About Us
Cornerstone Transformation Group, LLC (CTG) focuses its attention on meeting the strategic, operational, and capital facilities needs of state and municipal governments, public and private educational institutions, and corporations. CTG and its affiliated partners are highly experienced and skilled professionals with extensive experience in governance and executive leadership development and management, corporate finance, capital markets, investment banking, law, engineering, and real estate development, who provide consultancy and business advisory services, with special emphasis in change management and corporate turnaround; and partners with architectural, engineering and construction firms, and financial institutions to create turn-key solutions for our clients.
Philosophy
Understanding that each client has its own unique set of assets and needs, CTG partners with each client to customize the best possible solution to meet their specific needs and thus create a win-win scenario for our clients and their customers; where the client achieves its goals and objectives; and the clients’ customers receive the highest quality facilities, goods and services.
Services
CTG and its affiliated partners provide two main lines of business services: Project Development and Financing; and Management Consultancy and Business Advisory Services.
Management Consultancy and Business Advisory Services
In general, CTG provides the following advisory services to assist its clients in meeting their strategic and operational needs:
Strategic Planning: developing and implementing strategic, operational, and business planning, inclusive of feasibility studies;
Capital Funding and Financial Management: sourcing public and private capital to address long-term and short-term needs; designing and implementing financial planning, monitoring and reporting systems; and purchasing and procurement systems;
Information Technology: planning, designing and implementing information technology and enterprise resource planning and management systems.
Housing and Community Development: developing innovative affordable and luxury housing strategies; and designing and implementing community development programs to promote alternate revenue generating sources
Meet the Team
The CTG team and its affiliated partners comprise professionals with extensive experience in governance and executive leadership development and management, corporate finance, capital markets, investment banking, law, architecture, engineering, real estate development, and management consultancy and business advisory services
Emmanuel Gonsalves
President/CEOIn addition to providing leadership, management and supervision to an in-house team of exceptionally well-experienced and qualified executives, Emmanuel is responsible for initiating and
cultivating open, transparent, and mutually beneficial relationships with CTG’s clients and affiliated partners. Emmanuel has extensive experience in executive leadership and management, corporate finance, capital markets, investment banking, law, engineering, and real estate development, resulting in over a billion dollars of expenditure in the development and implementation of strategic facilities master plans; planning, design, financing and construction of buildings, plant and equipment; and in partnering with architectural, engineering and construction firms, and financial institutions to create turn-key solutions for governmental and non-governmental entities.
Emmanuel has served in many executive level positions (president, vice president of finance and strategy, dean of the school of business, etc.) at both national and international public and private institutions, He is a dynamic, highly qualified and goal oriented leader with a proven track record of 30 – plus years’ executive level experience in the leadership and management of complex institutions, who is adept at leading organizational transformation and change, identifying and developing talent, and maximizing resource utilization, for achieving the organizations’ mission, goals and objectives.
Emmanuel E. Gonsalves has earned: a JD in corporate law from Fordham University School of Law; an MBA in finance and strategic planning from the Haas School of Business at University of California in Berkeley; an MS and BS in Mechanical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology; is licensed to practice law in the State of New York; and has taught: corporate finance, investment, accounting, money and banking, economics, and law classes at major academic institutions. He is also a graduate of the Millenium Leadership Institute of the Association of State College and Universities.
Gbubemi Okotieuro
Vice President of Business DevelopmentGbubemi Okotieuro is responsible for initiating and cultivating strategic and operational relationships with potential clients from both the public and private sectors, with particular emphasis on Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Gbubemi has 25 years of experience in the inner workings of federal, state and city governments; and has secured over $600 million funding for capital projects from city and state government for multiple capital investments and program initiatives.
He has previously served as Associate Dean of Government and External Relations, and as Director of Government and Community Relations at Medgar Evers College, City University of New York (CUNY). Highlights of his career at CUNY include his advocacy/lobbying for well over $600 million funding for capital projects from city and state government for multiple higher education capital investments and program initiatives. In addition, Mr. Okotieuro initiated strategies that led to the completion of a new Science, Health and Technology research lab and classroom facility that cost $260 million, and included matching city and state funds. He possess has the skills and reach of relationship across multiple sectors. Mr. Okotieuro previously served for over 3 years as a member of the NYC Panel for Educational Policy-the 13 member panel responsible for setting k-12 policy in the City of New York. He is currently a Vice President of Government Relations at Berkeley College, NY, where he leads the advocacy/lobbying strategy for the College at federal, state, and city levels of government.
Mr. Okotieuro has a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Production and Theatre Arts from CUNY and a Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College, CUNY. He serves on the boards of the Sauti Yetu Center for African Women and Families, NYC, and the Women of Color Arts and Film Festival, Atlanta, GA. Mr. Okotieuro has taught graduate courses in public policy at Queens College, CUNY, and undergraduate courses in public administration at Medgar Evers College, CUNY.
Derek Philip
Vice President – Engineering and Construction ServicesDerek Philip is responsible for leading and managing the enginnering and construction function and activities, as well as coordinating the work of the CTG’s engineering and construction affiliated partners, and to work with, and continuously update, our client’s project representatives, in an open and transparent manner, to ensure that the clients interest are addressed in a timely manner. Derek is a Registered Professional Engineer, possessing over 27 years of experience in the development and management of capital and investment projects worth over $750 million.
He is presently involved in the streamlining of maintenance and capital development systems for a $175 million campus expansion. Derek Philip has worked in both the public and private sectors, having to develop, justify and report on projects to national public officials as well as an international non-governmental organization.
Mr. Philip has participated actively in public procurement processes, created strategic plans for facilities development in line with organizational mission and goals, managed project budgets to ensure value and provided leadership to several project teams and clients across entire organizations. His greatest strength is the level-headedness he offers as a team leader, ensuring his client fully understands project scope and related capital and recurrent costs thus allowing for rational decision making, encouraging innovating thinking amongst team members, seeking win-win solutions for all project stakeholders and ensuring the project completion within prescribed budgets and timeframes.
Ann Marie Grant
Vice President of Advisory ServicesAnn-Marie Grant leads the advisory services functions as well as the business development efforts in the Caribbean, and Central and South America. She brings to this position over 25 years of leadership and management experience in both private sector and public sector institutions.
Ann-Marie is currently the Executive Director of the American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI), a nonprofit foundation which supports growth and development of The University of the West Indies (UWI), recently ranked in the top 5% of best universities in the world with locations in 17 countries in the English -speaking Caribbean.
She is also the interim Executive Director of the SUNY UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development (SUNY UWI CLSD ) – a joint pioneering program between the two institutions which seeks to promote leadership and the attainment of the 2030 UN sustainable development goals in the Caribbean as well as in New York state; which is home to the largest Caribbean Diaspora and many of the other immigrant populations in the USA.
Ms. Grant’s other work experiences include proven expertise in aspects of commercial and retail banking, administration in business services, remittances and support for the marketing of telecommunications. Serving in various capacities on several boards and other entities, she has earned a reputation for being solution oriented with exceptional leadership, people and public relationship skills.
Ms. Grant is also the recipient of several community service awards and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Studies from UWI, a Masters Degree in Management from Nova SouthEastern University in Florida and a Masters Degree in Not-for-Profit Leadership from Fordham University.
George R. Buddy
Chief Financial OfficerAs Chief Financial Officer, George R. Buddy is responsible for managing the business operations, finance, auditing, and taxation functions; as well as leading the auditing and tax advisory services to both private sector and public sector clients. George is a very seasoned public accountant with over 35 years of experience in accounting, finance, auditing and taxation. He has served as senior auditor for the New York City Board of Education, the largest public school system in the US.
George Buddy holds a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, and post-graduate diploma in auditing and taxation. He is a registered Government Management Accountant, and a certified tax planner.
John Yearwood
Chief ArchitectJohn Yearwood is responsible for leading and developing, in collaboration with our external affiliated specialty architectural partners, unique architectural solutions that are in harmony with our clients’ needs and themes; and to ensure that our clients’ needs are met. John has worked in both public and private sectors, performing the full scope of architectural services for the development and renovation of commercial, corporate, residential, institutional, sporting and entertainment facilities, exceeding $200 million.
John is an accomplished registered architect with over 28 years of experience and holds a Degree in Architecture from the University of East London as well as a Diploma in Architecture. Mr Yearwood travels widely and has particpated extensively in professional development programs to keep current with modern architectural trends as he seeks to build a unique multi-faceted architectural expression. He is a strong leader, confident and client focussed.
Julio Robles
Chief Technology OfficerJulio Robles leads the Information Technology business advisory services unit. He possesses 30+ years of experience in both the private and public sectors of planning, designing, implementing and managing information technology network infrastructure and management systems.
Julio is currently Systems Administrator in the Office of Information Technology at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. As a Systems Administrator he manages server infrastructures and data-center operations across Unix, Linux, Windows and Mac OS X platforms; as well as install, configure, evaluate, monitor, enhance and optimize IT infrastructure with an emphasis on availability, reliability, scalability, security, data confidentiality and system integrity to achieve high performance.
Julio also possesses a wealth of experience from top Fortune 500 companies. He was Senior Systems Administrator at Citigroup where he helped build and implement automated server routines and re-engineered company systems. Julio also worked as a Network Administrator at Solomon Smith Barney, Bear Sterns, and Deutsche Bank.
