Team

Matt Shulman

CEO & Managing Partner | V-Card

Matt Shulman is the CEO and Managing Partner of The Ardent Companies (“Ardent”) and the CEO of each of the General Partner and the Advisor. Prior to forming Ardent, Matt Shulman was a Managing Director with Rialto Capital where he managed an origination platform for equity investments across Rialto’s strategies. In that role, Matt oversaw deployment of capital into deals varying from performing and non-performing loans, equity investments directly in real estate, and recapitalization of existing sponsors. Prior to Rialto, Matt was a founding partner at Fairway Capital Partners – a real estate investment firm founded in 2007.

He actively serves on the boards of the Atlanta Real Estate Collaborative in addition to serving as President of The Epstein School board. Matt formerly served on the boards of Open Doors Atlanta, Usher 1F Collaborative, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta ELC board. Matt is a member of YPO and a graduate of the Wexner Institute. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Arizona and a Master of Science in Real Estate Finance from New York University. After graduate school, Matt served as an adjunct professor of Real Estate Finance at his Alma Mater NYU.

Dror Bezalel

CFO & Partner | V-Card

Dror Bezalel is the Chief Financial Officer and Partner of The Ardent Companies, as well as the CFO of each of the General Partner and the Advisor. Prior to forming Ardent, Dror was a principal and COO/CFO at Anthem Capital Partners, a Georgia-based distressed debt real estate fund. His primary responsibilities included asset management, investor relations, and financial oversight and reporting. Prior to Anthem, Dror worked as the COO at Fairway Capital Partners, a New York-based distressed debt real estate firm. While at Fairway Capital Partners, he oversaw the servicing, management, and disposition of a portfolio of non-performing loans and assets, in addition to investor relations and day-to-day operations of the firm. Prior to Fairway Capital Partners, Dror was a senior CMBS underwriter at Morgan Stanley, where he underwrote more than two billion dollars of commercial real estate loans. Dror has been working in commercial real estate for more than 15 years and his experience includes commercial appraisal, commercial leasing, asset management, and disposition. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from The College of Management Academic Studies in Israel and a Master of Science in Real Estate Development and Finance from New York University.

Gregg Goldenberg

Vice Chairman & Partner | V-Card

Gregg Goldenberg is a Partner at The Ardent Companies. Prior to Ardent, Gregg was the former President and CEO of Acadia Homes & Neighborhoods, which was acquired by Taylor Morrison in January of 2016 for $85 million. Gregg has more than 25 years of experience in various leadership roles in the homebuilding and land development business. Acadia began operations in 2010, and by 2013 it was recognized as Atlanta’s 5th fastest growing privately-held company and ranked as the 10th largest homebuilder. Prior to Acadia, Gregg started his own development company that identified, entitled, purchased, and developed residential communities for regional builders and housing giants like Beazer Homes and the Ryland Group. Prior to starting his own venture, Gregg was Senior Vice President of the Southeast Region at Morrison Homes. He oversaw and managed all the land acquisition, homebuilding, and mortgage finance operations in Atlanta, Jacksonville, Orlando, Sarasota, and Tampa. Gregg and his management team closed over 2,100 homes for $510 million in revenue, and purchased over 4,000 residential lots in 2004. Gregg received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration in Real Estate Finance from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Todd Terwilliger

Partner | V-Card

Todd Terwilliger is a Partner at The Ardent Companies and the Head of Residential Real Estate. Prior to forming Ardent, Todd was a Managing Director at Rialto Capital where he and his team managed the Southeastern U.S. Real Estate portfolio. In addition to real estate operations, his team was also involved in all underwriting for non-performing loan acquisitions and direct real estate investments across Rialto’s platform. Prior to Rialto, Todd had a strategic partnership with Fairway Capital in a venture that acquired distressed loans from commercial banks secured by real estate throughout the Southeast. Before the venture with Fairway, he was Vice President of Land Acquisition and Development at Pulte Homes Corporation where he managed site selection, contract negotiation, and planning and forecasting for the Pulte and Del Webb branded communities. Todd received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology from the University of Dayton Ohio and a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University.

