Kevin A. Shields
Chairman and Co-CEO
Kevin A. Shields
Chairman and Co-CEO
Mr. Shields founded Griffin Capital in 1995, serves as the Company’s Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, and is based in the firm’s headquarters in El Segundo, CA. Griffin Capital is the sponsor of a series of Reg. D Private Placements, including the Griffin Capital Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund and Griffin Capital Development Partners Fund series (collectively representing approximately $1.6 billion of equity committed to supporting the ground-up development of 32 multifamily communities totaling over $4.3 billion in development expense). Griffin Capital previously sponsored two ‘40 Act Interval Funds: the Griffin Institutional Access® Real Estate Fund and Griffin Institutional Access® Credit Fund, for which Mr. Shields served as the President for each such fund and also served as the Chief Executive Officer of Griffin Capital Advisor, LLC and Griffin Capital Credit Advisor, LLC, each SEC-registered investment advisors and advisor to Real Estate Fund and the Credit Fund, respectively, until such fund advisors were sold to Apollo Global Management, Inc. in May 2022 (representing approximately $6.5 billion in equity). Griffin Capital has also sponsored or co-sponsored a series of public, non-listed real estate investment trusts including: Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II, Inc. (sold to Northstar Realty Finance, Inc. in December 2014 for $4 billion), Griffin-American Healthcare REIT III, Inc. and Griffin-American Healthcare REIT IV, Inc. (which trusts were merged and the management team internalized into the combined $4.7 billion healthcare REIT in October 2022 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in February 2024) and Peakstone Realty Trust, Inc. (“PKST”), an entity formed via the April 2019 $4.7 billion merger of Griffin Capital Essential Asset REIT, Inc. and Griffin Capital Essential Asset REIT II, Inc, (the management team was internalized in December 2018 and PKST subsequently acquired via merger $1.1 billion of assets from the former CCITII REIT to form a $5.8 billion enterprise which was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2023). Mr. Shields formerly served as the Chief Executive Officer of each Griffin Capital Essential Asset REITs until their internalization and served as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors until its listing. Mr. Shields also formerly served as a Board of Director’s observer for each of the Griffin-American Healthcare REITs until their internalization. Mr. Shields was formerly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Griffin Capital Securities, LLC, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer that served as the dealer manager for the REITs and private placements sponsored by Griffin Capital and the exclusive wholesale marketing agent for Credit Fund and the Real Estate Fund. Griffin Capital Securities was also sold to Apollo in a transaction that closed March 1, 2022.
Before founding Griffin Capital, Mr. Shields was a Senior Vice President and head of the Structured Real Estate Finance Group at Jefferies & Company, Inc. in Los Angeles and a Vice President in the Real Estate Finance Department of Salomon Brothers Inc. in both New York and Los Angeles. Over the course of his 35-year plus real estate and investment banking career, Mr. Shields has structured and closed over 300 transactions totaling in excess of $30 billion of real estate acquisitions, financings and dispositions.
Education
- Juris Doctorate, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley Law School (f/k/a Boalt Hall School of Law)
- MBA, Haas Graduate School of Business, University of California at Berkeley, graduated Summa Cum Laude with Beta Gamma Sigma distinction
- BS, Haas Undergraduate School of Business, University of California, graduated Phi Beta Kappa distinction
Professional Licenses
- FINRA Securities Licenses: Series 7, 63, 24 and 27
- Member, California Bar Association (inactive)
Industry Activities
- Chairman Emeritus, Institute for Portfolio Alternatives (IPA)
- Executive Member, Public Non-Listed REIT Council, NAREIT
- Associate Council, Real Estate Roundtable
- Policy Advisory Board Member, Fisher Center for Real Estate
- Former Council Member, Urban Land Institute
- Guest Lecturer, Haas Graduate School of Business, University of California at Berkeley
Nick Rosenthal
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Nick Rosenthal
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Rosenthal serves as Co-Chief Executive Officer at Griffin Capital Company, LLC, where he is responsible for working directly with the firm’s executives across Acquisitions, Asset Management, Due Diligence, Product Development, Accounting, Investor Relations, Marketing and Equity Sales. In this capacity, Mr. Rosenthal is responsible for directing the firm’s strategic vision and advancing key initiatives across the organization. With extensive experience and expertise in both the financial services and real estate industry, Mr. Rosenthal has authored whitepapers on real estate investing and associated financial planning strategies. He is highly regarded for his thought leadership and is often featured in industry publications and events, offering insight into the current investment dynamics in the property markets. Mr. Rosenthal has been involved in the underwriting and acquisition of multifamily and industrial real estate investments and has been directly responsible for raising over $2 billion of investor capital across various real estate strategies and investment structures.
