator and mediator by numerous private clients and courts. She teaches negotiation and conflict resolution and speaks and writes frequently on best practices in construction project communication, dispute systems design, and construction technology and the law. She is active in many of the major construction industry groups, including the ABA Forum on Construction, serving on the steering committee for the Project Delivery and Technology Division. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School (cum laude) 1981.
