Crescent Communities Leadership
Building on more than 50 years of success
Our leadership team is driven to challenge assumptions, elevate all and drive change.
Our Leaders
We not only focus on helping people thrive in our communities. We also focus on the people who make everything we do possible – our employees who drive our organization to be better every day.
Member of Board of Directors, Investment Committee & Executive Committee
Brian Natwick is the Chairman and CEO for Crescent Communities with over 27 years of real estate investment and development experience representing $10.5 billion in total capitalization. He is responsible for vision and strategic oversight of a full suite of complementary businesses including multifamily, single family build-to-rent, industrial, life science, office, construction and investment management. Brian previously served as President and COO and joined Crescent Communities in 2006.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Brian held senior management and executive positions at Centex Construction Company (now Balfour Beatty), Skanska USA Building, and Moss & Associates and was responsible for over $500 million of development for notable clients such as Walt Disney Imagineering, Hilton/LXR Luxury Resorts and the Blackstone Group.
Active in the community and industry, Brian serves on the board of trustees/directors for Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte Christian School, Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, and Charlotte Center City Partners, and is an active member of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), Urban Land Institute, National Multi Housing Council and National Association of Home Builders. In addition, he served on the board of Habitat for Humanity Charlotte (former board chair).
He graduated with highest honors from the University of Florida with a degree in construction management and earned a MBA from the McColl School of Business at Queens University. Brian and his wife, Holly, reside in Charlotte and have three children.
Member of Investment Committee & Executive Committee
Jay Curran joined Crescent Communities’ Multifamily team in 2013 and currently serves as President of Multifamily. Jay leads the Multifamily business in investing, developing and operating for-rent residential communities in many of the nation’s fastest growing metropolitan areas. Crescent Communities’ portfolio consists of $5.3 billion in investments (23,574 units) completed, in operations or under construction. The company was recognized as the Development Firm of the Year in 2019 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) named the company as one of the nation’s top developers in 2022-20, 2018-16 and 2014-13.
Previously, Jay led the East Region of Crescent Communities’ multifamily team as Senior Managing Director, including Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia. He was also the Vice President of Multifamily for Georgia and Florida.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Jay served as Vice President of Development for Archstone, and led development of luxury multifamily communities throughout Texas and Florida. Jay’s experience in developing multifamily communities began while he was at Novare Group, where he managed the development of high-rise residential and hospitality projects. Prior to Novare, he served as a strategy consultant with The Boston Consulting Group.
Jay actively volunteers with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Meals By Grace. He serves on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of Georgia, the National Multifamily Housing Council and the Multifamily Leadership for the National Association of Home Builders.
Jay earned a Master of Business Administration, as a Fuqua Scholar, from Duke University and a Bachelor of Business Administration, Summerfield Scholar, from Kansas University.
Member of Investment Committee & Executive Committee
Brendan Pierce joined Crescent Communities in 2020 and currently serves as the President of Commercial and The River District Company. Brendan oversees the development, acquisition and disposition of commercial projects including office, industrial and life science across the East and West regions of the United States. Crescent Communities’ Commercial portfolio currently consists of 3.7 million square feet under construction and operating and 7.3 million square feet in planned future projects. The total development cost of this portfolio is over $2.5 Billion. He also serves as a member of the Crescent Communities Investment Committee, where he collaborates with senior leaders to implement new projects and govern corporate strategy. At Crescent Communities, Brendan previously held the position of Senior Managing Director of Commercial Development.
Previously, Brendan served as Office Development Partner at The Keith Corporation, a full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered in Charlotte where was responsible for sourcing development and acquisition ventures throughout the United States and abroad. Pierce also managed leasing for The Keith Corporation’s office portfolio. He began his development career in Washington DC with Clark Real Estate Advisors.
With over 20 years of commercial real estate development and brokerage experience, Brendan has developed and acquired over 2.6 million square feet of commercial real estate valued at $1.3 Billion.
Brendan has a distinguished record of community involvement, including his past service as President for the Charlotte NAIOP Chapter. He has been a member of various non-profit boards of directors and is the Founder of F3 Foundation. Previously active with the Greater Charlotte YMCA, Brendan was a recipient of the prestigious George Williams Award, recognizing outstanding volunteer service. An avid athlete, Brendan is a coach for his children and an amateur mountain climber.
Brendan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration Degree from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
Member of Executive Committee
Daniel Cooper joined Crescent Communities in 2016 and currently serves as President of Construction. In this leadership role, Daniel, oversees all pre-construction and construction management across the company’s national footprint. In addition, Daniel leads Crescent Communities’ in-house construction company, Crescent Communities Construction. With over 18 years of construction management experience in a wide range of urban and suburban high-density projects, Daniel has successfully delivered over 15,000 multi-family units and a diverse portfolio of Commercial Mixed-Use Office projects and Industrial Buildings.
Previously, Daniel led the construction team for Crescent Communities as Senior Vice President of all multifamily and commercial construction. Prior to Crescent Communities, Daniel held senior management and executive positions for over a decade at Fortune-Johnson, Inc. in Atlanta, GA.
Daniel serves as Co-Chair on the Design and Construction Committee for the National Multifamily Housing Council and serves on the board for ROC Charlotte. He is active in the community and volunteers at Habitat for Humanity, Atlanta Food Bank, and Kids in Need Foundation. He is also a contributor of Promise 686 and Wiphan.
Daniel earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Georgia - Terry College of Business. He holds General Contractor licenses in VA, GA, NC, AZ, TN and FL.
Member of Board of Directors, Investment Committee & Executive Committee
Kevin Lambert was named Chief Financial Officer of Crescent Communities in 2007. Kevin has nearly three decades of financial and operating experience with the Company. As CFO, Lambert oversees financial reporting and analysis, strategic planning, risk management, tax and information technology functions. He also manages the corporate credit facilities for Crescent Communities and acts as chair for its internal investment committee. Kevin has led many of the Company’s major financing transactions representing nearly $2.5 billion in total capital.
Kevin joined Crescent Communities in 1993 and previously held the positions of vice president-controller, commercial division controller and senior accountant. Before joining Crescent Communities, Kevin worked for Deloitte & Touche of Charlotte.
Active in the community and industry, Lambert serves on several advisory boards including the Childress Klein Center for Real Estate at UNC-Charlotte and is past chairman of the board at Lake Norman Charter School in Huntersville. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute.
Kevin earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in accounting, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kevin and his wife, Angie reside in Cornelius and have 2 children.
Member of Board of Directors, Investment Committee & Executive Committee
Jason LaBonte, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer joined Crescent Communities in 2016. He oversees Crescent Communities’ investment strategy, capital markets and finance activities across the platform including multifamily, commercial, build-to-rent and investment management business. As a part of this role, he is responsible for joint venture equity and debt relationships, underwriting, finance, dispositions and coordination with asset management functions. He is also a member of Crescent Communities’ Investment Committee and a member of the Board of Directors. Jason plays a key role in strategic initiatives and the acquisition and development of assets.
Jason has over twenty-five years of real estate experience and more than twenty years of capital markets and private equity experience working as a Managing Director for Bank of America Merrill Lynch both in New York City and Charlotte, where he executed over $50 billion in transactions within the firms Leverage Finance, Real Estate Investment Banking and Global Strategic Capital groups. Jason was most recently with Centennial Holding Company, LLC, as Managing Director of Corporate Development, leading the firm's efforts for capital raising while also focusing on strategic planning, platform development and investor relations. Jason has served on numerous for-profit boards including Archstone Inc., IPREO, Themarkets.com and the National Stock Exchange.
Jason received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and has an MBA with a focus in finance from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Jason also holds the designation of Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst. Jason currently serves on the Charlotte city advisory board of Shelters to Shutters and formally served for the Board of Carolinas Student Hunger Drive, a non-profit dedicated to reducing hunger in the Carolinas. He is also active with ULI as a member of the Capital Markets Committee and Multifamily Platinum Council.
Member of Executive Committee
Tracy Chambers joined Crescent Communities in 2013 and currently serves as Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer of Human Resources. Tracy oversees all aspects and strategy of human resources , organization development, diversity equity and inclusion, culture evolution, recruiting and retention. Tracy joined Crescent Communities in 2013 and previously held the positions of Manager of Organization Development, Director of Human Resources, and Senior Vice President where she was responsible for leading culture transformation focusing on Crescent Communities’ Values, providing strategic and day-to-day performance management guidance, leading employee relations, compliance matters, and driving internal communications.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Tracy previously worked as the Human Resources Director for Ginkgo Residential in Charlotte, where she was responsible for nearly 800 employees in 100 different locations in the southeast. Early on in her career, she served as a Senior HR Generalist for CT Communications and Staffing Manager for CoreStaff Services.
Tracy is a certified Senior Human Resources Professional (SPHR) and holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a concentration in marketing. Tracy is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Employers Association in Charlotte.
Member of Executive Committee
Heather Kels joined Crescent Communities in 2007 and currently serves as Chief Accounting Officer and as of January 2024 will serve as the Chief Financial Officer. Heather oversees all facets of accounting for the Company including oversight of internal and external financial reporting, design and maintenance of internal controls, accounting software systems, treasury and compliance. Previously at Crescent Communities, Heather held the positions of Vice President Controller, Assistant Controller and Corporate Project Controller.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Heather was an Assistant Vice President with Wachovia where she supported the bank’s private equity group, within the Corporate & Investment Banking Finance division. Heather began her career with the public accounting firm Reznick Group, now known as CohnReznick.
Heather earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from West Virginia University. She is a certified public accountant in North Carolina.
Steve Anderson joined Crescent Communities in 2023 and serves as the Chief Accounting Officer. Steve oversees all the facets of accounting for the company including internal and external reporting, design and maintenance of internal controls, accounting software systems, treasury, and compliance.
Steve joins our team from The Carroll Companies where he serves as Chief Financial Officer. Steve has over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting where he has held several leadership positions. He began his career in the United States Air Force.
Steve earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Science degree, Magna Cum Laude, in Finance from the University of South Florida. He is a Certified Public Accountant in North Carolina and an active member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).
Todd Mansfield is a principal of Mansfield Company, a real estate investment and advisory entity. He advises a number of large-scale real estate investors with respect to investments, strategy, governance and human capital. Mansfield has four decades of real estate investment experience and has overseen deployment of more than $15 billion in equity investment capital.
From 2011 to 2021 he was Chairman and CEO of Crescent Communities, a nationally recognized, market-leading real estate investor, developer and operator of mixed-use communities.
Todd’s experience also includes serving for 11 years as chairman and chief executive officer of Crosland and as executive vice president at The Walt Disney Company, where he had operating responsibility for Disney’s development and corporate real estate activities worldwide. He led the team that initiated development of the 5,000-acre Town of Celebration and was engaged in the planning and execution of Val d’Europe, the transit-oriented town east of Paris.
Mansfield also was previously a managing director of Security Capital Group (NYSE: SCG) in London, where he launched and operated a $2 billion private equity investment fund that acquired seven real estate operating companies in the parking, self-storage, office, and residential sectors in Europe and Australia. He began his real estate career with Hines.
Active in the community and industry, Todd has served as chairman of board of directors of the Foundation for the Carolinas, global chairman of the Urban Land Institute, chair of The Nature Conservancy NC Chapter, chair of Charlotte Center City Partners, and as a director of Med Equities Realty Trust (NYSE: MRT), American Residential Properties, (NYSE:ARPI), Atrium Health, KForce (NASDAQ:KFRC), Carr America (NYSE:CRE), and Adventist Health System Sunbelt. He has acted as an advisor or director on behalf of multiple private equity owners.
He earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claremont McKenna College. Mansfield is co-author of “Craving Community: The New American Dream,” published in 2008. Todd and his wife Kathy reside in Charlotte and have three children.
Ned Austin joined Crescent Communities in 2000 and directs the Crescent Communities Commercial operations throughout the Carolinas, including the management, development and oversight of industrial, office, retail and commercial land. He graduated from NC State University with a bachelor’s degree in textile management.
Bryan Blythe joined Crescent Communities in 2021 as the Managing Director of Industrial for Commercial. Bryan is responsible for leading and growing the industrial platform through new development projects and acquisitions across the East and West.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Bryan was a Market Officer at Prologis, as well as Liberty Property Trust prior to its acquisition by Prologis. Prologis is a global industrial real estate company that owns and operates approximately 1 billion square feet in 19 countries. Bryan was responsible for the operating performance of a 12.4 million square foot industrial portfolio and was involved in all capital deployment efforts across North and South Carolina. During his tenure with Prologis and Liberty Property Trust, Bryan worked on over 6 million square feet of acquisitions and new development projects totaling over $600 million in value.
Bryan is an active member of the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors (CRCBR) and Myers Park Presbyterian Church. He previously served on the Board of Directors of CRCBR, NAIOP’s Piedmont Triad chapter, and the UNC Kenan-Flagler Alumni Association’s Piedmont Triad chapter. He has served as a volunteer coach for many years in both youth basketball and flag football, and volunteers his time at numerous charitable organizations throughout the community.
Bryan earned his Master’s in Business Administration with a double concentration in Real Estate Development and Corporate Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Davidson College.
Matt Box joined Crescent Communities in 2016 and currently serves as a Vice President of Construction for the Multifamily East Region. Matt oversees the Multifamily construction projects for the East Region with his 14 years of experience in the engineering, construction, and development sectors. At Crescent Communities, Matt previously held the positions Director of Construction, Senior Construction Manager and Construction Manager where he has successfully managed and operated over 2,500 units spanning north as far as DC and south and far as Tampa, Florida.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Matt served as Project Manager for Samet Corporation in Charlotte, NC, a regional general contractor, where he managed the construction of several healthcare and senior living facilities. Prior to that, Matt was an Assistant Project Manager for The Haskell Company, headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, an international architecture, engineering and construction firm specializing in the design-build delivery method. He was responsible for the design and construction of several healthcare and commercial facilities.
Matt is an active member of Forest Hill Church.
Matt earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech University.
Lauren Campbell joined Crescent Communities in 2014 and currently oversees the Asset Management Team as Vice President. Lauren is responsible for the overall performance of the Multifamily property portfolio. Lauren leads the Asset Management Team in its oversight of on-site operations, property market positioning, lease-up strategies, and personnel training of the company’s third-party property managers to ensure consistent implementation of approved business plans, while maximizing financial returns across our portfolio of multifamily communities. At Crescent Communities, Lauren previously held the positions of Director of Operations, Director of Marketing and Regional Marketing Manager.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Lauren worked at Altman Management Company as a Regional Vice President, where she directed all property management activities for the company's North Carolina and Illinois portfolios.
Lauren holds an active real estate license in North Carolina. Lauren received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, from the College of the Holy Cross.
Tony Chen joined Crescent Communities in 2021 to lead the start-up and launch of the Single-Family Build-to-Rent business unit. Tony is responsible for strategic planning, business development, investment strategy, property manager oversight, land acquisition, site planning, entitlements, product design and construction oversight.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Tony was a senior executive at FirstKey Homes, Cerberus Capital Management’s investment platform to acquire and manage scattered-site single-family rental properties. During his tenure at FirstKey, Tony helped stabilize, scale and optimize the business, growing the portfolio to over 28,000 homes and executing over $4.5 billion of acquisition, disposition and securitization transactions through his involvement with FirstKey’s investment committee, asset management and strategy functions.
Prior to FirstKey Homes, Tony was an investment banker in the real estate, gaming and lodging group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he executed over $16 billion of M&A, equity and debt transactions. Tony started his career at Deloitte where he advised companies across various sectors on finance transformation, capital markets accounting and M&A integration.