Mr. Rosenthal is a registered Series 7 licensed representative. He is a Graduate of George Washington University and a resident of Newport Beach, California, where he resides with his wife and two sons.
Paul De Martini
Chief Investment Officer
Paul De Martini
Chief Investment Officer
Paul De Martini serves as Chief Investment Officer at Griffin Capital, where he is responsible for overseeing the firms Acquisitions, Portfolio Management and Asset Management divisions. Mr. De Martini directs investment strategy and execution across all firm strategies and serves on the Investment and Executive Management Committees.
Prior to joining Griffin, Mr. De Martini served as Senior Managing Director at Tishman Speyer where he was responsible for the company’s operations across their Southern California and Washington D.C. Regions. His responsibilities included oversight of acquisitions, dispositions, asset management, and development. He previously worked in investment banking at Merrill Lynch and as a consultant for Andersen Consulting. Mr. De Martini is a member of the Urban Land Institute and currently serves in leadership of its U.S. Product Councils.
Mr. De Martini graduated cum laude from UCLA with a BA in business economics and received his MBA with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Palmer Scholar.
Eric J. Kaplan
President
Real Estate Development
Eric J. Kaplan
President
Real Estate Development
Mr. Kaplan is the President of Real Estate Development.
CAREER SUMMARY
Mr. Kaplan has over 30 years of hands-on experience in commercial real estate, encompassing over 100 transactions totaling over $8 billion throughout North America. Mr. Kaplan’s career has focused on property acquisition, ownership, asset management and debt and equity financing. Prior to joining Griffin in February 2013, Mr. Kaplan served 11 years at IRG, LLC, a privately-held opportunistic buyer of commercial real estate. He was one of three partners responsible for acquisition, ownership and management of over 90 million square feet of primarily office and industrial real estate in 23 states. While Mr. Kaplan was ultimately responsible for identifying, underwriting and closing acquisitions, he was also responsible for leading all due diligence on acquisitions, procuring debt and equity financing and maintaining investor relationships. Prior to IRG, Mr. Kaplan was employed for approximately 14 years in various acquisitions, asset management and debt and equity capital raising roles with Morgan Stanley, JMB Realty Corporation, Chemical Bank and J.P. Morgan.
EDUCATION
- MBA, University of California at Los Angeles, Anderson Graduate School of Management, with honors
- BS, Clemson University, Financial Management, with honors
INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES
Member, Urban Land Institute; Active in many civic organizations
PERSONAL
Married, father of three children; resident of Los Angeles, CA
Mary P. Higgins
General Counsel - Real Estate
Mary P. Higgins
General Counsel - Real Estate
Mary Higgins is the General Counsel – Real Estate of Griffin Capital Company, LLC and is based in the firm’s Chicago office. Ms. Higgins formerly served as General Counsel to GCEAR from 2009 to 2020.
CAREER SUMMARY
Prior to joining Griffin Capital, Ms. Higgins was a partner at the law firm of Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon LLP in Chicago, Illinois. Ms. Higgins has been Griffin Capital’s primary real estate transaction counsel for more than 16 years and she worked together with Griffin Capital’s principals on nearly all of the firm’s acquisition, due diligence, leasing, financing and disposition activities during that time period.
