Tal Eyal
Founder and Principal
Tal Eyal, founder and principal of FirstService Energy, oversees all company operations including the energy procurement business, data analysis, and reporting of energy usage.
Eyal’s expertise spans over a diverse range of energy projects culled from more than two decades in the property management and project management industries. He has broad experience managing heating conversion projects in large residential and commercial buildings, negotiating contracts for energy procurement and demand management, and constructing co-generation systems. Tal secured millions of dollars in grants and loans from quasi-governmental agencies to subsidize energy-related construction for clients managed by FirstService Residential New York.
Eyal also is executive vice president of FirstService Residential New York and a founder and president of FirstService Project Management, the company’s subsidiary that oversees residential and commercial construction projects.
Kelly Dougherty
President
Kelly Dougherty, president of FirstService Energy, helps FirstService Residential clients reduce energy consumption, costs and emissions by recommending customized strategies that significantly enhance building energy efficiency. She works with industry leaders and government agencies to keep our clients informed on the latest energy technologies, regulatory requirements and incentive programs. Kelly is a leading expert on energy legislation, has been featured in The New York Times, and has been a keynote speaker at top industry events—from Urban Green Council to REBNY—and also participated in the Building Energy Exchange Series on The Climate Mobilization Act.
Dougherty has over 12 years of facilities support, HVAC system operation, energy efficiency retrofits, and project management expertise which she amassed during previous roles at Air Ideal Inc. and Insight Civil Engineering. She earned an M.S. in sustainability management from Columbia University’s Earth Institute with a focus on corporate sustainability strategies, infrastructure resiliency development, and energy reduction planning. She also holds a B.S. in management & labor relations from Rutgers University.
Benjamin C. Kirschenbaum
Vice President & General Counsel
Ben Kirschenbaum, an attorney with 30 years of experience in law, residential management and brokerage in New York City, directs all legal matters on behalf of FirstService Energy. He is a member of the Cooperative and Condominium Committee of the Association of the Bar of New York City. Kirschenbaum graduated from Duke University School of Law and received an A.B. from Brown University.
Edmond Ohin
Director of Energy Procurement
Edmond Ohin is responsible for designing integrated financial models to identify and evaluate various energy procurement scenarios that result in the most economical and cost-effective energy solutions for properties managed by FirstService Residential. He oversees the procurement of electric power, natural gas, and oil commodities.
Prior to joining FirstService Energy, Ohin served as a Sourcing Operations Associate at Summit Energy Services, where he provided consulting services to several firms in the industrial and commercial space. Edmond holds a B.S. in Economics from Centre College.
Chris Normandeau, CEM, LC, LEEDAP BD+C®
Director
Chris Normandeau is director of FirstService Energy in the East region. Normandeau collaborates with community associations managed by FirstService Residential to reduce energy and water use and costs by serving as a trusted advisor to boards. Normandeau helps clients make informed decisions—saving them money, minimizing their carbon footprint, and improving their quality of life.
Prior to joining FirstService Energy, Normandeau was co-founder of Core, a New York City-based sustainable project management firm which focused on maximizing client savings while minimizing environmental impact. He also served as a Project Manager for construction firm OmniBuild, where he was involved in all aspects of design, construction and budgeting, including overseeing energy efficiency projects across New York State. Normandeau, who earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is a Certified Energy Manager (C.E.M.), is Lighting Certified (LC), and is a LEED AP BD+C®. He has saved his clients hundreds of thousands of dollars by putting his considerable energy knowledge and expertise to work for them. Normandeau believes in the value of providing his clients with the tools and knowledge needed to continue reducing their carbon footprint, long after his energy savings initiatives have been put in place.
John Skipper
Director
As director of energy management at FirstService Energy for the NYC Metro Area, including New York City, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, John works with our clients to help plan and develop a cost-effective strategy tailored to their unique needs and energy goals. Some of the projects John helps to manage include LED Lighting, Controls, Building Management Systems, and EV Charging.
Joining FirstService Energy, John brings over 30 years of experience working in energy efficiency at Con Edison, as well as experience as an attorney for their legal department.
Suneel Gupta
Director, Energy and Sustainability | FirstService Residential Ontario
Suneel Gupta works with the FirstService Residential Ontario portfolio, engaging the Executive and Operation teams to develop and execute on the Corporate Energy and Sustainability Platform. Gupta demonstrates to our communities, the importance of investing in energy management. At the core, these goals will improve building performance, enhance affordability, user experience, resilience, and reputation. By providing utility financial engineering, Suneel has managed to save over a million dollars for communities under the portfolio.
Through his work, Suneel has won awards such as, IESO Energy Manager of the Year (2018) and the Energy into Action-Energy Innovation Award for Best Multi-Residential Project (2018). Gupta is currently working on a book “Drunk History of Energy Management” and independently reviews ESG and large corporate sustainability reporting through the crowd sourced ‘The Hot Air Project’. Before joining FirstService Residential, Suneel worked in portfolio energy management at Minto and project development at Tescor before joining the FirstService Residential family.
John O’Shea
Senior Procurement Specialist
John O’Shea is responsible for finding solutions that best suit our clients’ energy needs and objectives. John’s main focus is on the Illinois market and portfolio, but also includes FirstService Residential East. He is eager to grow our energy team’s footprint across North America and has a passion for finding solutions to complex problems.