Tony serves on the board of directors of HouseProud, a growing nonprofit providing no-cost home repairs for low-income senior, veteran and disabled homeowners. Tony is also an active member of the National Rental Home Council (NRHC) and ULI.
Tony earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech.
Bryan Clifford joined Crescent Communities in 2020 and currently serves as the Director of Construction for the West Region. Bryan is responsible for overseeing the construction management of multifamily communities, construction contract negotiations and providing construction perspective in design meetings and the development team. Within this role, Bryan also manages the construction mangers.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Bryan was a Senior Construction Manager with Mill Creek Residential Construction.
Bryan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from Colorado State University.
Benjamin Collins, joined Crescent Communities in 2010 and currently serves as Executive Managing Director for the Multifamily business unit. Ben has over 20 years of real estate development experience and has been responsible for the development of over 20,000 multifamily units and 375,000 sqft of retail throughout the Southeast and Southwest totaling over $4.5 billion.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Collins was responsible for leading a regional multifamily office for Colonial Properties Trust (NYSE: CLP) and has served in development and acquisition roles for Grubb Properties and The Community Builders.
Ben has served in multiple leadership roles including serving as Board member for: Apartment Association of North Carolina, National Multi Housing Council, Greater Charlotte Apartment Association (Vice-President) and Mosaic Development Group (Executive Committee). Ben earned a BBA degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison Real Estate program and also has an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
Katie Congdon joined Crescent Communities in 2014 and currently oversees the Marketing Team as Vice President. Katie is responsible for the overall marketing performance of all business units with a focus on strategic planning and partnerships, new business launches, business unit performance, public relations, social media, and the seamless integration of creative into the business process. Katie previously held the positions of Director of Multifamily Marketing (West Region), Director of Commercial Marketing, Director of Single-Family Residential Marketing, Single-Family Marketing Manager.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Katie worked at Campus Crest where she was the Marketing and Brand Manager over an 80+ community portfolio across 4 brands. Prior to that Katie was at Yodle, an online digital marketing agency, where she ran digital campaigns for over 200 clients across a variety of business types.
Katie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Appalachian State University.
Jamie Diers joined Crescent Communities in 2012 and currently serves as the Vice President of Finance. Jamie is responsible for coordinating and executing an efficient integrated business plan and forecasting process across the organization ensuring alignment in the plan and with executive management. Jamie also develops and helps drive a wide range of financial analyses focused on industry and current business trends. She performs evaluations of company performance and forecasts to create reports and presentations for our owners and executives.
Jamie previously held the positions of Director of Financial Reporting, Assistant Controller and Accounting Manager, where she was responsible for the quarter and annual GAAP financial statements, accounting research, the financial statement close process and as the company liaison to our audit firms. Jamie assisted with our corporate financing transactions and led the implementation of the new revenue recognition accounting standard.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Jamie was an Auditor at EY where she was responsible for leading audits on both private and public companies.
Jaime is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the NCACPA.
Jamie earned a Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Information Systems from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Rainer Ficken joined Crescent Communities in 2023 and serves as the Senior Managing Director over The River District. Rainer is responsible for Crescent Communities largest mixed-use master planned community in the portfolio with 8M SF entitled for office, 5,000 homes and apartments, 500k SF of retail and 1,000 hotel rooms located in Charlotte, NC between the Catawba River, and the Charlotte International Airport.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities Rainer served as the Executive Vice President of Master Plan Communities for Caldwell Companies in Houston, TX. Rainer has over 35 years of combined experience in land development, consulting, community planning, and development, and during his career has developed and led the operations of various large scale Master Planned Communities within Texas.
Prior to Caldwell Companies, Rainer was with Brookfield Properties for 17 years (formerly Newland Communities) as a Senior Vice President. His combined education and planning experience earned him the distinction of AICP from the American Institute of Certified Planners and is an active member of the American Planning Association (APA). Rainer has a host of additional professional affiliations and associations he has earned throughout his extensive career including:
Rainer is a Certified Planner and received a degree in Construction Technologies and Management from Suffolk College in New York.
Tim Graff joined Crescent Communities’ Multifamily team in 2018 as Managing Director of the Florida region. Tim oversees the sourcing of new development investments, as well as leading the teams through all design, entitlement and execution efforts Tim brings 17 years of multifamily development and investment experience to his position.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Tim served as director of development and managing director for Alliance Residential’s North Florida Division where he successfully led the sourcing and development of 1,400 luxury multifamily units. Tim’s experience in multifamily began as a development manager for Trammell Crow Residential’s North Florida division.
Tim is a member of ULI and is active working with community organizations such as ELEVATE Orlando.
Tim earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Rollins College and a MBA from Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business.
Don Hellein joined Crescent Communities in 2014. Don is responsible for multifamily and mixed-use development projects in the East region. Don has led the completion of over 3200 apartments homes with more than 3.5M SF and having combined Development Budgets of over $712M.
Don brings a wealth of experience and knowledge with over 22 years of progressively complex experience in the multifamily and mixed-use real estate industry including projects like the dense urban multi-use projects Midtown Tampa and Midtown Atlanta.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Don served as the Vice President of Multifamily Development for Lennar Multifamily, a Miami-based Real Estate Development company. In this role, he managed the development of over 2,500 apartment homes in the Southeast region. Prior to this role, he was the Senior Development Manager for Branch Properties and Senior Project Manager for Whiting-Turner. Don is a Licensed General Contractor in FL and earned his Bachelor of Science in Building Construction from the University of Florida.
Chase Kerley joined Crescent Communities in 2016 and currently serves at Managing Director of Land Acquisition and THE YIELD. Chase is responsible for land acquisition and entitlement for all business lines at Crescent Communities while also overseeing the growth of THE YIELD across the US. Previously, Chase has served as the Managing Director for The River District and Director of Land Acquisition and Development.
Chase has over 16 years of experience in commercial and residential acquisition and development having led development for 2.1M SF of Life Science space, 1.4M SF of industrial, and over 8,200 residential units across the southeast.
Before coming to Crescent Communities, Chase was the VP of Land Acquisition for Shea Homes where he led acquisition and development efforts for 11 years across NC and SC.
Chase serves active roles within ULI, HBA, and NAOIP.
Chase earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Finance from North Carolina State University. Chase holds his real estate license in both North and South Carolina.
Ben Krasnow joined Crescent Communities in 2019 as Managing Director for Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. Ben is responsible for the development of over 2,500 multifamily units across all product types and currently oversees the company’s $1.0 billion pipeline of multifamily and mixed-use projects in the West.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Ben served as the Vice President of Multifamily Development for McWhinney, a Denver-based Real Estate Development company. In this role, he managed the development of over 2,000 apartment homes in the Denver-area, as well as Austin, Portland, and Omaha. With 18 years of progressively complex experience in the multifamily real estate industry including the Bozzuto Group in Washington DC, Ben brings a wealth of knowledge.
Ben is an active member of ULI’s Multifamily Product Council and volunteers with Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.
Ben holds a master’s degree in real estate development from the University of Maryland and undergraduate degree from The Colorado College.
Doug Lawrimore joined Crescent Communities in 2013 and currently serves as Senior Vice President, Construction where he is responsible for the execution of all 3rd party multifamily projects and in-house construction projects. Doug has over 27 years’ experience in the construction industry and has overseen construction of over four million sq. ft. of commercial space, one million of which is LEED Gold Certified, and 15,000 multifamily units. Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Doug served as Vice President of Operations for a Fortune 500 Company and was a Senior Construction Manager for the US Department of Energy. Doug holds his General Contractor’s license in North and South Carolina.
Elizabeth McMillan joined Crescent Communities in 2002 and currently serves as a Vice President for Commercial development. Elizabeth is responsible for entitlement, predevelopment and execution of developments across the commercial platform. Focused mainly in the Carolinas, Elizabeth has completed successfully, with no oppositions, over 12 rezonings and developed over 2200 acres and 9 million sf. Responsible for public private partnerships, Elizabeth has successfully negotiated over $40 million in public incentives. Elizabeth’s notable projects at Crescent Communities include: Ally Charlotte Center, The River District, Elizabeth on Seventh and has recently led the launch of Crescent’s life science platform, The Yield. At Crescent Communities, Elizabeth previously held the positions of Senior Director, Director of Development, Project Manager, Assistant Project Manager and Marketing Specialist.
Elizabeth is the current Chair for ULI Charlotte and recently completed two terms as a member of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission. She also is a graduate of Leadership Arlington and past board member of University City Partners and the Junior League of Charlotte, a non-profit women’s group aimed at organizing and promoting volunteer activities in the community.
Elizabeth earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a LEED Accredited Professional and a licensed real estate broker in North and South Carolina.
Sean McMullan joined Crescent Communities in 2018 and currently serves as the Vice President of Capital Markets. Sean is responsible for assisting and leading the capital raising and investment activities of Crescent Communities’ $2.5Bn investment portfolio. Sean previously held the position of Director of Finance and Investor Relations, where he played an integral role in the company’s financial forecasting and planning efforts, assisted with the investment committee process, and led numerous strategic initiatives for the company.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Sean was an Investment Banking Associate within the Leverage Finance group at JP Morgan where he participated in over $12Bn of financing transactions, including assisting Crescent Communities with its most recent debt capital markets transaction. Sean was also previously an Associate at AVOS Consulting.
Sean is an active member of the Urban Land Institute organization and is a current member of the ULI Charlotte Emerging Leaders Forum. Sean earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Emory’s Goizueta Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from UNC-Chapel Hill.
David Miller joined Crescent Communities in 2013 and currently oversees the Commercial, Multifamily and In-house construction projects as the Vice President of Construction for the West Region. David has supervised construction of over 5,000 Multifamily units, 200,000 sf of Commercial, developed 2,000 Single Family lots, and built over 120 Single Family residential homes. At Crescent Communities, David previously held the positions of Director of Construction and Senior Construction Manager.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, David was a Superintendent and Development Manager for ICI Homes, a regional builder, Superintendent with Centex Homes, a national builder and a Senior Construction Manager for the Continental Properties Company. David has 22 years of experience in the construction industry.
David is a Member of ULI and actively volunteers on several non-profit projects and councils. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management with a minor in Business from Georgia Southern University.
Aldo Muccia joined Crescent Communities in 2013 and currently serves as Vice President & Chief Creative Officer. In this role, he manages the company’s brand messaging, ensuring all creative executions consistently exceed expectations and strategic planning. He oversees agency relations and monitors brand personality across all media and supervises community campaigns and concept development. In addition, he works to produce high-impact art installations and thought leadership content throughout our communities, our company and industry.
Aldo previously worked in an agency setting on high profile accounts such as Nike, Atlantis, Caesars Palace, Hotel Nikko, Honda, Sunbrella and more. He has over 25 years of experience in account leadership, strategic brand planning, and team management with a strong focus in hospitality and real estate. He is an expert at cross-collaboration among several disciplines, including creative, digital, media, experiential marketing, content creation, and others with extensive experience in consumer and B2B.
Aldo holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing that includes a minor in Design from California State University, Long Beach,. He belongs to both local and national Advertising Federations as well as the American Marketing Association.
Alec Petty joined Crescent Communities in 2022 and currently serves as the Portfolio Manager for the Crescent Real Estate Funds. Alec is responsible for portfolio management, fund administration, capital raising, and investor relations.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Alec was a Managing Director at Bank of America covering the Global Principal Investments Group, a division of the bank which executes and manages Private Equity investments. In this role he focused primarily on Portfolio and Risk Management. Serving as the co-head of the Investment Committee, he oversaw $2BN in equity capital deployment, across both direct and fund investments. Alec worked closely with Blackstone on the management of several sponsored International Real Estate Funds, including serving on the LPAC. Alec was also previously employed at JP Morgan as an Investment Banker in New York and San Francisco.
Alec earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and a Master of Business Administration from The Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. Alec holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations.
Sagar Rathie joined Crescent Communities in 2016 and currently serves as Managing Director for the Commercial division. He leads all aspects of the Company’s office and mixed-use acquisitions and developments throughout the Southeast, with an active investment and pipeline development portfolio totaling 3.5 million SF and representing $1.0 billion in capital deployed. Sagar is responsible for sourcing, entitling, designing, financing, and executing on new and value-add commercial office and mixed-use developments across the Carolinas, Tennessee, Central Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona.
Sagar has extensive capital markets experience, having collectively raised nearly $3.0 billion in third party equity and debt throughout his career. Previously, he was Crescent Communities' Director of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations, where he played an integral role in the company’s financial forecasting and planning efforts, assisted with the investment committee process, and led numerous strategic initiatives for the company. Prior to Crescent Communities, Sagar was an Investment Banking Senior Associate with Piper Sandler, and a Manager at GlaxoSmithKline.
He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Discovery Place, active with ULI as a member of the Capital Markets Committee, is a Development Leaders National Forum invitee with NAIOP, sits on the Central Advisory Council for the Arts & Science Council, and heavily involved with the community.
Sagar received his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Master’s in Engineering from Duke University, and Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering also from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
SRATHIE@crescentcommunities.com
Eric Rothrock joined Crescent Communities 2013 and currently serves as Senior Vice President, Pre-Construction. He is responsible for all budgetary aspects of pre-construction and design for the Company’s assets. Eric has developed and implemented several budget projection processes to help the Company evaluate anticipated cost models. Prior position held at Crescent Communities is Vice President, Pre-Construction, Sr. Director of Pre-Construction and Director of Pre-Construction.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Eric served as the Director of Pre-Construction for Samet Corporation, and specialized in Highrise condominiums at Carothers Construction. Eric also lead Pre-construction for large commercial projects with Rodgers Builders. He has also been the Vice President and Chief Estimator for his family’s subcontracting company and served as a Project Manager for Hurricane Katrina residential storm relief repairs.
Eric serves on the board of Built National and also serves on the ECU Construction Management Department Advisory board.
Eric earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from East Carolina University.
Dean Spencer was named chief information officer of Crescent Communities in 2018. Dean maintains the overall quality and performance of Crescent Communities' information technology systems. In addition to overseeing network administration, website development and support, Dean leads the company's Cyber security and Data Analytics programs. Dean joined Crescent Communities in 1997 as a Senior Application Analyst and held positions of Application Manager and currently Vice President and CIO.
Previously, Dean was an application analyst at Duke Energy and consultant for Osprey Systems, Inc. in Charlotte, N.C. He was also a programmer/analyst with the research and development programming team for Blackbaud, Inc. in Charleston, S.C. A member of the Society for Information Management (SIM), Dean served on the IT Academy Occupational Advisory Committee for Central Tech Career and Technical School in Erie, Pa. He has also volunteered technical consulting for Davidson Elementary School in Davidson, N.C., and Mallard Creek Elementary School in Charlotte, N.C. Dean has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from The Citadel.
John Taylor joined Crescent Communities in 2021 as Vice President of Construction, Commercial. John is responsible for providing guidance and advice to the operations
and construction management personnel within the Commercial business unit for Office, Industrial and Life Sciences. John manages all aspects relative to specifications,
quantities, material costs, man-hours and labor costs, dealings with municipal officials, OSHA issues, negotiations with Architect and Contractors, and providing resolution as
production problems arise.
Prior to Crescent Communities, John was the Senior Vice President of Construction Operations for Rodgers Builders where he managed the Commercial Market Sector for
16 years. Projects within the Charlotte Metro Area consisted of the Charlotte Knight new Baseball Home at Truist Field, the Bechtler Museum, Knight Auditorium and the Mint
Museum. Prior to this role, he was the Senior Project Manager at R.J. Griffin & Company/JE Dunn with focus on mid and high rise condominiums within Uptown
Charlotte and along the Grand Strand of South Carolina.