Ms. Higgins has over 30 years of experience representing both public and private real estate owners, tenants and investors in commercial real estate matters, including development, leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, and securitized and non-securitized financings. Representative transactions include sales and dispositions of regional malls, including some of the premiere regional malls in the nation; sale of a golf course in an UPREIT structure; a $38 million credit tenant loan transaction; acquisition of various Florida office properties for a $150 million office property equity fund; representation of the ground lessor in a subordinated tenant development ground lease and a $350 million property roll up. Ms. Higgins has extensive experience in commercial leasing issues, including office, retail and industrial properties (including multi-state industrial sale/leasebacks) and originally authored the chapter entitled “Due Diligence on Commercial Leases” in the Real Estate Transactions volume published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. She assisted the Chicago Economic Community Development Law Project by training volunteer attorneys to provide legal services to participants in the CHA “Choose To Own” program. She is a mentor in the Harold Eisenberg Foundation mentoring program and was certified as a mediator through the Center for Conflict Resolution, Chicago, Illinois.
EDUCATION
- JD, DePaul University College of Law
- BS, Legal Administration, Mallinckrodt College (now part of Loyola University)
Danny Snell
Chief Financial Officer
Danny Snell
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Snell serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Griffin Capital Company, LLC and oversees all accounting, tax, reporting, treasury, and related functions.
CAREER SUMMARY
Prior to joining Griffin Capital, Mr. Snell served as Senior Vice President of Finance for Turner Impact Capital, one of the country’s largest real estate social impact investment firms focused on the development of education and healthcare facilities and the enrichment of affordable workforce housing in underserved communities nationwide. During his tenure at Turner Impact Capital, he was responsible for leading all accounting, tax and valuation matters, financial and investor reporting, and internal controls and treasury functions across all private equity funds and the investment adviser. Prior to Turner Impact Capital, Mr. Snell was the Controller of Mesa West Capital, a leading U.S. commercial real estate lending platform, where he managed the accounting and reporting functions across all real estate credit funds and the investment adviser, including the integration of various processes and systems resulting from the acquisition of Mesa West Capital by Morgan Stanley. Prior to Morgan Stanley/Mesa West Capital, Mr. Snell started his career at KPMG, managing multiple financial audits of various public and private real estate funds and financial services clients.
Mr. Snell is a Certified Public Accountant in California with over 12 years of real estate and financial services experience and earned a B.S. in Accounting from Santa Clara University.
Andy Marrone
National Sales Director
Andy Marrone
National Sales Director
Mr. Marrone serves as National Sales Director at Griffin Capital Company, LLC. At Griffin, Mr. Marrone is responsible for managing the firm’s Wealth Solutions team and the firm’s relationships across all distribution channels and plays an integral role in supporting the financial intermediaries Griffin Capital serves. Mr. Marrone’s experience managing high-performing individuals, and his deep understanding of real estate investment strategies, the capital markets and intermediary distribution are an asset to the firm’s clients and investors as well as the team that he leads.
Prior to joining Griffin Capital, he served as a Senior Vice President at Ecovest Capital where he was head of Sales and Distribution and a key member of the Executive Leadership Team. Prior to EcoVest, he spent more than two decades in sales and leadership roles with firms such as FS Investments, Cole Capital and AXA Equitable.
Michael J. Marohnic
Managing Director
Portfolio Management
Michael J. Marohnic
Managing Director
Portfolio Management
Mr. Marohnic is the Managing Director of Portfolio Management at Griffin Capital Company, LLC, where he is responsible for helping to develop and oversee the execution of the investment strategy for the various investment vehicles managed by the firm. In this capacity, he is involved with identifying target markets, asset selection, underwriting, portfolio management, and maximization of value. Mr. Marohnic interfaces with the firm’s executives across Acquisitions and Asset Management.
Mr. Marohnic originally joined Griffin Capital in 2015 as an Associate and was responsible for assisting in the underwriting of acquisition opportunities for Griffin Capital-sponsored investment vehicles. He rejoined Griffin Capital in May 2018 after serving as an Associate Vice President for Mirae Asset Global Investments where he focused on the acquisition and development of commercial real estate assets across the United States.
During his 12-year career in real estate, Mr. Marohnic has been involved in the acquisition, financing, development, management and disposition of over $4.0 billion of commercial real estate transactions throughout the United States. He holds an MBA from the University of California at Los Angeles – Anderson Graduate School of Management, and an M.S. and B.S. from Arizona State University.
William Messori
Managing Director
Real Estate Development
William Messori
Managing Director
Real Estate Development
Mr. Messori is a Managing Director of Real Estate Development for Griffin Capital Company, LLC. He focuses on the company’s development activities and plays an integral role in the direction and oversight of all development projects.
Prior to joining Griffin Capital in 2015, Mr. Messori was a Senior Vice President with Mar Ventures, Inc. where he developed over 2 million square feet of office, industrial and retail space along with obtaining entitlements for over 150 acres of land for over 2 million square feet of commercial space and more than 300 residential units. Prior to Mar Ventures, Mr. Messori was a Senior Manager – Real Estate with Hughes Electronics where he managed a portfolio in excess of 55 million square feet of leased and owned space with an asset value of over $10 billion.
Mr. Messori has over 35 years of real estate development experience across office, industrial, retail, residential and hospitality. He holds an MBA from University of Southern California and a Certificate in Executive Management from Claremont Graduate University.
David Greenberg
Managing Director
Asset Management
David Greenberg
Managing Director
Asset Management
Mr. Greenberg serves as Managing Director and Head of Asset Management for Griffin Capital Company, LLC. In this capacity, he is responsible for a nationally diversified multifamily portfolio, including implementing value-creation strategies, monitoring operating and financial performance, and overseeing budgeting and business planning.
Prior to leading the Asset Management team at Griffin Capital Company, LLC, Mr. Greenberg worked in the multifamily sector with other nationally recognized real estate investment management firms, including Brookfield Asset Management, Related, and The Irvine Company. His experience includes oversight of property operations, collaborating on over $10B of multifamily development, acquisition, and capital reinvestment, and expertise in both asset and portfolio management. Throughout his career, Mr. Greenberg has also played a key role in managing Investor and Joint Venture relationships.
Mr. Greenberg graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in International Relations and is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Irvine Public School Foundation. He currently lives in Tustin, CA, with his wife and two sons.
Scott Street
Senior Vice President
Operations and Due Diligence
Scott Street
Senior Vice President
Operations and Due Diligence
Mr. Street is a Senior Vice President – Operations and Due Diligence for Griffin Capital Company, LLC and is primarily responsible for overseeing the due diligence relations, fund development and marketing functions of Griffin Capital Private Equity, LLC.
Prior to joining Griffin Capital in 2018, Mr. Street served in several capacities for KBS Capital Markets Group, the last of which was Director of Product and Due Diligence.
Mr. Street has over a decade of real estate and financial services experience. He is a CFA® charterholder and holds a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara
Louis Leeds
Senior Vice President
Multifamily Investments
Louis Leeds
Senior Vice President
Multifamily Investments
Louis is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, negotiating and closing multifamily acquisition opportunities for the eastern half of the United States. He brings more than 22 years of multifamily investment management experience and has been responsible for acquiring more than 23,800 apartment units nationally with an aggregate value of more than $6.1B. Additionally, he plays an integral role in devising and executing Griffin Capital’s multifamily investment strategies.
Prior to joining Griffin Capital, Louis held executive-level positions with some of the nation’s largest multifamily investment managers, including Capmark Investments, The Hunt Companies, JRK Property Holdings, Resource REIT, and Lend Lease.
Louis holds a M.S. in Real Estate Finance and Development from New York University, an MBA in Finance from LaSalle University, and a BA in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh.