Thomas Olson

Partner | V-Card

Thomas Olson is a Partner at The Ardent Companies. Thomas focuses on platform partnerships, innovative strategies and capital markets. Prior to Ardent, Thomas was a Partner and CFO of Acadia Homes & Neighborhoods, a sister company of Ardent, where he directed the company’s financial strategies, corporate policies, risk management, and investments. Thomas has over two decades of experience in both building businesses and real estate investment. He has held leadership roles at notable firms such as Hines, Resource Real Estate Partners, and Warren-Hanks. Thomas serves on the Board of Directors of an Atlanta based homebuilding company, Direct Residential and niche medical technology company, ViveBio Scientific. Thomas is a Board Member of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Sports Network Advisory Board and an active contributor to the “Carter Samuel Martin Developmental Therapeutics Research Fund”. Thomas is a native of Apple Valley, Minnesota and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Corporate Finance.

Richard Benson

Managing Director | V-Card

Richard Benson is a Managing Director at The Ardent Companies in the London office.  He is responsible for deal origination, capital raising, and asset management for the UK operations.  As a qualified lawyer, prior to joining Ardent In January 2021, Richard was Deputy Head of Legal at the Battersea Power Station regeneration project in London where he oversaw the legal functions.  In addition to his legal role, Richard was also part of the Development and Leasing teams where he was responsible for managing and delivering all major commercial transactional work at the project including the landmark lease to Apple of 500,000 square feet of office space as well as the £1.6 billion ownership restructuring and refinance of the Grade II* listed Power Station.  Prior to Battersea Power Station, Richard trained and worked at major UK law firms Mishcon de Reya, Nabarro LLP (now CMS LLP), and Dentons.  Richard holds an LLB (hons) in Law and French from Nottingham Trent University and gained his LPC from BPP Law School.

Suzie Cooper

Managing Director | V-Card

Suzie Cooper is a Managing Director and the Head of Accounting at The Ardent Companies. Prior to joining Ardent in November 2021, Suzie worked for Henley Investments – a boutique private equity firm based in London – and spent over 15 years at Grosvenor Estates in a variety of finance roles focused on treasury and the investment portfolio. Suzie is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds a degree in Politics.

Michael DeGance

Managing Director | V-Card

Michael DeGance is a Managing Director at Ardent. Michael is responsible for investor relations, financial reporting, and fundraising. Prior to joining Ardent in November 2012, Michael worked at Morgan Stanley Real Estate Advisors, where he worked on a $10 billion open-end core real estate fund. In his role, he managed a team of associates on the financial and investor reporting for the fund. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Michael worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the assurance and advisory practice. Michael is graduate of the Terry School of Business at the University of Georgia where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in both Real Estate and Accounting.

Michelle Fowler

Managing Director | V-Card

Michelle Fowler is the Managing Director of Servicing at The Ardent Companies. Prior to joining Ardent in February 2015, Michelle was the Assistant Vice President of Special Assets at Synovus, a regional financial institution in Atlanta. In her role, she led a team that managed over $500 million in non-performing loans, managed the de-leasing efforts of the financial institutions’ REO assets, and handled all leased REO properties until disposition. She also worked out or disposed of a portfolio in excess of $100 million in non-performing loans and REO assets; workouts included loan restructuring, forbearance agreements, and collection efforts. She has more than 10 years of banking experience with a concentration in real estate construction lending and special assets management.

Mike Guynn

Managing Director | V-Card

Michael Guynn is a Managing Director at The Ardent Companies. Michael has 32 years of varied experience in commercial project management, land development, financial analysis, and distressed property turnaround. Prior to joining Ardent in January 2016, Michael served as EVP of Development for Valor Hospitality, Director of the Real Estate Group for Rialto Capital Advisors, President of Guynn Properties, Inc., and various leadership roles at Technology Park/Atlanta, Inc.   Michael served as a past Chairman of The Council for Quality Growth, Campaign Chair for United Way Gwinnett County, and on various boards including Gwinnett County Boys & Girls Club, Dunwoody Nature Center. He also assumed numerous roles at Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church and Pebble Tossers, Inc. Michael received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Furman University and a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University.

Andrew Hilston

Managing Director | V-Card

Andrew Hilston is a Managing Director at The Ardent Companies in the London office. He is responsible for deal origination, development, marketing, asset management and investment performance for UK operations. Andrew is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and is also a Chartered Town Planner. Andrew has over 20 years of client-side property experience at UK FTSE 100 REITs Landsec and Hammerson, as well as Brookfield. Prior to joining Ardent in January 2021, he was a member of the senior management team at the sovereign wealth backed Battersea Power Station development project. Andrew has extensive knowledge of Retail, Office and Residential asset classes as well as strategic land acquisitions and dispositions. He has been involved in a number of joint venture partnerships and corporate disposals. Andrew has a BSc (Hons) in Land Management and an MSc in Property Development from the University of Reading.

Chris Kelly

Managing Director | V-Card

Chris Kelly is a Managing Director at The Ardent Companies. Chris has 32 years of experience in commercial real estate credit and institutional asset management and has had direct responsibility for more than $12 billion in originations. Prior to joining Ardent in January 2020, Chris served as the Managing Director and Head of CRE Lending at Amherst Capital Management (“ACAM CRE”).  As a founding member, Chris  was responsible for all facets of the business including the development and execution of ACAM CRE’s middle market transitional lending strategy and well as the development and management of ACAM CRE’s institutional client base.  Prior to Amherst, Chris was the Managing Director and Head of Real Estate with CapitalSource, a division of Pacific Western Bank. During his 12-year tenure at CapitalSouce, Chris was responsible for all aspects of CapitalSource’s national CRE lending business, including the development and management of a 35-member, six office platform. Prior to CapitalSource, Chris was a Managing Director and founding member of Natixis (f/k/a CDC Mortgage Capital) where he was responsible for the origination of senior and mezzanine loans. Previous to this, Chris was with Lehman Brothers where he originated interim and permanent debt for the Fixed Income Group. Prior to Lehman, Chris spent over eight years in the real estate division of Heller Financial in Chicago and New York. At Heller, Chris was involved in numerous activities including the origination of a wide array of senior and mezzanine debt for all types of commercial real estate.   He is a member of various real estate organizations including CREFC, ULI, MBA, ICSC, WREAA and Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center. Chris is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a former board member for the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association.

Scott Werbel

Managing Director | V-Card

Scott Werbel is a Managing Director at The Ardent Companies. He is responsible for Real Estate acquisitions and originating Bridge Loans through the Ardent Financial Fund platform. Prior to joining Ardent in July 2014, Scott was an Acquisitions Officer at RCG Ventures, a Private Retail REIT,  where he managed the acquisition of shopping centers and non-performing loans collateralized by the shopping centers. Prior to RCG, Scott was Founder and Managing Principal of Impressa Group, a retail and multifamily acquisition company based in Atlanta and Chicago. Prior to Impressa, Scott was the Vice President of Acquisitions at Equity Investment Group, a private Retail REIT, where he directed an acquisition team based in Atlanta and acquired 27 retail properties. Prior to EIG, Scott was a Director of Sales at LNR, a national commercial real estate company, where he headed a disposition team which restructured, foreclosed, and sold nearly $400 million in distressed assets. Prior to LNR, Scott was an Asset Manager at Trimont Real Estate Advisors/Hatfield Philips, where he was involved with debt restructure and workouts of distressed assets. In 2019, Scott was elected to the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID), a nonprofit whose mission is to create and maintain a safe, accessible, and livable urban environment. Scott is also a member of the Georgia State University Real Estate Board. Scott received a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Virginia Tech and an Master of Science in Real Estate from Georgia State University.

Jennifer Wimmer

Managing Director | V-Card

Jen Wimmer is a Managing Director at The Ardent Companies. Jennifer works directly with the debt platform focusing on originations, underwriting and asset management. Prior to joining Ardent in August of 2022, she was the Director of Asset Management and Special Servicing at Access Point Financial where she managed a team and over $900 million of hospitality loans. Prior to Access Point Financial, Jennifer worked in originations for iBorrow, LP and spent eight years at Rialto Capital. Jennifer is a graduate of the Terry School of Business at the University of Georgia where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and a Masters of Business Administration.

Sunny Lakhtaria

UK Head of Debt | V-Card

Sunny Lakhtaria is the UK Head of Debt at The Ardent Companies in the London office. Sunny is responsible for spearheading the launch and growth of debt strategies for Ardent in the UK.

Prior to joining Ardent in September 2023, Sunny was previously a Partner and member of the Executive and Credit Committees at Urban Exposure PLC (UE). During his time at UE, Sunny led the underwriting and placement initiatives of c. £1.5bn of loans and was also responsible for capital raising initiatives, including its IPO on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market along with varying financing arrangements with numerous global institutions. Sunny also previously worked in KPMG’s Corporate Finance division, focusing on M&A and loan portfolio sales, executing over c. £100bn, by legal principal value, across various asset classes internationally. In 2021, Sunny also set up and launched a new bridge finance lender into the UK market, a subsidiary of an AIM listed lender.

Ricardo De Rojas

Managing Director | V-Card

Ricardo De Rojas is a Managing Director at The Ardent Companies. Ricardo has more than 20 years of experience working for nationally and internationally recognized development and construction management firms.  He has led our team in development of a diverse mix of assets nationwide, including: high-end student housing, adaptive reuse and mixed use redevelopment, ground up self-storage, cannabis growth and processing facilities and industrial warehouse repositioning. Prior to joining Ardent in 2018, Ricardo was the Development Director at Regency Centers (formerly Equity One), where he was responsible for the development and redevelopment of over 1 million square feet of retail real estate. Prior to Equity One, Ricardo served as the Deputy Country Manager for Turner Construction focused on landmark projects in Mexico and LATAM.  He is an active member of ICSC and an associate member at ULI. He was certified as LEED AP by the USGBC and as PMP by the Project Management Institute.  Ricardo received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Master of Engineering in Structural Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ricardo also received a Master of Business Administration from Yale School of Management with a focus in Finance and Real Estate.

Jay Douglas

Executive Director | V-Card

Jay Douglas is the Executive Director of Development for The Ardent Companies. Prior to joining Ardent in March of 2022, Jay was the Senior Vice President of Development for SJC Ventures in Atlanta. Jay has experience in all aspects of the development of retail and mixed-use projects – including acquisition, land planning, zoning and entitlements, leasing, and project management. Jay received his juris doctor from Duke University School of Law, and has a Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University.

Hugo Frewin

Executive Director | V-Card

Hugo Frewin is an Executive Director at The Ardent Companies. Hugo works within the Commercial Asset Management and Investor Relations department. Prior to joining Ardent in July 2014, Hugo was Tenancy Manager for Bristol Residential, an independent residential developer, based in the UK.  Prior to Bristol, Hugo was the Managing Broker for National Rental Services,  the residential arm of American Invesco, a Chicago based Real Estate developer overseeing the management and leasing of 2000+ individually owned units.  Hugo received a Bachelor of Arts in Leisure Management from the University of Birmingham, UK, a Master of Arts in Real Estate Management from University West of England and has recently completed his Certified Commercial Investment Manager Certification (CCIM).

Emily Langsenkamp

Executive Director | V-Card

Emily Langsenkamp is the Chief of Staff at The Ardent Companies. Prior to this role, Emily served as Ardent’s Director of Operations in which her duties included streamlining and improving business processes, spearheading long-term business planning, and analyzing the effectiveness of existing business functions. Before joining Ardent in April 2019, Emily worked in Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management division for seven years. In her most recent role as the Southeast Regional Analyst, she was responsible for driving key strategic and operational initiatives throughout the eight southeastern states. Emily received a Bachelor of Science in Business and Enterprise Management with a concentration in Marketing from Wake Forest University.

Ross Mehlman

Executive Director | V-Card

Ross Mehlman is an Executive Director at The Ardent Companies. Ross oversees all debt and equity underwriting at Ardent and serves as the Head of Multifamily Investments.  He is responsible for all aspects of commercial and multifamily underwriting and has acquired or overseen the development of nearly $2 billion of commercial assets since joining Ardent in 2013, including 4,000 apartments and over 8.5 million square feet of office, retail, and industrial space.  Prior to joining Ardent in August 2013, Ross handled underwriting and asset management for Rialto Capital, where he was responsible for the management of a $100 million portfolio of commercial and residential assets including over 770 rental homes.  He underwrote portfolios of real estate assets and loans in excess of $250 million.  Prior to Rialto, Ross led the acquisition team at The RADCO Companies, a multifamily investment and management company, where he focused on underwriting and acquisition of value-add apartments.  He was also responsible for working with several Wall Street banks to reposition multifamily REO assets and facilitate the successful turnaround of multiple fractured condo projects simultaneously.  Ross received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance with a minor in Economics from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Tyson Reilly

Executive Director | V-Card

Tyson Reilly is an Executive Director at The Ardent Companies. With 20 years’ experience in the U.S. property industry, Tyson specializes in the identification of development sites in major U.S. job growth and coastal markets. Tyson currently oversees sourcing, due diligence, entitlements, and acquisition of for- rent and for-sale residential development sites on behalf of Ardent across the Carolinas. He has a proven track record in the industry focusing on investment in single family detached and medium/high density residential, office, retail, and self-storage. Over the past 20 years, Tyson has been responsible for the sourcing and acquisition of nearly 30,000 for-sale and for-rent residential units and over 4 million square feet of commercial space. Prior to joining Ardent in June 2019, Tyson was an executive managing director and co-head of acquisitions at Drapac Capital Partners through the deployment of four opportunistic real estate funds. He was responsible for the sourcing of nearly 20,000 for-sale and for-rent residential units across 45 projects in 8 states. Prior to Drapac Capital Partners, Tyson was the co-founder and managing principal for an investment and advisory firm specializing in land investment and entitlements on behalf of private and institutional investors. He was responsible for sourcing and entitling land for over 5,000 residential units and over 2 million square feet of commercial.

Shawnia Silva Da Cruz

Executive Director | V-Card

Shawnia Silva Da Cruz an Executive Director at The Ardent Companies. Prior to joining Ardent in January 2011, Shawnia worked as an Assistant Controller with Acadia Homes & Neighborhoods, a sister company of Ardent. Shawnia was the first employee at The Ardent Companies and has been with the company for twelve years. Shawnia has over two decades of accounting experience including construction, job cost, general ledger, and full accounting cycle management.

Joe Swindells

Development Director | V-Card

Joe Swindells is a Development Director at The Ardent Companies in the London office. Joe is responsible for development and asset management activities in support of Ardent’s investment strategies. Prior to joining Ardent in November 2022, Joe was part of the senior management team at Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC). In his role he was responsible for all development and asset management activities for The Power Station project. Prior to BPSDC, Joe worked in development & asset management roles for UK based private and listed property companies including Capital & Regional PLC, Ballymore & Hammerson PLC. Joe has a BSc (Hons) in Real Estate Valuation & Management from UWE Bristol.

Gary McNamara

Investment Director | V-Card

Gary is Investment Director at The Ardent Companies in the London office. He is responsible for capital raising, deal origination and execution. Before joining Ardent, Gary was Land & Strategic Partnerships Director at Inspired Villages, a developer and operator of later living communities across the UK. There he led acquisitions, partnerships and was influential in the £500m equity JV between Legal & General and Natwest Bank to enter the market. Gary started his career at DTZ (now Cushman & Wakefield) in Auckland New Zealand, before moving to London where worked in the Investment & Corporate Finance teams. Prior to this he was business development consultant to Barings Real Estate Advisors, property consultant to BGC Partners, the co-founder of “Indirex” the Secure Information Exchange and co-founder of Arca Property Risk Management.
Gary is a Member of the RICS and holds an MSc in International Real Estate and a BEng in Engineering from the University of Reading and also sits on the charity committee for the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors livery and also on the events committee for the Reading Real Estate Foundation charity.

Emma Grillo

Director | V-Card

Emma Grillo is a Director at The Ardent Companies. Emma is on the Investor Relations team. Prior to joining Ardent in January 2017, Emma worked at Prichard & Jerden in commercial insurance lines. Emma has a Series 7 certification as well as a Property and Casualty Insurance license. Emma is a graduate of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.

Peyton Kegel

Director | V-Card

Peyton Kegel is a Director at The Ardent Companies in the New York City office. She focuses on originations, acquisitions and underwriting. Peyton has over 8 years of experience in commercial real estate acquisitions, asset management and brokerage. Prior to joining Ardent in October 2022, she worked at the Ruben Companies in New York as a Senior Associate and at HUBB NYC as an Associate. Peyton attended Princeton University where she graduated from the School of Architecture.

Monica Ortego

Director | V-Card

Monica Ortego is a Director at The Ardent Companies on the Investor Relations team. Prior to joining Ardent, Monica worked as VP of Operations at a technology startup and was responsible for all aspects of the business operations including development of processes and leveraging technologies to scale the business including the CRM, project management and expense reporting systems, management of strategic partnerships and client relations. In her role at Stan Johnson Company, a net-lease commercial real estate investment firm, she served as an Investment Analyst where she oversaw the client experience process from brokerage agreement through contract close for one of the company’s top producing teams. She previously worked at CNN where she managed global operations and multi-million dollar operating budgets for the international newsgathering teams. Monica is a graduate of the University of Florida.

Greg Sullivan

Director | V-Card

Greg is a Director at the Ardent Companies overseeing fund management and capital markets activities for the debt business. His extensive commercial real estate investment background includes the origination and management of debt and equity investments throughout the capital stack in all asset classes, complex debt restructuring and loan workouts, lender and investor reporting, and asset management. Prior to joining Ardent in 2021, Greg worked for Wells Fargo’s Corporate and Investment Bank’s Commercial Real Estate Group which provides debt solutions to real estate companies, including private developers, operators, and funds to facilitate the construction, acquisition, and repositioning of multi-family, student housing, office, industrial, hotel, and retail properties, ranging from $25MM to more than $500MM. While at Wells Fargo, Sullivan focused on the origination of senior mortgages, underwriting more than $5 Bn. of commercial real estate transactions and managed a portfolio of balance sheet loans totaling $750MM. Greg is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business where he double majored in Finance and Real Estate while earning a M.Ed. through the Honor College’s Combined Bachelor and Master’s Degree Program. He is a member of a variety of industry groups including CREFC, ULI, MBA, and NAIOP.

Rachel Callaghan

Senior Associate | V-Card

Rachel Callaghan is a Senior Associate at The Ardent Companies. She focuses on underwriting and asset management for debt and equity investments. Prior to joining Ardent in March 2022, Rachel was an Investment Director at The Prager Group, where she was responsible for underwriting single-family rental home portfolios along with asset management of current investments ranging from stabilized portfolios to build-to-rent construction. Rachel received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Jennifer Childers

Senior Associate | V-Card

Jennifer Childers is a Senior Associate in Investor Relations. Jennifer has over 7 years of commercial real estate experience with a background in brokerage, portfolio management and finance. Prior to joining Ardent, she worked at CBRE in a high-volume transaction role specializing in office tenant representation. Jennifer is a graduate from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.

Grayson Jacobs

Senior Associate | V-Card

Grayson Jacobs is a Senior Associate with The Ardent Companies responsible for underwriting debt and equity investments and asset management.

Prior to joining Ardent, Grayson was an Associate with iStar Inc. and Safehold Inc. focused on ground lease and leasehold investments across the Southeast. He led the underwriting for more than $500M of closed transactions and evaluated more than $4B of institutional real estate. His background includes investment underwriting, asset management, and risk management.

Grayson received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management and Insurance from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.

Ignacio Nunez

Senior Associate | V-Card

Ignacio Nunez is a Senior Associate at The Ardent Companies. Ignacio focuses on originations and underwriting on both the equity and debt platforms at Ardent. Prior to joining Ardent in March 2022, Ignacio was an Associate in Wells Fargo’s Commercial Real Estate Group where he focused on the origination and portfolio management of balance sheet loans. Ignacio received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Belmont Abbey College as well as a Master of Science in Finance with a concentration in Real Estate from Florida State University.

Davis Vanier

Senior Associate | V-Card

Davis Vainer is a Senior Associate at The Ardent Companies. His primary responsibilities include originations and assisting with retail development. Davis received an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and a Masters in Real Estate Development from the University of Arizona. Davis played collegiate baseball at both Alabama and Arizona prior to being selected in the MLB Draft. Prior to joining Ardent, Davis spent time at The Shopping Center Group and Joel and Granot, focusing on Retail Investment Sales.

