Management Team Bios

Bryan F. Stern

Principal

Mr. Stern is a founding partner of Echelon Property Group with leadership responsibilities for all aspects of the company including business development, corporate strategy, operations, and client relations. In his previous role as founder of Baron Properties, Mr. Stern was responsible for corporate leadership, equity and debt sponsorship and acquisitions. At Baron, Mr. Stern acquired 30 properties valued over $450 million, deployed over $20 million in property repositions, executed over $24 million in condo conversion sales, and was involved in tax credit acquisitions, development, and note purchases. Mr. Stern created over $100 million of value for clients and investors at Baron. Prior to forming Baron Properties, Mr. Stern was responsible for acquisitions, due diligence and asset management and property management oversight with ProLogis, a global industrial property REIT. Previous experience also includes mortgage banking and construction. Mr. Stern received his MBA from the University of Denver with an emphasis in Real Estate and Construction Management and his B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado. Mr. Stern is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, Apartment Association of Metro Denver, as well as several industry associations. Mr. Stern is a Colorado licensed real estate broker.

Drake Powell

Principal

Mr. Powell is a founding partner of Echelon Property Group, with oversight responsibilities including all corporate and community operations, renovations, and asset management. Prior to forming Echelon, Mr. Powell was the Senior Vice President of Baron Properties for over 11 years, playing an integral role in managing the company's operations and capital deployment, including 30 acquisitions totaling more than $450 million, community renovation projects totaling more than $20 million, as well as creating and directing the management platform that expanded from its inception to managing over 4,500 units. Prior to his tenure at Baron Properties, Mr. Powell held District and Area Management positions at Lincoln Property Company and Equity Residential, where he started his career as a financial analyst. Mr. Powell is a Colorado native and holds a BA degree from the Colorado College. Mr. Powell is a past President of the Apartment Association of Metro Denver and is a Colorado licensed real estate broker.

Meredith Wright

Vice President - Operations

Ms. Wright is the Vice President of Operations for Echelon Property Group responsible for property operations, staff leadership, client relations and asset management. Prior to Echelon Property Group, Meredith acted as Vice President of Operations with Baron Properties for over 7 years responsible for all third party management operations and client development. Previous experience also includes 5 years of service with Legacy Partners including Regional Manager roles in both Northern California and Colorado. Meredith is a graduate of Colorado State University and is currently the Treasurer and Executive Committee member of the Apartment Association of Metro Denver.

Kim Hussey

Vice President - Financial Services

Ms. Hussey is responsible for all financial reporting, accounting, tax, cash management, and financial planning for Echelon and its communities. Prior to joining Echelon, Ms. Hussey was the Director of Operations and Finance for Medici Communities, a Denver-based developer of affordable housing communities. During her six years of tenure at Medici, Kim was responsible for all accounting, cash management, construction draws, investor reporting, audits and tax returns for all development projects. Her previous experience includes Controller for Columbine Country Club, Grant Manager for Englewood Public Schools and Accounting Manager for Laventhol & Horwath, where she was a licensed CPA. Ms. Hussey received her B.S. degree in Business with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of Northern Colorado.

Joe Saunders

Regional Property Manager

Mr. Saunders serves as Regional Property Manager and is responsible for the financial success and management of seven apartment communities across Colorado. Joe is a motivating team builder with over twenty years of business experience. He has been involved with lease-up, repositioning, asset management and supervising capital improvement projects of more than 12,000 apartment homes. Prior to joining Echelon Property Group, Mr. Saunders held executive leadership positions with such companies as Fairfield Properties, Carmel and Baron Property Services. As a trusted leader in the residential management community, Joe has received the Certified Property Manager (CPM®) designation as awarded by the Institute of Real Estate Management and received his BA degree from Saint Ambrose University. Mr. Saunders is a Colorado licensed real estate broker and an active member of AAMD.

Debbie DiFiore

Education Director

In her role as Education Director, Ms. DiFiore is responsible for all phases of training for all on-site team members. With over 20 years experience in property management, training and education, Debbie's influence has had an enormous impact on the quality and efficiency of our organization. With an extensive background in property management software, Debbie also coordinates the efficient training of Yardi software, software report customization and the management of the Echelon website and internet marketing strategies. Prior to her current position, Ms. DiFiore held marketing, training and auditing coordinator roles with Greystar, Maxx Properties, as well as on-site management positions at Archstone Communities and Vantex Realty Services.

Christine Graber

Assistant Controller

As lead accountant, Ms. Graber is responsible for the preparation, reconciliation and reporting of financial statements and related debt, tax, insurance and reserve accounting for a portfolio of over 20 apartment communities. Her role also includes cash management, compliance reporting, and audit coordination. Ms. Graber brings over 24 years of property management experience to her position, from on-site roles to information systems manager, project accountant and Assistant controller. Ms. Graber's varied experience has provided her the ability to understand each position within property management and has successfully transformed job processes and work procedures, training techniques and overall communication. With previous positions at Omni Properties, AIMCO and Anterra Management, Ms. Graber has accounting experience with REITs, condominium conversions, HUD, Tax Credit, and multi-phase properties including individual and consolidated financials.

Robin Gaugenmaier

Project Accountant

As project accountant, Ms. Gaugenmaier is responsible for financial statement preparation, reconciliation and reporting for a portfolio of over 14 communities. Ms. Gaugenmaier has over ten years accounting experience in several industries and is particularly skilled with computer software, database analysis, and reporting. Prior to her tenure at Echelon, Ms. Gaugenmaier was the Accounting Supervisor for Great Southwestern Construction for over 7 years. She provided leadership for the accounting department, produced financials, reconciled accounts, filed taxes, and supplied information for internal and external auditors. Ms. Gaugenmaier received a B.A from Sonoma State University and is a member of Construction and Financial Management Association (CFMA).

Connie Worth

Accounts Payable Coordinator

Ms. Worth is the Accounts Payable Coordinator for Echelon Property Group, where she is responsible for reviewing, approving and processing property payables, the coordination of contractor lien releases, reconciliation of vendor insurance certificates, submission of sales and use tax returns and issuance of year-end tax reporting for all Echelon properties. Ms. Worth has over 10 years experience in Accounts Payable, where prior to her most recent position as A/P Coordinator at Baron Properties, Connie was a Purchasing Contract & Accounts Payable Specialist at Berkley Homes and an Accounts Payable Manager at Equinox Group. She also has over 10 years experience as a junior accountant for various CPAs. Ms. Worth has an Associates degree in accounting from Northwest College in South Dakota.

Heather Hopkins

Operations Manager

As Operations Manager, Ms. Hopkins is responsible for all aspects of property and corporate operational support including resident relations. Prior to Echelon, Heather acted in the same capacity for Baron Properties for almost two years. Previous experience includes operational support positions at Delwest Homes and Cottages & Castles, and on-site leasing positions for Fairfield Development.

Linda Kirkwood

Regional Property Manager

Ms. Kirkwood serves as Regional Property Manager and is currently responsible of a portfolio consisting of six properties and 1,000 units. Her attention to detail, strong work ethic and hands-on management approach has enabled her to assemble strong teams and produce many financially successful properties over the course of her 20 years in the multi-family housing industry. Linda's previous experience includes regional manager positions with oversight responsibility of up to 2,500 units with several large management firms such as Maxx Properties, Simpson Property Group, Archon, and Greystar. Linda has a business degree from the University of Texas and is a Certified Property Manager (CPM®).

Erika Freeman-Daniels

Regional Property Manager

Ms. Freeman-Daniels serves as Regional Property Manager with a current portfolio comprised of seven properties totaling more than 900 apartments. During her five years with our organization, Erika has served in various capacities including General Manager and Mentor, and has assisted in the development and modification of training manuals. Her attention to detail, strong operational and Tax Credit background, and proven effective leadership make her a valuable member of the Echelon team. Erika's previous experience includes positions of District Property Manager at Omni Properties and Property Manager at Legacy Partners. Erika has earned her CAM and ARM designations. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree through Colorado State University.

Kinsey Tedford

Operations Assistant

Mrs. Tedford joined us in the Operations Department assisting the Operations Manager on a part time basis. Kinsey currently goes to school working toward her Bachelor's Degree as well as working here at Echelon. Kinsey's motivation and ability to learn quickly has been an asset to our team.