Lynn Berger
Director
Strategic Partnerships
Lynn Berger
Director
Strategic Partnerships
Lynn Berger serves as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Griffin Capital Company. Ms. Berger is tasked with managing Griffin Capital’s long-standing intermediary partnerships across the Wealth Management Channel to include Griffin’s relationships with Family Offices, Multi-Family Offices, Registered Investment Advisors, Wire-Houses and Broker-Dealers. Ms. Berger brings 23 years of experience in the financial services and alternative investment industry. Ms. Berger earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, currently holds FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 licenses, and holds the CAIA Fundamentals in Alternatives designation and the CRPC designation.
Brandi Gordon
Senior Vice President
Human Resources
Brandi Gordon
Senior Vice President
Human Resources
Brandi Gordon serves as Senior Vice President, Head of Human Resources (HR) for Griffin Capital Company. She is responsible for the strategic direction and operational execution of the HR function, including performance and compensation management, organizational effectiveness, rewards and recognition, and talent management.
Prior to joining Griffin Capital in her present role in 2018, Mrs. Gordon was a Senior Human Resources Consultant for ABD Insurance and Financial Services, where she managed strategic initiatives and fulfilled outsourced HR leadership roles for several companies including Griffin Capital. Collectively, Mrs. Gordon has fulfilled an HR role with Griffin Capital since 2012. Prior to her consulting tenure, Mrs. Gordon led HR teams in several senior management-level HR positions in her positions with Wells Fargo, Wachovia National Bank, and First Union Bank. She has also served as an instructor for the Society of Human Resources Management.
Ms. Gordon began her career in human resources and has over 30 years of experience leading the function in the financial and professional services sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communications and Human Resources Management from San Francisco State University as well as the SHRM-SCP and SPHR certifications.
Debi Sambuchi
Senior Vice President
Marketing
Debi Sambuchi
Senior Vice President
Marketing
Debi Sambuchi serves as head of Marketing for Griffin Capital Company and is responsible for managing and executing strategies to expand the Company’s brand awareness among its key constituents including investors, financial advisors and their broker-dealers and registered investment advisors. Mrs. Sambuchi also oversees the digital marketing initiatives across various media platforms.
Mrs. Sambuchi joined Griffin Capital in 2005 as a Transaction Coordinator and assisted in marketing the firm’s 1031 Exchange and Delaware Statutory Trust transactions. During her tenure, Mrs. Sambuchi has evolved through several marketing positions and has become an integral part of the firm’s ability to adapt and succeed in various sectors.
With over 19 years of industry experience, Mrs. Sambuchi has been intimately involved in the development of the Company’s direct real estate divisions and is an active member in several of the firm’s committees. She holds a B.A. from the University of Connecticut.
Ivy Madden
Vice President
Investor Relations
Ivy Madden
Vice President
Investor Relations
Mrs. Madden serves as head of Investor Relations for Griffin Capital Private Equity, LLC and manages the daily subscription and closing process, partners with the division’s fund administrator on the implementation of effective processes, client services and compliant record keeping, and oversees post-closing communications to ensure timely and accurate reporting and distributions for investors and financial advisors.
Mrs. Madden joined Griffin Capital Company, LLC in 2005 as a Transaction Coordinator and was responsible for processing and closing the firm’s 1031 Exchange transactions. During her tenure, Mrs. Madden has held a range of positions and has been an integral part of the firm’s growth and successes.
With over 19 years of industry experience and a diverse knowledge background, Mrs. Madden has been acutely involved in the development of the Griffin Capital Private Equity, LLC division and actively participates in several of the firm’s committees. She holds a B.A. from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Brenda Tello
Vice President
Asset Management
Brenda Tello
Vice President
Asset Management
Ms. Tello is a Vice President – Asset Management for Griffin Capital Company, LLC and is responsible for asset management oversight of the multifamily portfolio. She also aids in the acquisition and disposition of investments, investor reporting, and development with institutional joint venture partners.
Prior to joining Griffin Capital in 2020, she was Assistant Vice President – Asset Management for American Realty Advisors. Prior to that, she was an Asset Manager for Passco Companies, LLC.
Ms. Tello has over a decade of hands-on multifamily asset management experience. She holds a B.S. from the University of Southern California – Marshall School of Business.