Board of Directors
Ensuring the Success of the Chapter
The 7×24 Exchange Washington DC Chapter is a not-for-profit organization that provides an educational forum focusing on challenges faced by mission critical industry professionals. Our Chapter Board of Directors are here to serve the community by facilitating events that are relevant to our industry.
Chapter Officers
PRESIDENT | Karen Petersburg, AREP, Vice President, Data Center Development & Construction
Karen Petersburg has over 15 years of diverse Construction experience, a majority of which is in the Mission Critical Industry. Beginning her career as a sub-contractor, she quickly jumped into a Project Engineering role with DPR Construction where she first fit-out high-end commercial buildings and then worked on Data Centers, igniting her passion for all things MEP. After spending some time as a MEP coordinator, she worked at Iconicx Critical Solutions as a Project Manager, primarily on Digital Realty projects. Currently employed as a Design Manager for Digital Realty, she oversees the design, construction, and commissioning of projects from Toronto to Miami.
TREASURER | Brian Brobst, Rosendin Electric, Vice President, Eastern Region
Brian Brobst brings more than 25 years of experience to the Mission Critical Sector from both the consulting engineering and electrical contracting aspects of the industry. Brobst spent the early portion of his career with EYP Mission Critical Facilities where as a Principal he worked primarily in the a design/project management role supporting his clients through all the elements of their Mission Critical programs from site selection to facility assessments, as well as infrastructure design and construction oversight. After the acquisition of EYPMCF by Helwett Packard in 2007, Brobst moved more into a leadership role on the Business side of the operation focusing on the growth of vertical markets and the diversification of services. In 2009, Brobst joined Truland Systems as Vice President to lead the company’s efforts in both the design/build, fabrication and installation of electrical systems for the Mission Critical Sector. Currently, Brobst is Director of Eastern Region at Rosendin Electric where he is focusing his efforts on expanding the East Coast operations for Rosendin centered around mission-critical and health care markets.SECRETARY | Lillian Rivera, Bureau Veritas Primary Integration, Director of Marketing
Lillian Rivera is a seasoned marketing professional with over twenty years’ experience in the AEC industry. Lillian’s experience includes both the private and public sector, which offers a unique understanding of the complex marketplace. As Director of Marketing for Bureau Veritas Primary Integration, Lillian provides end-to-end creative services from business and marketing planning, to comprehensive and integrated creative solutions.
Prior to joining Primary Integration Solutions, Lillian worked for EYP Architecture and Engineering and EYP Mission Critical Facilities for over 9 years combined. Lillian has developed an exceptional background in proposal management and a professional style based on excellent inter-‐personal communications and an ability to make the best possible use of her personal network.
Advisor | Ross Rebraca, HITT Contracting Inc., Vice President, Technology Sector
Ross Rebraca has more than 35 years of experience in the Mission Critical industry. He has worked in all areas of the industry, beginning with Emerson Industries (pre-Liebert acquisition) as a UPS Field technician/engineer while also providing factory customer training sessions. He then transitioned to the owner’s side with MCI Telecommunications’ Technical Facilities Design and Construction department which did all expansions and upgrades in existing live sites, first as a Project Engineer and later as a Department Manager. Ross then moved to Lee Technologies where he was heavily involved with both their Service and Sales groups, next move to was to U.S Customs and Border Protection as their Critical Systems Technical Facilities Manager at their main data center in No Virginia. He has been with HITT Contracting Inc since 2006 where he was instrumental in starting their Data Center/Technology sector which builds new and upgrades existing data centers throughout the US. Given Ross’ many years of experience and amount of contacts he has in the industry his current primary focus is Business Development and Client Satisfaction. He has been President of the 7x24DC Chapter since March of 2018.
Board Members
BOARD MEMBER | Don Miller, PointOne, Vice President of Construction
Don is a vice president of construction for PointOne.
Don brings 25 years of experience providing preconstruction and construction services, with a focus on Mission Critical clients. He has provided leadership on more than $3 billion of successfully completed data center projects including work with: American Online, Bank of America, Citi, Bank of New York Mellon, Fannie Mae, GEICO, Iron Mountain, NTT, Verizon and VISA. In addition to Mission Critical work, Don has completed several technical office buildings in Georgia and in Virginia and a large renovation and addition to the Columbus, Georgia Convention center.
Don attended the Rochester Institute of Technology where he graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering Technology. He is an Accredited Tier Specialist with the Uptime Institute, LEED Accredited Professional, Associate Member of ASCE, and has been a mentor for the ACE Mentoring Program.
BOARD MEMBER | Julie Forsht, Powersmiths, Regional Sales Manager
BOARD MEMBER | Kurt Wallner, DPR Construction, Project Executive
Kurt is a Project Executive in the Advanced Technology Core Market for DPR Construction, one of the country’s top technical builders and #4 ranked data center and telecommunications contractor in the U.S. (ENR 2020). He has been focused exclusively on the mission critical market sector since 2007, working for some of the largest colocation data center providers and leading hyperscale and cloud providers.
As one of the first employees of the Washington, DC office, Kurt joined DPR in the year 2000 and has nearly 30 years of construction experience. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®). Kurt holds a BS degree in Civil Engineering from Tulane University and a MBA from Loyola University Maryland.
Kurt currently lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife Kristin and their three children. For more information, please visit www.dpr.com or www.linkedin.com/in/kurtwallner.
BOARD MEMBER | Trisann Ferrigno
Trisann has a passion for serving others – one who voluntarily dedicates herself to the service of another. She began her volunteering through her church and has brought the same passion for serving others to her professional career. Trisann’ s current role with 7×24 is leading the Community Outreach Team to provide assistance for those in need that aligns with the mission of our organization. Just like the Starfish Poem, we can each do our part by improving the quality of life for our community, one person at a time.
When she is not working or volunteering, you may find her spending time with family and friends, exploring the outdoors, at the gym, cooking or baking, dancing or just curled up reading a good book!
BOARD MEMBER | Rob Courson, PE, Page, Associate Principal / Senior Mechanical Engineer
BOARD MEMBER | Marshall Sorenson, Shockey Precast, Vice President of Business Development
In our Community Outreach committee, Marshall Sorenson has been kicking it and taking names! As demonstrated by his efforts in support of Backpack Coalition, he has a special passion for embracing children and those in need. Marshall works tirelessly in the service of others and will be a huge asset to our Board, helping to raise awareness about the benefits of our industry within our community and beyond.
BOARD MEMBER | Christine Kopp, Tate Inc., Regional Sales Manager Data Center Solutions
Christine Kopp has been diligently serving our community and helping to grow our membership for over four years, working on various roles and committees. If you do not know her (which would surprise us!) she is always at the ready to welcome you to events or rescue you if you are alone. Friendly, bubbly, and so very positive, her charming personality and passion to bettering our industry is first class.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the DC Chapter Board of Directors for all their support and personal time investment. None of this could have been accomplished without their hard work and dedication.