Our People

With the talents and expertise of our founding principals as our firm foundation, Laland Baptiste attracts employees who think critically, problem solve and lead.

Our people have been trained in disciplines such as Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Architecture.

Combining the respective formal training with individualized on-the-job experiences, our team provides a broad range of services [hyperlink to Services page], all focused on meeting and exceeding our clients’ expectations. The Laland Baptiste team thinks ahead, staying focused on the goal while keeping a keen eye on major project controls, such as safety, cost, time, communication, documents and labor.

Schillivia Baptiste, PE, Assoc. DBIA

Chief Executive Officer

Schillivia Baptiste brings her detailed-oriented approach to everyday practices to ensure client satisfaction with the highest quality. She has more than 13 years of experience in the civil engineering industry. She has particular expertise in site and land development. She has a strong understanding of the civil design process and has worked with clients in both the public and private sectors. Mrs. Baptiste’s expertise includes conceptual site planning, drainage design, design of septic and sewer collection systems, environmental review, zoning and land use analysis, and subdivision planning and design. She also has designed waterfront structures, including bulkheads and docks. She is familiar with the expediting of applications and permits for various municipalities. She has worked on numerous residential and commercial projects in the Suffolk and Nassau County areas. Mrs. Baptiste has a bachelor’s degree from Polytechnic University and a master’s degree from Polytechnic Institute of New York University, both in civil engineering.

Robert Baptiste, CCM, DBIA

Chief Operating Officer

Robert Baptiste has more than 15 years of experience in the construction management industry. He has a broad scope of both technical and practical experience in several areas, such as transportation/traffic engineering, inspections, general contracting and construction management. From roadways and bridges to high-rise buildings, his public agency and private company experience has reinforced his technical knowledge with real-life applications. Mr. Baptiste’s vast experience includes building sustainable infrastructure to move goods and people. He has also managed the construction of high-rise buildings and convention centers, which have included commercial, industrial, retail and residential spaces. Building of these experiences, along with advancements in technology and continuing education, he continues to develop continues quality advancement strategies and metrics for our clients and our staff. Mr. Baptiste has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from Polytechnic University.

Principal Partner

Luis M. Tormenta is a highly accomplished leader, offering over 40 years of experience in construction, design, and management. Mr. Tormeta has led the administrations of multiple public capital programs in the New York Metropolitan Region. For the past 15 years, he served as President & CEO of The LiRo Group and as COO for the prior six years, leading the firm through unprecedented growth and business line diversification. Formerly the founding Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction, Mr. Tormenta created the “super construction agency” and oversaw an operating budget of more than $100 million and a capital budget of over $3 billion representing over 1200 projects. Mr. Tormenta served as the Assistant Commissioner for Capital Projects at the Department of General Services. Before joining DGS in 1992, he led the Downstate Division of the New York State Facilities Development Corporation.

As an adjunct professor, Mr. Tormenta has taught graduate-level Construction Management for the Executive 21 Graduate Program at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute/NYU. He sits on multiple advisory boards, including Columbia University Center for Buildings, Infrastructure and Public Space, and the Portugal-US Chamber of Commerce.

Paul Ersboll

Vice President

Paul Ersboll offers 30 years of experience in program and construction management, design/build, and landscape architectural design for public works. He provides executive management support to project development, bidding and packaging options and brings creativity and sophisticated design solutions to all of his projects. He is skilled at managing multi-site programs and has personally led numerous multi-prime Wicks Law projects. Mr. Ersboll spent 17 years at New York City Parks & Recreation – Capital Projects Division. During his tenure, serving as Chief of Design, he designed and built more than $3 billion worth of capital projects. Mr. Ersboll has worked with numerous New York public agencies including NYC Department of Design & Construction, NYC Economic Development Corporation, Hudson River Park Trust, and the Battery Park City Authority. This valuable experience allows him to quickly understand the needs of the community and government agencies and to complete complex projects under the tightest of deadlines.

Paul Koopman

Vice President / Operations Manager – Upstate and Western New York

Paul Koopman is a construction professional with over 37 years of experience in public infrastructure and finance. Most recently Paul served as Vice President of the NYS Dormitory Authority (DASNY) one of the State’s largest public construction and finance organizations with a multi-billion construction portfolio of over a thousand projects serving multiple state and local entities. Paul initially joined DASNY in 1995 and held various management positions in the organization’s Finance and Construction Divisions including Managing Senior Director of Construction where he was the primary relationship manager for some of DASNY’s largest social infrastructure clients overseeing public university and health care project development and execution. Paul also specializes in all forms of project delivery, finance and procurement including design build. Prior to DASNY Paul was the Budget Director for the Facilities Development Corporation assisting in the development of the State’s Mental Hygiene capital program. Paul began his career with the NYS Division of the Budget where his portfolio included capital budgeting and planning for New York State healthcare facilities. A graduate of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs, he holds a master’s degree in public administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany.