Alphabetical Listing:
Avelini, A. ; Babitz, D. ; Chin-Sweeney, P. ; Dunlap, B. ; Early, K. ; Elitzer, C. ; Gil Diaz, J.L. ; Kenet, B.; Lahre, J. ; Stolper, B. ; Wilson, B. ; Zofnass, J. ; Zofnass, P.
Paul Zofnass, President
Paul is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, and an alumnus of both Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. He began his career with four years at Citibank, where he was in charge of a unit specializing in acquisition financing. He then spent 13 years with Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., a major Wall Street investment banking firm, where he was a Managing Director and established and directed their Environmental Services Group. He also created and ran their "public equity" group in Corporate Finance, and was actively involved in financing and mergers & acquisitions. He is married to Renee Ring, an attorney and partner at McKee Nelson, a prominent NYC law firm, and has two daughters- both attending Harvard.
Andrej Avelini, Managing Director
Andrej has been with the firm for 11 years and has advised on over 50 completed merger & acquisitions transactions, as well as numerous valuation, peer analysis and strategic consulting assignments in the e/c industry. He has presented to the Boards of Directors or senior management teams of over 100 e/c firms and has addressed several industry conferences. Andrej was formerly with Salomon Brothers, Inc., a major Wall Street investment banking firm, where he worked in the telecommunications group on mergers & acquisitions and capital raising. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BBA summa cum laude degree from Freed-Hardeman University.
Joan Zofnass, Director of Research and Conference Planning
Joan holds a PhD from Adelphi University. She has been with EFCG for 11 years now. She runs a private psychotherapy practice in addition to organizing each of EFCG's three annual conferences.
Dan Babitz, CFA, Associate
Formerly of Dominick & Dominick, Dan holds a BS Degree from Cornell University. He has been with EFCG for over 7 years.
Patricia Chin-Sweeney, Associate
Patricia comes to EFCG after graduating with a BA Degree from Barnard College/Columbia University. She has been with EFCG for 4 years.
Josh Lahre, Financial Analyst
Josh is the newest member of the EFCG team. He comes to EFCG after graduating with a BA Degree from Harvard University.
Barbara Stolper, Administrative Director
 Barbara studied at New York University. She has worked for EFCG for 13 years.
Consulting Principals & Senior Consultants

Brian Kenet, Consulting Principal
Brian is a Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design's Center for Technology and Environment and also teaches “Leading the Design Firm” at Harvard to masters and doctoral candidates in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. He earned his bachelors degree from Harvard College and his MBA from Pace University. He is based in New York and specializes in Mergers & Acquisitions and Architecture assignments. Faculty Profile

Kim Early, Consulting Principal
Kim is former CFO of Earth Tech and President of Earth Tech's global water business. He has over 25 years of executive experience. He is based in California.
Donald B. (Chip) Elitzer, Senior Consultant
Formerly of Rothschild Inc., with 25 years of investment banking experience, Chip holds an MPA from Princeton and a BA from Dartmouth College. His office is based in Massachusetts. Chip specializes in mergers & acquisitions assignments.
Richard W. Jennings, FAIA Senior Consultant
Richard is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects with extensive experience in the management of architectural firms. He was a principal and Division Director of 3D/International prior to co-founding and serving as CEO and Managing Principal of Sikes Jennings Kelly & Brewer, a nationally-operating architecture and planning firm. Richard graduated with Distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design where he is currently completing his doctorate. He holds MDes, MArch, MBA and BS degrees. Richard is based in Cambridge, MA and specializes in architectural firm consulting assignments and mergers and acquisitions.
Bob Wilson, Senior Consultant
Bob has 35 years of experience in the e/c industry, and he was formerly CFO of Woodward Clyde. He holds a BS Degree from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a licensed CPA and a member of AICPA. Bob is based in Northern California. He specializes in OCCPs, IOTs and A/R Management Improvement assignments.

Bob Dunlap, Senior Consultant
Bob is a founder and former CEO of RETEC and a 30-year veteran of the e/c industry. He holds PhD, MS and BS engineering degrees from University of Michigan, and is a former Carnegie-Mellon professor. Bob is based in Arizona (winter) and Massachussetts (summer). He specializes in strategic planning and leadership development assignments.

José Luis Gil Diaz, Senior Consultant
José Luis Gil Diaz, PhD, is a Tenured Professor of Environmental Technology and Engineering at the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain. José Luis also served as Minister for the Environment in the Regional Government of Cantabria. He coordinates the work of the UNESCO Chair in Environmental Engineering, a program that supports technology and knowledge transfer to developing nations in South America. He serves as a liason between EFCG and its growing list of clients in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries.