BFTP is 30+ year public-private investment firm, focused on helping early-stage, technology-based firms with funding, business and technical expertise, and access to network of resources. BFTP makes direct investments in promising, technology-oriented companies throughout the Commonwealth to fund critical commercialization activities and growth needs. Thanks to the rigorous vetting process, a BFTP investment often serves as a key endorsement to other funding sources, enabling companies to attract the follow-on investment they need to move beyond start-up and into full-fledged commercialization.
Meet Our Team
A team of cross industry experts in strategy, real estate, retail, hospitality, and technology.
Management Team
As the Chief Executive Officer of Cecilian Partners, John drives capital strategy, manages shareholder relationships, develops strategic initiatives and guides the company's product roadmap with expertise and commitment to the real estate industry.
John grew up in a family built on entrepreneurial spirit. His mother, Kathleen Cecilian, has helped to create powerful brands for some of the most respected master-planned community developers.
Before starting Cecilian Partners, John spent seventeen years in retail management and strategy, working for a variety of global lifestyle brands during a time of hypergrowth and emergence. He has been a leader and key contributor in the development and North American expansion of several iconic brands, including Abercrombie & Fitch, AllSaints, Michael Kors, Quiksilver, Under Armour, and Rapha. John’s had P&L oversight over $150MM working in major city centers and regions nationally for these brands. He is an expert in commerce strategy, customer experience, and the recruitment and training of teams and people.
For years, John gleaned insights into the broken nature of the customer journey for community developers and production home builders. He understands how to solve the opportunity in the marketplace and believes he has assembled and continues to build a team of outside industry experts to help overcome the customer obstacles plaguing this category of real estate.
John holds a Master of Business Administration in Systems Thinking and Global Finance from Villanova University, and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Psychology from Duquesne University. John is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the Community Development Council (CDC) Gold.
As co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Phil is responsible for Cecilian Partners' client partnerships, strategy, and product. He is the official ``client whisperer`` and is deeply involved in creating and maintaining client partnerships that drive innovation and lasting value. He also works closely with John to map the future industry environment and set the long-term direction of product, positioning, and investment for the business.
Phil has over 15 years of client advisory and digital innovation / product experience. He started his career with Accenture, working with clients like Microsoft, Marriott, Facebook, Johnson Controls and many others building digital businesses and long-term innovation and growth strategies. That diverse experience across industries, sectors, and topics helps inform Cecilian Partners' uniquely effective approach to product and client service.
Phil holds degrees in Mathematical Economics and Management from Rice University and the London School of Economics. He is an active member of Urban Land Institute and serves on the CDC Blue Product Council.
After graduating West Virginia University – College of Business & Economics (Cum Laude), Jennifer spent over a decade working in the financial services industry for one of the largest global finance vendors in the world at DLL Group, a Netherlands-based company with over $45B in assets, providing asset-based solutions across industries from healthcare to agriculture.
Climbing the corporate ladder from Global Management Trainee to Sr. Program Manager, where she managed a $200M healthcare portfolio, Jennifer decided to shift gears and seek her entrepreneurial pursuits; ultimately joining her family's real estate brand consultancy Cecilian Worldwide as VP of Finance & Operations.
Jennifer officially joined Cecilian Partners in January of 2021 as CFO, bringing her much needed financial acumen and trust to help grow the business the right way for capital partners and clients alike.
Jennifer's passion for real estate runs deep, as she is also a licensed realtor with the prestigious Addison Wolfe brokerage out of New Hope Pennsylvania.
Her cross-functional financial expertise, and real estate knowledge continues to shape the growth of Cecilian Partners.
Customer Delivery & Success
As Senior Vice Present of Customer Operations, Kimberly brings over 15 year’s worth of hands-on experience working with real estate developers, builders, and brokers. This experience has afforded her a unique perspective on how buyers and sellers connect and interact throughout the homebuying journey.
Most recently, Kimberly was the COO of BrightDoor, an industry pioneer in real estate sales and marketing software. She served in multiple roles at BrightDoor, including managing both client services and business operations. Joining BrightDoor as one of the early start-up employees, she was able to build, train and manage a customer success management team recognized as one of the best in real estate software. Her contributions were instrumental in helping shape the evolution of the BrightDoor software system.
Kimberly holds a degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master’s degree in Adult Learning from North Carolina State University. When she’s not helping real estate professionals succeed, you can find her outside running, in her garden, or in the kitchen whipping up her next foodie creation.
As VP of Product and Delivery, Todd brings over 4 years of master planned community development experience to Cecilian Partners. Through his time spent at Republic Property Group, he witnessed first-hand the complexities of the industry and provides direct MPC experience to Cecilian Partners’ clients. Todd has been involved with The XO since its beginnings, playing an integral role in the entire implementation process.
During his time at Cecilian Partners, Todd has led the onboarding and deployment of The XO for each of Cecilian Partners’ large-scale master planned communities, including the discovery, training, and ongoing customer success for each project. He personally has trained over 250 users across 25 homebuilder teams around the country.
Todd has applied his curious nature to learn how to solve complex problems in the MPC industry. His experience at Republic Property Group allowed him the opportunity to deeply understand the challenges developers face when trying to shape the journey of would-be home buyers and how they can utilize technology to help solve the customer journey.
Todd holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of Texas. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and is currently involved regionally through the ULI Chicago.
A native Californian, Wendy is based in Orange County, California and has been responsible for key accounts, happily serving needs of customers in several times zones from the Cayman Islands to Fiji. Wendy comes to Cecilian with over 13 years experience with BrightDoor working with master plan developers, builders, senior living and student housing communities. During her tenure at BrightDoor, Wendy has delivered nothing short of exemplary customer support, keeping customer needs at the forefront of everything she does.
Wendy holds a Bachelors of Arts from The University of California, Irvine and a teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach.
Lori joins Cecilian Partners as a Customer Success Manager with a decade of experience in customer success and technical support for SaaS companies. She has a deep understanding of the importance of a positive customer experience and uses creative and critical thinking to ensure customers are getting the most out of the partnership and product that is being provided.
With a background in education, implementation, and support, Lori's eager to expand her skillset with Cecilian Partners.
Lori graduated from The College of New Jersey with a degree in History and a certification in Secondary Education. She is passionate about travelling to new places whenever the opportunity presents itself and enjoys spending quality time with her friends and dog.
A recent graduate from Seton Hall University, Luke holds a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences and is currently employed at Cecilian Partners as a Sales Engineer. While at Seton Hall, Luke focused on research as he pursued his degree in History. “The work is a bit different, but it’s an exciting and promising market,” Luke said when asked about the growing MPC market. Luke is excited to continue working with Cecilian Partners and says that thus far it has been an “absolute privilege and pleasure to be working with such an intelligent and motivated team.”
Robert is an expert in data. He has experience with a wide variety of modern data tools, including SQL and Tableau. During his career he has focused on designing dashboards and automating business and operations processes. He is the data engine for Cecilian Partners' clients, helping transform, clean, and structure data so that they gain insight, efficiency, and practical business impact from our digital products.
Robert attended Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. He has a bachelor's degrees in Applied Mathematics and Economics.
In his free time, Robert is an avid Ultimate frisbee player, and enjoys traveling with his cat and girlfriend.
With a background in residential architecture, Jackson brings a unique skillset to the Cecilian team at the intersection of data and real estate. His work prior to Cecilian Partners centered on data, analytics, dashboards, and reports for the dynamic and complex real estate market in Chicago, IL. He brings an important design perspective to Cecilian, helping our clients streamline the reporting process and draw insights from the real-time data they get out of The XO, Parcel IQ, and the suite of Cecilian Partners' products.
Jackson attended the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois. He has a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and certifications in Tableau, SQL, and Python from Codeacademy and Coursera. In his free time, Jackson enjoys exploring the Chicago vintage scene and trying new restaurants.
Allison has a wealth of experience in real estate and technology. From running events that brought builders and technology partners together to explore innovative solutions, to helping builders across the United States reimagine their digital experience for prospects, she's passionate about changing the customer experience for home buyers.
At Cecilian Partners, Allison is dedicated to helping clients get the most out of our technology. She trains builder and developer users, helps clean and transform data, and brainstorms new ideas to make sure our customers aren't just buying software, but getting a technology partner that works.
With more than a decade of experience leading CX teams in the general aviation and retail industries, Amy is dedicated to providing world-class service in every client interaction. From executing training during business acquisitions to organizing a summer internship program within a global urban air mobility company, she’s passionate about a customer-focused culture. At Cecilian Partners, Amy helps clients realize the full potential of the software platforms, helps them think outside the box and find new, innovative solutions to business challenges, and builds long-term relationships that are the foundation of customer success.
Amy is a New Jersey native that recently moved to the eclectic town of New Hope, PA. She’s an active member of F45 Training and enjoys long walks down health food store aisles.
Diana is an experienced professional with an extensive customer service and operations background spanning over a decade. She has developed a strong reputation for cultivating meaningful relationships with clients and takes pride in positively impacting their lives. At Cecilian Partners, Diana is driven by her passion for a customer-centric approach and is committed to delivering exceptional service and anticipating clients' needs.
As a resident of New Jersey, Diana enjoys photography and spending time with her two beloved dogs, Benji and Finn.
As Senior Technical Account Manager, Abby brings over 7 years of experience in customer success and technical project management in SaaS companies. From a background in implementing clients, collaborating with the product team, and analyzing data, Abby brings the perfect blend of technical expertise and customer support experience to the customer success team.
At Cecilian Partners, Abby is passionate about enhancing the customer experience and understanding the customers needs.
Abby attended Salisbury University and has a dual Bachelor degree in Business Management and Information Systems. In her free time, she enjoys baking, scuba diving, and playing with her dog.
Culture & Client Operations
Matt joins Cecilian Partners Inc as SVP of Brand & Partnerships bringing over 25 years of technology and software experience to the proptech firm. Matt has been on the forefront of bringing emerging platforms to important industries the last decade. Most recently with HR tech firm Aliro and prior to that Clutch Holdings a modular Consumer Management (CM) platform that helps B2C companies cross buying channels.
Matt's focus for Cecilian Partners will be growing opportunities between clients and prospects while maintaining an already strong strategic base of industry leaders for the firm.
An alum of the University of Pennsylvania, Matt has stayed close to the Philadelphia area where he has raised his three children and lives with his wife and three dogs. Matt enjoys working out as well as cooking and is an avid Philly sports fan.
As Head of Client Innovation (Design & Product Expert), Katie brings over fifteen years of residential development and placemaking expertise to Cecilian Partners. She learned about land use while studying political science at Utah State University, fell in love with the field, and hasn’t looked back.
Katie’s career started helping builders and developers at the city planning level before joining one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. Most recently, she was part of the development team at Daybreak, RCLCO’s #5 best-selling MPC in 2020. While at Daybreak she worked with builder teams on thousands of design review submittals, implemented several new pattern books, collaborated in multiple design charrettes, and project managed over $30 million of open space and park planning. She added HOA knowledge to the mix as a member of the Daybreak Master Association Board of Directors and as Chair of the Daybreak Architectural Design Review Committee.
