11/30/2023

Each month, Nareit highlights recent executive career moves, board changes, and other notable individual achievements within the REIT and publicly listed real estate market.

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ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. (NYSE: ACR) said David Bryant, senior vice president, CFO, and treasurer, is retiring, effective Dec. 31. Bryant joined ACR as senior vice president, CFO, chief accounting officer, and treasurer in June 2006 and has played a significant role in the design and execution of the company's strategy, ACR said. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, Eldron Blackwell will succeed Bryant as senior vice president, CFO, and treasurer. Blackwell has served as vice president and chief accounting officer of the company since March 2014, leading the accounting and financial reporting functions.

Britt Snider
Britt Snider

Britt Snider has been appointed as executive vice president and COO of  COPT Defense Properties (NYSE: CDP), effective Dec. 1. Prior to joining COPT Defense, he served as principal of Redbrick LMD, a diversified real estate investment and development company based in Washington, D.C. Between 2006 and 2019, Snider served as executive vice president, head of commercial asset management and principal, development at JBG SMITH (NYSE: JBGS).

Chris Levendos
Chris Levendos

Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE: CCI) said Chris Levendos has been appointed as executive vice president and COO to lead both of the company’s operating segments, towers and fiber. In addition to his previous role as executive vice president and COO – fiber, Levendos has been acting as interim executive vice president and COO – towers since Oct. 1.

Chris Bilotto
Chris Bilotto

Diversified Healthcare Trust (Nasdaq: DHC) announced that Christopher Bilotto has been appointed president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2024. Bilotto is an executive vice president of The RMR Group (Nasdaq: RMR), overseeing portfolio management for all office, industrial, and retail properties managed by RMR and hotel and senior living asset management, as well as development and redevelopment across the United States. Prior to joining RMR in 2011, Bilotto worked at General Growth Properties in various management roles.

Bilotto succeeds Jennifer Francis who is retiring from RMR on July 1, 2024 and resigning from her executive officer positions at DHC and RMR, effective Dec. 31. Francis has been a member of DHC senior management since 2018 and a managing trustee of DHC since 2021. She will continue as a managing trustee of DHC.

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) said Candice Todd has been elected to join the board of directors effective Jan. 30, 2024. Todd served as managing director/global CFO of Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investments from 2019 until her retirement in February 2023.

InvenTrust Properties Corp. (NYSE: IVT) said Julian (Jay) Whitehurst has been unanimously appointed to chairperson of InvenTrust’s board. Whitehurst has been a director of the company since 2017, and most recently served as compensation chair. Previous Chairperson Paula Saban will remain on the board, serving on the compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees. Whitehurst previously served as president and CEO of NNN REIT, Inc. (NYSE: NNN).

NNN REIT, Inc. (NYSE: NNN) said Christopher Tessitore, executive vice president and general counsel, will retire effective Jan. 1, 2024. Gina Steffens will succeed Tessitore as executive vice president and general counsel. She was most recently CEO of PHM Brands.

Yael Duffy
Yael Duffy

Office Properties Income Trust (Nasdaq: OPI) said Yael Duffy has been appointed president and COO, effective Jan. 1, 2024. Duffy will continue to serve as president and COO of Industrial Logistics Properties Trust (Nasdaq: ILPT). She is also a senior vice president of The RMR Group (Nasdaq: RMR), overseeing asset management, leasing and property management for all office, industrial and retail properties managed by RMR.

Prologis, Inc. (NYSE: PLD) announced three new appointments to its executive committee: Carter Andrus as COO, Joseph Ghazal as chief investment officer, and Susan Uthayakumar, the company’s current chief energy and sustainability officer, effective Jan. 1, 2024. As part of the company’s long-term and ongoing succession planning, it also announced that Gary Anderson, the current COO, will move to a new role as senior advisor effective Jan. 1, 2024, and retire on June 30, 2024.

Joseph Ghazal
Joseph Ghazal

Andrus joined Prologis in 2008 and has held a number of leadership roles at the market, regional, and global level. Most recently, he served as global head of operations. Ghazal will lead all of the company’s global capital deployment strategy and execution as well as the investment committee. Meanwhile, Uthayakumar joined Prologis in January 2022 and led the development of the company’s net zero strategy, extending its leadership position in sustainability while accelerating Prologis’ growing renewable energy business.

Susan Uthayakuma
Susan Uthayakumar

David Nunes will be retiring as CEO and a member of the board of Rayonier Inc. (NYSE:RYN), effective March 31, 2024. Pursuant to a multi-year succession planning process led by the board, Mark McHugh, currently president and CFO, will become CEO and join the company’s board at that time. As part of the leadership transition, April Tice, currently vice president and chief accounting officer, will assume the position of senior vice president and CFO, effective April 1, 2024.

UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE: UMH) named George Kline as vice president of corporate security. Kline served 25 years with the New York Police Department. He held various ranks and positions in the patrol, narcotics, detective, and counterterrorism bureaus.