Our leadership team
With many years of experience in construction, business, and technology, here’s the team that’s leading the way at Forge.
Mark started and leads the Forge team. In 2010, fresh out of graduate school and having never had a job in the “real world,” he undertook his first entrepreneurial venture (or at least the first one that generated revenue): Intrepid. Bootstrapped from inception to exit, Intrepid used an apprentice-style training model to create one of the largest mobile development firms on the East Coast before selling to Accenture in 2017. Mark loves building companies and solving problems, but when he’s not doing that, you can find him cooking, running, playing chess, and thinking about how technology is going to change our lives. He is mission-driven, the father of three incredible kids, and wakes up every morning to build and power the next-generation trades worker.
Mark Kasdorf
Founder/CEO
Mark Kasdorf
Founder/CEO
Mark started and leads the Forge team. In 2010, fresh out of graduate school and having never had a job in the “real world,” he undertook his first entrepreneurial venture (or at least the first one that generated revenue): Intrepid. Bootstrapped from inception to exit, Intrepid used an apprentice-style training model to create one of the largest mobile development firms on the East Coast before selling to Accenture in 2017. Mark loves building companies and solving problems, but when he’s not doing that, you can find him cooking, running, playing chess, and thinking about how technology is going to change our lives. He is mission-driven, the father of three incredible kids, and wakes up every morning to build and power the next-generation trades worker.
Growing up in a multi-generational family of woodworkers and builders, Christof learned all about lumber and building at work in his father’s sawmill. He drew on that experience to create the Forge Apprentice Program, which he now heads as program director and lead teacher. Christof earned a master of science in mathematics, discovered his love for teaching as a fellow at Boston College, and worked in the actuarial field for several years before returning to his woodworking roots. (Before joining Forge, he was a furniture and cabinet maker working out of Fort Point Cabinet Makers.) He enjoys hiking, biking, grilling, and walking the dog with his favorite people in the world—his family. He visits his extended family in South Africa every year.
Christof Franzsen
Head of Apprentice Program
Christof Franzsen
Head of Apprentice Program
Growing up in a multi-generational family of woodworkers and builders, Christof learned all about lumber and building at work in his father’s sawmill. He drew on that experience to create the Forge Apprentice Program, which he now heads as program director and lead teacher. Christof earned a master of science in mathematics, discovered his love for teaching as a fellow at Boston College, and worked in the actuarial field for several years before returning to his woodworking roots. (Before joining Forge, he was a furniture and cabinet maker working out of Fort Point Cabinet Makers.) He enjoys hiking, biking, grilling, and walking the dog with his favorite people in the world—his family. He visits his extended family in South Africa every year.
Mae is focused on building Forge’s people operations. As one of Forge’s original team members and a true “Jane of all trades,” Mae has had a hand in creating all of the core functions that we rely on today: finance, data, people operations, and more. Prior to Forge, she led the finance team at Intrepid and helped shepherd the company through its acquisition by Accenture in 2017. Her passion for building the next-generation trades worker was sparked as a child by watching her father’s work in construction. When she’s not in the office, you can find Mae outside, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and wrangling her daughter and dogs.
Mae Deluca
Senior Leadership
Mae Deluca
Senior Leadership
Mae is focused on building Forge’s people operations. As one of Forge’s original team members and a true “Jane of all trades,” Mae has had a hand in creating all of the core functions that we rely on today: finance, data, people operations, and more. Prior to Forge, she led the finance team at Intrepid and helped shepherd the company through its acquisition by Accenture in 2017. Her passion for building the next-generation trades worker was sparked as a child by watching her father’s work in construction. When she’s not in the office, you can find Mae outside, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and wrangling her daughter and dogs.
Chaki is the architect (or maybe cartographer) of Forge’s technology roadmap for building the next-gen trades workforce. Previously, he led tech and digital product teams in education, entertainment, healthcare, and other industries for businesses at all stages of development, from startups to Fortune 500 companies (Paramount). He enjoys learning about and working with technologies that have society-wide impact, such as mobile, cloud computing, and now AI and AR. His academic endeavors have included research into sensor networks and distributed systems, and he loves tennis and good sushi (when he can find it).
Chaki Ng
Head of Technology
Chaki Ng
Head of Technology
Chaki is the architect (or maybe cartographer) of Forge’s technology roadmap for building the next-gen trades workforce. Previously, he led tech and digital product teams in education, entertainment, healthcare, and other industries for businesses at all stages of development, from startups to Fortune 500 companies (Paramount). He enjoys learning about and working with technologies that have society-wide impact, such as mobile, cloud computing, and now AI and AR. His academic endeavors have included research into sensor networks and distributed systems, and he loves tennis and good sushi (when he can find it).
Olivia is our Forge Chief of Staff and wears many hats, including leading our marketing, recruiting, and people teams. She brings with her experience from a wide range of Boston startups in media, construction, healthcare, digital marketplaces, and video. Her superpower is getting things done, and she loves building things from scratch — from brands to teams to plans. When she’s not at Forge, you might find her out for a walk, seeking interior design inspiration, or traveling around New England with her husband.
Olivia Loycano
Chief of Staff
Olivia Loycano
Chief of Staff
Olivia is our Forge Chief of Staff and wears many hats, including leading our marketing, recruiting, and people teams. She brings with her experience from a wide range of Boston startups in media, construction, healthcare, digital marketplaces, and video. Her superpower is getting things done, and she loves building things from scratch — from brands to teams to plans. When she’s not at Forge, you might find her out for a walk, seeking interior design inspiration, or traveling around New England with her husband.
As Head of Operations, Sean's focus is to develop and scale efficient systems and processes that enable our pros to do their best work. Sean spent over nine years as an officer in the United States Coast Guard, followed by a career in manufacturing and operations in the consumer electronic and electric vehicle industries. When he's not building high performing teams at Forge, Sean can be found spending time with his wife and two children, playing soccer, or fixing something around the house.
Sean Munnis
Head of Operations
Sean Munnis
Head of Operations
As Head of Operations, Sean's focus is to develop and scale efficient systems and processes that enable our pros to do their best work. Sean spent over nine years as an officer in the United States Coast Guard, followed by a career in manufacturing and operations in the consumer electronic and electric vehicle industries. When he's not building high performing teams at Forge, Sean can be found spending time with his wife and two children, playing soccer, or fixing something around the house.
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