Raymond R. Savino
President & Treasurer
Ray Savino is Chief Financial Officer of the Real Estate Development Group at The DeMatteis Organizations, with responsibilities that include acquisition, financing, and development of new projects as well as refinancing existing DeMatteis-controlled properties. Interfacing with brokerage, banking, marketing, legal, design, and construction professionals, he has been central to $1.5 billion of development financing as well as the formation of several public/private development initiatives.
Before joining DeMatteis, he was Vice President for New York Public Finance at CS First Boston, where he financed tax-exempt and taxable housing, civic, and transportation projects for Public Authority issuers in New York State and other issuers throughout the eastern United States. Prior to that, he was Chief Financial Officer of the New York State Urban Development Corporation (now Empire State Development), where he led the issuance of more than $2.7 billion of tax-exempt and taxable securities and was responsible for the Corporation’s capital and operating budgets, its treasury operations, financial analysis of its economic development lending programs and its 32,000-unit multi-family mortgage portfolio. He also served as Chief Financial Officer of the Times Square Redevelopment Corporation.
He received an MBA in Finance from Bernard Baruch College of the City University of New York and a BA with major concentrations in philosophy and economics from Fordham University at Lincoln Center. He is an Adjunct Professor teaching infrastructure finance at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering, is a Director of the New York City Housing Partnership, and served, while at CSFB, as a Trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission of the City of New York. He was named in 2018 to City & State New York’s “Responsible 100” – recognizing “socially responsible leaders in New York.”
Elizabeth Battista
Board Member
Elizabeth Battista is the former Chief Operating Officer and Educational Administrator for the Institute of Design and Construction, where she provided strategic planning, institutional effectiveness, marketing, and board management for more than seven years. Prior to joining the Institute, she was a Merchandising Manager at the Meredith Corporation, where she conceived and implemented multi-platform marketing programs for clients to increase revenues at Midwest Living and Country Home magazines.
Before that, she spent three years at 4Kids Entertainment, managing the development and execution of marketing plans across multiple platforms for popular children’s brands like Cabbage Patch Kids, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Winx Club, and other entertainment properties. She also worked at Capelin Communications, a full-service public relations and marketing firm for the design industry.
She holds a Master’s degree in Business Education and Workplace Learning from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from New York University. From 2004 to 2009, she served as a member of Board of Trustees of the Institute of Design and Construction.
Frank Fortino
Board Member
Frank Fortino is President and CEO of Metropolis Group, Inc., where he works with and for the developers, architects, contractors, and trade professionals who build Manhattan’s skyline. He is also part-owner of Iron Bridge Consulting, a byproduct of Metropolis Group, focused on ownership representation and code consulting.
Early in his career, he became an Associate, while only 24 years old, at one of the top architectural firms in New York City. His experiences within the firm enabled him to grow as a business professional and eventually to become a business owner. He has since been in the business of “building businesses” for over 30 years.
He served on the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Design and Construction and is active in numerous professional organizations, including The 200 Club, New York Coalition of Code Consultants, and The Metropolitan Business Network where he was named “Rookie of The Year” for 2016. As a civic leader, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Madison Boys & Girls Club, a Chairman on the House Committee at the Columbus Foundation, and a Board Member at the Westfield Board of Adjustments. He earned his architectural degree from New York Institute of Technology, where he has since established the Fortino Family Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Carol Loewenson
Board Member
Carol Loewenson is a Partner at Mitchell Giurgola Architects. She was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 2013 and served as the 2016 President of AIA New York.
She joined Mitchell Giurgola in 1982, was named an Associate in 1988 and a Partner in 1996. Her expertise ranges from highly technical buildings, renovations and façade replacements to work involving both the private and public sectors. Her clients include such renowned civic institutions as the New York Public Library, New York State Dormitory Authority, New York University, Rockefeller University, The City University of New York, and Weill Cornell Medicine.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College and a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University. She has served as a Board member of the Center for Arts Education and the Center for Architecture Foundation.