13th Annual Alumni and FRIENDS Reception

Steven Alessio is president and CEO of The Sweet Construction Group. An architect licensed by the State of New York in 1991 and a graduate of NYIT School of Architecture, he has more than 41 years of construction experience. Alessio began his professional career at Sweet in 1980, when he served as an intern while still in college.

Alessio has been instrumental in the growth of the firm to its present size and stature while maintaining the standards of quality construction and competitive pricing upon which the firm was founded on in 1912. He successfully expanded the firm’s growth across the United States.

A dynamic and creative leader, Alessio is always pushing the company to take on and complete more challenging and innovative projects to ensure strategic growth while maintaining a “safety first” approach.

He has been challenged with expanding Sweet's network of projects during the COVID-19 crisis, including the construction of emergency hospitals, testing centers, and vaccine centers from New York to Massachusetts.

Alessio is a member of the board of directors of The Friends of St. Dominic’s and Outreach in New York City, and is a past honoree of the Boy Scouts, Outreach, and other charities. He sits on the board of directors for the Building Contractors Association and the Building Employers Trade Association.

An architect and urban designer with global design experience, Theresa Genovese is a principal of CetraRuddy Architecture, an internationally recognized design firm. She leads the firm’s cultural educational practice and is a member of the executive committee, which provides leadership strategy and direction across the entire practice.

Genovese approaches each design challenge with an open perspective, guided by the client's mission and programmatic requirements while extracting opportunities from the site, culture, and climate to create environments that reimage the nexus of architecture and its larger context. The projects range from master plans, higher educational learning environments, student housing facilities, K-12 schools, cultural facilities, and mixed-use complexes.

Over the years, she has designed numerous award-winning projects and competitions, most recently including Fotografiska New York, Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York City, and The Choice School campus in Thiruvalla, India. Her worked has been widely exhibited and published internationally.

Genovese continuously promotes the understanding of architecture and urban design by sharing her knowledge with students of all ages and mentoring the younger staff in the firm. She regularly serves as a juror and design critic at leading schools of architecture and design and directs project-based lessons at elementary and high schools.

Genovese received her graduate degree in architecture and urban design at Harvard University, where she was the editor-in chief of The Harvard Architecture Review entitled, “CIVITAS: What is City?” It received a Graham Foundation Grant Award for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. Genovese graduated from New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. While at New York Tech, she received American Institute of Architects Academic scholarships, achieved numerous awards in student design competitions, and was inducted into the Nu Ypsilon Tau Honor Society.

As a LEED Accredited Professional, Genovese has pursued possibilities for sustainable strategies in all her projects using the context as a framework. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Society for College and University Planning.

The formation of the FRIENDS Group over a decade ago was the brainchild of a few truly thoughtful and dedicated New York Tech alumni of the Architectural Department.

We formed this group, first as a representation that our opportunities to be successful were jettisoned by our experiences at New York Tech and that we had an opportunity now to share that success and broaden the lives of the students in the Architectural and Interior Design Departments. We wanted to be a force in the development of the departments and in the future careers of those who would join us in our profession. To do so, we had to forge our own path and then find the venues that would allow this momentum to be inserted. Giving life and subsistence to lectures, scholarships, capital improvements, and department improvements became the cornerstone of the FRIENDS gifts. Our continued support of student activities and educational trips has further enhanced the New York Tech experience.

I am grateful to be a part of such a wonderful and caring group that continues to see the future of Architecture and Interior Design students' success as our goal to further enhance our chosen professions as we all mold the face of the earth with our efforts together!

Thank you to the FRIENDS Group!