Katie’s passion for real estate extends far beyond just MPCs. She has spent much of her career striving to help diversify the voices in our industry. Her dedication to the cause is underscored by her service in a variety of roles including President of the Board of Directors for CNU-Utah, Chair of ULI Utah’s DEI Committee, and on the Utah Housing Preservation Fund’s Advisory Board. Katie is thrilled to share her experience, multi-faceted perspective on new urban topics, and excitement for the future of development with Cecilian’s clients
Off-hours, her curiosity, and energy hit the road. Whether staying in a defunct research habitat turned underwater hotel, eating street food in Bangkok, or hiking in Zion National Park, traveling with her family is Katie’s favorite way to recharge.
Khari is a multi-dimensional creative executive with 20 years of experience in brand development, people, and cultural leadership. He was a key contributor in the North American expansion of several iconic brands including Apple, Mulberry, AllSaints, and The Kooples. Khari has built industry leading teams from the ground up throughout his career. He understands the value and importance of delivering an elevated and impactful brand experience both for the employee and consumer. Above all he champions brand culture and experience at the highest level. Ultimately, Khari’s passion resides in supporting people and organizations to discover purpose so they may reach their full potential.
In August of 2018, Khari launched his personal passion, The 333. The 333 is a lifestyle brand with a modern approach to living a more conscious and mindful existence. The 333 creates unique immersive experiences and product ranges with the intention to raise the vibration of collective consciousness. Khari believes that by creating more opportunities for people to experience the world through the lens of love, unity, authenticity, and sustainability we can improve social impact and begin to evolve as a global community.
Anne Marie has over 25 years of experience in real estate investment management and accounting management. She spent the last 15 years managing all aspects of a private residential real estate portfolio, including in acquisition, maintenance, disposition, accounting and tax preparation. Prior to that and prior to taking a career hiatus to raise her family, she served in Controllership/Business Manager positions with LSI Communications, where she was recruited to help this troubled company file Chapter 11 and reorganize company to a viable state, and for Intelligent Electronics, where she was recruited to help start a media division in the form of a magazine.
She also served as a Senior Accounting Manager for The Chilton Company, a Division of ABC Capital Cities from 1989 to 1992. Her responsibilities covered all aspects of the preparation and monthly closing of the financial statements, including analytical review, supervision of accounting staff, the development and review of reconciliations, and the approval of journal entries. She also served as the liaison for the external audit and as the Internal Control Coordinator, which included the preparation of the annual Self- Assessment of internal accounting control. She also worked with Vice President of Finance on Mergers and Acquisitions.
Anne Marie started her career with Coopers & Lybrand in Philadelphia where she worked from 1985 to 1989 where she served as a Senior Associate in the Audit Practice.
Anne Marie received a Bachelor of Business Administration from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA in 1985. She had dual majors in Accounting and Management.
She and her husband and her 10 year-old husky reside in Bucks County, Pa. Her activities are focused on keeping up with her five adult sons.
Technology & Innovation
In his role as SVP, Software Engineering, Tom brings the perfect mix of tech skills and leadership. He has diverse experience in leading both small and large teams with expertise in Software Architecture, Engineering, Product Management, and DevOps with the ultimate capability to deliver software at scale.
Prior to joining Cecilian, Tom led engineering at Kohl’s for in-store experiences such as Omni Channel Pickup, Point of Sale, Electronic Pricing, Associate Mobility, and more. He keeps his entrepreneurial spirit alive with passion projects which give him the opportunity to code and learn what’s new in the ever changing world of app development. His extensive tech career also includes time with Microsoft, Sur La Table, Penta Technologies, and Jefferson Wells.
Tom has a knack for seeing the big picture, finding solutions, getting stuff done, and keeping it fun. He earned a BBA with a double major in Management Computer Systems and Finance from the University of WI-Whitewater. When he’s not playing with tech, he can be found playing with his three kids, traveling, playing volleyball, mountain biking, talking about one day getting back into sailboat racing, or seeking out new experiences.