John is active in the community and has served on multiple Boards within Charlotte. John held the Vice Chairman position for the Building Development Commission for nine
years which is an advisory Board that makes recommendations to the Mecklenburg County Permitting and Inspection process including overseeing their performance
statistics. Recently, John served as a Board Member for the Charlotte Rescue Mission which provides free Christian-based residential recovery programs that help people
struggling with the disease of addiction achieve long-term sobriety, find employment and stable housing, and restore and build healthy relationships. For 3 years, John led the
Development Committee that concentrated on Capital Improvements for analyzing the campus for building growth and improvements. Currently, John is involved with the
Charlotte Rescue Mission participating as a member of the Building Committee as the Charlotte Rescue Mission expands their campus with the Rebound Facility.
John earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology with a Concentration in Construction Management from East Carolina University.
Michael Tubridy joined Crescent Communities in 2013 and currently serves as Senior Managing Director. Michael has been responsible for leading over $2.0 billion in multifamily and mixed-use investment throughout the southeastern U.S.
With 17 years of commercial real estate experience, Michael has led the entitlement and development of twenty multifamily and mixed-use communities totaling 6,000 residential units and over 200,000 SF of retail throughout the Carolinas and Tennessee. Michael and his team are currently responsible for sourcing and executing Crescent’s multifamily and mixed-use portfolio throughout the Carolinas and Tennessee.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Michael served as the Vice President of Development for Aimco, a national apartment REIT, where he led the multifamily redevelopment investment platform throughout the southeastern U.S.
Active in the community and industry, Michael sits on the Board of Directors of the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association and Classroom Central, a Charlotte based NPO supplying students and teachers with over $6.5MM of free school supplies annually. Michael is also a member of the Urban Land Institute, National Multi Housing Council and volunteers regularly with Habitat Charlotte.
Michael graduated from the University of Richmond with a degree in Business Administration and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Rick Voight joined Crescent Communities in 2022 and currently serves as the Vice President of Capital Markets. Rick is responsible for sourcing, managing the financing for new developments across the company’s platform while maintaining and cultivating relationships with capital partners.
Rick has over 15 years of real estate experience. Prior to Crescent Communities, Rick was a Director in the Mortgage & Real Estate Department at Lincoln Financial Group where he originated new mortgage opportunities across a variety of asset classes contributing to Lincoln’s $15B portfolio. Rick was also previously a Client Executive with JP Morgan where he worked on the Crescent Communities relationship.
Rick spends his free time coaching youth sports in Charlotte.
Rick earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Information Systems from Fairfield University.
Brandon Wright joined Crescent Communities’ Multifamily team in 2019 as Managing Director of the Washington, DC region. Brandon oversees development and investment supporting the company’s regional growth in the DC metro and the growing submarkets of Virginia and Maryland.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Brandon served in leadership roles with a variety of notable firms including Greystar, Alliance Residential, HFF, and The Bozzuto Group.
Brandon is an active member of ULI and a LEED Green Associate.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College.
Matt Bailey joined Crescent Communities in 2021 as Director of Development, Multifamily, DC. Matt oversees the design, construction, and capitalization of multifamily projects in the DC region.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Matt held the position of Development Manager with MRP Realty, as well as Development Associate with Bozzuto Development Group. In these roles, Matt managed the development
of over 1,500 units and 100k+ sf of retail with a value over $600M.
Matt is an active member of ULI.
Matt earned his Master’s degree in Real Estate Development from the University of Maryland. Matt earned his Bachelors in Geography from Rowan University.
Andrew Baysden joined Crescent Communities in 2021 and currently serves as the Marketing Director, The River District. Andrew is responsible for all marketing and brand positioning for The River District, a 1,400 master planned community in Charlotte, NC. Previously at Crescent Communities, Andrew held the positions of Director of Development (Land and Dispositions), Marketing Manager (Commercial), and Development Associate(Multifamily).
Prior to Crescent Communities, Andrew was the Vice President with Centurion Development, where he managed day to day activities and strategic growth for a Centurion’s Construction Technology Platform.
Andrew is an active volunteer with Room in the Inn, an initiative sponsored by the Urban Ministry Center of Charlotte that provides shelter to homeless during the winter months in Charlotte.
Andrew earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from UNC Chapel Hill, and a Masters degree in Real Estate Development from Clemson University.
Billy Beeson joined Crescent Communities in 2018 and currently serves as the Director of Pre-Construction for the West Region. Billy is responsible for all budgetary aspects of pre-construction and design for the Company’s Multifamily assets in the West Region.
Billy has over 22 years of progressively complex experience in the multifamily construction industry and has managed the pre-construction on over 11,000 units.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Billy was a Pre-Construction Manager at UDR and also held roles at Haselden Construction, The Hanover Company, and Tribble and Stephens.
Billy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from Louisiana State University. He is also certified as a LEED A.P.
Amy Bezanson joined Crescent Communities in 2016 and currently serves as Director of Design, responsible for elevating design across the Commercial, Multifamily, and Single-Family Build-to-Rent portfolios. She collaborates with development, construction, asset management and consultant teams to refine design solutions and craft initiatives to continuously improve our work and curate the appeal of our communities. With over twenty years of diverse experience touching all aspects of the building design process, Amy brings unique accountability by integrating this focus within the development and construction processes. Amy previously held the position of Director of Design and Development for the Commercial team, where she led design for communities such as Ally Charlotte Center, River District, and Elizabeth on 7th.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Amy spent 18 years practicing architecture, interior design, master planning, and urban design, on projects of varying scale and type. As an Associate and Lead Designer at MSTSD in Atlanta, GA, she guided teams on mixed use, office, retail, entertainment, multifamily, museum, adaptive reuse, higher education, and master planning designs. Amy also established her own freelance design consulting practice where her work focused on residential design, including custom homes, renovations, and small multifamily communities, as well as interior and graphic design projects.
Amy serves on the Board of Directors and Property Committee for The Pines at Davidson, a not-for-profit senior living community in Davidson, NC. She dedicates time to Charlotte Lab School (public charter) as a guest lecturer, STEM curriculum contributor, grant writer, and parent volunteer. She also led Crescent Communities' sponsorship of Project Scientist, an educational program created to engage and empower girls with a passion, talent, and aptitude for STEM. Amy also serves on several architectural design review boards and is a regular guest speaker, panelist and design juror for industry associations, conferences, and schools.
Amy is a registered architect, NCARB certificate holder, LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design + Construction, Fitwel Ambassador, and a member of the American Institute of Architects. Amy earned a Master of Architecture degree from Clemson University where she was awarded the AIA Medal for Academic Excellence and studied abroad at the Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies in Genoa, Italy. Amy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture with highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, including City and Regional Planning certificates of minor study specializing in Urban Law and Land Development.
Blake Bickmore joined Crescent Communities’ Commercial team in 2019 and currently serves as Director of Development. Blake is responsible for designing, entitling, financing, and executing commercial development across the Southwest. Blake previously held the position of Development Manager, Commercial.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Blake was a Finance Manager with The Dilweg Companies where he closed over $120 million of value-add office acquisitions. Blake started his career as a Project Manager for REEF Capital Partners. While at Reef Capital Partners, he managed the exit of more than 20 distressed assets.
Blake is an active member of TREC, NAOIP, ULI, Project Destined and sits on an advisory board for The Salvation Army.
Blake received his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Brigham Young University.
Justin Cislo joined Crescent Communities in 2019 as an Asset Manager over the east coast multifamily portfolio. He was promoted to Sr. Asset Manager and is now the Director of Asset Management and continues to oversee the east coast communities. Justin is responsible for the performance of the communities and oversees the on-site operations, lease up strategies, extensive training of the third-party property management groups, while maximizing financial returns.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Justin worked for Alliance Residential overseeing assets in the Houston, TX market. He has also worked for Greystar, UDR and Windsor. Justin has successfully overseen the lease-up of 20+ apartment communities for disposition.
