TORCH Mentorship Program

TORCH Coordinator

Edgar Panteleyevas, AIA, LEED® GA, is an Associate at Major Architecture—a full-service design firm that believes in thoughtfully crafted spaces that make for better interactions, smarter homes, sustainable cities, and ultimately, a better world. His experience comprises residential, healthcare, educational, athletic, and commercial work with a number of projects in New York and Lithuania. Edgar established Push Architecture in 2018 to undertake projects on his own. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, and is a registered architect in New York State. Edgar is interested in technology and financial trends, and the effect they have on architecture and real estate. He strongly believes in the need to adopt more progressive thinking, and making architecture a part of everybody’s daily life. His goal is to not only be a leader at work, but to also impact community and positively influence our way of life.

TORCH Co-Founder

Brynnemarie Lanciotti is a Project Architect at Stantec Architecture in New York City and a New York Regional Representative to the AIA Strategic Council. As a Project Lead at Stantec, Lanciotti is responsible for a wide range of project types, varying in scale and complexity, for a range of clients and parameters. Her focus is on managing project teams of equal diversity to high-level project execution. She has dedicated her career to professional and leadership development. In 2017, Lanciotti co-founded AIANY’s Civic Leadership Program (CLP), a leadership training program directed at Emerging Professionals with a focus on advocacy and developing tools for citizen architects. In 2018, Lanciotti, along with (ENYA), launched the TORCH Mentorship Program at the New York Chapter. Now in her third year on the Strategic Council, Lanciotti serves as 2020 Vice-Moderator.

TORCH Co-Founder

As a project designer and lead for several New York City firms, Aronberg has helped design and administer a variety of project types including, private residential, educational, commercial, institutional and athletic facilities. Working across these different scales and all project phases, Aronberg has exhibited comprehensive knowledge of the craft and communication skills required to see a project through to completion. Outside of the office, he served as the 2017-19 Co-Chair of the AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee, a group that focuses on the development of young design professionals through lectures, design competitions, networking, and community engagement. Aronberg recently spearheaded the launch of a mentorship program for professionals in the industry as well as the FutureNOW symposium, exploring the impact that existing and future technologies will have on the practice of architecture.

TORCH Co-Founder

F. Eric Goshow, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, ENV SP is a founding Partner of Goshow Architects. He has more than 30 years of award-winning experience in architectural design and planning. Goshow’s expertise is in the design of sustainable educational and institutional projects, reflecting his professional interest in accessible, sustainable, and healthful design for all spaces. His experience extends from new construction to the rehabilitation and restoration of historically significant structures. Notably, his restoration and addition to the historic Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (NYC) won accolades from the United States President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Recently completed projects include Nobel Halls, the new 600-bed student residence and activity center at Stony Brook University, which won a Design Excellence Award from the AIA Long Island Chapter. The project achieved LEED Gold Certification and is the first sustainable on-campus housing option for Stony Brook students. In 2011, Goshow was President-Elect of the New York State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects New York State (AIANYS). A long-standing member of the AIA, Goshow previously served as Vice President of Government Advocacy for the New York State component.

TORCH Team

With 38 years of experience as a preservation architect, Pamela Jerome, FAIA, LEED AP, FAPT, F.US/ICOMOS is president of Architectural Preservation Studio. Jerome sits on the international Board of ICOMOS (International Committee on Monuments and Sites), one of three statutory-advisory bodies to the World Heritage Convention. She is a past vice president of ISCEAH (International Scientific Committee on Earthen Architectural Heritage), expert member of ISC20C (International Scientific Committee on 20th Century Heritage) and CIAV (International Committee on Vernacular Architecture). She was an elected officer of the ICOMOS Scientific Council from 2006-2014. Jerome is the US/ICOMOS liaison to the APT (Association for Preservation Technology) Board. She is a Peer Professional for preservation for GSA’s Design Excellence program. Her expertise is in masonry conservation and waterproofing. She is widely published and recognized as an international expert in cultural heritage. She has consulted on cultural-property conservation in the US, Mediterranean, Black Sea, North Africa, Middle East, and the Far East.