With more than a decade working in the travel, hospitality, and loyalty space, Heidi leads Cecilian Partners' approach and investment in how to change the customer and resident experience in real estate. She's led the development and roll-out of loyalty programs, apps, and partnerships for some of the biggest international names in hospitality, including Jumeirah Group, Etihad Airlines, Emaar Hospitality Group, and Marriott. She brings a unique mix of technology development, strategy, project management expertise, and real-world insights into what makes brands, partnerships, and loyalty programs really tick.
As Cecilian Partners' VP of Loyalty Strategy, Heidi is leading the Customer Blueprint team, developing a unique and world-class approach to engaging customers and residents of communities. A native Australian, Heidi resides in Austin, Texas with her husband and their 1.5 year old son.
John brings over two decades of retail and customer experience expertise to Cecilian Partners. Most recently leading the retail division for Tommy Bahama overseeing over $250MM in retail revenue and managing the throughline between e-Commerce, brick and mortar retail, and food and beverage.
John is an expert in lifestyle brand development, business operations, strategic communications, and managing teams and people. His greatest competency is understanding the magic in delivering a world class experience that is memorable and everlasting for customers.
He joins Cecilian Partners, as Head of Merchant Loyalty & Retail Partnerships focused on the successful delivery of Cecilian’s exciting new mobile application Customer Blueprint. A lifestyle resident app that transforms how residents live and engage in communities.
John’s fruitful career has taken him all over the country, but he now resides in sunny Naples, Florida with his wife and three beautiful children.
James Kelsey is a self taught fullstack developer who is well versed in the full range of technology we use to build our applications. James has a passion for building tools to make work faster and smarter. He cut his teeth working on small programs with a large impact for data processing in his roles in the Navy.
He served in the US Navy for more than 20 years as an aircraft maintainer and leader. Most recently, he served on board the USS Essex leading a team of over 100 Sailors. He has fought actual fires and flooding at sea, so he's no stranger to adapting quickly and thinking on his feet.
He joins us from Hillsboro, Oregon where he lives with his wife, two children, and a dog.
Abid joined Cecilian Partners in October of 2021, bringing over 13 years of full stack software design and development experience, with a focus on Microsoft technologies and Amazon Web Services. He has evolved with .NET starting from ASP and ASP.NET to today's .NET Core.
Abid is a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) and continues to hone his skills through a collection of online learning systems. Most recently, Abid was a Senior Software Developer for BrightDoor, where he designed, developed and managed the BrightDoor software platform - comprising CRM, touchscreen software and mobile apps.
Abid holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics & Computer Engineering and a Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He's a self-avowed sports fan and huge fan of the UNC Tarheels.
Daniel A. Maldonado Morales is a fullstack developer based in Guadalajara. He has experience developing applications using Java and Python, user interface design using React, Due, Tailwind and Bulma.
Daniel holds a degree in engineering and a master's degree from the Instituto Tecnologico de la Laguna graduate school.
Outside of work, Daniel enjoys playing video games and watching movies from all over the world.
Founded by four brothers, the Lombards in the United States and the Clarks in Uruguay. Trust and cooperation are the most important values to their team. They are a fast growing Dev Shop with over 70 people across 9 countries. They have paid special attention to maintaining that environment of trust, reliability, and a culture of helping one another. Cecilian Partners has had the privilege of working with this group for the last 2 plus years and will continue to engage for the foreseeable future. They have incredible depth of resource and talented software developers steeped deeply in modern software engineering, architecture and innovation.
Distinguished group of industry executives who help to guide our strategy and accomplish our mission
Ned Moore has been a life long entrepreneur and has had an impressive record of success in a wide array of sectors including information technology, real estate and the distribution industries. As part of this experience he has focused on all facets of these markets providing vision, strategy, operational skills and leadership during several phases of a company’s lifecycle. He has extensive experience in raising capital from a variety of different sources and sectors to fuel companies experiencing rapid growth. He also has a deep understanding on how to build teams, boards, and appropriate governance structures to support rapidly growing companies along with both buy side and sell side M&A transaction experience.
