Team
Creating the greatest value for its partners and investors by drawing on the team's
extensive industry experience and established capital relationships.
Dror Bezalel
CFO & Partner | V-Card
Dror Bezalel is the Chief Financial Officer and Partner of The Ardent Companies, and 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 B.S. in Business Management from The College of Management Academic Studies in Israel and an M.S. 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 B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. in Real Estate Finance from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Thomas Olson
Partner | V-Card
Thomas Olson is a Partner at The Ardent Companies with a focus on debt and equity originations and innovative strategies. 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 real estate experience in leadership roles at notable firms such as Hines, Resource Real Estate Partners, and Warren-Hanks. Thomas also serves on the Board of Directors for two medical technology companies – ViveBio Scientific and Nephrogen Sciences. Thomas is an active contributor to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, specifically the “Carter Samuel Martin Developmental Therapeutics Research Fund”. Thomas is a Minnesota native, and he received a B.B.A. in Corporate Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Matt Shulman
CEO & Partner | V-Card
Matt Shulman is the CEO and Managing Partner of The Ardent Companies. Prior to forming Ardent in 2012, Matt co-founded Fairway Capital Partners in 2007 and later became a Managing Director with Rialto Capital in 2010. Matt received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree 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. Currently Matt serves as a Capital Markets Advisor to the Federal Reserve and is a member of YPO Southern 7. Matt has served on the boards of the Atlanta Real Estate Collaborative and its affiliate Open Doors Atlanta, which consist of individuals with extensive real estate experience who are dedicated to ending homelessness, with a special focus on veterans, and providing affordable housing in Atlanta. Matt also served on the Emerging Leaders boars of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the nation’s leading and largest pediatric healthcare systems. Matt now serves on the board of The Epstein School and its Executive Committee, and served as the co-chair for Epstein’s 20Chai Campaign. Along with his Epstein involvement, Matt currently serves on the boards of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Usher 1F Collaborative. In addition to his board duties, he is an active supporter of Mary Hall Freedom House and Operation Hope, as well as a Wexner Fellow.
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 B.S. in Engineering Technology from the University of Dayton Ohio and an M.B.A. from Georgia State University.
Michael DeGance
Managing Director | V-Card
Michael DeGance is a Managing Director at Ardent and is responsible for investor relations, financial reporting, and fundraising. Before joining Ardent, 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, receiving a B.B.A. in both Real Estate and Accounting.
Derrick Collins
Director | V-Card
Derrick Collins is the Director of Accounting at The Ardent Companies. He manages the accounting team, investment financial accounting,corporate financial accounting, income tax reporting, and audits. Prior to Ardent, Derrick was a Controller at Pope and Land Enterprises. Prior to Pope and Land, Derrick was a Senior Real Estate Accountant at Wells Real Estate Funds. Derrick has over 11 years of combined experience in managing the accounting cycle, general ledger accounting, and tax return preparation, and serving as the liaison between the client and CPA firms conducting audits. Derrick received a B.B.A. in Economics from Georgia State University, an M.B.A. in Taxation from Kennesaw State University, and an M.B.A. in Finance from Mercer University. Derrick holds a CPA license in the state of Georgia. Derrick was also an Adjunct Professor of Accounting at Clayton State University.
Emily Langsenkamp
Director | V-Card
Emily Langsenkamp is the Director of Operations at The Ardent Companies. Emily’s duties include streamlining and improving business processes, spearheading long-term business planning, and analyzing the effectiveness of existing business functions. Prior to Ardent, 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 B.S. in Business and Enterprise Management with a concentration in Marketing from Wake Forest University.
Shawnia Silva Da Cruz
Director | V-Card
Shawnia Silva Da Cruz is the Director of Treasury Management at The Ardent Companies. Prior to Ardent, 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 nine years. Shawnia has over two decades of accounting experience including construction, job cost, general ledger, and full accounting cycle management.
Emma Grillo
Senior Associate | V-Card
Emma Grillo is a Senior Associate at The Ardent Companies. Emma is on the Investor Relations team and has been with the company for 3 years. Prior to Ardent, she worked at Prichard & Jerden in commercial insurance lines. She is a graduate of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia with a degree in Finance. Emma has a Series 7 certification as well as a Property and Casualty Insurance license.
Kelsey Slack
Executive Assistant | V-Card
Kelsey Slack is the Executive Assistant of the Ardent Companies. Prior to joining the Ardent Companies, Kelsey was an Executive Assistant for Bain & Company based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Kelsey has over 10 years of combined Executive Management and Retail Management experience. Kelsey received her B.S. in Psychology from Clayton State University in 2011 and her M.S. in Human Resource Management in 2018. Kelsey also holds her residential Real Estate License in the State of Georgia.