TORCH Team

As a Partner of FXFOWLE Architects and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Blau is focused on designing sustainable spaces for life long learning and exploration. She has created daycare centers, primary and secondary school facilities, and learning spaces for institutions of higher education. She strives to create spaces and places that enrich people’s experiences; places for collaborative discourse, and environments where each individual is challenged and inspired to reach their highest potential. Working domestically and abroad, in and around historic quality buildings and campuses her work acknowledges the time in which it is created and the context in which it resides, while striving to be timeless. Her current projects include the new Museum of the Built Environment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, renovation of Warren Hall for Cornell University and a new building for the United Nations in New York City. Previously, Blau led the team for the renovation and expansion of the Juilliard School and the public spaces at Lincoln Center. A graduate of Smith College and Columbia University, Blau holds licenses to practice in 12 states. She is a member of SCUP, ALA and the AIA New York Chapter. She currently serves on the board of AREW (Association of Real Estate Women) and the GSAPP at Columbia University Alumni Association, and is a member of the Advisory Board for Health Leads.

TORCH Team

Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, and with experience living and working in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, Unel earned his B.Arch. degree from Syracuse University, with a secondary focus on applied entrepreneurship. Post graduation, he took part in New York State sponsored fellowships on sustainable technologies before being invited to work abroad in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, where he helped design and build projects at various scales, both as part of a larger international practice, and as a volunteer architectural designer for regional NGOs that empower disenfranchised communities through strategic infrastructure construction, exhibition design, advocacy, and volunteer outreach. Upon returning to the U.S., Unel pursued his M. Arch. II degree in advanced building technologies at Cornell University, and currently works in New York City at Ennead Architects, where he continues to explore the intersection of sustainability, affordability, and technology. He further dedicates his time to mentorship programs at the national level, and works in collaboration with organizations like NCARB to tackle issues of diversity, equity, and representation in architecture, while contributing think-pieces to architectural publications like Metropolis magazine. He is Co-chair of the Emerging New York Architects (ENYA) Committee at AIA New York, a member of the Civic Leadership Program (CLP) Advisory Taskforce, and a member of the TORCH Executive Committee.

TORCH Team

Anastasia Limogiannis, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, is an Architectural Designer at Mancini Duffy. She pursued her Bachelor of Architecture degree at Penn State University, with a minor in Psychology. Since returning to her hometown of New York City, Limogiannis has been involved in private sector, public agency, and higher education projects, including facility upgrades at CUNY campuses, DEP projects, ground-up residential buildings on the Lower East Side, and hospitality and commercial design. Her background of merging psychology and architecture has influenced her interest in redefining wellness and health within architecture. Limogiannis also serves as a Mentor in New York City’s ACE Mentorship Program, and is currently pursuing licensure.

TORCH Team

Maria José Hurtado Ortiz is an Architectural Designer at KPF. There, Ortiz has been involved in a variety of projects that differ in scale and programs, from a Supertall Tower in Tel Aviv to the Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 5. Her responsibilities have varied project to project, but are focused on functional planning and programming as well as technical and design coordination. Ortiz pursued her Bachelors of Architecture degree at the Pennsylvania State University with a minor in Environmental Inquiry. At Penn State, she was President of the AIAS chapter and set up a mentorship program, as well as got involved at the National level led the Design Think Tank task force. Ortiz is still involved with mentorship as a team leader in NYC’s ACE Mentorship Program, and as a member of the TORCH Mentorship task force.

TORCH Team

Braham Berg, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, ULI is an impact real estate developer and design strategist, focused on combining financing with architectural design and an emphasis on the triple bottom line in the built environment. He formed BBB3RG (soon to be o-DADA) as a consultancy servicing property owners, real estate developers, and primarily faith-based non-profit institutions with financial modeling, architectural visioning, and restructuring plans. Braham has created development strategies for over 60 properties, valued at over $400M ranging from portfolio-level to project analysis, capital development and construction management coordination. He is a Development Consultant at the J Max Bond Center for Urban Futures within CCNY’s Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture. Braham earned a Masters of Sustainable Real Estate Development (MSRED), M.Arch, B.Arch, and Minor in Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship at Tulane University. He has been involved in many community initiatives, as a Global Shaper in the New York Hub (an initiative of the World Economic Forum), and founding member of CUBE – Climate Urgency in the Built Environment.

TORCH Team

Shilpa Patel, AIA, LEED AP, earned a B.Arch from the University of Houston and a M.Arch II from UCLA. She has over 15 years of architectural experience working on multi-scale domestic and international projects. As Project Manager at SOM, Patel has extensive design and management experience working on various types of international and US projects. Her work ranges from large-scale mixed-use, retail, commercial, institutional, and climate-resiliency projects.Shilpa also earned her Master’s in Real Estate Development at NYU. She strives to balance her education in real estate and architecture to promote positive community and economic growth in conjunction with intelligent and innovative building design. She aims to understand and impact communities through positive leadership and volunteering, whether mentoring young girls or teaching yoga in underprivileged neighborhoods.