2008-2009 Board of Directors Biographies

Ex-Officio
David J. Brady
President and Chief Executive Officer
International Facility Management Association

David J. Brady is president and CEO of the Houston-based International Facility Management Association. He has 24 years of experience in association management.  Brady joined the IFMA staff in 1993 as director of membership services and has also served as vice president of education and event management and vice president of administration and member resources.  Brady previously was executive vice president and chief operating officer for IFMA before being appointed to his current position in 2002.

Prior to joining IFMA, Brady served for nine years in various capacities with the National Association of Credit Management in Columbia, Maryland.  He was the president of NACM affiliates in Grand Rapids, Michigan and in Houston, Texas.  He also was NACM’s national director of affiliate services. Brady entered the association management field from commercial banking in 1984.

Brady served as a member of the board of directors for the Society of American Military Engineers, and is currently on the board of directors for the Real Estate Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate, the Global Facility Management Association based in Brussels, Belgium, as well as on the Executive Council of the Washington, D.C.–based Energy Efficiency Forum.  He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and he holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan.

Chair
John J. McGee, MBA

John McGee recently left his position as the chief operating officer at Union Switch & Signal (US&S) in Pittsburgh, Pa. to spend more time with his family at their home in Alpharetta, Ga. Prior to becoming the first vice chair on IFMA’s Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, he served as the second vice chair on the Executive Committee.

When working witht US&S, McGee had profit and loss responsibility for US&S’ Signaling & Train Control and Automation & Information Systems business units. He also was responsible for developing and implementing best practices with emphasis on product solutions management and product development. This included organizational responsibility for improving customer satisfaction, product quality and internal processes to keep the company positioned for growth.

He has worked in the semiconductor industry, in industrial process control, building controls and facilities management. He has also performed in leadership positions in the United States, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom and Ireland. John holds European qualifications in information technology, finance and marketing.

First Vice Chair
Thomas "Tom" L. Mitchell Jr., CFM, CFMJ
Booz | Allen | Hamilton 
Director, Facilities Management Consulting

Thomas L. Mitchell Jr., Lt Col (retired), USAF, CFM, CFMJ, directs facilities management consultation services from Booz | Allen | Hamilton’s San Antonio office.  Prior to becoming the first vice chair on IFMA’s Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, he served as the second vice chair on the Executive Committee.

Mitchell is responsible for working with clients as well as managers and staff across the firm to develop vision, strategy and solutions that shape, improve and optimize built environment performance.  Mitchell previously served 20 years as a US Air Force civil engineering officer responsible for leading and managing programs directing the development, acquisition and sustainment of facilities at military installations throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.  Mitchell was honored with Florida A&M University’s 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his notable military and community service.

Mitchell has been a member of IFMA since 1998, earned his CFM in 2000 and is serving his third term on the board of directors. He has been active at the IFMA chapter, council and committee levels, particularly in those activities that foster scholarship and professional development. Mitchell also serves as a director on the Society of American Military Engineers’ 2008-2010 national board of direction and will continue to enhance IFMA’s ties with the military and the public sector.

Mitchell holds a bachelor of science degree in architectural studies; a master’s-level certificate in facility management; a master of arts in management; a master of military operational arts and science; and post-graduate course work toward a doctorate of management. Mitchell has served as a graduate-level facility management instructor, conducted IFMA LIVE Webinar courses and is a frequently requested presenter on leadership, emergency management and facility management topics at industry events at the local, national and international levels.

Second Vice Chair
Francis J. Kuhn, CFM, CFMJ
Vice President of Facilities and Administration
Western Corporate Federal Credit Union

Kuhn has been a practicing facility manager for more than 30 years in a variety of industries, managing more than 2,200,000 square feet of commercial and residential properties. Kuhn is currently responsible for managing WesCorp’s facilities and administration departments encompassing WesCorp’s corporate headquarters in San Dimas, Calif. and branch offices in San Leandro and Temecula, Calif.; Boise, Idaho; Salt Lake City Utah; Honolulu, Hawaii; and in Seattle and Spokane, Wash. Before joining WesCorp, he served as director of facilities for Angeles Corporation and director of facilities and administration for New World Entertainment.

Kuhn earned his Certified Facility Manager® designation from IFMA in 1996. He is past president of the Los Angeles Chapter of IFMA, and in 2002 and 2004 he was named Professional Member of the Year. Kuhn currently serves on the board of trustees as immediate past chair for the IFMA Foundation, previously serving as secretary, treasurer, first vice chair, and chair.  He is also a contributing author to “The Facilities Managers Handbook.”

Board of Directors

José García Cuartero, MIM
Managing Director
Grupo Cador.

He has nearly 20 years of experience at Grupo Cador, a Spanish facility management consultancy and services group. Cuartero was also co-founder and first chairman of the Sociedad Española de Facilities Management from 1998 to 2003. He has held board positions at EuroFM from 2003-2007, and was chairman of the association in 2006-2007. In addition, he has taught facility management curriculum at a number of educational institutions in Spain.

Cuartero holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa and a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona.

Christopher P. Hodges, P.E., CFM, IFMA Fellow
Principal
Facility Engineering Associates

Christopher Hodges, P.E., CFM, RRC, LEEP AP, IFMA Fellow, has more than 25 years of experience in the evaluation, repair, maintenance and operations of building systems and facility management.

Hodges currently serves as principal and chairman of the Facility Engineering Associates, P.C. (FEA) in Fairfax, Va. He is responsible for the strategic planning and overall direction of FEA consisting of more than 60 employees in four major offices across the United States.

A Certified Facility Manager, Hodges has served two terms as president, and one term as vice president, secretary, treasurer and committee chair of the IFMA Capital Chapter since his membership began in 1993. Hodges also teaches IFMA core competency courses and routinely participates in new course development and curriculum development. He has also been active in promoting IFMA’s professional development and certification programs in the United States and overseas.

Marc S. Liciardello, CFM, MBA, CM
Vice President of Corporate Services
ARAMARK.

A Liciardello has over 25 years of experience in the facility management profession and has had responsibility for internal and outsourced facility management services in both the public and private sectors. He also has extensive experience in public and private sector profit and loss management, technology development and management, operational process reengineering and business process improvement.

Eileen McMorrow
Editor and Publisher
McMorrow Report

Eileen McMorrow is an award-winning journalist, who currently serves as editor and publisher of the McMorrow Report, a Web site and publication she launched in October 2003, based in Upper Montclair, N.J.

Her entire business journalism career has served the facility management, real estate management, architecture, space planning and design professions. McMorrow has participated in the facility management and real estate professions for 16 years, advising on conference topics and speakers, attending conferences, moderating panel discussions and introducing speakers.

McMorrow won the 2002 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for “Best News Coverage” of the September 11 attacks and their effects on the American workplace in New York and Washington.

She is an active member of the Greater New York Chapter of IFMA and served on IFMA’s Conference Board for 2001 and 2002.

Helena Ohlsson, CFM, MScA DIPL FM
Director
Service Works Global

Helena Ohlsson, CFM is director at London-based Service Works Global. Her responsibilities at Service Works Global — a facility management software company — include managing large multinational facility management clients and developing the business throughout Europe.

Ohlsson is a trained architect with more than 12 years of experience in architecture and facility management. She has been involved with some of the most prestigious accounts in the portfolio of Skanska and Johnson Controls Inc., working with companies such as BP, Cisco, BBC and Ericsson. Using her background in architecture and facility management, Ohlsson worked on the creation of a European strategy for the Johnson Controls Inc. consulting team.

She is a Certified Facility Manager® and a member of IFMA, EuroFM and NordicFM. She has served as a board member of the Swedish Chapter of IFMA since 1999 and was president from 2002-2005. Ohlsson is also a board member for EuroFM as chair of the Practice Network Group representing 35 national associations and corporate associates in 17 countries.

Paul A. Ratkovic, CFM, FMP
Manager, Operations Planning and Development
EMCOR Facilities Services Inc.
Site Based Operations

Paul Ratkovic, CFM, FMP, is manager of operations planning and development for EMCOR Facilities Services, Inc. in Yardley, Pa.

