Multifamily Southeast Summit

As President and CEO, Dionne establishes and manages the overall strategic direction, operations, and growth of the company and has more than 25 years of experience in real estate development, finance, and operations. Dionne also serves as President of LSA Management, a property management company serving Laurel Street’s development properties. Prior to founding Laurel Street, Dionne served as Senior Vice President at Crosland and led the company’s affordable housing development and multifamily operations. Previously, she managed investments at NewSchools Venture Fund and Earnest Partners and built her skills in strategy, organization, and operations as a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Dionne began her career in financial services as an Investment Banking Analyst at Salomon Brothers. Dionne serves on the Board of Directors for Cousins Properties (NYSE: CUZ) and the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) and as a Director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond – Charlotte Branch. She is also a member of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council (CELC) and the Real Estate Executive Council (REEC). Dionne is a Trustee for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and a member of the National Advisory Board for the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing. She also serves on Renaissance West Community Initiative’s Advisory Board and Real Estate Committee and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Childress Klein Center for Real Estate Advisory Board. Dionne was also named 2023 Charlotte Woman of the Year for exceptional service and exemplary leadership. Dionne earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Spelman College.

Jackie is the Chief Executive Officer of Pegasus Residential. Jackie, who has been with Pegasus Residential for 14 years, has held multiple positions within the company, showcasing her diverse skill set and commitment to its success. She began her career as a Sales Operations Support Specialist and has since climbed the ranks to various leadership roles, including Property Manager, Regional Manager, Marketing Associate, Director of Training, Director of New Business, Vice President of Operations and most recently, Chief Strategy Officer. In her role as Chief Strategy Officer, Jackie has demonstrated her ability to drive significant change, bringing innovative solutions to technology and operational best practices. She has also played a key role in directing the company's Operational strategies, Marketing and Learning and Development departments.

Denise Cleveland-Leggett is the Southeast Region Administrator of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s largest region in the nation. Based in the Atlanta Regional Office, she oversees HUD programs and operations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Southeast Region consists of twelve field offices and approximately 840 employees. As the Regional Administrator she oversees and coordinates with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development annual funding of over $519 million, multifamily and public housing funding of $5.3 billion and single-family housing insurance in force of over $236 billion across the southeast region. Prior to the appointment in July 2017 as the HUD Region IV Regional Administrator, Denise Cleveland-Leggett, garnered over thirty years of combined extensive leadership and legal experience in the public and private sectors while also being actively involved as a business and community leader in Atlanta. An accomplished corporate lawyer she represented various healthcare clients in transactional and regulatory matters, including multi-million-dollar hospital acquisitions, hospital and physician contract negotiations, and clinical integrations, as well as, assisting in resolving and defending matters, such as Antitrust and Employment Law, including discrimination. Considered an expert in her field she was called upon to address varying Healthcare related issues, Stark Law, Fraud and Abuse, employment, commercial leases and complex litigation matters. Additionally, she served as transaction co-counsel on multi-million-dollar tax-exempt bond issuances to finance capital projects while also serving as a member of the Litigation team on Anti-Trust, Qui-Tam and successfully representing clients on State Ethics matters before the Georgia State Ethics Commission. Denise Cleveland-Leggett is a strong advocate for fair treatment of women and served with distinction on the Georgia Commission for Women, Georgia State Ethics Commission, State Personnel Oversight Commission and Council for the Hearing-Impaired Legal Clinic, Co-Counsel. She values service and educational literacy not only within her profession but also to the community at large as she served on several non-profit boards, including chairing Literacy Action, Inc. which seeks to remedy Adult Literacy. She is a member of the American Bar Association, American Health Lawyers Association, Georgia State Bar Association and National Employment Lawyers Association. Additionally, Denise Cleveland-Leggett was honored with the 2009 State Bar of Georgia’s Justice Robert Benham Award for exemplary and unparalleled Community Service and was recognized in Who’s Who in Black Atlanta. She is also a 2019 graduate of The Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA, Executive Education, Senior Managers in Government Certification Program. A graduate of Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts (J.D., 1984) and Oakwood College, Huntsville, Alabama (B.A., 1981) she is married to Dr. Christopher J.W.B. Leggett, Interventional Cardiologist and they are the proud parents of two wonderful children Alexandria and Christopher II.

