As the interim leader of the Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE), Thomas Costello oversees the Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) major projects, including the execution of architecture and engineering planning and design, in-house construction, historic preservation as well as project, construction, sustainability and energy management, supporting the AOC's mission.

Professional Experience

While serving in his current capacity, Costello remains the Deputy Chief Engineer for OCE where he is responsible for overseeing all construction activities across the entire Capitol campus including work performed by the AOC's Construction Execution Branch. In this role, he has taken special interest in projects like the Cannon House Office Building Renewal, Committee Room Renovations in both the House and Senate office buildings, the Visitors Experience project at the Thomas Jefferson Building, and the Capitol Building Exterior Stone Restoration.

Before his promotion to Deputy Chief Engineer, Costello served as Head of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of the AOC's Design Services Division. In that role, he was responsible for setting design standards for all major projects and oversaw the high voltage electrical services to each facility, closed-circuit cable television system and the Congressional Legislative Call system. He also ensured code compliancy for major projects including the U.S. Capitol Dome Restoration Project and the replacement of the Legislative Call System. One notable achievement includes the AOC's 44% percent energy reduction through Fiscal Year 2019 using energy performance contracts to install energy saving electrical equipment across the Capitol campus. This 14-year energy reduction effort was a significant accomplishment for the 18+ million square foot campus, which contains some of the most historic and monumental buildings in the United States.

Costello joined the AOC in 2006 as an electrical engineer and within a year was promoted to Assistant Director at the Capitol Power Plant. During his 11-year tenure, he was able to complete the design and construction of complex projects such as the Refrigeration Plant Revitalization and Co-Generation projects without interruption of service to Capitol Hill.

Prior to joining the AOC, Costello served in the U.S. Marines before beginning his professional career as an electrical engineer. In 1989, he worked as a consultant electrical designer/engineer doing work for companies such as Kodak, Xerox, Bausch and Lomb, and several utilities in New York. In 1992 as an engineer, Costello joined an energy performance contracting company where he designed and installed measurement and verification equipment to confirm annual savings of the installed equipment. In 1996, he was promoted to Mid-Atlantic District Manager and was responsible for all federal projects in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. The focus of this work was on federal agencies such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, FBI, White House and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Education

Costello has a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of New York. In addition, he is a Certified Energy Manager, a Certified Plant Maintenance Manager and a Certified Facility Manager.