Project Team

Building Committee Members

Mark B. Johnson, Chairperson and community representative

Mr. Johnson is an attorney who has practiced law in Andover since 1981, focused on real estate development, land use planning and permitting and litigation involving permitting and property title disputes. He was Chairman of the Wood Hill Middle School and High Plain Elementary School Building Committee (1999 to 2004); Chairman of the Town of Andover School Facilities Task Force (February 2007 to March 2008); Chairman of the Bancroft School Building Committee (August 2008 through permitting in November 2012); and Chairman of the Andover High School Facility Study Committee (2017 to 2022). Mr. Johnson is currently a member of the Town of Andover Permanent Town Building Advisory Committee, member of the West Elementary School Building Committee, and Chairman of the Town of Andover High School Building Committee. He has lived in Andover for close to 40 years.

Caitlin Brown, AHS Principal

Ms. Brown has been the Principal of Andover High School since 2020 and has in-depth knowledge of the educational program, operational processes and facility conditions at AHS. Prior to becoming the Principal, Ms. Brown was a teacher, athletic director and school administrator, including four years as an Assistant Principal at AHS. She previously served on the Andover High Facility Study Committee for several years prior to its evolution to a Building Committee.

Lauren Conoscenti, School Committee representative

Dr. Conoscenti has served on the Andover School Committee since June 2020. She is currently the Assistant Head of School for Analytic Support at a private high school in Andover, where she oversees data collection and analysis to support strategic initiatives. She also provides primary leadership for policies regarding the preservation, management, and governance of institutional data. Additionally, in the Andover community, Lauren has served on the South Elementary School Improvement Council and the South PTO. She volunteers for A Better Chance of Andover, co-leads an Andover Girl Scout troop, and is a member of the Andover Community Garden Association.

Andrew P. flanagan, Town Manager

Mr. Flanagan has been Andover’s Town Manager since 2015, having previously served in various in local governments roles for more than a decade. He has extensive experience in public building projects including participating in the planning for the construction and/or renovation of various schools, fire stations, police station, senior center, community center, public library and public works facilities. Mr. Flanagan’s work in local government has included the development of award winning budget documents and budgeting systems, statewide and national recognition for transparency initiatives and a continued commitment to innovation in local government.

Nancy Kimelman, Community representative

Dr. Kimelman has been a practicing economist for over 30 years. She has worked at the Federal Reserve Bank as a monetary economist, as a financial economist on Wall Street, in banking and investment, and as a lecturer at multiple Boston area Universities including Northeastern, Tufts and Boston College. Dr. Kimelman has authored books on economics, been a columnist for the Financial World and Bloomberg magazines, and appeared as a commentator on National Public Radio, CNBC, CNN/FN, Reuters and NECN. She lives in Andover and is also a member of the Town of Andover Investment Committee.

Janet Nicosia, Director of Facilities

Ms. Nicosia served in ever-increasing roles with more than a decade of service to Andover prior to her appointment as Director of Facilities in 2018. Her work has resulted in savings for the Town of Andover of millions of dollars, where she tirelessly ensures Andover receives every possible incentive, grant, or reimbursement, and that the Andover building assets continue the long history of high quality maintenance. Ms. Nicosia has experience with MSBA projects including working as internal financial control and tracking lead for the Bancroft School construction, and sitting on the current West Elementary and Shawsheen Preschool Building Committee.

Magda Parvey, Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Parvey joined Andover Public Schools as its Superintendent in July 2021 and immediately set to work with the community, identifying strengths and areas of improvement for Andover students. The subsequent Report of Findings provided the basis for district strategic priorities, including facility projects. As a lifelong educator, Dr. Parvey has held multiple leadership positions during her over 25 years of experience in school systems in Connecticut, North Carolina and New York before coming to Andover. In addition to the AHS Building Committee, Dr. Parvey is a voting member of the West Elementary and Shawsheen Preschool Building Committee.

Michael Prout, Community Representative

Mr. Prout’s private sector experience has focused on Global and Corporate Security for large national and multi-national corporations. In these roles, Mr. Prout served on the design/construct teams for three office buildings and two large security projects. Previously, he served as an Assistant Director (SES) of the United States Marshals Service (2008-2017). Over six of those years, as well as seven years prior, Mr. Prout oversaw construction and facilities for the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Court facilities across the United States. In addition to his role as Community Representative on the Andover High School Building Committee, Mr. Prout serves as Vice Chair, Board of Directors, U.S. Marshals Survivors Benefit Fund (2018-Present), and as Member, Board of Directors, Public Safety Cadets (2018-Present). He has lived in Andover with his family since 2020.

Shannon Scully, Vice Chairperson and Community Representative

Ms. Scully spent six years as an elected member of the Andover School Committee (2016 to 2022), where she was engaged in numerous facility studies, community feedback sessions, and funding prioritization activities for Andover school buildings (notably focused on West Elementary, Doherty Middle, and Andover High School). She was the School Committee liaison to the Andover High School Facility Study Committee from its inception in January 2017, and is now an appointed community representative to the AHS Building Committee. Ms. Scully’s professional background is primarily as an engineer and sales executive in the tech industry, and she has lived in Andover since 2011.

Taylor Webber, Community Representative

Mr. Webber has over 12 years of experience managing large scale commercial construction projects, with 5 years of experience specifically working on K-12 and higher education projects throughout New England. He manages a wide range of construction projects through their full life cycle; from design, permitting, preconstruction, construction and property management. He has completed the OSHA 30 Hour Construction Safety and Health course as well as a number of other construction related courses and certifications. Mr. Webber currently works as the Manager of Design & Construction at a large mixed use real estate development in Salem, NH.

Architect Services

Since its founding in 1969, HMFH Architects has established a national reputation for design excellence. By its distinguished range of award-winning work—from renovated urban buildings to new campuses—HMFH is recognized as a leader in the design of innovative K-12 learning environments.

HMFH has designed more than 20 schools with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) since it was established in 2004 including: 11 high schools, 7 addition/renovations and 8 occupied construction projects. The core HMFH Andover team is:

Project Director: Lori Cowles, HMFH Principal (AIA, ALEP, LEED AP)
Project Manager: James Liebman, HMFH Senior Associate (AIA, LEED AP)
Project Architect: Alicia Crothers, HMFH Senior Associate (AIA, LEED AP)
Project Architect: Suni Dillard, HMFH Senior Associate and Sustainability Leader (AIA, LEED AP BD+C)

Learn more about HMFH Architects on their website, including a look at some of their projects in their online project portfolio.

Owner’s Project Manager

Under Massachusetts state law, if building construction cost is estimated to be $1.5 million or greater, a qualified Owners Project Manager (OPM) is required to represent the owner and assume project management responsibilities. An RFP for OPM services was issued by the AHS Building Committee in September 2022. In October, several firms were interviewed and PMA Consultants was chosen.

PMA has extensive experience in Andover, having been selected through competitive bid processes to provide OPM services for West Elementary & Shawsheen Preschool, Ballardvale Fire Station, and the Robb Senior Center.

PMA is a family-run Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) founded in 1971 and owned by its original founder. PMA has an extensive background in the K-12 school sector with OPM services performed on 58 Massachusetts schools.

Learn more about PMA Consultants on their website, and see a summary of completed school projects they have managed including: Saugus Middle-High School and Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical High School.

Under Massachusetts state law, if building construction cost is estimated to be $1.5 million or greater, a qualified Owners Project Manager (OPM) is required to represent the owner and assume project management responsibilities. An RFP for OPM services was issued by the AHS Building Committee in September 2022. In October, several firms were interviewed and PMA Consultants was chosen.

PMA has extensive experience in Andover, having been selected through competitive bid processes to provide OPM services for West Elementary & Shawsheen Preschool, Ballardvale Fire Station, and the Robb Senior Center.

PMA is a family-run Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) founded in 1971 and owned by its original founder. PMA has an extensive background in the K-12 school sector with OPM services performed on 58 Massachusetts schools.

Learn more about PMA Consultants on their website, and see a summary of completed school projects they have managed including: Saugus Middle-High School and Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical High School.

The PMA team primarily focused on Andover High includes:

Kevin Nigro, Managing Director (MCPPO)
Joe DeSantis, Director
Marco Zappala, Associate

Committee Liaisons

Board and organizations throughout Andover are engaged in the AHS project with updates and discussion through designated liaisons. Those include:

Select Board: Annie Gilbert
Finance Committee: Aaron Buzay
School Finance & Operations: Keith Taverna (Assistant Superintendent)
AHS Student Representative: Edward Mukalazi (AHS Class of 2024)
Green Advisory: Amy Latva-Kokko (AIA, LEED BD+C) and Ethan Zabar (student intern)
Sustainability: Joyce Losick Yang (Town of Andover Sustainabilty Coordinator)
Conservation Commission: Donald Cooper