Name: Prakash Nair NE Region President President Fielding/Nair International E-mail: Prakash@designshare.com Member Since: 1993 City & State: New York, NY Birthplace: Bombay, India

Why did you join CEFPI?
It is the best place in the world to work and socialize with professionals who share my passion for creating world-class schools and school facilities.

What is the major benefit you have gained from being a CEFPI member?
Broadening my national perspective while meeting some of the most interesting people I know - many of who are now close personal friends.

What do you like most about what you do?
Learning and growing as a person and discovering new ways to looking at the world.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
Being able to take communities who started with very traditional ideas about the schools they wanted to a whole new plane where they were able to translate educational research into new paradigm schools for the 21st century.

Describe the biggest asset you bring to your job:
My ability to translate into projects, a strong belief that even the most elusive goals can be achieved with the right attitude and commitment.

What is your second choice as an occupation and why?
Philosopher. Because I think that we need to find ways to harness the wisdom of humanity to reach people at a time when the world is changing so fast that few of the old rules seem to work anymore.

Tell us about the most motivating meeting you have attended:
The first meeting of all the stakeholders for a school in Tasmania that I was facilitating. I think I learnt more from the group assembled (including students) than anything I may have been able to teach them about creating 21st century schools. I learnt that people with great differences can still rally around some overriding issue and create a shared vision for the future.

What is your greatest personal accomplishment?
Helping my children develop as confident, self-assured, kind and thoughtful individuals.

Complete this sentence..."I wish I knew how to..."
Play the piano...

Favorite thing to do on your day off:
What day off?? Can't beat hanging out with my wife, kids and extended family of sisters and mom - and if we can have a few palm trees around, that would work very nicely too thank you! Alternatively, I love to hang out with my best friend and unofficial "bro" - my business partner Randy.

If you could have any person (alive or dead) to your home for dinner, who would it be? Why? What would you talk about?
My father. I'd want him to see that I'm happy and contented and know that his spirit of adventure lives on through us. I'd also want to introduce him to his grandkid.

Best book you have read:
The God of Small Things.

Do you have a favorite quote? What is it?
Life is a miracle. Savor each moment.

Any other comment you would like to make?
No.

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Name: Laura Wernick UEF-21 Chapter President Vice President HMFH ARCHITECTS, INC. E-mail: wernick@hmfh.com Member Since: 1995 City & State: Cambridge, MA Birthplace: Washington, D.C.

Why did you join CEFPI?
I joined because there was always interesting information at the conferences and enjoyable people with interests similar to my own.

What is the major benefit you have gained from being a CEFPI member?
The benefits included a greater awareness of current developments in planning and a broad network of professional colleagues.

What do you like most about what you do?
I like seeing my buildings built and feeling that I have had a direct positive impact on individuals now and in the future.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
My last completed building is always my greatest achievement.

Describe the biggest asset you bring to your job:
I am a good strategic planner and am able to bring diverse people together around common goals.

What is your second choice as an occupation and why?
Archaeology. I love history and exploring historic sites.

Tell us about the most motivating meeting you have attended:
My most motivational meeting was a strategic planning session through which I gained confidence to take on a leadership role in the business.

What is your greatest personal accomplishment?
My happy children and contented husband are my greatest source of pleasure and provide me with a great sense of accomplishment.

Complete this sentence..."I wish I knew how to..."
Speak French fluently.

Family:
Two children, a 20-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son.

Favorite thing to do on your day off:
Play soccer with my "over 40" women's soccer team.

If you could have any person (alive or dead) to your home for dinner, who would it be?
Benjamin Franklin, to talk about American politics and the French revolution.

Best book you have read:
I just finished reading Philip Roth's book, The Human Stain. While it may not have been the best book I have read, it was an extremely well read and thought provoking.

Do you have a favorite quote? What is it?
"The most important thing in business is sincerity. If you can fake that you have it made."
-- Groucho Marx.

Any other comment you would like to make?
No.

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Name: Ritchard J. Sherman, RA UEF-21 Chapter Member Program Director VITETTA Architects & Engineers E-mail: sherman@vitetta.com Member Since: 1998 City & State: Philadelphia, PA Birthplace: Redbank, New Jersey

Why did you join CEFPI?
To develop and improve my skills and abilities as an educational facility planner.

What is the major benefit you have gained from being a CEFPI member?
Without question, it has been the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from the best educational facility planners in the world (my fellow CEFPI members).

What do you like most about what you do?
Seeing the reactions of students and teachers when they move into their new school.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
It's difficult to say. I feel like there's always more to be accomplished, and each new project raises the bar.

Describe the biggest asset you bring to your job:
Probably the ability to retain and deal with a multitude of issues simultaneously.

What is your second choice as an occupation and why?
In high school, I was torn between architecture and film making (which I did a bit of at the time). I've always liked telling stories. These days, my second career choice would probably be to join the PGA tour - but there's not much chance of that happening!

Tell us about the most motivating meeting you have attended:
We do corporate retreats every six months, each of which tends to be highly motivational. Probably the best in recent memory was one where a guy named Sonny Hill (ex basketball announcer, now works with urban kids in Philadelphia) spoke. Sonny's message, which really stuck, was "It's all about relationships".

What is your greatest personal accomplishment?
My kids.

Complete this sentence..."I wish I knew how to..."
Get even more done in one day.

Family:
Wife, Colleen, married for 15 years. Three children - Ethan (age 13), Emily (age 11), and Adrienne (age 7, and a real hand full).

Favorite thing to do on your day off:
Anything that involves spending time with my kids.

If you could have any person (alive or dead) to your home for dinner, who would it be? Why? What would you talk about?
Thomas Jefferson. I've always been amazed at the range of his talents, skills, and interests. Would probably talk about architecture and politics.

Best book you have read:
I couldn't limit it to just one. In terms of non-fiction, all of Howard Gardner's stuff. For fiction, I tend to like mystery, horror, and sometimes science fiction.

Do you have a favorite quote? What is it?
"Never attribute to malice what can be explained by ignorance."
- G. Gordon Liddy

Any other comment you would like to make?
Just that CEFPI, which I have to thank Prakash Nair for getting me engaged with, has had a profound impact on the way that I look at and approach school planning and design.

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