WHITE OAK PARTNERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Human Resources
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Advisory Board
- Board Member of Advanced Drainage Systems
Alex Fischer is a business and civic leader from Columbus, Ohio. As a Partner at The New Albany Company and Investor and Advisory Board Chair of White Oak Partners, he specializes in large scale real estate development, urban planning, and public-private partnerships. As the Chair of the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation and board member of Nationwide Children's Hospital, he is also committed to using his expertise to help build the future of his community through important civic causes.
Fischer was formerly the President and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, a civic leadership organization formed in 2002 of Columbus, Ohio's, top business leaders to improve the economic and cultural base of Central Ohio. For nearly 15 years, he worked to transform the Columbus region through public-private partnerships and economic development.
Prior to joining the Columbus Partnership, Fischer was Senior Vice President for Business and Economic Development for Battelle headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and served on the company's Executive Committee and as a corporate officer. His responsibilities included leading Battelle's commercialization efforts, venture investing, and overseeing the office of Public Affairs and Government Relations.
Before joining Battelle, Fischer served as the Deputy Governor and Chief of Staff to Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist. In this position, he served as the principal advisor to the Governor on all matters of the State of Tennessee including the oversight of the 22 agencies of state government.
Fischer is also a board member of Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS), Andelyn Biosciences, the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and OPOC.US. Previously he has served on numerous public and private boards including most recently as a trustee of The Ohio State University.
A native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Fischer graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree from the school of Architecture and Planning. Alex and his wife Lori have three children and reside in the city of Columbus.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- Partner, Head of Capital Markets
Job Titles:
- Chief Investment Officer
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- Partner
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Owner of 15 Ohio McDonald
Brian is the owner of 15 Ohio McDonald's restaurants (Mortellaro McDonald's) and a non-active CPA. He is a 2021 winner of the national Ronald Award, an award given to the top 1% of McDonald's operators around the country.
Brian serves on the Board of Directors for John Carroll University, Licking Memorial Health Systems and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. Brian is a member of the finance committee for the Licking County Foundation.
Brian is a former Board Member of Licking Memorial Hospital, the Licking County Family YMCA, and the Midland Theatre. Brian graduated from John Carroll University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in Accountancy.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Fund Administration
Director, External Reporting and Technical Accounting at White Oak Partners, Accounting Manager for Commercial and Multi-Family portfolios at Olshan Properties in NY, NY; Accounting Supervisor at Developers Diversified Realty (SITE Centers) in Cleveland, OH, responsible for domestic and international joint venture financial reporting and quarterly/annual SEC filings. Prior to this, Chris was an Audit Manager with RSM, providing audit and advisory services to a wide range of clients.
EDUCATION
BSBA in Accounting and MBA with an Accounting and Finance focus from John Carroll University (Cleveland, OH). Chris is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Ohio.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Investments & Due Diligence
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- Partner
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Dennis has 30+ years of experience building and scaling multi-site, private equity backed, and publicly traded consumer retail and healthcare services businesses and leading companies through dynamic transformation and growth. Currently, Dennis is the CEO of Hopebridge, a leading, high-growth Autism Therapy Provider responsible for helping thousands of children achieve their best life possible. Under Dennis's leadership since 2016, Hopebridge has expanded from 5 to 50 locations across the country bringing access to autism therapy to thousands of children in need.
Hopebridge's rapid expansion is a product of Dennis's deep experience and passion for helping companies build high performing teams and systems to navigate through dynamic growth. As a Board Member for Hopebridge and Skin Laundry, an advisor to 24-Hour Dental, and through strategic investments in various high-growth Healthcare and Consumer Businesses, Dennis has served as a mentor to businesses navigating complexities from early stage development to becoming a public entity. Prior to Hopebridge, Dennis served as CEO of consumer electronics retailer, hhgregg, which he grew from a family-owned local retailer with 18 locations to a public company with 227 locations and over $2 billion of revenue in 10 years.
Dennis' passion for helping those in need and advancing clinical standards for autism therapy is evident through his project leadership and collaboration with the International Consortium for Health Outcome Measures (ICHOM). The project with ICHOM will leverage clinical data from Hopebridge and other leading Autism Therapy Providers to balance a comprehensive view of measurements for evaluating healthcare outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorders.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- Partner
Financial planning and analysis, Accounting, Audit, Tax, Treasury, and Investor and Financial Reporting Platforms. Eric has responsibility for operational systems and compliance with governmental regulations and manages external relationships with tax and audit firms, bank treasury departments, and other third parties.
Job Titles:
- Member Emeritus of the Advisory Board
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Owner of the John W. Kessler Company
Mr. Kessler is Owner of the John W. Kessler Company and Co-Founder and Chairman of The New Albany Company.
He serves on the boards of The John Glenn College of Public Affairs, the New Albany Surgical Hospital Foundation, and The Columbus Partnership.
Mr. Kessler is past Chairman of The Ohio State University Board of Trustees; past Chairman of Ohio Public Works Commission; past Chairman of United Way of Central Ohio; past Chairman of Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce; past Chairman of Columbus Museum of Art; past Chairman of The Ohio Arts & Sports Facilities Commission and past President of the Columbus School for Girls. He also was on the Board of Directors of JPMorgan Chase & Co., The Limited, Inc., Commercial Vehicle Group, Abercrombie & Fitch, Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Cleveland Federal Reserve, and Columbus Downtown Development Corporation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- Partner
- President
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- SVP, Operations
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy Officer
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- Partner
The alignment of talent, strategic initiatives, and corporate operations with short-term and long-term business goals. Jennifer works closely with the entire leadership team and advisory board in guiding the company through business planning for long-term growth and success. She oversees corporate and strategic planning, organizational development, and is highly involved in corporate risk management. Jennifer has responsibility for the oversight of the Human Resources department which focuses on building an empowered workforce focused on strategic thinking, collaboration, and teamwork that will deliver exceptional results to stakeholders and partners alike. Jennifer serves as the Chair of the Risk Committee, and Strategic Staffing Committee and is a member of the ESG / DEI committee.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Member of the Advisory Board
Jennifer Stevens is an executive-level professional with real asset expertise and extensive knowledge of the General Partner & Limited Partner Universe.
Her professional experience includes sixteen years of institutional portfolio management and consulting, strategic and investment planning, real asset investment underwriting, and a specialization in areas including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and industry best practice.
Prior to forming Alliance Global Advisors, Jennifer held several positions within The Townsend Group, advising clients with cumulative total plan assets of over $300 billion and approximately $20 billion in Real Estate allocations. She was a voting member of Townsend's Advisory Investment Committee, responsible for reviewing and approving due diligence reports and strategy for all advisory clients of the firm. Her clients included Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles Fire & Police, Orange County, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City, San Diego City, Sacramento County and Queensland Superannuation Plan.
She has served as a representative member of the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UN PRI), Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), PREA Foundation Diversity Working Group, Institutional Real Estate, Inc. (IREI), Women in Institutional Investment Network (WIIN) and National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) in addition to speaking at numerous educational and industry events. In 2016, Jennifer Stevens received the inaugural GRESB Leadership Award from the US Green Building Council to recognize her efforts in establishing and growing Townsend's ESG Program. In 2019, Ms. Stevens was on the Chief Investment Officer's annual list of most influential investment Consultants, she received the 2021 GlobeSt Women of Influence award and the Connect CRE 2023 Women in Real Estate Award. In 2022, Jennifer was elected to the PREA Board of Directors and joined PREA's Social Impact Committee. In 2023, Jennifer joined the Advisory Board of Haystacks.AI.
Jennifer received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University in 2004 and remains an active alumna. She is a former President of Ohio University's College of Business Society of Alumni & Friends and currently serves on the Executive Alumni Board. In 2019, Jennifer joined the Board of the Ohio State University Center for Real Estate.
Jennifer spends time in Ohio and Florida. She enjoys sailing with her husband and spending time together with their daughter, Chloe. On a long holiday weekend, you might find Jen visiting friends in Napa, the Florida Keys or skiing with her niece and nephews.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Mr. Brunett has extensive management experience operating companies in a variety of industries. He is the former President & CEO of Paradigm Intermediate Holdings.
Mr. Brunett held various executive management positions with SBR, Inc., a privately-owned holding company, in many of SBR's subsidiaries. These positions included President of the northern 7-Eleven operations, Division Manager for Woodcraft Supply Corporation, President of SimEx Inc., and President of Simonton Building Products. During his time at Simonton, the company experienced double digit growth for over a decade. Mr. Brunett also held the position of Senior Vice President of SBR, Inc., where he was responsible for manufacturing operations, product development and innovation for five SBR companies.
Mr. Brunett is a former President and Chairman of the Board of AAMA (American Architectural Manufacturers Association).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Operations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Operations
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Real Estate Accounting
Accounting Director at Rockbridge Capital, a private equity real estate firm, responsible for investor and lender financial reporting on various funds and joint ventures. Prior to this, Lee was an Audit Manager with Schneider Downs & Co., Inc., a regional public accounting firm, providing audit and advisory services to both privately held and publicly traded companies.
EDUCATION
MS in Accounting from the University of Tampa; BBA from Ohio University. Lee is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) (inactive).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Vice Chair of the Advisory Board
- Board Member and Lead Director of Park National Corporation
- Founder and President of Mid State Systems, Inc
Mr. Zazworsky is Founder and President of Mid State Systems, Inc., Mid State Warehouses, Inc., and Dalmatian Transportation LLC.
Mr. Zazworsky is a Board member and Lead Director of Park National Corporation (NYSE: PRK), where he serves on the Executive and Risk Committees.
He serves on the Boards of the John and Mary Alford Foundation, The Salvation Army of Newark, Ohio and is a former Board member of Paramount Financial Group. Mr. Zazworsky graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- Managing Director, Capital Markets
Director of Americas Capital Raising at Rockpoint, a real estate investment manager based in Boston, MA. Previously, he served as Head of Client Relations, Eastern U.S., and Latin America at Prologis. Luke began his career at JER Partners, a real estate investment manager based in McLean, VA.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Regional Operations & Capital Improvements
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
Founder and President of Paramount Financial Group, a real estate investment and management company that developed and acquired new and existing multifamily properties. Paramount managed a housing portfolio of 750 properties and offered a range of services, including real estate acquisition, housing tax credits, multifamily and commercial asset management, tax credit compliance consulting, property development, and investment banking services. Under Michael's direction, Paramount acquired properties across the United States located in 47 different states with a market value of over $10 billion, including approximately 100,000 apartment units. Michael and his Paramount team funded these acquisitions with over $4.2 billion raised from institutional investors combined with over $6 billion in long-term financing through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD, and Wall Street securitized financing markets.
Michael Menzer founded White Oak Partners after building and selling Paramount Financial Group, a national multifamily company. His experience and leadership, along with the diverse professional backgrounds of the seven other members of the leadership team, give us a decided edge in the marketplace.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, South Central Operations
Regional operations for over 3,000 units in the Texas and Colorado markets. Responsible for the execution of the business plan for each asset, including oversight of the operational, financial, and capital improvement performance. Additionally, Mr. Miller assists White Oak's Acquisition and Investments teams in sourcing, identifying, and evaluating potential opportunities.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Corporate Accounting
Accounting Director of Commercial and Multi-Family portfolio at Olshan Properties. Prior to this, Nick was a Manager within Corporate Accounting at Verizon and an Internal Audit Manager at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Nick started his career in audit at Deloitte.
EDUCATION
BS and MS in Accounting from Seton Hall University. Nick is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Acquistions
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Member of the Board
- Senior Advisor
Mr. Handa is an established board member and senior advisor with over thirty years of global experience in the financial, real estate and securitization markets. He is an industry leader with a deep understanding of investments, risk management, compliance, and corporate governance. He serves, or has served, on the boards of Carlyle Tactical Private Credit Fund, OHA CLO Enhanced Equity II, Fitch Ratings Inc. and its global affiliates, GreenPath Financial Wellness, Homeownership Preservation Foundation, Impact Community Capital, and American Securitization Forum, where he served as chair during the global financial crisis. Mr. Handa is a member of the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Fairfield University's Dolan School of Business.
Prior to his retirement in 2014, Mr. Handa held a series of investment and executive management positions at TIAA-CREF where he was responsible for investment portfolios valued in excess of $180 billion. Among his various roles, he served as Head of Global Public Markets and Head of Global Real Estate (Fixed Income).
Mr. Handa received undergraduate degrees from The Cooper Union in Civil Engineering and New York University in Applied Science and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- VP, Information Technology
Director, Information Technology and Manager, Business Applications at White Oak Partners. Before joining White Oak Partners, Tim was a Senior Analyst at Battelle and a Solution Designer and Software Developer at Eaton. He consulted on technology and process improvement for Fortune 500 clients, led data warehouse implementation teams for Longview Solutions, and served in accounting and financial roles at Big Lots, Limited Brands, and Arthur Andersen.
EDUCATION
BSBA majoring in Accounting (Honors) from the Ohio State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) licensed in the State of Ohio and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University's Chief Information Officer program.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Founder and Principal of VHK Investments
Ms. Kuo is the founder and principal of VHK Investments, LLC, providing advisory services and investment acumen in real assets and private equity. Ms. Kuo serves as a senior investment advisor for several top tier university and foundation endowments including Georgetown University, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Moore Foundation, and Bowdoin College. In this capacity, she originates and underwrites new private equity and real assets investments and assists in the management of the current endowment portfolio. Additionally, Ms. Kuo currently serves as a Senior Advisor to three real estate and private equity firms.
From 2006 to 2014, Ms. Kuo was the Director of Real Assets at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. At the Foundation, she was responsible for investing and managing the Foundation's $1.5 billion global real estate and natural resources portfolio, including REITs, private funds and co-investments. She served on 26 Advisory Boards while at the Foundation and on the internal investment committee, overseeing the entire portfolio. Ms. Kuo has been the PREA Conference Co-Chair in 2002, 2013, and 2018 (Investor Conference). Prior to the Hewlett Foundation, Ms. Kuo was the Director of Real Estate and Natural Resources at the Stanford Management Company from 1999 to 2005. At Stanford, she co-managed and built the endowment's $3 billion global real estate and natural resources portfolios. She served on the internal Portfolio Management Committee and on fifteen Advisory Boards. Previously, Ms. Kuo held positions at Hines, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the Corporation for National Service.
She currently serves on the Advisory Boards for Hillcrest Financial and Artemis Real Estate Partners (The Emerging Managers Program), on the Investment Committee of the Harbage Foundation, and on the Board of the Mid-Peninsula Boys and Girls Club. Ms. Kuo earned her BA degree from Stanford University and her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she recently served as Reunion Co-Chair.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership & Management Team
- SVP, Investments