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.
Board Chairperson
Director, Construction and Development, Rooney Properties
Greg Hoffman is the Director for Construction and Development of development firm Rooney Properties based in Arlington, VA.
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.
Director, County of Fairfax, Office of Community Revitalization
Barbara Byron heads an office charged with the revitalization of the Fairfax County’s older commercial and mixed-use areas, including leading the county’s efforts to redevelop Tysons into a pedestrian oriented urban environment.
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.
Founding Partner, Hassinger Real Estate Development Services
Additional Roles: Adjunct Faculty, Real Estate DevelopmentMark S. Hassinger is an adjunct faculty member within the Masters in Real Estate Development program in the Costello College of Business at George Mason University.
Partner, The Christopher Companies
Craig Havenner retired as President, but remains Partner, in a locally owned and operated residential and commercial building and development company based in Oakton, Virginia.
Senior Vice President, ECS Mid-Atlantic LLC
Bryan C. Layman is Vice President for ECS Mid-Atlantic. A Professional Engineer registered in several states and the District of Columbia, and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional, he is a Principal Engineer who manages geotechnical and construction materials testing services for ECS in the City of Alexandria and Southern Maryland.