He has spent his career operating, investing, and managing institutional real estate in executive roles on behalf of private equity funds, publicly traded REIT's and operating companies. He is passionate about the intersection of how people live, how they thrive and how real estate can be a facilitator for human interaction and growth. His career has spanned over ~$5.4 billion of real estate within development, acquisitions, and dispositions. His experience ranges from boards of directors, investment committee member, institutional portfolio management, sourcing/structuring/closing real estate transactions, corporate finance and direct oversight of management operations. Prior to Akara Partners, he served as President of Ollie, Vice President at LaSalle Global Partner Solutions and Vice President at Fortress Investment Group. Gregg is a member of the CFA Society of Colorado and is a CFA charter holder. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Linfield University. He is an Eagle Scout and has served on not-for-profit boards.

Vicki Lundy Wilbon is a Principal and President of Real Estate with The Integral Group LLC (Integral), an Atlanta-based real estate development and investment management firm. In this capacity, she plays a significant role in developing corporate policy and driving execution towards the successful accomplishment of strategic goals. Ms. Wilbon also serves as President of Integral's Community Development Division. She is responsible for the day-to-day management of the firm's redevelopment initiatives, many executed through public/private partnerships. Integral has distinguished itself in the marketplace by completing some of the nation's most successful and transformative residential and mixed-use developments through thoughtful and innovative master planning and implementation. Ms. Wilbon has worked extensively in the Real Estate development industry for over thirty-five years. Under Ms. Wilbon's leadership, Integral has amassed a multi-family development portfolio of nearly $700 Million. Through her experience in "place- making" and multi-phased redevelopments, she has managed every aspect of comprehensive development programs including master planning with community participation, managing public/private partnerships, inspiring creative design, and developing and implementing innovative financing structures. Ms. Wilbon has mastered the use and layering of federal, or other public funds, with private equity, conventional debt, and other funding sources. She has structured and implemented numerous urban revitalization projects and developed strong relationships with institutional debt and equity providers. Ms. Wilbon serves on the Saint Joseph Health System (Atlanta) Board of Directors, the Georgia State University Honors College Board of Advisors, and the Board of Directors of Reinvestment Fund.

Noah is responsible for sourcing, structuring, and executing investments and new developments on behalf of the company. Noah also oversees company operations and the growth of new platforms. Prior to joining the firm, Noah founded Alt+H Capital, focusing on hotel bridge liquidity and apartment hotel investments and advisory. Noah was previously Managing Director | VP of Real Estate Investments at Domio, an apartment hotel operator where he built and led the Real Estate Investments team and oversaw the company’s expansion strategy. Prior to Domio, Noah was a director of acquisitions at Angelo Gordon, a $32 billion AUM alternative investment manager in New York. At Angelo Gordon, he was responsible for sourcing and closing real estate transactions in North America and Western Europe as part of the firm’s $1 billion net lease real estate fund. Before joining Angelo Gordon, Noah worked for Bank of Texas, where he originated, underwrote, and closed commercial real estate loans as well as co-launched the bank’s national seniors housing lending business. Noah started his career at MMA Realty Capital, where he was a senior analyst in the proprietary capital group. Noah received a B.B.A. degree from Emory University Goizueta Business School and an M.B.A., with honors, from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Noah is a CFA Charterholder. Noah loves travel, anything ocean-related, adding to his Scotch collection, and spending time with his wife, Casey, and sons Nash and Bowie. Noah serves as an Advisor to Rockval, Inc., and is an active member of the Weill Cornell Children’s Health Council.

Mr. Ferguson joined Waterton in 2016 and serves as executive vice president, operations. In this role, he is responsible for the oversight and direction of the firm's multifamily operations across the United States. Mr. Ferguson has over twenty years of experience in multifamily operations, beginning his career at the site level before working in various regional and executive leadership roles. Prior to joining Waterton, he held several positions at Related Management Company and, prior to that, Village Green Management Company. Mr. Ferguson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oakland University in Rochester, MI. He is a licensed Real Estate Managing Broker in Illinois and Employing Broker in Colorado.

Karen Key is a Division President and leads the Southeast region for Asset Living’s conventional portfolio. She has worked in the industry for over 20 years, gaining experience and expertise in new developments and lease-ups, value-add and repositions, and build-to-rent housing at companies like RangeWater, ZRS, and Greystar. At Asset Living, her goals include driving property operations and assisting clients in evaluating existing and potential investments while cultivating a culture that fosters engaged team members. ‍ Karen is an Executive Certified Property Manager (CPM) through the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), past president of the IREM Georgia Chapter, 2022 recipient of the J. Wallace Paletou Award from the IREM Foundation, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Administration and Business Management from Georgia Southern University. When Karen is not in the office, she enjoys traveling, being on the lake, and trying new foods. A fun fact about Karen is that she is a Tennessee Volunteers fan.

Sarah Witte is an Associate on FCP’s Asset Management team covering the Atlanta market. Prior to joining FCP, Sarah was on the Investments team at Equity Residential providing asset management and acquisitions support for Equity’s DC-area portfolio. Before Equity Residential, Sarah began her career at Wells Fargo Commercial Real Estate where she worked on the REIT Finance, Real Estate Banking, and Hospitality Finance teams. Sarah graduated from Emory University where she earned a BA in Economics with a concentration in Financial Economics and a BA in Spanish.

Earlier this year Mel was elected the new CEO of Geheber Lewis Architects. GLA is a mid-size architecture firm focused on developing quality relationships with Multi-Family developers that stand the test of time – just like our buildings. GLA was founded by Alan Lewis & Fred Geheber on 8/8/1988 here in Atlanta GA and since then have strategically established offices in Chicago and Denver. GLA is obsessed with all things Multi-Family and proudly work in nearly all sectors of the MF market including, private market-rate apartments, senior housing, student housing and have a particular passion for our work in the affordable housing market. Mel is originally from Philadelphia PA, where she earned her Bachelors of Architecture degree from Thomas Jefferson University. She currently resides in Roswell GA with her husband and two children.

Kristen Proctor is the Owner and Principal Designer of Edge & Ethos Designs, a luxury interior architecture and design firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Florida A&M University and a Master of Arts in Interior Design, with a concentration in Interior Architecture and Design, from George Washington University’s Corcoran College of Art and Design. After a successful seven-year career in politics and policy work, Kristen transitioned to the field of interior design in 2014. She gained experience working with industry leaders in hospitality design, multi-family design, and luxury senior living design, honing her ability to balance beauty and function. In 2021, Kristen established Edge & Ethos Designs, driven by the belief that design should be impactful, transformative, inspiring, and healing. Her firm specializes in residential, hospitality, multi-family, and senior living design, creating tailored concepts that reflect their clients’ lifestyle and aesthetics. Under Kristen’s leadership, Edge & Ethos Designs is committed to cultivating purpose through design, providing solutions that marry great design with professional expertise.

Tim Klespies is a Senior Director at George Smith Partners and is responsible for debt and equity advisory and placement across all asset classes and situations. Tim has a 20+ year track record in banking and was most recently a Managing Director at KeyBanc Capital Markets. During his time at Key, Tim was responsible for structuring and syndicating various real estate transactions, including project finance, as well as corporate credit facilities. As a senior syndicator, he has worked on over $80 billion in syndicated deal volume, in both the public and private real estate markets, covering various transaction structures, including secured, unsecured and structurally subordinate facilities. Throughout his career, Tim has demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering strategic financial solutions and fostering client relationships. His extensive tenure in banking reflects his deep expertise and dedication to the real estate finance industry. Mr. Klespies graduated from Grove City College with a degree in Finance.

Michael Mazurk is currently serving as The Director of Multifamily at QXO. Mr. Mazurk and his team focus on providing commercial and residential roofing, siding, windows, decking, insulation, specialty lumber, waterproofing, and air barrier systems to the North American building industry. Mr. Mazurk is responsible for the Multifamily, Senior Living and BTR segments as well as the national account relationships within. He and his team work directly with Owners, Architects, General Contractors, Installers and Manufacturers. Mr. Mazurk brings over 20 years of building material experience in sales, distribution, import and manufacturing. Mr. Mazurk and his team strive to be involved with the value chain in the full life cycle of the build to save time, manage work more efficiently, and enhance their businesses. Their goal is to ensure proper specification, installation and supply of the materials while working in partnership through the value chain to mitigate risk and drive value to all parties involved.

Taylor Jones serves as President and Chief Technology Officer of Elauwit Connection Inc., where he oversees technology strategy, infrastructure deployment, and service delivery across the company’s expanding national footprint in the multifamily housing sector. With expertise spanning DevOps, network engineering, strategic sales, and operations, Taylor has been a leader in delivering exceptional service and value to his multifamily owner/operators. He is a BICSI RCDD and holds a degree from the University of South Carolina and the Moore School of Business. Elauwit Connection drives increased property value and NOI for multifamily communities by delivering seamless, property-wide managed WiFi that enhances the resident experience and supports smart-building initiatives.