Meet our team
President & CEO
Atlantic University
About Us
Leadership
Lauren Rakolta
A proven executive, entrepreneur and community leader, Lauren purchased the majority ownership of DFM Solutions in 2015, making DFM the largest woman-owned operations and facilities management company in the U.S. Lauren brings 15+ years of industrial facilities and construction industry leadership – plus executive management experience – to the role. Prior to DFM, Lauren acted as a strategic consultant to political and legislative clients and has successfully served on numerous statewide and congressional campaigns for elected officials.
⚊ Lauren is known for “the Lauren factor” – her tenacity, vision, and big personality.
Managing director
Purdue University
About Us
Leadership
Chris Johnson
After a successful 35-year career with Ford Motor Company, Chris joined DFM Solutions in 2021. In his previous role, he managed maintenance teams across three different assembly plants, and later moved into international assignments, leading teams in South America and Asia-Pacific leading the integrated facility management implementation. Today, he brings his extensive leadership skills and industry knowledge to the team at DFM, where he’s responsible for all skill teams and their KPIs – Operations, Environmental Health & Safety, People, Finance, P&L Management and Business Development.
⚊ Chris’s superpower? His ability to always embrace the customer’s perspective. And… he’s trilingual!
General Manager
Kettering University
About Us
Leadership
Gina Waggoner
Gina joined DFM in 2022, bringing strategic leadership and extensive facilities management knowledge. In fact, she’s been in facilities management for most of her 35-year career, with positions ranging from the automotive industry to commercial real estate – from food service to corporate travel. Today she’s responsible for operations excellence and flawless delivery of services at all DFM work sites.
⚊ Fun fact about Gina? She holds a license in high pressure boiler operations.
Director of People Services
Walsh College
About Us
Leadership
Anthony King
A well-connected professional, Anthony’s role is all about interacting with people. His role encompasses human resources, talent development, and talent acquisition. He believes that people come first – because without them, we wouldn’t be in business. Anthony started at DFM in 2015 as a Talent Acquisition Manager and swiftly rose through the ranks to where he is today as Director. A strategic thinker, he’s always on the lookout for top talent, talent development opportunities and compelling benefits that make DFM a great place to work.
⚊ Known for: hard-working networking.
Environmental Health and Safety Director
Grand Valley State University
About Us
Leadership
Melissa Czarnecki
No stranger to the industry, Melissa has been with DFM (and its parent companies) since their inception in 2002. She started when the company was Walbridge, working her way up from project management to safety supervisor and landing where she is today – safety management. In this role, she’s responsible for developing, implementing, and administering safety programs for all projects, spanning DFM and Wallbridge. This includes implementing initiatives and incentives to reduce safety incidents; creating and facilitating required training; managing workers’ compensation and liability claims; providing guidance and ensuring strict adherence to OSHA/MIOSHA (general industry and construction standards) and generally anything that’s safety related.
⚊ Melissa’s claim to fame: She’s the longest-tenured employee at DFM. 20+ years!
Manager for Business Development and Supplier Diversity
University of Detroit Mercy
About Us
Leadership
Sam Russo
Samantha comes from a lineage of automotive industry professionals. But she found herself longing to do something different. So, when she found herself in the construction industry – building and renovating automotive facilities – she discovered her true passion: Caring for buildings after they’ve been built or renovated. Now at DFM, she’s in charge of implementation, launches, business development and supplier diversity – continuing DFM’s commitment to equality.
⚊ One of her first jobs was “Ice Girl” at the Peoria Rivermen Hockey Club – a combination cheerleader and fan promotions.
Others
TJ Couch
IFM Operations Manager
Jamie Bostater
Operations Program Director
Emily Prysby
Executive Administrative Assistant
Brittney Chapman
HR Specialist
Eugene Zeneli
Chief Estimator
Erica Dougherty
Cost Analyst
Jenn Heaney
Contracts Administrator
Core values
Respect
Every employee matters, every customer distinct.
Collaborate
Our diversity empowers us, our teamwork propels us.
Serve
Our customers’ needs, our employees’ futures.
Create
Creativity drives innovation, innovation drives success.
Be Safe
Above all else.