With more than five years of experience in the facility management industry, Ratkovic is responsible for the development of bids and estimates for site-based facility management contracts, and for driving the overall direction of EMCOR by evaluating potential business strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Ratkovic was the youngest professional to receive the certification of Certified Facility Manager (CFM) in 2005, and he was the first recipient of the Facilities Management Professional (FMP) designation. Ratkovic has been an IFMA member for four-and-a-half years in the Oregon and Southwest Washington Chapter and has served on three of IFMA’s international committees.

William A. Rodgers, Jr.
President and CEO
GoodCents

Rodgers is known to many as the former president and CEO of EMCOR Facilities Services, where he championed a variety of efforts promoting IFMA’s educational programs and World Workplace, the largest educational, networking and buying event for the facility management profession.

With nearly 30 years of experience, Rodgers possesses a strong and significant senior executive management background and broad experience in acquisition and start-up activities.

Kathy O. Roper, CFM, CFMJ, LEED AP, IFMA Fellow
Associate Professor, Building Construction Program
Georgia Institute of Technology

Kathy Roper, CFM, CFMJ, IFMA Fellow is an associate professor in the Building Construction Program at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

With more than 20 years in practice, Roper has a broad range of experience in the multi-faceted specialties of facility management and corporate real estate. She has worked for Sprint Communications, Financial Service Corporation, the U.S. General Services Administration and the American Cancer Society — providing her with experiences in corporate, government and non-profit business environments. Roper incorporates her experience and knowledge into her teaching and research at the Georgia Institute of Technology Integrated Facility and Property Management graduate program.

Roper is a prolific author and contributor to various industry publications and journals, including more than a dozen scholarly publications. Her interest in sustainability led to her LEED® Accredited Professional designation and nomination to the U.S. Green Building Council’s formal education committee.

Roper is also a Certified Facility Manager®, an active member of IFMA and an IFMA Fellow. She was awarded the 2005 IFMA Distinguished Educator Award of Excellence and the IFMA Distinguished Author Award of Excellence in 2007.

Mark R. Sekula, CFM, LEED AP
Senior Facility Management Consultant
Facility Engineering Associates

Mark Sekula, CFM, is the associate principal and senior facility strategist for Kahler Slater, Inc. in Milwaukee, WI.

With more than 21 years of facility management experience, Sekula is responsible for strategic business development, the development of workplace design strategies, project management, client relationship management and speaking and writing on workplace design and facility management issues for Kahler Slater, Inc.

A Certified Facility Manager since 1993, Sekula has submitted numerous articles for the IFMA Facility Management Journal, acted as president, vice president and secretary for the IFMA Southeast Wisconsin Chapter and founded the Facility Management Consultants Council.

Peter M. Winters, CFM, CFMJ, AIA
Senior Vice President
HOK Advance Strategies

Peter Winters, CFM, CFMJ, AIA, is senior vice president for HOK Advance Strategies in Dallas, Texas.

With more than 30 years of experience in the facility management industry, project management, strategic planning, architecture and interior design in the United States, China, Canada, Australia, the UK, France, Mexico, Hong Kong and Japan, Winters is responsible for all of the outsourced facility planning and support services provided to HOK clients.

An IFMA member since 1989, Winters brings a unique blend of facility management, strategic planning and executive management to the IFMA 2007-2008 Board of Directors.

Past Chair

Gary P. Broersma, CFM
Director, Strategic Facility Planning and Development

Gary Broersma, CFM, is the director of Global Facility Management for Covance Laboratories of Vienna, Va. Prior to becoming chair on IFMA’s Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, he served as the first vice chair in 2005-2006.

As the director of Global Facility Management for Covance, Broersma is responsible for long-range planning and major construction project management for facilities in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas and California in the United States; and Harrogate, United Kingdom; Leeds, United Kingdom; and Muenster, Germany.

Additionally, his department is responsible for the full spectrum of facility management offerings at their sites in Virginia, Wisconsin and Indiana, including lease management, operations and maintenance, security and administrative services. He has served IFMA as president of the Capital Chapter and president of the Research and Development Facilities Council.