Leadership

Bradley Aaronson is a Managing Director in the Development Group. He is responsible for overseeing strategic initiatives and multiple development projects. Notable projects that Mr. Aaronson has participated in include Sunset La Cienega and The Lot in West Hollywood, The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood; Tribune Tower in Chicago; and Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Mr. Aaronson began his career at CIM in 2006 as an Analyst in the Investments Group. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies from Stanford University.

Oliver Baker is a Managing Director in the Development Group. During his tenure with CIM, he has led entitlements, permitting, and construction of over 1,000 housing units and 500,000 square feet of commercial space. Mr. Baker has held positions at Cityview, Low-Income Investment Fund, and Abode Communities. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies/Affairs from Haverford College and a Masters of Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California.

Barry Berlin serves as a Managing Director in the Finance Group at CIM Group and is the Chief Financial Officer of CIM Capital, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor. He is also the Chief Financial Officer of both Creative Media & Community Trust Corporation (CMCT) and CIM Real Assets and Credit Fund (CIM RACR) . Mr. Berlin has served in various finance and accounting roles within CIM Group and its affiliates since 2017. He began his career at Laventhol and Horwath and continued as an audit manager at Imber and Company, Certified Public Accountants. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Florida and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Andrew Beyeler is a Managing Director in the Client Engagement Group. He is responsible for Internal Distribution, Business Development and Fund Operations. Together, these teams work to create, build and maintain relationships with CIM’s partners and co-investors. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Beyeler held various positions with Cole Capital, including Senior Director of Internal Sales and other service, operations and sales roles. Mr. Beyeler earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Arizona State University.

Richard Cooke is a Managing Director in the On-Site Property Management Group. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations and financial performance of CIM’s office and industrial portfolio. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Cooke served as a Senior Vice President/Group Manager at JLL. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from DePaul University.

Smith Daley serves as a Managing Director on the Portfolio Oversight team at CIM Group, where he oversees CIM’s institutional credit strategy.

‍

Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Daley was Head of West Coast Commercial Real Estate Debt at Citigroup Global Markets. His experience also includes roles at Dubai World Trade Centre, an Investment Corporation of Dubai portfolio company and Bank Leumi.

Nate DeBacker is a Managing Director in the Fund Accounting and Reporting Group and the Chief Financial Officer of CMFT. He is actively involved in the overall management of accounting, external reporting, financial planning, analysis and treasury for CIM’s public and private funds. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. DeBacker was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Cole Capital. Mr. DeBacker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Arizona and is a Certified Public Accountant in Arizona.

Laura Eichelsderfer is a Managing Director and General Counsel, Public Funds in CIM’s legal department. She is responsible for managing legal matters for CIM Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc. (CMFT) and CCO Capital. Prior to joining CIM, Ms. Eichelsderfer began her career as a corporate and securities lawyer at Quarles & Brady, and has held various in-house leadership positions, most recently as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at VEREIT. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Sandra Day O'Conner College of Law at Arizona State University.

Jay Fischer is a Managing Director in the Investments Group. He is responsible for leading the acquisition, management, and disposition of assets across several U.S. submarkets. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Fischer served as Managing Director and Head of U.S. Office Investments, Real Estate Investments at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB). He also worked at Rockwood Capital originating new investments and asset managing existing investments through disposition. Mr. Fischer earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jason Fisher, Managing Director, is the Head of CIM’s Institutional Client Group. He is responsible for leading CIM’s global distribution team in institutional capital raising efforts worldwide. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Fisher was a Managing Director at BlackRock, where he led the Mid Institutional business in the Americas. Previous to that, Mr. Fisher was a Managing Director at PineBridge Investments, where he led Global Consultant Relations and the U.S. Taft Hartley & Middle Market businesses. Mr. Fisher started his career at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where he more recently held a number of senior positions in Institutional Americas. Mr. Fisher received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from The George Washington University, where he currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the School of Business.

Eduardo Goldberg is a Managing Director and General Counsel, Private Funds in CIM’s legal department. In this capacity, he is responsible for providing legal advice and support for CIM’s private funds and other portfolio companies.

‍

Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Goldberg was a Senior Associate in the Corporate Department at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Universidad Iberoamericana and an LL.M. with honors and a Certificate in Business Administration from Northwestern University School of Law and the Kellogg School of Management.

Kyle Hatzes serves as a Managing Director on the Investments team at CIM Group®, where he sources equity and credit investment opportunities in infrastructure that help drive financial and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) performance.

‍

Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Hatzes worked as an investment banker in the structured finance and principal lending group at Deutsche Bank, where he focused on project finance, secured corporate and mezzanine lending, special situations and capital markets for power and infrastructure companies in the Americas. He also spent two years at the New York City Economic Development Corporation during the Bloomberg administration, as project manager and transactions analyst for the group’s Development and Real Estate Transactions teams, respectively.

‍

Mr. Hatzes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University.

Mohammed Kabir is a Managing Director in the Development Group. He leads CIM’s development efforts in Renewable Energy and Data Centers, including the Westlands Solar and Battery Energy Storage (BESS) project portfolio in California. Prior to joining CIM in 2015, Mr. Kabir served in various development and engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) functions in the energy infrastructure space for contractors, developers, independent power producers (IPPs) and investor-owned utilities (IOUs). Mr. Kabir earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from California State University, Northridge.

Yifat Koren-Dahan is a Managing Director and General Counsel, Funds in CIM’s legal department. In this capacity, she is responsible for providing legal advice and support for CIM’s private and public reporting funds.

‍

Prior to working at CIM, Mrs. Koren-Dahan held in-house positions at IBM and various family offices.

‍

She earned a Master of Laws from the University of California, Los Angeles – School of Law, a Master of Business Administration from SGH Warsaw School of Economics, and a LL B with a specialization in finance from the Reichman University in Israel.

Naoki Kurita is a Managing Director in the Partner & Co-Investor Relations Group and a member of CIM’s Investment Committee. He is responsible for promoting the distribution of CIM’s investment programs to Japanese investors. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Kurita held various roles with Mitsui & Co., Ltd where he worked in asset management, insurance and logistics. He earned a Bachelor of Economics from Kobe University and a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Lisa Kustron is a Managing Director on CIM’s Compliance team, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer of CIM’s Advisers, and Chief Compliance Officer of the CIM Real Assets & Credit Fund. In these roles, she oversees compliance-related programs and a dedicated team of professionals.

‍

Prior to working at CIM, Mrs. Kustron served as a Vice President of Compliance at Oaktree Capital Management. Her experience also includes global compliance roles at Morningstar Investment Management and regulatory positions at FINRA.

‍

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the University of Northern Iowa. She holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 licenses.

Ingrid Lee is a Managing Director and Head of Transformation at CIM Group. She is responsible for overseeing technology and operations and driving firmwide strategic initiatives. Prior to joining CIM, Ms. Lee served in various leadership capacities at Morgan Stanley, most recently as Chief Operating Officer of Business Transformation Services, leading the integration of complex mergers and harmonizing operations across business units. Previous to that, Ms. Lee was a Director in PwC’s Financial Services Advisory practice in New York, Shanghai and Los Angeles. She began her career as an analyst at Accenture. Ms. Lee earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Economics as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Policy, Management, and Planning from the University of Southern California.

Bruce Lowrey is a Managing Director in the Investments Group. He is responsible for providing financing solutions to experienced hotel owners and operators across the U.S. Prior to joining CIM, he served as the Chief Lending Officer for Access Point Financial. He also worked as Managing Director of credit strategies at Rockbridge Capital. Mr. Lowrey earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Denison University.

Jeff Lyons is a Managing Director in the Real Estate Services Group. He is responsible for overseeing the completion of construction projects through building completion. Prior to joining CIM, he served as a Senior Vice President, Construction, West Coast at Heitman Properties. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Construction Management from Southern Illinois University.

Christina Mayo is a Managing Director in the On-Site Property Management Group and the Designated Broker for CREI Advisors, LLC, CIM's net lease assets. She is responsible for day-to-day operations and financial performance of CIM’s net lease and urban retail assets. Prior to joining CIM, Ms. Mayo served as a Senior Vice President, Multi-Tenant Property/Asset Management at VEREIT, Inc. She earned a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from the University of San Diego.

Jason Mullens is the Global Head of Human Resources. He is responsible for overseeing human resources and facilities supporting our employees and partnering with our leaders across CIM Group to foster a highly engaged culture. His experience includes human resources positions at Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Constellation Energy, and Cetera Financial Group. Mr. Mullens earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Stetson University.

Daniel Ottensoser is a Managing Director in the Investments group and Co-Head of Credit. He is responsible for overseeing portfolio construction and asset allocation for CIM’s credit funds, including handling first mortgage and mezzanine loans on real estate assets, single-tenant credit lease assets, broadly syndicated corporate loans and CMBS securities. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Ottensoser was a Partner and Managing Director at H/2 Capital Partners. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from The City University of New York, Queens College and a Juris Doctor degree from the Columbia University School of Law.

John Perez is a Managing Director in the Government Affairs Group. He is responsible for CIM’s union relations and legislative and administrative advocacy initiatives. Mr. Perez’s extensive legislative and political experience includes serving in the California State Assembly with five years as the 68th Assembly Speaker. He was also a political director for the United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 324, California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO and United Food & Commercial Workers State Council. Most recently, he provided strategic consulting services on complex public affairs and legislative matters as Double Nickel Advisors, LLC, which he founded in 2014. Mr. Perez currently serves as a member of the University of California Board of Regents.

Melannie Pyzik is a Managing Director and Head of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Institutional Client Group. Based in Sydney, she is responsible for leading CIM’s business development and investor relations activities for the APAC region.

‍

Prior to joining CIM, Ms. Pyzik was Co-Lead Partner and Head of the Investor Solutions team at Argo Infrastructure Partners, where she spent more than six years growing the platform. In addition, she was a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and on the Board of Directors for TierPoint, a U.S. data center business. Ms. Pyzik has also held senior roles at QIC and Macquarie within their global infrastructure teams, working in APAC and other major international regions. In these positions, she was responsible for partnering with and providing investment solutions to institutional investors across multiple geographies.

Ms. Pyzik earned a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Queensland. She currently serves as an Ambassador for the university’s Business, Economics and Law Faculty.

Dan Ripps is a Managing Director in the Finance Group. He is responsible for the implementation of CIM’s Valuation Policy and oversees execution of the firm’s Valuation Procedures. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Ripps served as divisional Chief Financial Officer at D.R. Horton. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University, Malibu and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Cary Rubinstein is a Managing Director and Head of Strategic Marketing. He oversees CIM marketing and communications efforts, including corporate brand management, investment program positioning, digital marketing strategy and public relations. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Rubinstein held marketing leadership positions at global banks including Bank of America and MUFG Union Bank. Mr. Rubinstein earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University and a Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University.

Bernie Ryan is a Managing Director and Head of Insurance in the Institutional Client Group. In this capacity, he leads CIM’s business development, solutions and strategy efforts with insurers across North America. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Ryan served as Head of Business Development & Strategy at DWS Investments in its insurance franchise, covering insurance companies across the P&C, Life, Health, and Reinsurance segments. Mr. Ryan earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder.

Scott Ryan is a Managing Director, Tax Strategy & Reporting in the Finance Group. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Ryan was a director in PwC’s Los Angeles Real Estate Tax practice serving public REITs, private equity funds, conduit lenders and other specialized real estate financing companies. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Steve Saylors is a Managing Director in the On-Site Property Management group, where he is responsible for the day-to-day operations and financial performance of CIM’s residential and mixed-use assets. Prior to CIM, Mr. Saylors served as Executive Vice President for SPI Property Holdings. He also worked as Senior Vice President of Asset Management for JRK Property Holdings and Regional Vice President of Operations for Lincoln Property Company. Mr. Saylors earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska.

Barry Schanker is Managing Director, Head of Private Wealth at CIM Group. He leads CIM’s Private Wealth team and oversees distribution, national accounts and business development initiatives to increase awareness of CIM’s investment opportunities across real estate, infrastructure and credit.

‍

Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Schanker served as Managing Director, Head of Wealth Solutions and Client Portfolio Management at FS Investments, where he led the growth of the private wealth investments and client support programs. He has also held similar roles at Man Group, SkyBridge Capital and Citigroup Alternative Investments.

‍

Mr. Schanker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing from Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus.

Gary Schweikert is a Managing Director in the Hospitality Services Group, overseeing and maximizing the performance of CIM’s hospitality assets. Mr. Schweikert has served in the hospitality industry for over 30 years with experience ranging from managing iconic hotels to serving in corporate roles leading teams responsible for operations, development, sales and finance.

Qilan Tang is a Managing Director in the Investments group, where she handles portfolio oversight for CIM’s value-add infrastructure strategy, helping drive composition, operations and investment priorities. Prior to joining CIM, Ms. Tang worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse and moved to buy-side capital management in 2008. Her experience also includes portfolio management for leading hedge funds and investments focusing on long-term secular trends such as energy. Ms. Tang earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Yale University.

Joe Terry is the Chief Compliance Officer for CIM's affiliated broker/dealer, CCO Capital, and leads CIM’s distribution compliance program. He oversees a team that supports the growth of CIM’s sales organization while maintaining a strong culture of compliance. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Terry held positions at LPL, John Hancock, and Advisor Group. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Westminster College, and a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Michael Turner serves as a Managing Director in the Investments Group. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing infrastructure investment opportunities, with a focus on the transportation and logistics sector. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Turner served as Managing Director, BAES Infrastructure at Buckeye Partners. His experience also includes roles as Managing Director at Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners and as a Senior Vice President at Macquarie Capital. Mr. Turner earned a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia, and a Master of Finance from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.

John Vassiliades is a Managing Director on the Infrastructure Investments team at CIM Group. In this capacity, he supports the growth of CIM’s infrastructure platform.

‍

Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Vassiliades served as Managing Director at Duration Capital, a transportation infrastructure investment firm founded in 2024 as a spin-out from Oaktree Capital. At Oaktree, he held several key positions overseeing various infrastructure programs. He also founded the Transportation Innovation Group at Oaktree, which invested in and partnered with infrastructure-related technology companies.

‍

Mr. Vassiliades earned a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Albert Yang is a Managing Director and Head of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in the Institutional Client Group. Based in London, he is responsible for leading CIM’s business development and investor relations activities for the EMEA region.

‍

Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Yang was Head of Investor Relations EMEA at Harrison Street, where he led product development, served as a founding member of the company’s European investment platform, and was part of the investment committee. He also served as Head of Business Development at Barings Real Estate, where he promoted global real estate strategies. His experience also includes roles in the real estate divisions of J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Nuveen, Schroders and DWS.

‍

Mr. Yang earned a Master of Mechanical Engineering and European Studies (MEng) from the University of Warwick. He is also an active member of the European Association for Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles (INREV) and the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE).

Pavlos Yeorgaroudakis is a Managing Director on the Investments team at CIM Group. Based in London, he’s actively involved in the acquisition and asset management of European real asset and corporate opportunities. In this capacity, he sits on the Boards of CIM’s European entities including on the Board of Round Hill Capital Ventures LLC.

Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Yeorgaroudakis served in roles at PSP Investments, EISER Infrastructure, and HSBC.

He earned a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School and a BSc (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from the University of Warwick.