People on the Move: September 2015

Sheila Miller Named Head of NAHB’s Multifamily Group
Washington, D.C.—The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced that Sheila Miller has been named its new vice president of multifamily and 55+ housing. Miller has more than 20 years of experience in the multifamily housing sector. She joins NAHB after 17 years with Fannie Mae where she served as director of customer engagement and was responsible for the oversight, strategic direction and execution of the seniors housing loan production platform within the Fannie Mae Multifamily Mortgage Business. Previously, she was chief of staff for the executive vice president of Fannie Mae’s Multifamily Mortgage Business, where she was responsible for coordination and execution of division-wide strategic initiatives.
Hunt Mortgage Group Hires Trauben for Capital Markets

Jon Trauben

New York—Hunt Mortgage Group, a commercial real estate lender, announced that Jon Trauben has been hired to lead the firm’s capital markets effort. Trauben joins as a senior managing director and will focus on expanding Hunt Mortgage Group’s capital markets activities and its overall commercial lending business.

Trauben comes to Hunt Mortgage Group from Barclays where he was a managing director and held positions including head of large loan origination and head of subordinate debt origination and distribution. While at Barclays he was a senior member of the real estate finance group and was a participant in all major business decisions including hiring, business management, strategic growth and capital allocations.

Prior to Barclays, Trauben was with Cantor Fitzgerald & Company’s real estate finance business CCRE, where he was a managing director and head of capital markets and high yield real estate and loan syndications. In this role, he was a member of the senior management team which established all aspects of a newly launched CMBS lending business. Prior to Cantor, he was with Credit Suisse Group AG where he was a managing director and head of high yield real estate and loan syndications for the Americas. Earlier in his career, he was vice president at APC Realty Advisors and manager at Ernst & Young. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University.

Gables Residential Makes Key Hires
McLean, Va.—Gables Residential is continuing to expand its presence in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, and has made key hires in the Washington, D.C., and Boston markets.

Rick Morris joins the Gables team as regional vice president for Washington, D.C., and Boston. Prior to joining Gables, Morris worked for 20 years with AvalonBay Communities where he was responsible for new construction for both the West Coast and Mid-Atlantic regions. His resume includes the successful completion of more than 100 communities, totaling 27,000 units, and the renovation of more than 14,000 others. Morris is based in Gables’ regional office in McLean, Virginia.

Timothy Hutchinson joined Gables in Boston as area vice president of operations, where he will be responsible for the company’s new development and third-party management operations in the Boston area. With more than 25 years of multifamily management experience, Hutchinson served most recently as senior portfolio operations director for AvalonBay and was responsible for 10 communities in the New York City area. Previously, he managed operations for Archstone in New York and Boston.

Jennifer Ahern has been named community manager of Gables University Station, handling the leasing and property management aspects of this new community. With broad experience in the Greater Boston area, she brings extensive knowledge of the local multifamily market. Prior to joining Gables, Ahern was responsible for community management roles with both United Dominion Realty Trust and the Hanover Company.

Gables Residential delivered Gables University Station in Westwood, Massachusetts with the first move-ins in August. Gables entered the Boston market in 2010 with its third-party management business. Gables University Station is the company’s first ground-up development in the Boston market. Construction is underway on a second in Watertown. In the Washington Metropolitan Area, Gables Residential also delivered the final building at Gables Upper Rock in Rockville, Maryland. Plans for Gables Park Pointe in Arlington, Virginia, have been approved and construction is expected to be under way in early 2016. Work on the first phase of Gables Pike District in North Bethesda is also expected in 2016.

Kate Grasso

Campus Apartments Hires New Vice President Grasso

Philadelphia–Campus Apartments announced that Kate Grasso joined the company as vice president of leasing and marketing. In this position, Grasso will oversee the development and execution of comprehensive leasing and marketing plans for Campus Apartment’s new development, acquisitions and stabilized communities.

Grasso brings more than 18 years of leasing and marketing expertise in the multifamily and student housing industries to Campus Apartments. Prior to joining the company, Grasso served as vice president of sales and leasing for Peak Campus where she was responsible for the development and execution of leasing strategies and marketing initiatives. She also previously served as vice president of sales and marketing at Carmel Partners. Grasso earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Bryan Sullivan Joins The Habitat Company

Bryan Sullivan

Chicago—The Habitat Company, a multifamily property developer and manager, announced that real estate investment veteran Bryan Sullivan joined the firm as vice president of acquisition and investment. In his new role, Sullivan will be responsible for the development and execution of real estate investment strategies at The Habitat Company.

With more than 20 years of commercial real estate experience, Sullivan played a role in hundreds of transactions collectively valued at more than $1 billion. Previously, Sullivan served as managing director of acquisitions at Origin Capital Partners, where he oversaw all aspects of the real estate acquisition process relating to investments. During his tenure, Sullivan was responsible for sourcing, negotiating and acquiring more than $300 million of institutional quality, value-add properties and mortgage notes in the U.S.
Prior to joining Origin, Sullivan was a founding principal of Foresite Realty Partners where he supervised transaction underwriting, financing, due diligence, and asset management.

Sullivan holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and is founder of Spokes, an Illinois-based non-profit that provides social and professional resources to disadvantaged adults and families.