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.

Chris Allman is a Principal in the Capital Markets – Debt Group and serves on CIM’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining CIM in 2013, Mr. Allman was a Vice President at Thayer Lodging Group/Brookfield Hotels, Vice President in Capmark’s Hospitality Industry Division and an Investment Performance Analyst at Cambridge Associates. He earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Environmental Science from Virginia Tech and a Master of Business Administration degree from S.C. Johnson School of Business at Cornell University.

Simon Ang is a Managing Director in the Investments Group. He is responsible for overseeing infrastructure opportunities, with a focus on energy transition through renewable fuels. Prior to joining CIM, he served as a Senior Vice President for Macquarie Capital. He earned a Co-op degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Steve Berg is a Managing Director in the Finance Group. He is responsible for all aspects of corporate development and firm-wide FP&A. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Berg was with Standish Management and began his career in the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP. Mr. Berg received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting and Finance from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) inactive and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

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).

Garett Bjorkman is a Managing Director in the Portfolio Oversight Group. He leads Portfolio Oversight for CIM’s private real estate debt and Opportunity Zone investment strategies. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Bjorkman worked at various real estate private equity firms, holding positions in investments, capital markets and investor relations. Mr. Bjorkman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Real Estate and International Business from Denver University.

David Blackford is a Managing Director in the Investments Group. He is responsible for overseeing data center opportunities. Prior to joining CIM, he served as a Managing Director at Macquarie Capital. He earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance, Economics and Accounting from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Bethany Chang is a Principal in the On-Site Property Management Group. Prior to joining CIM in 2014, Ms. Chang worked in Asset and Property Management for Dividend Capital Diversified Property Fund. Previously, Ms. Chang performed acquisitions and asset management responsibilities for various real estate private equity firms. Ms. Chang earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and a Master of Business Administration degree from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

“We are helping to enhance urban communities by building seamless sustainable solutions that invigorate neighborhoods and serve the needs and wants of communities.“ Jeff Columbus is a Principal in the Development Group. He is actively involved in development management and sales brokerage across CIM’s platforms and serves on CIM’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining CIM in 2003, Mr. Columbus served in various capacities at the Hapsmith Company. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Real Estate from California State University, Northridge.

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.

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.

"The most rewarding part of my position at CIM is providing counsel on wide-ranging matters and legal issues, all while helping us accomplish our goal of maximizing value." Jordan Dembo is a Principal and Chief Legal Officer. Mr. Dembo works to identify and mitigate risk across the organization, while protecting CIM and its assets by providing general advice on other legal matters. Prior to joining CIM in 2011, Mr. Dembo was a Senior Associate in the Real Estate Department at Katten Muchin Rosenman. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Robert Dupree is a Principal in the Portfolio Oversight Group. He leads a team focused on the composition, operations and investment priorities of all of CIM’s private funds. Prior to joining CIM Group in 2015, Mr. Dupree was a Senior Vice President at Oaktree Capital Management. Mr. Dupree earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Babson College and a Master of Business Administration degree from Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles.

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 Fischer, Managing Director, is the Head of Global Institutional Partners. 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 their School of Business.

Jennifer Gandin is a Principal in the Investments Group. She is actively involved in the investment management process across CIM’s platforms and serves on CIM’s Investment Committee. Additionally, Ms. Gandin represents CIM on the boards of SkyPower Global and Ecoppia (TASE: ECPA). Prior to joining CIM in 2003, Ms. Gandin worked in acquisitions for the private equity firm Gores Technology Group and served in roles at various other private equity and investment firms. Ms. Gandin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia Business School.

Ryan Harter is a Principal in the Development Group. He is actively involved in development management and sales brokerage across CIM’s platforms and serves on the Investment Committee. Prior to joining CIM Group in 2002, Mr. Harter worked in multi-family and office development at Martin Building Company and began his career with First Pacific Capital of Spokane. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Middlebury College.

Michael Hoverman is Principal at CIM Group and leads the Infrastructure and Climate Strategy Solutions team. He is responsible for building and structuring solutions for CIM’s infrastructure and climate-related funds, co-investments and managed accounts. Prior to his role on the Strategy Solutions team, Mr. Hoverman led CIM’s Global Partners Group, focusing on maintaining relationships with institutional investors worldwide. Mr. Hoverman currently serves on the Investment Committee and the ESG Committee at CIM Group. Mr. Hoverman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Philosophy from Bates College and a Master of Finance degree in Investment Banking from INSEAD.

Shaul Kuba is a Co-Founder and Principal of CIM and Chief Investment Officer of Creative Media & Community Trust Corporation (CMCT). Mr. Kuba has more than 25 years of active real estate, infrastructure and lending experience. Since co-founding CIM in 1994, Mr. Kuba has been an integral part of building the firm’s real estate, infrastructure and debt platforms. As the head of the development team, he is actively involved in the development, redevelopment and repositioning of CIM’s real estate assets. He also serves on CIM’s Investment Committee. Additionally, Mr. Kuba is instrumental in sourcing new opportunities and establishing and maintaining relationships with national and regional retailers, hospitality brands and restaurateurs.

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.

Tal Lev Ari is a Managing Director in the Portfolio Oversight Group and is based in London. She is responsible for setting up CIM’s credit platform in Europe. Prior to joining CIM, Ms. Lev Ari was Head of Operations for the Debt & Value Add Strategies Team at LaSalle Investment Management, where she was responsible for portfolio management and loan asset management for all debt and special situations funds and separate accounts. She also worked at GE Real Estate managing its European debt asset management platform, and started her career at Lehman Brothers European real estate principal group. Ms. Lev Ari earned a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from Tel Aviv University.

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.

Dan McGee is a Managing Director, National Sales Manager in the Private Wealth Partners Group. He is responsible for maintaining and expanding relationships with broker-dealers and financial professionals and growing CIM’s sales, brand and market share among U.S. banks and wire houses. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. McGee was responsible for the U.S. wealth and sub-advisory channels at Barings, an international investment management firm. His experience also includes a variety of sales and sales management roles at Principal Financial Group, including a period of time in Australia. Mr. McGee earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing from the University of Iowa.

"We’re never standing still. We’re always evolving, looking at different communities, different asset classes, different investment structures. We know the best opportunities aren’t cookie-cutter, they’re ones that require molding and innovation, and that’s what we provide." Nick Morosoff is a Principal Counsel. As a Principal, Mr. Morosoff is actively involved in CIM’s legal processes and serves on CIM’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining CIM in 1998, he was the General Counsel of Orchard Capital Corporation, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Department of Justice in Los Angeles and an Associate with Sullivan & Cromwell. Mr. Morosoff earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University.

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 Portfolio Oversight Group. He is responsible for overseeing portfolio construction and asset allocation for CIM Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc. (CMFT) including originating and acquiring mortgage and mezzanine loans on real estate assets, single-tenant credit lease assets, broadly syndicated corporate loans, CMBS securities and structured credit. 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.

Mukya Porter is a Principal and Chief Compliance Officer. She is responsible for overseeing CIM’s compliance program and team of professionals. Prior to joining CIM, Ms. Porter served as a Senior Vice President of Compliance at Oaktree Capital Management. Her experience also includes roles at Pacific Investment Management Company, Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Management and Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Ms. Porter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Howard University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Steven Puodziunas is a Managing Director in the Operations Group. He is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of CIM including Business Operations, Data Governance, Information Technology and Internal Audit. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Puodziunas held various positions at Western Asset Management, including Head of Global Marketing & Client Service Support and Head of Risk Operations, Analytics & Data Management. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Michael Regan 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. Regan held various roles at Citigroup and was a part of the Debt Capital Markets division. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration in Real Estate and Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Richard Ressler is a Co-Founder and Principal of CIM Group with more than 30 years of active real estate, infrastructure and lending experience. Since co-founding CIM in 1994, Mr. Ressler has been a fundamental influence in shaping the organization and facilitating its growth. He is the chair of CIM’s Executive, Investment, Allocation and Real Asset Management Committees. He leads several teams essential to internal and external operations at CIM. Prior to co-founding CIM Mr. Ressler founded Orchard Capital Corp. and continues to oversee companies in which Orchard Capital or its affiliates invest, including CIM, Orchard First Source Asset Management Holdings, LLC, a full-service provider of capital and leveraged finance solutions to U.S. corporations, and OCV Management, LLC, an investor, owner and operator of technology companies. Further, he currently serves as a board member for various public and private entities, including as, Chairman of the Board, CEO and President of CIM Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc., Chairman of the Board of Directors for Creative Media & Community Trust (NASDAQ “CMCT”), and serves on the Board of Directors for Presbia US Inc. Additionally, Mr. Ressler has served as Chairman of the Board of Ziff Davis, and as Vice Chairman and in various executive capacities of Brooke Group Limited. Prior to Brooke Group, he worked as an investment banker at Drexel Burnham Lambert, Inc. and as an attorney at Cravath, Swaine and Moore. Mr. Ressler earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from Columbia University.

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 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.

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.

Daniel Schapiro is a Managing Director in the Investments Group. He serves as the Credit Originations Director of the CIM Real Estate Debt Solutions platform and is responsible for leading CIM’s real estate loan origination efforts across all U.S. markets. Mr. Schapiro has extensive experience in real estate finance, investment management, real estate private equity and investment banking. Prior to joining CIM, he worked as a Director at Deutsche Bank. He has also worked as Partner and Vice President at H/2 Capital Partners. Mr. Schapiro earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Tulane University.

Jason Schreiber is a Principal in the Investments Group. He is actively involved in the investment management process across CIM’s platforms and serves on CIM’s Investment Committee. Additionally, Mr. Schreiber serves on the boards of CIM Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc. (CMFT) and CCLA Holdings. Prior to joining CIM in 2007, Mr. Schreiber was an Analyst in the Tech, Media and Telecom investment banking group at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Schreiber earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and History of Art from Brown University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.

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.

Avi Shemesh is a Co-Founder and Principal of CIM Group® with more than 25 years of active real estate, infrastructure and lending experience. Since co-founding CIM in 1994, Mr. Shemesh has been instrumental in building the firm’s real estate, infrastructure and debt platforms. He serves on CIM’s Investment and Real Asset Management Committees, providing guidance on the diverse opportunities available across CIM’s various platforms. Mr. Shemesh is responsible for CIM’s long-time relationships with strategic institutions and oversees teams essential to acquisitions, portfolio management and internal and external communication. Prior to CIM, Mr. Shemesh was involved in several entrepreneurial real estate endeavors, including co-founding Dekel Development, a developer of commercial and multifamily properties in Los Angeles.

Jolly Singh is a Principal in the Portfolio Oversight Group. He is actively involved in the composition, operations and investment priorities for CIM’s open-end core real estate fund and serves on the Investment Committee. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Singh was an Associate in the Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging investment banking group of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Finance and Real Estate from the University of California, Berkeley.

Qilan Tang is a Managing Director in the Portfolio Oversight Group, where she leads portfolio oversight for CIM’s infrastructure investment strategies to help drive financial and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) performance. Prior to joining CIM, Ms. Tang worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse, where she focused on capital market transactions of financial institutions based in North America. Her experience also includes portfolio management for leading hedge funds and a proprietary trading platform. Ms. Tang earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Yale University.

Jerry Thomas is a Managing Director in the On-Site Property Management Group. He is responsible for day-to-day operations and financial performance of CIM’s residential real estate assets. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Thomas was COO and Executive Vice President at Stellar Management, where he was responsible for the development of the company’s DC metro and California management companies. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Marketing Management from Salisbury University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

David Thompson is a Principal and Chief Financial Officer at CIM Group and the Chief Executive Officer of CMCT. He is responsible for overseeing all areas of Finance within CIM and serves on the Investment Committee. Prior to joining CIM in 2009, Mr. Thompson spent 15 years with Hilton Hotels Corporation, most recently as Senior Vice President and Controller. Mr. Thompson’s experience includes multi-billion-dollar real estate acquisitions and dispositions in the office, retail, multifamily, hospitality, gaming and timeshare sectors, as well as significant capital markets experience. He began his career as a CPA at Arthur Andersen & Co.

Emily Vande Krol is a Principal at CIM Group and President of CCO Capital, LLC, CIM’s registered broker-dealer. In this position, she leads the Partner & Co-Investor Relations group, which includes all capital raise activities, fund operations and strategic marketing. These teams are responsible for building relationships and supporting CIM’s partners and co-investors across all distribution channels. Ms. Vande Krol guides the strategic growth and collaboration of the CIM distribution team, creating and aligning capital raise efforts alongside Portfolio Oversight, Strategy Solutions and Capital Markets. Prior to overseeing all distribution efforts, Ms. Vande Krol served in various capacities building CIM’s Private Wealth channel and Fund Operations infrastructure. She also held positions at VEREIT, Cole Capital and Thrivent Financial. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Arizona State University. She holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 licenses.

Marc Windfuhr is a Managing Director and leads the Insurance Strategy Solutions team. He is responsible for delivering CIM’s asset management capabilities to the insurance sector through bespoke investment solutions and strategic partnerships. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Windfuhr led the FIG Solutions team at Citigroup, where he executed strategic balance-sheet solutions for insurance companies, asset managers and banks in the U.S. and Europe using his expertise in capital markets structuring and regulatory capital. He also previously held senior positions in structuring and trading at Deutsche Bank, Credit Lyonnaise and WestLB. Mr. Windfuhr earned a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh.