Cyre Mercedes Quiñones is the Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure Masons (iMasons), the world’s leading nonprofit association of digital infrastructure executives. As CEO, Cyre leads the organization’s global mission to advance responsible, inclusive, and sustainable digital infrastructure—aligning industry leaders, communities, and policymakers to help shape the future of the digital economy with integrity and measurable impact.

A seasoned executive with more than 15 years of experience working with Fortune 500 organizations, Cyre is recognized for her ability to connect strategy to execution at scale. She has led global teams, overseen diverse business portfolios, and partnered with senior executives to define vision, set strategy, and deliver results. Her leadership style thrives in complexity, translating market challenges into opportunity and driving operational excellence across geographies and businesses.

Cyre’s perspective is both global and deeply human, grounded in creativity, empathy, and a steadfast commitment to equity and sustainability. Her leadership journey began far from corporate boardrooms. Born and raised in the Bronx by a single mother, she experienced firsthand the realities of poverty, instability, and resilience—experiences that shaped her belief that meaningful progress requires inclusion and that leadership is rooted in service.

Reconnecting with her father following his incarceration further inspired Cyre to rewrite her family’s narrative and mentor others seeking transformation through education and opportunity. That commitment led her to Syracuse University, where she graduated cum laude, becoming both a young mother and a college graduate—an achievement that continues to inform her advocacy for women and underrepresented leaders. She has since completed advanced leadership programs through McKinsey & Company, the Hispanics in Technology Emerging Executive Program, and INSEAD Business School.

In recognition of her impact, Cyre was named Data Center Dynamics’ 2023 Woman of the Year—the first woman to receive the honor. She has also been recognized by Mission Critical Magazine as one of the Top 25 Women in Technology, named one of Infrastructure Masons’ Top 100 Builders of the Digital Age, and selected twice as a Hispanics in Technology Executive Council Top 100 Hispanic in Tech.

From the Bronx to the boardroom, Cyre’s story reflects purpose-driven leadership. As CEO of iMasons, she continues to demonstrate that empathy, excellence, and inclusion are not separate from business success—they are the foundation of it.

Mark Spurr has been a district energy consultant since 1985 and has played a key role in the growth of District Energy in the U.S. and the Middle East. He advises utilities, cities and universities regarding creation of new thermal energy businesses, district energy system design, economic analysis, energy infrastructure and decarbonization master planning, rate design and due diligence review for asset acquisitions or sales. Current work focuses on design of new low-to-no carbon greenfield systems and on decarbonization of existing district energy systems.

In addition to serving many private and public sector clients, since 1990 Mark has also served as Legislative Director of the International District Energy Association, where he is responsible for developing and advocating policies, legislation and regulations to encourage the expansion of district energy systems. Mark is IDEA’s point person on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and has extensive knowledge of the IRA incentives and related proposed regulations.

Mark has led the development of international design guidance documents relating to conversion and connection of buildings for district energy service, design of district cooling systems, and integration of waste heat recovery and renewable energy in sustainable energy systems.

Michael Ahern has over 30 years of experience in leading development, engineering, construction, operation, and management of industrial and energy systems. This includes operational oversight of businesses in the industrial and energy fields, with a specific focus on district systems over the last fifteen years. At Ever-Green, he leads the development and advancement of mission-based campus and community energy and utility systems that achieve clients’ strategic goals. Ahern holds a BS in Business Finance from the University of Notre Dame, with an International Business Minor.

Ahmad Shams is the Director of Business Development at CenTrio, based in Chicago, where he plays a key role in advancing the company’s district energy solutions for the data center market. With a background in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ahmad brings over eight years of experience in technical sales and energy-focused roles across industrial manufacturing sectors. His work has consistently emphasized sustainability and operational efficiency.

Since joining CenTrio, Ahmad has helped shape the company's go-to-market strategy for data centers and is actively engaged in the development of adaptive re-use and greenfield projects across the Chicago region. His insights are grounded in both engineering expertise and a strategic approach to clean energy infrastructure.

Liam Walsh - senior energy engineer at Thornton Tomasetti working within our Applied Science team primarily on decarbonization and energy-related projects. Past project experience at TT has included alternative on-site energy generation technology studies for a hyperscale datacenter client, technical due-diligence assessments of emerging low-carbon building materials companies (Series A-C stages), novel distributed energy systems assessments for deployments ranging from individual sites to entire campuses. Background is in mechanical engineering & sustainability, BSc from University of Dayton in 2020; previous work in public utility design and construction specializing in underground and overhead telecom and power networks.

Niall is a Senior Manager with FVB based in the Toronto office. He leads the business case development, detailed design and management of district energy projects with technologies such as Air Source Heat Pumps, Water Source Heat Pumps that utilize closed and open loop geo-exchange.
Niall consults for universities and colleges across North America on the development and execution of complex steam to hot water campus conversion projects and low carbon thermal energy networks. Niall is currently working with the City of Toronto, Mississauga, Kitchener, Pickering and the Federal Government of Canada to develop low carbon thermal energy networks. Niall is an advisor to municipal bodies to assist with the development of district energy systems in the Greater Toronto Area.

Mark is the president of Intermarket Properties.

As Vice President of Development at Corix, Samson leads the origination, evaluation, and execution of new opportunities, combining engineering expertise with business acumen to deliver low-carbon energy systems. He guides projects from concept through feasibility, financing, construction, and delivery, aligning environmental goals with strong financial outcomes. With experience across North America, Samson brings technical fluency and strategic insight to complex development challenges, partnering with institutions, developers, municipalities, and First Nations to create sustainable urban energy solutions.

Ashley Dirou brings more than 19 years of pump and water industry expertise to the rapidly evolving world of digital infrastructure. As an innovator driving Grundfos’ global data center strategy, she sits at the intersection of mechanical systems, sustainability, and mission critical operations helping the modern digital infrastructure’s engineers, contractors and operators design cooling and district energy solutions that keep the world’s digital backbone running while thinking in the most sustainable ways.

A former Division I athlete, Ashley channels that same competitive energy into accelerating innovation, strengthening strategic partnerships, and elevating performance across regions. Her work focuses on advancing high efficiency pumping technologies, optimizing water and energy use, and supporting the next generation of resilient, scalable data center environments while also being passionate about narrowing the known workforce gaps.

Known for her collaborative style and high impact approach, Ashley is passionate about bringing stakeholders together to solve complex challenges. She thrives in conversations about digital infrastructure trends, sustainability, and technologies shaping the future of advancing the flow of water.

She believes deeply that there is a possibility in every drop of water!

Liam Walsh - senior energy engineer at Thornton Tomasetti working within our Applied Science team primarily on decarbonization and energy-related projects. Past project experience at TT has included alternative on-site energy generation technology studies for a hyperscale datacenter client, technical due-diligence assessments of emerging low-carbon building materials companies (Series A-C stages), novel distributed energy systems assessments for deployments ranging from individual sites to entire campuses. Background is in mechanical engineering & sustainability, BSc from University of Dayton in 2020; previous work in public utility design and construction specializing in underground and overhead telecom and power networks.

Niall is a Senior Manager with FVB based in the Toronto office. He leads the business case development, detailed design and management of district energy projects with technologies such as Air Source Heat Pumps, Water Source Heat Pumps that utilize closed and open loop geo-exchange.
Niall consults for universities and colleges across North America on the development and execution of complex steam to hot water campus conversion projects and low carbon thermal energy networks. Niall is currently working with the City of Toronto, Mississauga, Kitchener, Pickering and the Federal Government of Canada to develop low carbon thermal energy networks. Niall is an advisor to municipal bodies to assist with the development of district energy systems in the Greater Toronto Area.

Ahmad Shams is the Director of Business Development at CenTrio, based in Chicago, where he plays a key role in advancing the company’s district energy solutions for the data center market. With a background in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ahmad brings over eight years of experience in technical sales and energy-focused roles across industrial manufacturing sectors. His work has consistently emphasized sustainability and operational efficiency.

Since joining CenTrio, Ahmad has helped shape the company's go-to-market strategy for data centers and is actively engaged in the development of adaptive re-use and greenfield projects across the Chicago region. His insights are grounded in both engineering expertise and a strategic approach to clean energy infrastructure.

As Vice President of Development at Corix, Samson leads the origination, evaluation, and execution of new opportunities, combining engineering expertise with business acumen to deliver low-carbon energy systems. He guides projects from concept through feasibility, financing, construction, and delivery, aligning environmental goals with strong financial outcomes. With experience across North America, Samson brings technical fluency and strategic insight to complex development challenges, partnering with institutions, developers, municipalities, and First Nations to create sustainable urban energy solutions.

Gerard is a Principal with Reshape Infrastructure Strategies, an development and advisory firm based in Vancouver, BC that operates across North America. He is a Professional Engineer (non-practising) with a Master’s degree in Clean Energy Engineering. Gerard has twenty years of experience in green buildings and district energy/thermal energy networks. He supports energy utilities, master plan developers, campuses, and municipalities to accelerate the energy transition. 

Mark is the president of Intermarket Properties.

Director of Strategic Development at FirstBlock.
Building next-generation AI data centers turning compute waste heat into clean energy for TENs, buildings, greenhouses, and industrial processes.

Cyre Mercedes Quiñones is the Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure Masons (iMasons), the world’s leading nonprofit association of digital infrastructure executives. As CEO, Cyre leads the organization’s global mission to advance responsible, inclusive, and sustainable digital infrastructure—aligning industry leaders, communities, and policymakers to help shape the future of the digital economy with integrity and measurable impact.

A seasoned executive with more than 15 years of experience working with Fortune 500 organizations, Cyre is recognized for her ability to connect strategy to execution at scale. She has led global teams, overseen diverse business portfolios, and partnered with senior executives to define vision, set strategy, and deliver results. Her leadership style thrives in complexity, translating market challenges into opportunity and driving operational excellence across geographies and businesses.

Cyre’s perspective is both global and deeply human, grounded in creativity, empathy, and a steadfast commitment to equity and sustainability. Her leadership journey began far from corporate boardrooms. Born and raised in the Bronx by a single mother, she experienced firsthand the realities of poverty, instability, and resilience—experiences that shaped her belief that meaningful progress requires inclusion and that leadership is rooted in service.

Reconnecting with her father following his incarceration further inspired Cyre to rewrite her family’s narrative and mentor others seeking transformation through education and opportunity. That commitment led her to Syracuse University, where she graduated cum laude, becoming both a young mother and a college graduate—an achievement that continues to inform her advocacy for women and underrepresented leaders. She has since completed advanced leadership programs through McKinsey & Company, the Hispanics in Technology Emerging Executive Program, and INSEAD Business School.

In recognition of her impact, Cyre was named Data Center Dynamics’ 2023 Woman of the Year—the first woman to receive the honor. She has also been recognized by Mission Critical Magazine as one of the Top 25 Women in Technology, named one of Infrastructure Masons’ Top 100 Builders of the Digital Age, and selected twice as a Hispanics in Technology Executive Council Top 100 Hispanic in Tech.

From the Bronx to the boardroom, Cyre’s story reflects purpose-driven leadership. As CEO of iMasons, she continues to demonstrate that empathy, excellence, and inclusion are not separate from business success—they are the foundation of it.

Paul G. Zmick, PE
Director of Energy and Utilities
University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Paul Zmick currently leads the 120 FTE Energy and Utilities team for the University of Virginia in Charlottesville Virginia. Central utilities are provided for over 19 million square feet of facilities, including the University Medical Center. The Energy and Utilities team is responsible for energy procurement, generation, distribution, and operation, maintenance, and renewal of the utility infrastructure, with a strategic focus on safety, sustainability, and stewardship. Utilities provided include steam, heating water, cooling water, domestic water, sanitary, storm, 13kV power, and on-site renewables. 

Paul currently serves on the Board of Directors for the International District Energy Association and has been an active member in the organization for many years. Prior to UVA, Paul worked for DuPont and Koch Industries for a combined 22-years across five manufacturing sites in various engineering and leadership roles. While at DuPont, Paul was listed as inventor on two US Patents. Paul graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, and the University of Virginia with a Master of Systems Engineering; and is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia.