and biggest cheerleader. Don is tireless in creating an environment and culture in which all teammates are empowered, focused, and energized. This desire is founded upon his teachings at the Naval Academy and the College of William and Mary (MBA) and his services within both the submarine and special operations communities. While there is A Bit More About Don below, here are five things we think you should know about him...
Don is native to the Washington DC area and after graduating from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering he continued with post-graduate studies in atomic theories and qualified as a nuclear engineer while stationed onboard the ballistic missle submarine USS Lewis and Clark. He then served within our special operation forces, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, for three years before resigning his commission. He went on to earn an MBA from the College of William and Mary with a focus on finance. After turning away from the lure of Manhatten, he immediately took to the commercial real estate industry by consulting with major retailers such as Hair Cuttery, Gap, and Limited to guide them in their real estate selection process and define their total cost of ownership for each site. Over the ensuing years, Don served as an Investment Officer for the publicly traded REIT, Regency Centers, whereby he oversaw the development teams located on the eastern seaboard. During this tenure, he developed properties located in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and South Florida. These investments required the formation and adherence to a variety of joint ventures with both institutional investors such as CalSTRS, CalPERS, OPERF, and USAA, as well as a multitude of local project level ventures. After ten years, he accepted an offer as a general partner and the Chief Operating Officer of the regional mixed use development firm, Metropolitan Partnership, Ltd., which developed the critically acclaimed historic mixed use tower known as "10 Light Street" featuring the Under Armour Performance Center and the repurposing of the historic Alexander Brown & Sons Investment Bank building in Baltimore, MD.
