DDC Employees Recognized by the Construction Management Association of America With Industry Honors Awards

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DDC Employees Jerry Aliberti and Ketty Paulino Recognized by the Construction Management Association of America With Industry Honors Awards

For Environmental Stewardship and as a Distinguished Young Professional

DDC: Ian Michaels, 646-939-6514, michaelia@ddc.nyc.gov

(Long Island City, NY – November 7, 2024) Commissioner Thomas Foley of the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) announced today that DDC employees Jerry Aliberti and Ketty Paulino have been recognized by the national Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) with its Industry Honors Individual Awards. The awards were presented during the group’s CMAA2024 event in San Francisco from October 27 to October 29.

DDC Program Director Jerry Aliberti on the roof of FDNY Engine Company 331 in Howard Beach, Queens with new solar heating tubes that help provide hot water for the firehouse’s bathrooms and kitchen

“DDC emphasizes professional development and training for staff so they can grow professionally and take on new responsibilities while completing our growing portfolio in every part of the city,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley. “We recently expanded our program of licensure and continuing education courses. We provide direct training for important topics such as site safety. We work with the leading professional organizations so our staff can access certification trainings and leadership courses. We build cool stuff all over New York and building our staff is an important part of our long-term success. We thank CMAA for this honor and congratulate Ketty and Jerry for their excellent work.”

DDC Program Director Jerry Aliberti received the CMAA Award for Environmental Stewardship, which “recognizes a…construction management professional who has guided and aided…their organization’s environmental responsibility goals over a period of at least five years.”

To help improve the long-term environmental sustainability of various city facilities, Mr. Aliberti manages a program to convert numerous sites operated by FDNY, NYPD, NYC Parks and the NYC Department of Sanitation from oil to natural gas, while replacing boilers and installing new solar powered hot water heaters. He has also expanded the program to include the remediation of petroleum contamination in groundwater and soil using technologies such as dual phase vacuum extraction, soil vapor extraction and oxygen release compound injections. Mr. Aliberti started at DDC in 1996. He has been a Certified Construction Manager (CCM) since 2015.

DDC Deputy Director Ketty Paulino at a sewer regulator chamber that DDC overhauled in 2023 in the Bronx

DDC Deputy Director for Infrastructure Construction Ketty Paulino received the CMAA’s Distinguished Young Professional Award, which “recognizes and celebrates [an]…individual…for a commitment to the industry and outstanding professional accomplishments early in their career.”

Ms. Paulino mentors younger professionals at DDC and in her role as Directing of Emerging Professionals of the CMAA Metro NY/NJ Chapter, where she currently serves on the Board. She has supervised several DDC infrastructure projects simultaneously and is now part of the agency’s coastal resiliency construction team. She previously has managed projects such as the restoration of the West Tremont Step Street in the Bronx as well as a $106 million flood control project in Queens that used micro-tunneling to install a new sewer through a densely populated residential and commercial district.

Ms. Paulino started at DDC in 2015 as a Civil Engineer Intern. In 2018, she was named “Young Government Civil Engineer of the Year” by the American Society of Civil Engineers Metropolitan Section. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and currently holds a Construction Manager-in-Training (CMIT) certification while working toward CCM certification.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor Adams’ long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $33 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.