IFMA Boston names 2018-2020 Board of Directors

Boston, MA The Boston chapter of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), a non-profit association dedicated to serving the facility management profession, today announced the new slate of board of directors for the 2018-2020 term. 

President: Tom Palange
The chapter president is the chief elected officer (CEO) and chairman of the board of directors. Palanage holds a Master’s Degree from Southern New Hampshire University, and Bachelor’s Degree from Bentley University. For the past 15 years he has developed his marketing career through roles in the radio, email marketing, non-profit, and A/E/C communities, and is currently a senior/director-level marketing leader. Palange joined IFMA in 2008 and has been an active volunteer since 2010, serving as a co-chair of the communications committee, VP of marketing/PR and president-elect.

President Elect: Joy Shapiro
The president-elect works closely with the president, and is responsible for sponsorship. Shapiro is the director of business development for Dacon Corp. where she directs all aspects of business development in the corporate, R&D, medical, life sciences and manufacturing sectors for Dacon. Shapiro earned a Bachelor’s in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations from Salem State University. She was the recipient of the International Facilities Management Association’s (IFMA) 2011 President’s Award and the 2008 Distinguished Associate Member Award.

Secretary/Treasurer: James Connolly
The treasurer is the chief financial officer (CFO) and secretary of the chapter. With the assistance of the chapter management, the VP manages the budget, income and expenses and chapter governance. Connolly holds a Bachelor of Arts in business management and a Masters of Real Estate from Bentley College. Connolly also holds a real estate and property administrator certificate.  He has been in facility management for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC) for more than 34 years. He is responsible for mission critical and commercial facility operations, corporate security, building services and real estate management. Ultimately, Connolly is responsible for aligning the work environment with the corporate and business planning strategies for all HPHC administrative offices.

VP of Special Events: Carolyn Hickey
The VP of activities oversees the activities of the The Holiday Gala, Awards of Excellence, and the IFMA Boston Golf Classic. Hickey serves as director of business development and marketing for Dellbrook | JKS. She is responsible for developing opportunities to drive growth and identifying promising new markets for diversification.  Prior to joining Dellbrook|JKS, Hickey served as director of business development for STV|DPM (formerly Diversified Project Management), an owner’s representative consulting firm, for 10 years. She holds a BA in Communications from Fairfield University, with a concentration in organizational communications and marketing.

VP of Education: Angela Rothemich-D’Amato
The VP of education guides and supervises the continuing education offerings of the chapter. The activities overseen by the VP expand and implement educational opportunities, provide support for current and aspiring CFMs, and work with FM students. Rothemich-D’Amato is a design and construction manager at Liberty Mutual Insurance.  She is a graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology with a degree in Facilities Planning and Management. She works in the real estate services group at Liberty Mutual where she’s responsible for managing design and construction projects at their home office in Boston. She is currently earning her MBA from Simmons College School of Business.

VP of Marketing & PR: Chris Pestana
The VP of marketing and PR oversees the chapter’s communications including PR, social media, website, app and communications. Pestana is currently director of business development for Fort Point Project Management. Prior to joining Fort Point, he was a marketing manager for GEI Consultants and Fox RPM Corp. Pestana holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Northeastern University and has more than six years of experience in the A/E/C industry.  He has been a longtime volunteer within IFMA Boston, first as a member of and co-chair of marketing & PR and for the past two years as the VP of marketing and PR.

VP of Membership: Debbie Benjamin
The vice president of membership oversees the membership chairs, value proposition, and the World Workplace Chair to coordinate events and promote IFMA membership within the industry. Benjamin holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston College in Biology. She started in a research laboratory and evolved from performing bench work to managing the lab until settling into facilities as a profession. She has many years of experience working in facilities and operations focused on maintaining a healthy and productive work environment with quality customer service, primarily in research labs and biopharma organizations most currently at The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Lab as the director, facilities and operations in Lexington.

VP of Professional Development: Meagan O’Hara
The vice president of professional development oversees all of the programming committees and networks including programs and corporate real estate network. Since studying Marketing at Bay State College, O'Hara has immersed herself in the Real Estate industry, most recently as the Business Development Manager at Knoll where she is responsible for helping grow the furniture manufacturer through creative strategies, relationship building and maintaining, and a robust collaboration approach with their dealer, Office Resources, Inc. For the six years prior to joining Knoll, O'Hara acted as the director of business development for Fort Point Project Management. She is currently serving as the vice president of professional Development.

VP of Career Expansion: Tom Murphy
The vice president of career expansion’s focus is on facility management as a profession.  They work with the Emerging Leaders Network, local FM institutions and high schools to promote the profession. Murphy has been the director of facilities, security and business continuity for Amundi Pioneer for the past 13 years and has over 30 years of corporate real estate, planning, design, construction and project management experience. He holds two Master Degrees (Business Management, Real Estate Management) as well as an Architectural Degree. Murphy has served as the co-chair of the Corporate Real Estate Network for the past three years.

Immediate Past President: Dawn Borden
The immediate past president stays on the Board of Directors for one term to work in a mentoring role to the Board and the leadership team. They also work with the co-chairs of the Thought Leaders program and serve on the Executive Committee. Borden holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maine and has nearly 20 years of experience within the facilities management field.  Borden works as an independent project manager catering to corporate and institutional clients.  A member since 1999, she has been active within IFMA on the Programs and Golf Committees and has served on the board as the VP of professional development, VP of finance, president-elect and president.