Jay Yuan

Senior Associate | V-Card

Jay Yuan is a Senior Associate at The Ardent Companies. Jay has spent 2 years with Ardent and he focuses on underwriting, market research, data analysis, financial modeling, and asset management for both debt and equity investments. Prior to Joining Ardent in November 2020, Jay was an Analyst at Ikigai Group, where he was responsible for market research, financial analysis and financing of single-family rental and multifamily projects. He is currently a member of Urban Land Institute. Jay received a Bachelor of Business Administration, concentrating in Finance and Real Estate, and a Bachelor of Arts in Econometrics from Emory University.

Eliot Doub

Senior Associate | V-Card

Eliot Doub is a Senior Associate at The Ardent Companies.  Eliot graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business.  His career began managing retail construction builds, which led him to move to DC to manage multifamily, office, school, and historic builds. His goal has always been to find success in real estate development. Outside of work, he enjoys playing tennis and soccer and also frequenting concerts.

Sam Levere

Associate | V-Card

Sam Levere is an Associate at The Ardent Companies. His primary responsibilities include underwriting and asset management. Sam received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Alabama and a Master of Science in Finance from Southern Methodist University.

Izzy Russell

Associate | V-Card

Izzy Russell is an Associate at The Ardent Companies. Izzy is on the Investor Relations team. Before joining Ardent, Izzy worked for the American Cancer Society focusing her time on donor relationship management, corporate prospecting, and event logistics. Izzy received her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Oregon State University.

Jackson McLarty

Analyst | V-Card

Jackson McLarty is an Analyst at The Ardent Companies in the Atlanta office. He focuses on underwriting, asset management, and originations for the Underwriting Team. Prior to re-joining Ardent in 2023, Jackson had over a year of collective experience as an intern in the Atlanta office focusing on underwriting, asset management, and investor relations. Jackson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Georgia State University.

Kristin Canine

Executive Assistant | V-Card

Kristin is the Executive Assistant at The Ardent Companies.  She has worked as an Executive Assistant in Atlanta area for the past 15 years with Morgan Keegan, Raymond James and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.  She is a graduate of the University of Georgia.

David Lorino

Fund Controller | V-Card

David is a Fund Controller at Ardent focused on development and commercial real estate assets. Prior to Ardent, David had experience with a regional public accounting firm, multi-family, commercial and a public REIT. David received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from The University of Alabama and obtained his CPA in 2015.

Gerry Moschopoulos

Treasury Manager | V-Card

Gerry is a Treasury Manager for The Ardent Companies. Gerry is a treasury and banking professional with experience in cash management, corporate credit, equity financing, and corporate finance projects. Before joining Ardent, he was the Treasurer of TERNA ENERGY USA – a renewable energy company – and a Senior Banker at NBG – a commercial bank in Europe – where he managed corporate portfolios across industries, including real estate. Gerry has an MBA from Georgia State University, an M.Sc. in International Banking and Financial Studies from the University of Southampton, UK., and a B.Sc. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and Finance. He is also certified with Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Melody Popravak

Senior Associate | V-Card

Melody Popravak is a Senior Associate at The Ardent Companies. Melody has 20 years of experience in management accounting, and for 6 of those years she owned her own financial systems consulting service in New York City. Prior to employment with Ardent, she had pivoted to an Investor Relations Management role with a private equity investment firm, while obtaining her Georgia Real Estate Sales License. Melody attended both Boston University and Florida Gulf Coast University. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Michele Simmons

Senior Associate | V-Card

Michele Simmons is a Senior Associate at The Ardent Companies.  She has almost two decades of experience with accounts payable.  Prior to joining Ardent Michele was AP Manager for Portman Holdings.  She handled timely payments of corporate, property, and development invoices.  Michele also held two separate positions at Avison Young Atlanta Management Services, first as an AR/AP Specialist and then as an Assistant Property Manager where she was responsible for managing over 700,000 square feet of properties.  Michele attended The College of Staten Island in New York where she majored in Business Administration and minored in Accounting.  Michele Simmons has recently passed a real estate course with American Real Estate University and is currently working on obtaining her Georgia real estate license.

Caleb Knight

Staff Accountant | V-Card

Before joining Ardent, Caleb worked at a construction-focused public accounting firm. He got his bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from the University of Mississippi’s Patterson School of Accountancy in 2021 and 2022, respectively. He soon plans to take the CPA exam.