Justin is a Certified Property Managers (IREM) and attended State University of New York at Buffalo where he received a bachelor of Arts in Film Studies.
Greg Coolidge joined Crescent Communities in March 2015 and currently serves as the Director of Design Coordination, Construction. Greg is responsible for assembling and managing our design team’s through the design process. Greg also helps to coordinate Crescent’s Standards, Quality Control and National Agreements. Greg previously held the position of Senior Design Coordination Manager.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Greg spent 20 years in Architecture, primarily in Contract Administration and Project Management roles, and was Associate Partner at Starr Design prior to joining Crescent. His project experience includes multifamily, office, hotels, public exposition parks/museums, renovations, and restaurant/retail upfits.
Greg is an active member of the National Green Building Standard Consensus Committee which helps to update the NGBS Certification requirements. He also holds two certifications through the Construction Specifications Institute as a Construction Document Technologist and a Certified Construction Contract Administrator.
Greg graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Design in Architecture with a Minor in Business Administration, and also a Masters of Building Construction.
Marty Davis joined Crescent Communities in 2021 and currently serves as Director of Land Development for The River District. Marty is responsible for the implementation of all horizontal infrastructure and transportation improvements, as well as site planning and development within the district. Marty’s land development, planning, entitlement and infrastructure career spans 25+ years, primarily in the Charlotte region, working for some of the regions most accomplished land developers and homebuilders.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Marty held the position of Land Entitlement Manager for DR Horton’s Charlotte, NC office. Prior to that, he served as Director of Entitlement & Development for MI Homes, where he was instrumental in the entitlement, engineering and development approvals in support of a 500 lot annual pace for the Charlotte region. Marty also spent over six years with Pappas Properties, managing all aspects of the Berewick project in Charlotte, a 1,000 acre mixed-use development entitled for 2,500 residential units, 250k sf of retail space and 300k sf of office.
Marty earned his Bachelor of Science cum laude in Construction Science and Management from Clemson University.
Ricky De Camps joined Crescent Communities in 2021 and currently serves as Director of Development. Ricky is responsible for leading through all the design, entitlements and execution efforts for the company’s multifamily and mixed-use developments across the state of Florida.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Ricky was a Development Director at Cypress Real Estate Advisors where he successfully managed the development and completion of over 1,100 luxury multifamily units with more than $450M of combined development budgets across Texas and Florida.
Ricky is an active member of Urban Land Institute, and National Multi housing Council. Ricky previously served as a Board Member for the Real Estate Council of Austin and served for 3 years on the City of Austin Zoning Board of Adjustments.
Ricky earned a Masters in Real Estate from Georgetown University and Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from Florida State University. Ricky is also a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Florida and Texas.
Pam Dotson-Starling joined Crescent Communities in 2006 and currently serves as the Director of Risk Management, Accounting. Pam is responsible for risk and compliance matters, including insurance, internal audits, safety, the company’s anonymous report line, and its Code of Business Ethics. Pam coordinates the company’s insurance program, collecting and reporting insurable asset data and serving as the company liaison with its insurance broker. Pam also manages the company’s operational and compliance audit strategy, conducts various process, control, and safety audits company-wide, and reports back to the Leadership Team as needed. She provides oversight of the company’s safety program and coordinates periodic safety training.
Previously at Crescent Communities, Pam held the positions of Director of Internal Audit and Safety Compliance and Internal Audit Manager.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Pam spent 10 years at Duke Energy, which was Crescent Communities former parent company. She held various positions in the Audit Services department and was responsible for auditing Duke Energy’s operations as well as Crescent Communities’ subsidiary operations.
Pam is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the North Carolina Association for CPAs, and the Institute of Internal Auditors. Pam earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Clemson University.
Chris Edwards joined Crescent Communities in 2022 and currently oversees all construction management for the Single-Family Build-to-Rent platform as the Director of Construction. Throughout his career, Chris has supervised the development and construction of numerous single family subdivisions resulting in the successful completion of nearly 1,000 single family attached and detached homes.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Chris held senior leadership positions within John Weiland Homes for nearly two decades while most recently being a partner with Mallard Homes. Chris has 26 years of experience in the single-family residential construction space.
Chris earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology and Construction Management from East Carolina University.
Ruth Evans joined Crescent Communities in 2016 and currently serves as the Director of Finance and Capital Markets. Ruth is responsible for the capitalization, closing and disposition of our developments in the West region.
Previously at Crescent Communities, Ruth held the positions of financial analyst and finance associate.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Ruth was a loan analyst at B2R Finance.
Ruth is a member of ULI and was a member of Community Building Initiative’s Leaders Under 40 (LU40) program.
Ruth earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Financial Management with a minor in accounting from Clemson University.
Dan Gualtieri joined Crescent Communities in 2020 and currently serves as a Director of Development. Dan is responsible for sourcing and managing the development of new multifamily communities in the Carolinas.
Previously at Crescent communities, Dan held the position of Development Manager.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Dan was a Vice President of Development at Madison Capital Group, where he also focused on sourcing and managing the development of new multifamily communities in the Carolinas and Virginia.
Dan is an active member of NAIOP and the Urban Land Institute where he sits on the Innovation In Housing Council as well as the Charlotte Initiatives Council.
Dan earned his Bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and his Master’s degree from Cornell University.
Davette Harper joined Crescent Communities in 2011 and currently serves as Director of Administration.
Davette leads all administration and drives operational strategy, ensuring efficient and effective operations for the enterprise office and eight other regional offices. She serves as a key business partner, supporting the short and long-term needs of the Chairman & CEO alongside the Executive Committee. She focuses on strategic partnerships and events to foster new relationships and strengthen existing connections.
Previously at Crescent Communities, Davette held the positions of Special Events Associate and Sr. Manager of Administration.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Davette worked in property management as a Leasing & Marketing Specialist at Grubb Properties.
Davette holds a Real Estate Broker license in North Carolina and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications Studies with a minor in Marketing from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Alex Hondros joined Crescent Communities’ Commercial team in 2019 as Asset Manager and Acquisitions Director. Alex is involved in the asset management of the commercial office portfolio and acquisition of future office opportunities. Alex’s real estate experience includes valuation, leasing, asset management, acquisitions, and tax credit financing. During his career, he has worked on all major asset classes with a focus on office, mixed-use, and retail. Alex is heavily involved in the programming and leasing of Crescent Communities’ retail within our mixed-use commercial projects.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Alex held the position of Director of Finance and Acquisitions at The Menkiti Group based in Washington, DC and has previously held roles at Van Metre, Horizon Land Company and Cushman & Wakefield.
Alex is an active member of ULI, ICSC and NAIOP.
Alex earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Delaware in Finance and Economics.
Jeff Hosack joined the Crescent Communities team in 2020 as a Sr. Project Manager for Crescent Communities Construction and is currently a Project Executive for Crescent Communities Construction. Jeff is responsible for hiring, leading, and mentoring construction colleagues while overseeing multifamily communities currently under construction. Jeff ensures schedule adherence, building quality, accurate construction financial reporting, all while working to help grow our geographical reach.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Jeff with Samet Corporation for 12 years as a Project Executive. In his 40-year career Jeff has overseen the construction of 10 apartment communities with approximately 2,800 units, over 2 million SF of heavy industrial, light industrial and warehouse space. Additionally, Jeff has overseen the construction of several K-12 schools, country club clubhouses, hotels, and office buildings.
Jeff attended the University of Toledo where he received an associate degree in civil engineering technology and is a LEED Green Associate.
Butch Hopkins joined Crescent Communities in 2016 as General Superintendent. Butch oversees all company Multifamily and Commercial construction activity for all project superintendents.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Butch owned his own company, Robert Hopkins General Contractor, LLC. Prior to that, he was the VP of Construction for Beazer Homes in Charlotte, NC.