Currently, Ned is the co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Clutch, which provides a mobile platform that unifies gifting, loyalty and shopping in a single experience. Prior to Clutch, he was the co-founder, Chairman and CEO at Portico Systems providing enterprise software solutions into the healthcare payer market experiencing tremendous growth and ultimately being sold to McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK).
Ned works with companies to apply the appropriate strategy, vision, and operational execution to enable these companies to achieve their high growth goals as they produce tangible value to the customers and markets they serve. Along with being very active with other entrepreneurs as an advisor and an angel investor, he serves on the boards of FinPay and Empactful Capital. Ned is also a member of the Advisory Boards for Coral Homes and SocialLadder.
Ned graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Villanova University. He serves as an Advisory Council Member to Villanova’s Center for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship, (“ICE” Center), which helps instill the entrepreneurial spirit in students across all the colleges at Villanova and is part of the Villanova School of Business. Ned also was the past Chairman of the Board of the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale where he still serves as a member of the Board and the Chairman of the Robert Hamilton Endowment Fund.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of Stockbridge Associates, LLC George E. Casey, Jr. is an accessible leader and mentor who is known for his approachability and open communication.
George has experience as an operating executive including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Division President. George has served as a consultant, board member for both private and public boards, and industry expert and speaker on residential building and development industries.
George is a full member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), has twice served as Chair of ULI’s Residential Neighborhood Development Council, currently serves as ULI’s Community Development Council, and is a Governor of the Urban Land Institute Foundation. He also serves as the Chair of the Housing Innovation Alliance and as Chair of the Vistage group for Southern Maine.
George is the author of articles on trends in the industry; is a frequent speaker at industry conferences; and author of the book ``Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze: The Valuable Habit of Learning from Your Business Experiences.``
Mark Schobel was appointed as Chief Innovation & Technology Officer of Aquestive in 2014 after serving as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Co-President and a member of its Board of Directors since November 2005. From March 2001 to November 2005, he was the Global Head of New Technology and Product Innovation for the Consumer Health Business Unit at Novartis where he pioneered thin film delivery of systemic drugs. Prior to Novartis, Mr. Schobel held various general management positions with Reed & Carnrick Pharmaceuticals, Warner-Lambert, and Pharmaceutical Formulations Inc.
Laura leads LWR Communities, the residential arm of Lakewood Ranch, the nation’s top-selling multigenerational community in 2018, 2019, and 2020. She oversees a 16,000-lot residential portfolio under active development by 20 builders with 2,000+ annual sales. Prior to Lakewood Ranch, Laura was vice president of marketing for Willowsford, a 4,000-acre “agri-hood” community in Northern Virginia. From 2002 to 2007 Laura served as vice president of corporate development for RCLCO in Washington, DC, and before that, held positions with the Urban Land Institute, Greater Houston Partnership, and IBM/CB Commercial. Laura serves as a vice chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Tampa Bay District Council. She is a native of Madrid, Spain, and holds a B.S. in Urban Development from The University of Arizona.
Since founding the Land Advisors Organization in 1987, Mr. Vogel has applied his unique knowledge in the areas of land economics, land use and market trends to become a trusted advisor and broker to a broad spectrum of clients including financial institutions, investors, homebuilders, and master planned community developers.
As Founder of the Land Advisors Organization, Mr. Vogel has led the expansion of the company into 26 markets across the United States. Over the past 34 years, he has been involved in hundreds of transactions, including several of the highest-valued land transactions in the country. He has developed an extreme level of expertise in large scale community development and the representation of large land owners in unique structured transactions.
Mr. Vogel received his B.S. in Real Estate from Arizona State University in 1985. Within the Urban Land Institute he is a Governor, past Trustee, past Chair of the Community Development Council (BlueFlight), and past ULI Foundation Board of Directors member. Mr. Vogel focuses his philanthropic and civic involvement on the Arizona State University Foundation (as past Trustee, past Board member, and currently Chairs the Arizona State University’s Real Estate Council’s Advisory Board).
As Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Stephanie McCarty leads brand marketing, employee and customer communications, media relations and PR, and crisis and issues management for Taylor Morrison. In her role, she has transformed the company culture and branding position nationwide, led acquisitions that helped catapult Taylor Morrison to the nation’s fifth largest residential home builder, led efforts resulting in the brand being recognized as America’s Most Trusted Home Builder by Lifestory Research seven years running, and positioned Taylor Morrison among the first to move the future of new construction home shopping forward with innovative, industry-leading customer acquisition tools.
Ms. McCarty joined the organization in 2015 as the Vice President of Corporate Communications and has led communications functions for the University of Phoenix, Insight, ON Semiconductor and McMurry, Inc. She has been named a ‘Top Women in PR’ by PRNews (2019), a ‘Top Women in Communications’ by Ragan Communications and PR Daily (2020), and a Top Marketing Leader by HousingWire (2022). Ms. McCarty graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University and currently sits on the Advisory Board for Zillow Group, Inc.
As a lifelong learner, creative problem solver, and challenger of mental models, Russ’ career has spanned more than three decades and has encompassed startup organizations to multi-billion dollar public enterprises. Russ is an evangelist of innovation and design thinking, and leverages these unique talents to drive transformation and growth. Russ equally brings extensive experience in human centered design, design thinking, product strategy, and technology. Russ currently serves as a board member, advisor, and mentor to founders and organizations across various growth stages and sectors.
Russ has spent the last 20 years at SEI in various executive leadership roles including technology, product management, marketing, innovation and strategic investments. Russ currently leads SEI’s strategic investment arm, SEI Ventures, which focuses on partnering with and investing in fintech organizations and entrepreneurs who want to change the world with the power of technology.
Russ is an Executive MBA adjunct professor in entrepreneurship and value creation through technology at Villanova University’s School of Business. Russ is also an adjunct professor at Drexel University’s LeBow School of Business where he lectures on innovation and design thinking at the Doctorate level.
Russ holds a B.S. in Information Systems Design from Drexel University’s College of Computing and Informatics, and most recently attended Y-Combinator’s startup school.
Backed by a generation of deep expertise in real estate and technology.
RCLCO Real Estate Advisors
RCLCO is a 50+ year real estate strategy and consulting firm, advising on $5B of real estate annually and a major strategic player across all classes and types of real estate. They are an investor in and strategic partner in the market with Cecilian Partners, seeing an opportunity to use technology and data to meet major developer and builder needs. RCLCO CEO Gadi Kaufmann states, “We always want to bring more to our clients. The world of real estate technology, “prop tech” is changing the industry and as always we want to play a strategic role in that change. We believe community developers and home builders will both gain efficiencies and improve the overall consumer experience by implementing this software product.”
Land Advisors Organization
Land Advisors is a team of respected, connected and talented land professionals that provide brokerage and advisory services to those that need a rock-solid, data-driven roadmap for acquiring, selling, financing or developing land and land-related assets. Established in 1987, LAO’s reputation in the real estate industry requires no introduction. Generational relationships with professionals at every point in the real estate cycle, state-of-the-art technology, and trust built on excellence and bankable expertise is why LAO is the best known name in land.
LJA Engineering
LJA is an Engineering News-Record Top 500 National Firm offering full-service engineering and consulting services to public and private sector clients. Their depth of services is comprehensive, their breadth of knowledge leads the industry, and their regional influence continues to positively impact our personal and professional communities. With over 1300 employees in 45 offices across Texas and the Southeastern US, LJA has won many national and regional awards over the years include Top Work Place, Best Places to Work, Hot Firm, Fast 100, Top Design Firm, and Top Civil/Structural Firm. LJA was recently named the Design Firm of the Year by ENR Texas & Louisiana.
