Building Congress Event
2019 Industry Recognition Gala
Gala Co-Chair
Elizabeth Velez
President
Velez Organization
www.velezorg.com/
Elizabeth Velez is the President of the Velez Organization, a second generation construction firm started in 1972 by her father, Andrew Velez. Ms. Velez has successfully earned a position as one of the integral principals of Velez Organization, as well as a supporter and leader of diversity and business issues facing the construction industry.
To her credit are hundreds of projects which have come to fruition under her direction, including over 600 units of housing made affordable by State and Federal grants in the Bronx and Harlem, and over two billion dollars of significant educational, healthcare and large-scale projects throughout New York.
In addition to project involvement and corporate responsibilities, Ms. Velez is a staunch advocate for diversity in procurement and employment. In that capacity she co-chaired a seminar on Women Entrepreneurship for the New York State Assembly, and the New York Construction News, Bronx Life, The Daily News, The Wall Street Journal, El Diario La Prensa, Hispanic Business, ENR and Crain’s New York Business have published interviews with Ms. Velez. She was interviewed by ABC television’s “Tiempo” show as an industry leader and has appeared on several occasions on NY1; most recently on NY1's “Inside City Hall” to discuss the importance of effective NYS policies and budget.
Ms. Velez serves as Co-Chair of the NYC Mentorship Advisory Board, is a member of the diversity advisory boards for NYS Department of Transportation, NYC Small Business Services, NYC School Construction Authority, NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection, C h a i r s t h e Latino Builders Council and serves on the Board(s) of the Association of Minority Enterprises of NY, ACE Mentor NY, the NY Building Congress and the Women Builders Council. She is on the Board of Trustees of Boricua College. On the international front, Ms. Velez is Co-Chair of Iran 180 – an organization that advocates for human rights and the end of the threat of nuclear arms proliferation in Iran.
Ms. Velez was honored by the Professional Women in Construction at their “Meet the Construction Chiefs” event, was a panelist at ENR’s “Groundbreaking Women in Construction” event, and has participated in many discussions on the significance of diversity in the workplace alongside such distinguished panelists as the Rev. Al Sharpton. In April 2013, she was invited to the White House for a “Women in Transportation” R o u n d t a b l e Forum with Secretary of Transportation LaHood, Secretary of Health and Human Services Sebelius and Senior Advisors to President Obama. A recognized advocate and spokesperson on diversity and construction industry issues, Ms. Velez was the keynote speaker at the launch of the Global Women’s Network for Skanska – one of the top ten construction and engineering firms in the world, and was a panelist at the Women Construction Owners and Executives 2013 “Women Build America” National Conference in Washington DC. Among her most memorable experiences in 2013 was participating in the ringing of the NASDAQ closing bell with the U.S. Hispanic Advocacy Association and traveling to Israel on a JCRC-NY peace and education mission with other community leaders from New York.
Gala Co-Chair
John J. Cardoni
Northeast Region Executive
AECOM
www.aecom.com
John J. Cardoni is Executive Vice President and Northeast Region Executive for the Design and Consulting Services Americas group at AECOM (NYSE: ACM), a premier, fully integrated infrastructure firm that designs, builds, finances, and operates assets for governments, businesses, and organizations in more than 150 countries.
In this role, Mr. Cardoni leads strategic growth and profitability of the Design and Consulting Services group in the Northeast, including the New York metropolitan area. With 30 offices throughout the region, including three in New York City, he oversees a team of more than 3,500 architects, engineers, scientists, and support staff. His areas of responsibility include transportation; water and wastewater; program and construction management; and buildings and places, AECOM’s architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design studio.
Mr. Cardoni has a 35-year history with AECOM, having managed business units in New York /New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New England, Eastern Canada, and the Midwest. His experience includes a broad range of both public- and private-sector client infrastructure projects and programs.
Before becoming Region Executive in 2015, Mr. Cardoni held a series of leadership roles at AECOM, including New England Area Manager, Northeast Water Regional Manager, and Midwest Region Manager. Mr. Cardoni is a member of the New York Building Congress Board of Directors.
Journal Chair
Kelly Heuer
Senior Managing Director
Ankura
www.ankura.com
Kelly Heuer is a Senior Managing Director at Ankura, located in the New York office. Ms. Heuer has provided professional consulting services to owners, contractors, architects, sureties, and their counsel on a wide variety of construction and manufacturing projects for more than 25 years. Her experience has been focused in analyzing project schedule delays and resulting cost overruns for large construction and manufacturing projects. She has also analyzed and prepared claims for loss of productivity, increased contract quantities, and indirect cost overruns. She has issued expert reports and provided expert testimony. Her experience includes airports, aircraft retrofits, bridges and highways, correctional and educational facilities, courthouses, environmental sites, hospitals, maritime, multi-use high rise developments, and power plants, among others, throughout North America and in Europe. Ms. Heuer has testified in federal and state courts and in arbitration proceedings concerning various scheduling issues. She has also presented on behalf of clients in dozens of mediations. As the leader of Ankura's Construction team in New York, she is involved in key decisions related to practice development, recruiting, staffing, compensation and budgeting. Ms. Heuer is a member of the Board of Governors for the New York Building Foundation. She often speaks or presents at national and regional industry events and webinars.