Butch is a member of Iredell County Home Builders Association. He is licensed in NC as a General Contractor.
Crescent Communities is a nationally recognized, market-leading real estate investor, developer and operator of mixed-use communities. We create high-quality, differentiated multifamily and commercial communities in many of the fastest growing markets in the United States. Since 1963, our development portfolio has included more than 59 multifamily communities, 21 million square feet of commercial space and 60 single family master-planned communities. Headquartered in Charlotte, Crescent Communities has regional offices in Washington, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. Our multifamily communities are branded NOVEL by Crescent Communities.
Ken Keefe joined Crescent Communities’ multifamily team in 2020 as Director of Development for Phoenix, AZ. Ken has more than 25 years of related real estate experience including work on the development of more than 10,000 multifamily units with total expected investment of more than $2 Billion. Ken is directly responsible for management of the Companies’ multifamily development activities in Phoenix, AZ.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Ken was a founding member and principal for KNR Partners, a developer of apartment communities in Southern California. Prior to forming KNR, he was the Group Vice President with Archstone where he managed multifamily development activities in Southern California and Phoenix. Ken also held positions in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for real estate development Companies owned at the entity level by Prudential Real Estate Investors and a wholly owned subsidiary of Lazard Frères.
Ken is an active member of the Arizona Multihousing Association and the Valley Partnership.
Ken is a CPA and earned his Bachelor of Science in finance and accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Amanda Kirkland joined Crescent Communities in 2020 and currently serves as Director of Financial Reporting.
Amanda is responsible for preparing the quarterly and annual GAAP financial statements, technical accounting research and the financial reporting close process. Previously at Crescent Communities, Amanda was the financial reporting manager.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Amanda was an Auditor for KPMG for 5 years.
Amanda is a certified public accountant and earned a Bachelor of Science in business Administration from William Jewell College and a Masters of Accounting from Vanderbilt University.
Meaghan Kroener Janson joined Crescent Communities in 2019 as part of the Texas development team and works on deal sourcing, client development, initial feasibility, and concept design through project development, construction, and disposition. She currently manages the development of a multi-family, high-rise project, NOVEL Turtle Creek, currently under lease-up in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Meaghan was the Director of Planning – Development with Streetlights Residential where she had full start to finish development responsibilities as well as focused initial deal feasibility efforts firm-wide. Prior to this role, Meaghan worked as an architect both in Washington, DC, and San Francisco with WRT Solomon ETC, Roma Design Group, and Torti Gallas & Partners, Inc.
Meaghan is highly active in the Urban Land Institute, sitting as Chair of the ULI Center for Leadership class of 2021 and sitting on the Steering Committee for the ULI DFW Urban Plan group. She also is a long-standing member of the Oak Lawn Committee.
Meaghan earned a Master of Business Administration from The Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame. Meaghan is a Licensed Architect and a LEED AP.
Eric Liebendorfer joined Crescent Communities in 2014 and currently serves as the Director of Development, Multifamily. Eric is responsible for multifamily investments in the Georgia region including the sourcing, entitlement, capitalization, design and execution of new multifamily and mixed-use developments.
Previously at Crescent Communities, Eric held the positions of Development Manager, Senior Development Associate and Development Associate.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Eric was a Senior Associate at Grubb Properties where he lead the company’s acquisitions of Value-Add multifamily communities across the Southeast.
Eric is a member of ULI, an alumni of ULI’s Center for Leadership, and a member of National Multi Housing Council.
Eric earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) from Elon University with a concentration in Marketing.
Justin Long joined Crescent Communities in 2022 and currently serves as Director of Development for Atlanta. Justin is responsible for sourcing new opportunities, due diligence, as well as leading teams through development activities for projects in the southeast.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Justin was a Senior Development Manager at Seefried Industrial Properties where he managed build-to-suit and speculative industrial projects in Georgia and Florida. Prior to this role he was Vice President of Development at North American Properties where he managed development and construction activities for the Avalon project in Alpharetta, GA.
Justin stays active in his local community through cleanups with Keep Roswell Beautiful and the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.
Justin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Real Estate and Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Georgia State University.
Jason Lotz Crescent Communities in 2019 and currently serves as the Director of Development, Multifamily. Jason is responsible for the development of Multifamily communities from concept to disposition in specific regions or cities. He currently oversees $360M in multifamily projects under construction in the Colorado market.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Jason was the Development Manager along with several leadership positions throughout the Bozzuto Group including Bozzuto Management and Bozzuto Construction.
Jason is a member of Urban Land Institute.
Jason earned a Master of Science degree in real estate development from the University of Maryland and Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Elon University.
Katie Maloomian joined Crescent Communities in 2015 and currently serves as Director of Development, Multifamily. Katie is responsible for leading multifamily and mixed-use development from land acquisition through project stabilization and asset sale, including entitlements, contract negotiations, financing, design, permitting and project execution oversight. Katie has led the development of over 2,000 apartment homes and 45,000 square feet of retail in the Carolinas. Previously at Crescent communities, Katie held the position of Development Manager from 2015 to 2019.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Katie managed over $300 million in multifamily redevelopment and repositioning investments for AvalonBay, a national apartment REIT, based in Arlington, VA. During her seven-year tenure, she held various roles in Redevelopment, Asset Management, and Investments, but primarily responsible for leading multifamily redevelopment and repositioning investments throughout Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Katie started her real estate career at AvalonBay, allowing her to build a professional foundation with an industry leading company.
Katie is active with ULI Carolinas as an Advisory Board member and Women’s Leadership Initiative member, she serves on the Board of Directors for Charlotte’s University City Partners as well as on the Government Affairs Committee of the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association. Katie was nominated in 2022 by City Council to serve on Charlotte’s Neighborhood Equity and Stabilization Committee where she is tasked with developing anti-displacement strategies and tools for protecting residents of moderate to high vulnerability of displacement.
Katie earned a Master of Science in Real Estate from the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of The South, Sewanee.
Jason Norvell joined Crescent Communities in 2005 and currently serves as Business Unit Controller, Single-Family Build-to-Rent. Jason is responsible for the division’s accounting, budgeting and reporting practices.
Previously at Crescent Communities, Jason held the positions of Business Unit Controller of the Residential Division and Assistant Business Unit Controller of the Commercial Division.
Jason has over 26 years combined accounting experience in real estate development. Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Jason served as Director of Finance for KB Home, one of the largest and most recognized homebuilding companies in the United States. There, he was primarily responsible for preparing annual and three-year business plans in addition to quarterly updates for a division with yearly revenues in excess of $150 million. Before transitioning into homebuilding, Jason was a senior auditor with Arthur Andersen of Dallas, Texas.
Jason is also a certified public accountant in North Carolina and a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).
Jason earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master in Professional Accounting degree, both from the University of Texas at Austin.
Linda Orr joined Crescent Communities in 1996 and currently serves as Business Unit Controller for the Commercial division. Linda is responsible for managing the Commercial Business Unit Accounting Team and all accounting aspects of commercial projects in retail, industrial, Value-Add Office and The River District. She manages and directs the complex accounting-related activities within commercial.
Previously at Crescent Communities, Linda has held the positions of Project Controller, Assistant Project Controller, Accountant, and Assistant Accountant for several business units.
Linda has been a Certified Public Accountant for 22 years and has been in real estate development for over for 26 years She is also active in the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the North Carolina Association of CPAs (NCACPA).
Linda earned a Bachelor of Arts degree Magna Cum Laude in Accounting from Belmont Abby College.
John Oxenfeld joined Crescent Communities in 2022 and currently serves as a Director of Design. John is responsible for overseeing and elevating vision, design, and details throughout all phases of the design and construction process to create dynamic and differentiated projects across Crescent’s multiple business units, including NOVEL and RENDER Multifamily, HARMON Single-Family Build-to-Rent, and Crescent Communities Commercial + Office.
Prior to Crescent Communities, John was a Senior Associate and Residential Discipline Lead with 505Design, a multi-disciplinary design firm of architects, interior designers, and environmental graphic designers who specialize in retail, mixed-use, and residential projects across the United States. During his time at 505Design, John’s work was nationally recognized and awarded by several organizations including the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Innovating Commerce Serving Communities (ICSC – formerly International Council of Shopping Centers). In 2021, John was recognized in the ICSC’s 40-under-40.
John is a licensed Architect in the state of North Carolina and holds an NCARB Certificate.
John earned a Master of Architecture, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, from Clemson University where he studied abroad in Genoa, Italy.
Anthony Parker joined Crescent Communities in 2022 and currently serves as the Director of Development, Industrial for the Commercial team. Anthony is responsible for overseeing the planning, design, and construction of industrial development projects across the southeast.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Anthony was the Director of Development for the McCraney Property Company and the Silverman Group. Anthony also held positions at the SunCap Property Group and the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. Anthony is a veteran of the US Army having served as a Carpentry and Masonry Specialist on humanitarian and combat support projects across the globe.
Anthony is a member of ULI.
Anthony earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management and Master of Science degree in Real Estate and Development from Auburn University.
Lisa Phocas joined Crescent Communities in 2015 and currently serves as the Director of Stewardship. Lisa is responsible for leading ESG strategy (environment, social, and governance), overseeing sustainability and wellness initiatives across the portfolio, and managing company-wide community engagement efforts. Lisa previously held the position of Director of Marketing with Crescent Communities and led branding and marketing initiatives of the single-family residential business.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Lisa was the Corporate Marketing Manager with Eastwood Homes.
A lifelong environmentalist, Lisa served on the board of directors for Sustain Charlotte for six years, three of which as the board chair. She is currently a board member for the Catawba Lands Conservancy and serves on the ULI Greenprint Committee. Additionally, Lisa is certified as a Fitwel Ambassador, LEED AP, WELL AP, and maintains her real estate and general contractors’ licenses in the state of North Carolina.
Lisa earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Toledo, Ohio.
Shep Reynolds joined Crescent Communities in 2019 and currently serves as a Project Executive for Crescent Communities Construction.
Shep is responsible for thought leadership, hiring, mentoring, and expanding the geographical reach of our construction teams. He oversees mixed-use and multifamily projects to ensure adherence to schedule, budget, and quality. Shep ensures our residents, tenants, and partners enjoy the premium experience that Crescent Communities delivers.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Shep was a project/preconstruction manager, Barnhill Contracting Company. In his 17 years of experience in the industry he has been involved in the design consulting or construction project management for over 25 cultural, higher education, K-12, commercial, and multifamily projects from the United Arab Emirates to Charlotte.
Shep holds the following certifications LEED AP, CBI LU40 Class11. He attended Davidson College where he received a Bachelor of Arts in History and North Carolina State University where he received a Masters in Architecture.
Laurie Rogers joined Crescent Communities in 2012 and currently serve as Business Unit Controller for Multifamily. Laurie is responsible for managing the Multifamily Accounting Team that consists of ten Project Controllers. Laurie oversees the accounting of 21 multifamily projects, which includes over 6,600 units that are currently under development, 21 project being pursued, 4 operating properties, 8 regional offices, and Crescent Communities Construction Company.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Laurie served as Vice President of Financial Operations for Crosland, LLC and has also worked as an auditor for KPMG.
Laurie has been a Certified Public Accountant for 38 years and has been in real estate for 25. She has been involved in over 100 deals in Multifamily, Commercial, Mixed Use and Land Development.
Laurie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Clemson University, Magna Cum Laude.
Jennifer Sharabba joined Crescent Communities in 2010 and currently serves as Director of Development for the Commercial division. Jennifer has been involved in all aspects of the development process including land acquisition, entitlement, permitting, construction, leasing,
asset management and disposition. Jennifer has monetized 650 acres of land and handled more than $850 million in leasing, acquisition, and disposition transactions. She has also negotiated more than 2 million square feet of lease transactions, developed seven office buildings, three industrial facilities and managed construction projects totaling more than $400 million dollars. Previously at Crescent Communities, Jennifer held the positions of Vice President and Director of Leasing for commercial projects.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Jennifer served as Vice President of Equity Partners for 12 years, a boutique full-service brokerage and development firm headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
Jennifer is an active member of the University of Florida Advisory Board for the Bergstrom School of Real Estate and a member of C.R.E.W. (Commercial Real Estate for Women). Jennifer also serves as a leader in Crescent Communities Cares, an outreach initiative supporting local charitable collaborations. She is a frequent volunteer at both the Humane Society of Charlotte and Lake Norman Humane Society.
Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate and also in Small Business Management Entrepreneurship from Florida State University. She has held a Florida Real Estate Brokerage License since 1998.
Ben Watt joined Crescent Communities in 2016 and currently serves as Senior Marketing Director. Ben oversees all marketing and communications strategies, creative development and roll out as it pertains to the company’s Multifamily business objectives, including the NOVEL and RENDER community portfolios. With a focus on consumer engagement and creative solutions, Ben has successfully managed the lease up of more than 25 Crescent Communities’ owned assets across the country. At Crescent Communities, Ben previously held the positions of Director of Marketing (East Region).
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Ben was the Director of Digital Strategy at NASCAR, overseeing the digital product suite. Prior to NASCAR, Ben was a Director at the full-service creative agency, Mythic, where he supported Crescent Communities resort business as well as worked on clients including Wells Fargo, Ally Bank and Symantec. Ben brings a wealth of knowledge with numerous marketing leadership roles on the corporate and creative agency sides of the business.
Ben is a member of the Charlotte American Marketing Association’s inaugural Emerging Leadership Cohort, helping further the business impact of marketing initiatives for companies and communities alike. Ben earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Appalachian State University with a double minor in International Business and Spanish.
Simcha Ward joined the Crescent Communities team in 2022 as a Director of Development in the Charlotte, NC market. Simcha oversees the development of multifamily communities in North Carolina and Tennessee from concept to disposition. He currently manages the development of NOVEL Ballantyne, NOVEL University Place, NOVEL Carson, and RENDER Manchester Farms.
Prior to joining Crescent Communities, Simcha was a Senior Development Manager with Laurel Street Residential where he secured over $100MM in public financing commitments that contributed to the development of over 500 units of affordable housing in North Carolina and Georgia using a combination of local, state, and federal incentive programs. Additionally, Simcha worked for Wisznia | Architecture+Development as a Development Project Manager and CallisonRTKL as a Senior Designer.
Simcha attended Tulane University where he received both a Bachelor and Master of Architecture degrees and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council. Simcha is a licensed architect with a passion for design and is a member of Urban Land Institute & American Institute of Architects.
Fran West joined Crescent Communities in 2022 and currently serves as Director of Development for Special Projects on the Commercial team. Fran is responsible for leading development projects in the southeast, advancing the River District’s employment district, and assisting with strategy development and execution across the portfolio with economic development entities, municipalities, and commercial real estate partners. Her focus is on ensuring that the Crescent Communities Commercial team is the partner of choice and trusted solution provider in the communities in which we work.
Prior to Crescent Communities, Fran was Assistant Economic Development Director at the City of Charlotte where she led the business recruitment and retention team. Her team set record accomplishments with the creation of over 16,000 jobs and over $1.4B in new investment in Charlotte over a 3 year period. In addition, she focused on multi-faceted public private partnership development projects. Prior to the City, Fran worked for the University of Tennessee Knoxville to develop and execute its strategic capital investment plan as well as with Kimley Horn and Associates leading complex infrastructure projects.
Fran is a member of both CREW Charlotte and ULI. She is actively involved with volunteering in her children’s school and sports communities.
Fran earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Clemson University and holds her professional engineering license in the state of North Carolina.
