Meet the USGBC Members: Sammy Chu and John Franceschina

Sammy Chu is the commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Labor, overseeing the operation of various support and training programs for transitional workers. He previously served as the director of the town of Babylon's Long Island Green Homes program. Launched in 2008, this was one of the first Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs designed to service energy efficiency needs in the nation. Chu was also instrumental in the establishment of the Wyandanch Resource Center, a facility designed to support residents of the economically distressed community of Wyandanch, that prepared dozens of community members for careers in the construction industry and the clean energy economy. Prior to his position with the Town of Babylon, Chu was a member of Local #3 IBEW in New York City as an apprentice and journeyman electrician. He was recently elected Chairman of the Long Island Chapter of the US Green Building Council. John Franceschina, P.E. is the director of commercial efficiency programs for the Long Island Power Authority. He is responsible for administering all aspects of LIPA's commercial, industrial and institutional energy efficiency programs in accordance with LIPA's 10 year, $924 million Efficiency Long Island initiative. Franceschina has more than 25 years of experience in the energy business. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College, an M.B.A in Finance from Dowling College and is a licensed New York state professional engineer. Franceschina has worked closely with the USGBC-LI chapter to encourage Long Island businesses, building owners, architects, engineers and contractors to build green and seek LEED certification. He has supported the development of incentive programs that provide rebates for green roofs, enhanced commissioning, energy modeling and LEED points. He is a newly elected member of the USGBC-LI Board of Directors.