Meet the Leadership Team
Providing the highest level of guidance and support for the Center's mission, our Advisory Board is composed of principals and senior executives from leading real estate firms and organization in the Washington, D.C., area.
Center Leadership
Assistant Director, MS in Real Estate Development
Additional Roles: Adjunct Faculty, Finance; Manager of the Center for Real Estate EntrepreneurshipMay Abou Ghazaleh the assistant director of the Master's in Real Estate Development program, manager of the Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship, and an adjunct faculty member within the Finance Area in the Costello College of Business at George Mason University.
Executive Director, Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship
Additional Roles: Executive Director, Master's in Real Estate Development ProgramDavid Tarter is the executive director for the Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship (CREE) and Master’s in Real Estate Development Program.
Administrative Assistant, Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship and the Master’s in Real Estate Development
Cara Williams is the Administrative Assistant for the Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship (CREE) and the Master’s in Real Estate Development (MRED) program at the Costello College of Business.
Board Chairperson
Principal, Eyremount Investment Group
Roger Lin was the owner of Kinsey Properties, LLC and Managing Partner of Eyremount Investment Group, LLC, two small-scale real estate development firms in Northern Virginia he founded with his family. Since 2007 he has been investing in income producing properties and developable land in the Washington D.C. area.
Board Members
Senior Credit Officer CRE, Capital One
Sean Armah is the Senior Credit Officer covering the REIT, Subscription Finance, and Agency Warehouse lending businesses within the Commercial Real Estate group at Capital One.
Partner, Buchanan Partners, LLC
Brian S. Benninghoff is a principal at Buchanan Partners, LLC., one of the largest commercial real estate developers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Community Outreach Regional Manager for Northern Virginia, Virginia Housing
Kanesha Brown is the Community Outreach Regional Manager for Northern Virginia at Virginia Housing.
Policy Director for Fairfax County Chairman of the Board
Barbara Byron is a registered landscape architect who spent her career working for Fairfax County in real estate-related roles. Prior to her current position as Policy Director for Fairfax County Chairman of the Board Jeff McKay, Ms. Byron headed the division of the Department of Planning and Development charged with development review and entitlements; started the Office of Community Revitalization which focused on fostering redevelopment in seven activity centers within the county most in need of intervention; and served as Director of the Department of Planning and Development.
Executive Vice President, Skanska USA Commercial Development
Mark Carroll is the executive vice president for Skanska USA Commercial Development in the Washington, D.C. metro area. His responsibilities include the pursuit, acquisition, and execution of development projects.
Principal and Senior Planning Consultant, Bowman Consulting
Packie Crown has been a Principal and Senior Planning Consultant with Bowman Consulting, a multi-disciplinary engineering, planning, landscape architecture, environmental services, and surveying firm since 2007.
President, NVCommercial, Inc.
Stephen Cumbie is chief executive officer and principal of NVCommercial Incorporated, NVRetail and the Metro Realty group, commercial real estate investment, development and services companies which projects exceed $500 million completed or in process in the Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colorado metro areas.
COO, New Homes, Manafacuring and Van Metre Land, Van Metre Companies
COO, New Homes, Manafacuring and Van Metre Land, Van Metre Companies
Project Manager, Bowman Consulting
Lisa Gerben has 12 years of experience managing both internal and external teams to achieve shared business objectives.
Co-founder, Freedom Development
Colin Hart is the co-founder and Managing Director of Freedom Development, a commercial real estate investment company. Established in 2010, the Company provides equity capital to acquire and re-develop multi-family and mixed-use properties in and around the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.