Meet Your Instructors
You can rely on our real-world professionals, subject matter experts, and leading instructors to give you current and up-to-date learning. Find the bios of our contractor instructors below:
Paul White
Paul’s career started over 42 years ago working for a local residential home builder in Massachusetts when he was just 13 years old. He graduated from a Vocational High School and then worked for a commercial construction company as a lead man for several years. Following the Commercial job, he was self-employed doing both residential and commercial construction for over 25 years. Paul has a Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License and is also Certified as a Massachusetts Local Building Inspector. He has currently been working as a building inspector in Massachusetts, has taught a CSL exam prep course, and he is now an instructor for continuing education. He enjoys time with family and our dogs, playing guitar, football, and having a beer or 2 with friends.
Eugene M. Novak, Jr.
Gene Novak is a Licensed Construction Supervisor, Class A Field Concrete Technician, and currently works as District State Building Inspector with the Department of Occupational Labor – Office of Public Safety & Inspections for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Gene has over 35 years of knowledge in the construction industry including reviewing plans, applying building codes and standards to a variety of buildings and structures in the built environment. Gene is a certified NIMS – ICS instructor, ATC-45, and has instructed classes for NAARSO, AIMS International. Experience includes design and review of plans, issuing building permits, and conducting inspections on thousands of residential and commercial building projects throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Gene has presented technical topics to code officials and has demonstrated an ability to understand, educate and apply codes and referenced standards to a variety of building design proposals from concept and feasibility studies through Commissioning, start-up, and implementation.
Massimo Taurisano
Massimo’s career started as a structural engineer working for a General Contractor on a large industrial project overseas. In his early years, he also worked as Project Manager for a prominent PM firm and for a General Contractor being exposed to a variety of corporate and retail construction projects and programs for fortune 500 companies. Massimo then worked as a partner of a real estate development company buying, repositioning, and managing construction projects in 11 different markets (multi-families). Massimo also worked for two prominent financial institutions as Director of Design and Construction and was responsible for delivering all the construction projects in North America, including approximately 700 retail locations. Most recently, he has been working on a variety of development and construction projects in the Boston area.
Michael F. Foley
Mike is a licensed construction supervisor in Massachusetts and has been in the construction industry for over 50 years. He served as a Building Commissioner from 1990 to 2013 in 2 different cities in Massachusetts and obtained certification as a Building Commissioner. He is currently working for a national general contractor on a School Addition project, while also helping on a 5-unit residential ground-up project. Mike currently lives in Somerville, MA, is looking forward to sharing some real-life work experience with others, while also playing more golf, spending more time at his home in Cape Cod while raising his grandsons.
Leo McCormack
Leo is a registered architect, with over fifty years of experience in all aspects of architecture, construction management, and construction supervision. He has a comprehensive background with diversified experience encompassing all phases of architecture, planning, construction management, client relations, peer review of construction documents, and engineer consultant coordination and review.
Leo has expertise in historic renovation, rehabilitation, forensic architecture, construction documents, and construction administration. He is a court-recognized, qualified expert witness. He also has prior experience as a construction neutral with the American Arbitration Association and experience as an adjunct professor at Massasoit Community College, Boston Architectural College, and Rhode Island School of Design. Instruction included: design studios, building codes, zoning, and ADA Codes, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, basic structural design courses and structural theory, construction documents, and methods and materials.