Facilities Engineering

Our Engineering team supports CUIMC’s building systems and campus utilities infrastructure, as well as capital projects and state-of-good-repair projects throughout the campus.

How are we doing? We care about your experience working with us. Let us know how we’ve done, what we did right, and what we can do better.

Need help contacting us? If you’re not sure whom to contact for assistance, please call the Customer Service Center at 212-305-HELP (4357), option 3, or email cumc.facilities@columbia.edu for guidance.

Meet Our Team

  • James Thompsen

    • Assistant Vice President, Facilities Engineering
    James Thompsen
  • Estefany Andino-Mendez

    • Senior Project Engineer, Facilities Engineering

    Estefany Andino-Mendez joined Facilities Engineering as a senior project engineer in early 2019. Before joining the medical center, Estefany was a commissioning provider for eight years with a primary focus on healthcare facilities throughout the New York City and Long Island areas. She received a bachelor of engineering in facilities engineering from SUNY Maritime College.

    Certifications

    • Certified Commissioning Professional
    • LEED AP BD+C
    Estefany Andino Mendez
  • Alfred Arce

    • Assistant Director, Facilities Engineering

    Alfred "Fred" Arce has devoted more than two decades of exceptional service to Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He currently serves as assistant director in Facilities Engineering, a post he has held since 2005. In this role, he oversees the day-to-day engineering operations, including all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems. Prior to his current role, he worked as a plant superintendent, a painter, and a licensed refrigeration engineer within the Facilities Engineering department.

    Before joining CUIMC, Fred spent 15 years working in all phases of construction.

    Fred Arce
  • Anton Dedvukaj

    • West Campus Building Manager, Facilities Engineering

    Anton Dedvukaj supervises the engineers who support the west campus, including the Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center, Allan Rosenfield Building, Hammer Health Sciences Center, and 600 West 168th St. He also serves as the fire safety director for the Vagelos Education Center.

    Known for his commitment to providing exemplary customer service, Anton works diligently with his team to ensure maximum comfort for building occupants. Furthermore, he collaborates with members of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, which includes deans and students from the four schools, to plan for and successfully implement projects.

    Before joining CUIMC in 2016, he managed a 235-unit co-op on the Upper East Side; a smaller 100-unit co-op on the Upper West Side; and served as a landlord to three rent-stabilized buildings in the Bronx, where he spent part of his childhood.

    Anton's hobbies include building art for exhibition, including musical instruments and motorcycles. He is proud of his family's deep connections to the health care field, from his wife, a medical bookkeeper, to his three children, who are all either currently enrolled or soon-to-be enrolled in medical school.

    Certifications

    • New York City Fire Department Certificates of Fitness: F-85 Certificates of Fitness as Fire Safety Director with Active Shooter and Medical Emergency Preparedness
    Anton Dedvukaj
  • Roger Giusti

    • Director of Engineering Operations, Facilities Engineering

    Roger Giusti joined Columbia University Irving Medical Center as the director of Engineering Operations in 2014. He is primarily responsible for managing the day-to-day engineering and maintenance operations for the entire campus. He oversees supervisors and unionized staff who perform the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of approximately three million square feet of space.

    Before coming to CUIMC, Roger was the director of engineering for St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, where he was responsible for a 505-bed facility and two satellite buildings, including a 100,000-square-foot research facility and ambulatory day surgery center.

    Roger Giusti
  • John Hession

    • Plant Superintendent

    John Hession joined Facilities Management and the engineering team as a plant superintendent in October, 2022. Prior to Columbia, John was an operating engineer in class A commerical buildings in midtown and he worked for the NYC DOE as deputy director of facilites in Manhattan. Here, he will oversee the day-to-day engineering operations of the chiller and steam plants, and all associated mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems throughout the CUIMC campus. He hopes that his private and public sector experience will help Columbia continue to grow and move into the future.

    John Hession
  • John Kakleas, PE

    • Senior Project Engineer, Facilities Engineering

    John Kakleas manages infrastructure construction projects related to mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and control systems—from design through turnover—at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He also manages commissioning across all capital projects. Furthermore, John provides technical support for construction projects, engineering projects, and anything related to the daily operation and construction of building controls.

    After serving as project engineer since 2014, John was promoted to senior project engineer in late 2018. Before joining CUIMC, John spent six years at a commissioning and consulting company, starting as a field engineer and eventually leaving as a senior project engineer. Some of his work included testing the mechanical, electrical, plumbing systems for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and testing the emergency power systems at the United Nations. Through high school and college, John worked alongside his father as a carpenter, building custom furniture. He received a BS in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic University.

  • Anthony Roberts

    • East Campus Building Manager

    Anthony has over 20 years of experience in facilities management and previously held positions with Blumenfeld Development Group and Columbia University’s Facilities Operations (Morningside). Anthony is looking forward to providing the highest quality of customer service and technical expertise possible in his new role.

    Anthony Roberts
  • Madeline Segarra

    • Engineering Analyst, Facilities Engineering

    Since joining the Engineering team in 2014, Madeline Segarra has played a pivotal role in supporting the director of Engineering Operations and the associate director of Energy Management and Sustainability. She oversees the matrix, workflow, and design of the work order system for the team and tracks, logs, and reports all energy and sustainability data. She also helped implement a new work order system for the Columbia University Irving Medical Center community to use when submitting work requests.

    Before coming to CUIMC, Madeline worked as an executive assistant at Merrill Corporation to the sales, marketing, communications, and compliance divisions.

    Madeline Segarra
  • Indrajeet “Jeet” Viswanathan

    • Director of Energy Management and Sustainability, Facilities Engineering

    Indrajeet “Jeet” Viswanathan joined Columbia University Irving Medical Center as the director of energy management and sustainability in early 2019. Jeet is responsible for procuring energy, monitoring and reducing campus-wide energy use, and developing and implementing sustainability and energy efficiency programs at CUIMC. His primary focus is to ensure that the medical center reaches our carbon emission reduction goals.

    Before joining CUIMC, Jeet worked on several energy efficiency projects at a school district in Alexandria, Va., and with multiple commercial property owners in Washington, DC. His past energy efficiency projects have won his organizations a Washington, DC mayor’s award; a Virginia state award; and two national awards.

    Jeet is currently a reservist in the United States military and a national advisory council member at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the George Washington University in Washington, DC.

    Certifications

    • Certified Energy Manager, Association of Energy Engineers
    • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (Operations and Maintenance), United States Green Building Council
    Indrajeet Viswanathan