John was part of a variety of projects in multiple countries, stretching from water distribution and purification projects in the Andes to designing and building a new school in Nicaragua with sustainable agriculture, renewable energies, and other aspects. Prior to joining our team, John served as an Energy Consultant at Navigate Power and Choice Energy Management. His experience in the energy industry comes with a focus on energy procurement and sustainability. John holds a M.A. from Harvard Extension School in Sustainability and Environmental Management, where he focused on Corporate Sustainability & Innovation, and a B.A. from Prescott College in Energy and Sustainability.
Daniel Erickson
Technical Program Manager
Daniel Erickson, technical program manager at FirstService Energy, leads the team in all things data, including audits, research, benchmarking, and streamlining the data collection process. Daniel also oversees the creation and distribution of all Energy Report Cards for our buildings. Daniel continuously improves our custom databases, creating user-friendly platforms for managers and clients.
Daniel has over half a decade’s worth of experience in energy and utility bill management for residential buildings.
Rithu Manohar
Director of Data Management
Rithu Manohar is a data enthusiast, skilled in eclectic data tools with a strong inclination towards Python. Formerly, a data analyst with IBM on process improvement projects, she has extensive experience in automation of data processing tasks and building visualizations for trend analysis in the non-profit sector.
Since joining FirstService Energy, Rithu oversees the data collection processes from ESCO and utility companies in addition to auditing the entire EnergyStar Portfolio for our buildings. She maintains Wisdom, and audits the reports on an on-going basis.
Rithu has a B.S. in Computer Science from India’s Visvesvaraya Technological University and a M.S. in Business Analytics from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
Choyon Anwar
Energy Analyst
Choyon Anwar, FirstService Energy energy analyst, interprets data using analytics, various research methodologies, and statistical techniques. Liaising between property management, procurement specialists, and the data team, Anwar pioneered FirstService Energy’s commissions system and enhanced the procurement database.
Anwar comes to the team with a M.S. in financial engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He also holds a B.S. in physics from NYU Tandon School of Engineering.
Jeff Johari
Procurement Specialist
As procurement specialist, Jeff Johari is responsible for negotiating and executing power and gas supply contracts across regions to create a low-cost energy portfolio for properties managed by FirstService Residential.
With a keen understanding of the energy industry, Jeff has a proven track record of success in the acquisition and development of coal-fired and gas-fired power plants, as well as solar projects. He is also experienced in the development of Malaysia’s largest Integrated Downstream Petrochemical Complex and has been actively involved in the advisory and advocacy of Gas Market Liberalization in Malaysia.
Jeff holds a Master of Engineering (MEng) in chemical engineering from Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
Tiffany Weldon
Senior Data Specialist
Tiffany Weldon, FirstService Energy senior data specialist, has been a member of the data team since 2018. As senior data specialist, Tiffany ensures the accuracy and quality of client deliverables through the gathering and auditing of data.
Tiffany assists with the research and compliance of local energy benchmarking laws.
Wilson Hom
Senior Data Specialist
As senior data specialist, Wilson Hom oversees the processes of energy and water benchmarking of properties and associations managed by FirstService Residential. Wilson ensures that our portfolios are in compliance with local energy and water benchmarking ordinances.
He continuously tracks new legislation and changes to existing laws in order to provide our markets with the latest information and support.
Prior to working in FirstService Energy, Wilson was working as an office clerk in the Health and Science Center at Stony Brook University. Wilson received a B.S in business management with a specialization in accounting from Stony Brook University.
Josiah Dixon
Data Coordinator
As data coordinator, Josiah has served as an integral part of the FirstService Energy team in his two years with the company. He collaborates with the data team to ensure the timely collection and reporting of our clients’ energy related data. He has a thirst for knowledge which he employs to help make sure that compliance related issues are done efficiently and accurately.
Josiah graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a bachelors in environmental Earth science with a concentration in sustainable energy.
Amanda Kelly
Data Coordinator
As a data coordinator, Amanda collaborates with the data team to ensure timely and accurate reporting of our clients’ energy related data. She loves using numbers and data to tell stories and create visuals that make patterns and their significance accessible to everyone.
Amanda graduated from Binghamton University with a bachelors in psychology and a bachelors in humane education with a concentration in ecology.
Taylor Chamberlain
Project Coordinator
As project coordinator at FirstService Energy, Taylor Chamberlain assists our clients in complying with local regulations and realizing energy and cost savings through efficiency projects. Taylor previously worked for FirstService Residential as a portfolio manager, and an onsite manager, where responsibilities varied from board presentations and managing the community’s assets to assembling financial and management reports.
Taylor went to University of North Texas where she studied business integrated studies. Taylor currently holds a Texas Real Estate license and consistently keeps up with the market trends, as an active professional in the real estate industry.
Killeen McDonald
Marketing Coordinator
As marketing coordinator at FirstService Energy, Killeen McDonald creates marketing content for various uses, including presentations and local regulation collateral to keep our clients informed. Killeen previously worked for FirstService Residential as a marketing research coordinator where responsibilities were tailored towards prospective clients.
Killeen graduated from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University with a degree in marketing.