Occupation: I am a manager of mechanical engineering, hydrogen systems for Plug Power. I am working on the next-generation hydrogen infrastructure for fuel cell-powered forklifts, power generation, and fuel cell cars, helping reduce carbon footprint.

Family: My wife, Melissa, and I have been married for 12 years. We have two children, James and Luke.

How long have you lived in Newtown? I have lived in Newtown for seven years.

What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time, I enjoy being outside or driving my 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. In addition, I like researching my family genealogy, which includes reading cursive handwritten Italian records from the 1800s.

What is your favorite travel destination? I have traveled to 23 different countries. Switzerland is one of my favorites. I especially like staying in my friend’s Swiss cabin in the alps on the Italian border. The cabin was built in the 1700s and overlooks a valley with a distant view of Laggo Maggiore.

What is the best part about Newtown? Of course, the best part of Newtown is the people. I like how I can go into a store and see people I know and chat with them.

What organizations are you part of in Newtown? I am the vice chair of the Sustainable Energy Commission, a Public Building and Site Commission member, and the vice chair of the Newtown Building Inventory and Planning Work Group.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? Family and friends are the most significant influences in my life. Family and friends give honest opinions and provide the best advice to steer me in the right direction.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? I would like to spend one more day with my grandfather. I want to ask him more details about his experience that inspired him to study anesthesiology and what it was like to become a pioneer in the field.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? My great aunt Helen, who grew up during the Depression and worked for the IRS, always told me to “pay your debts, save your money, and let money work for you.”

What is something you cannot live without? Goals and dreams are two important things. Goals give me something to focus on, while dreams provide me with hope and the pleasure of looking forward to a dream coming true.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My most outstanding achievement was going to Kansas State University for my master’s degree. When I arrived, I had to build an internal combustion test facility, run all the experiments, analyze the data, publish a paper, and write my thesis within an 18-month period. Another local (Newtown) achievement was identifying operational issues with the Sandy Hook School HVAC [heating, ventilation, and air conditioning] and working with outside contractors to save roughly $120,000 in utility cost per year.