Meet the Staff
ALEX DONAHUE, JD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Alex leads the IAC staff in supporting the Commission and in implementing the IAC’s policies in support of its mission. He comes to the position after serving on the IAC staff for five years including nearly three years as the IAC’s Deputy Director for Field Operations. Previously, Alex worked for the National Council on School Facilities, where he analyzed trends and best practices in school construction across the nation. He also served as a principal and district administrator for a large public school district.
CASSANDRA VISCARRA
Deputy Director
Cassandra leads the IAC’s administrative, finance, and policy staff to ensure smooth operation of all agency programs and initiatives. Cassandra has served on the IAC staff in several roles, most recently as Chief of Staff, and her previous experience includes working in legislative service and field operations for school construction.
Administration
LOLITA CARTER-ROSS
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
Lolita leads the IAC in talent acquisition, employee relations, and performance management. Lolita has spent 17 years as an HR professional working predominantly in healthcare and corporate America driving employee engagement, reducing turnover, and aligning HR strategies with organizational goals, fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture through strategic initiatives.
VICTORIA HOWARD
POLICY ANALYST
Victoria supports the policy and communications areas of the IAC through the Legislative cycle. Before coming to the IAC, Victoria gained experience navigating education and school district policy by participating in the Green Mountain Education Summit in the state of Vermont.
HANNAH STURM
Administrative Services Manager
Hannah is responsible for IAC communications, including the IAC’s website, publications, and more. She also supports special projects, agency efficiency, and new employee onboarding.
Hannah is also the IAC’s Records Manager and the staff representative for Public Information Act (PIA) requests. Contact Hannah or use this form to submit a PIA request.
Assessment & Maintenance
SCOTT SNYDER, FMP
aSSESSMENT AND mAINTENANCE GROUP Manager
Scott serves as the manager of the Assessment and Maintenance Team, tasked with assessing Maryland School Facilities supporting maintenance best practices throughout the LEAs. Scott has hands-on experience with the critical nature of maintenance during his tenure with the Maryland Department of Corrections.
KENNETH JOHNSON, PE
Lead FACILITIES ASSESSOR
Kenneth is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Maryland. He comes to the IAC with many years of experience in assessing Maryland schools for physical condition and educational adequacy.
DAVID BAILEY
LEAD MAINTENANCE ASSESSOR
Dave brings eight years of project management experience in commercial construction. He managed general trade packages of K-12 schools, universities, and multifamily residences. Prior to that Dave spent 17 years as an architectural woodworking project manager and manufacturing engineer.
MICHAEL BITZ
FACILITIES ASSESSOR
Michael is the IAC’s longest serving member of the Assessment and Maintenance Team. Mike brings to the team 12 years experience in residential home inspections and two years in building maintenance for Target Corp.
EDWARD BRADY
FACILITIES ASSESSOR
Edward is an assessor for the Assessment and Maintenance Team, which assesses school facilities for maintenance effectiveness, providing important feedback and recommendations to school systems.
KYLE CONNOLLY
MAINTENANCE ASSESSOR
Before joining the IAC staff, Kyle worked in the construction field for over 15 years as an electrician and foreman. In 2018 he became a Master Electrician. He has also worked as a general maintenance repair contractor.
JOSH FABY
FACILITIES ASSESSOR
Prior to becoming an IAC Assessor, Josh worked in the construction field for over 10 years as a foreman and project superintendent, most recently serving as Director of Engineering for the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in Baltimore. In 2005 he became a Master Electrician.
BROOKE FINNERAN
MAINTENANCE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Brooke coordinates and supports the Assessment and Maintenance Team, including the creation of individual LEA maintenance reports and the IAC’s Annual Maintenance Report. Brooke’s experience in State Government with the Department of Transportation and her natural affinity for data collection and analysis provides the agency with the information needed to reveal trends and provide insight or answers to potential issues.
ZACHARY GRESS
Facilities Assessor
Zach is a lifelong Maryland resident with extensive plumbing experience and eight years of service as a Correctional Maintenance Officer with the State of Maryland. Zach’s background combines hands-on technical expertise with a strong commitment to public service and facility operations.
JASON JOHNSON
Facilities ASSESSOR
Jason brings to the IAC experience in project management, condition assessment, portfolio analysis, and facility planning of federal government facilities, including NASA and the United States Navy.
BEN KAPLAN
Assessment Data Coordinator
Ben is the IAC’s Statewide Facilities Assessment data coordinator and an assessor. Ben joined the IAC team with 12+ years of experience managing and conducting facilities assessments, performing facilities portfolio analysis, and planning facility programs for NASA, the US Navy, and the US Marine Corps.
DANIEL McBEE
Facilities ASSESSOR
Daniel serves as a Facilities Assessor, working to assess the condition and educational sufficiency of public PK-12 school facilities across Maryland.
MARK STEVENS
MAINTENANCE & FACILITIES ASSESSOR
Mark brings more than 30 years of industry experience in construction and commercial building maintenance. Mark’s building experience began as an engineer for higher education where his passion for maintaining and assessing commercial buildings grew to managing maintenance for public housing and K-12 public schools. Mark is excited to share his passion with the IAC and its mission.
SEAN VORSTEG
Assessment Programs Coordinator
Sean supports the condition and maintenance assessment teams by ensuring consistency, quality, and efficiency across all phases of the assessment cycle. Sean brings over 15 years of experience in construction management, primarily focused on heavy civil and energy efficiency renovations, to the IAC.
Capital Projects
MELISSA WILFONG, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Capital Projects Director
Melissa is the leader of the IAC’s Capital Projects Manager Team, which works closely with Maryland’s Local Education Agencies to guide and support school facility planning, design, and construction activities.
LISA VAUGHN
Lead Capital Projects Manager
Lisa works to guide and support school systems in their facility planning, design, and construction activities to help them maintain an educationally sufficient and fiscally sustainable portfolio of facilities. Lisa joins the IAC with 8+ years of experience in project management and estimating for commercial construction. She estimated and managed general trade packages of K-12 schools, universities, and multifamily residences.
LAQUAY FLEMING
FIELD OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATOR
LaQuay administers and coordinates the daily and long term operations, workflow, dataflow, and reporting of the Field Operations Division. LaQuay comes to the IAC with extensive administrative, database, and office coordination experience.
LAURA SMYLES, AIA, WELL AP
CAPITAL PROJECTS MANAGEr
Laura works to guide and support school systems in their facility planning, design, and construction activities to help them maintain an educationally sufficient and fiscally sustainable portfolio of facilities. Laura joins the IAC with over 13 years of experience as a Project Architect and Educational Planner where she worked closely with LEAs to support all phases of planning, design, and construction to deliver project success.
Finance
SADI ABRAR, MSc, MBA, FCCA
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Sadi leads the IAC’s Finance Division, overseeing all aspects of the agency’s operating and capital budgets. He is a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA), qualified from the UK, and has served in several roles within Maryland State Agencies. Sadi possesses versatile hands-on expertise in the areas of financial accounting, budgeting, internal control, assurance, compliance, financial reporting, and data analytics. Before joining the IAC, Sadi served as the Chief Financial Officer for Maryland Correctional Enterprises under the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
SHERONDA GORDON
Finance Administrator
Sheronda supports the financial side of the IAC’s operations and funding programs, including corresponding with LEAs, and reviewing construction contract awards, and other financial transactions.
ASHLEY HICKS
Finance and Operations Assistant
Ashley supports the operations finance section of the IAC, working as a financial liaison between the IAC and LEAs, creating financial reports, and assisting with office management. Ashley comes to the IAC with seven years of State service and 10 years of administrative support and office operations experience.
EMILY RODGERS
FINANCE & FUNDING ANALYST
Emily supports the Finance and Funding Programs divisions of the IAC as the Finance & Funding Analyst. Emily previously worked at the Budget and Finance division at the Department of Commerce. She brings with her over 10 years of accounting and finance experience.
Funding Programs
ARABIA DAVIS
FUNDING PROGRAMS MANAGER
Arabia monitors and is responsible for the management of the administrative processes associated with the IAC’s various funding programs. Her experience with the IAC and her prior experience working within several State Agencies on policy-related issues helps to provide the level of expertise needed to critically evaluate, and analyze project submissions.
SHERON JOHNSON
Funding programs Administrator
Sheron assists in the administrative processes associated with the IAC’s various funding programs. Her prior experience working with several State Agencies on policy-related issues helps to provide the level of expertise needed to help the department run efficiently and effectively.
Information Technology
NABHODIPTA SIL UPADHYAY, PMP, PMI-ACP
DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Nabhodipta (better known as Sil) supervises all Information Technology initiatives and support for the IAC Staff. He has more than 30 years of experience in IT in multiple domains and different IT roles. He specializes in providing innovative and agile IT solutions to fluid business challenges, from conception to execution.
BRETT STEVENS
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Brett supports every IT function of the IAC. With his more than fifteen years in State services as a database specialist and a Technical Specialist, he brings a wealth of experience to every aspect of the IAC’s technology systems.
ROBERT DAVIS
Software Engineer
Bob works to plan, design, and develop new IT systems and make improvements to existing IT systems. Robert has over 10 years experience in software development and full-stack web development.
ROBERT GOETZ
IT SUPPORT ANALYST
Robert is responsible for the development and rollout of training programs for the IAC’s internal staff and external customers. He also provides general IT support to IAC Staff and external customers. Robert served the IAC for multiple years in a financial capacity and continues to provide general administrative support with his institutional knowledge.
MICKEY MEREDITH
IT PROJECTS MANAGER
Mickey provides technical project management for the development of new IT systems and improvements to existing IT systems.
Planning
JAMIE BRIDGES, AICP
PLANNING MANAGER
Leading the IAC’s Planning group, Jamie provides organizational and technical expertise to maximize the outcomes of state school construction programs; and supports the implementation of best practices in facilities and portfolio management in Baltimore City and across the state.
GRAHAM TWIBELL, GISP
REGIONAL PLANNER
Graham is a certified GIS Professional (GISP) and comes to the IAC with a decade of experience as a geospatial consultant for architecture, engineering, and construction projects around the region. Graham’s work with the IAC supports the educational sufficiency and fiscal sustainability of school facilities by delivering technical assistance to local education agencies and providing program support.
TAYLOR FITTS
PLANNER
Taylor’s work supports local educational agencies by providing expertise in school facilities portfolio management as well as providing tools that allow them to make data-driven decisions.