About Us

Paul Van is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer. Maintaining the vision for Croatan is his main focus, which includes growth planning and corporate culture development. He also guides Croatan’s overall investment strategy and provides leadership to the firm’s transactions function.  Mr. Van began his career as a mergers and acquisitions investment banker at UBS in New York City and advised on transactions in the gaming, consumer product, food service, agricultural, healthcare, and technology industries. He then transitioned to Harbor Group International where he became a Vice President of Acquisitions covering multifamily markets across the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and Texas.  Mr. Van is currently active with the Urban Land Institute (ULI), National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC), Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association (ADISA), and Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University.

Charles Barry is a Vice President of Investor Relations. He is focused on business development to grow relationships with broker-dealers, registered representatives, and registered investment advisors.

For two decades, Mr. Barry has raised capital in the broker-dealer channel for REITs, TICs, DSTs, and other offering types. He has been involved with the Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association (ADISA) since 2003.

Mr. Barry attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He holds FINRA licenses 6, 7, 26, 24, and 63.

Ben Bartlett is the Chief Operating Officer. His focus is on executing the corporate growth plan and driving efficiency across the day-to-day operations of the firm.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Bartlett was the CEO of Convergence Investments, where he was responsible for all corporate leadership for a Real Estate Private Equity Fund focused on the development of Residential Master Planned Communities across the country. During his tenure as CEO, he developed over 2,000 single family units across multiple projects in the mid-Atlantic and Texas. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President of Operations for Artemis Real Estate Partners, where he was responsible for corporate operations initiatives including the development of a comprehensive Business Intelligence platform with a focus on property, fund, and portfolio level financial performance.

Mr. Bartlett received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Towson University.

As part of the VB Fellows program, Sydney Biggerstaff is an Analyst. She supports the investor relations and corporate operations divisions with marketing and administrative initiatives.

Geoffrey “Geo” Chen is a Senior Vice President of Investor Relations. He is involved in business development and capital raising.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Chen started his career in New York City as a currency trader for the Royal Bank of Scotland. He then segued to Credit Suisse in Singapore where he managed the developed markets currency trading business. In 2017, Mr. Chen left the banking industry to manage capital through his family office, Stratosphere Trading.

Mr. Chen received his Bachelor of Science from Duke University and is a member of the Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM).

As part of the VB Fellows program, Hanson Church is an Analyst of Transactions. He supports the identifying, underwriting, and structuring investments across Croatan’s portfolio.

David Clark is an Analyst for Asset and Portfolio Management. He focuses on the execution of each investment’s business plan and maximizing performance across the portfolio.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Clark interned with Kane Realty Corporation, a mixed-use developer in Raleigh, NC, where he supported office leasing representatives on current and future projects involving office and mixed-use space.

Mr. Clark received his Bachelor of Science in Finance at The University of Georgia.

Wink Ewing is a Senior Vice President of Capital Markets for Croatan Investments. He is primarily focused on building and expanding the firm’s private wealth investor base and overseeing the growth of the All Access Fund.

Mr. Ewing has over two decades of experience and more than $4 billion in transactions. He was most recently Managing Director at Northmarq, where he grew the firm’s national multifamily investment sales platform. Previously, he spent eight years with Newmark Knight Frank and eight years with CBRE, where he specialized in multifamily transactions and structuring 1031 exchanges and was instrumental in forming the Central Virginia Multi-Housing Group.

Mr. Ewing received his Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech and holds a Real Estate Finance and Investment certificate from New York University. He is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Virginia and a member of Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate.

Jane Finch is a Vice President of Asset Management. She focuses on the execution of each investment’s business plan and maximizing performance across the portfolio.

With over twenty years of experience in multifamily property management, Ms. Finch has proven her expertise in lease-up and value-add initiatives. Before joining Croatan, she served as the Senior Property Manager at FCA Management, where she was responsible for budget creation and management, collaborating on operational goals such as reducing property delinquency and increasing lease trade-outs and rental rates. Ms. Finch’s previous roles include positions in property management at Cushman & Wakefield, Greystar, and Woodward Management Partners.

Prior to her real estate career, she spent over five years in the United States Navy.

Gib Hale is a Senior Vice President of Transactions. He is responsible for identifying, underwriting, and structuring investments across Croatan’s portfolio.

Prior to joining Croatan, Mr. Hale was as the Head of Acquisitions at Brick Lane, where he focused on Mid-Atlantic markets to build the portfolio from 500 to 4,000 units. Previously, he was the Senior Acquisitions Associate at Harbor Group International, where he sourced, underwrote, and closed preferred equity, mezzanine debt, B- piece mortgage pools, and direct acquisitions for a $8bn fund. In this role, he successfully closed a $2bn REIT transaction, including 25 properties and over 9,000 units.

Mr. Hale holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, Accounting, and Real Estate from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Arts in History from The University of Delaware.

Katie Himlin is a Vice President of Investor Relations. She is primarily focused on building national brand awareness and leading the marketing and communications functions for existing and potential investors.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Ms. Himlin specialized in branding and marketing for small businesses. While the Digital Marketing Consultant at Ciniva Advertising Agency, she managed new business and connected clients with personalized marketing solutions, from digital advertising to video production.

Ms. Himlin received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the Smeal College of Business at Pennsylvania State University and is pursuing her Master of Business Administration at Oklahoma State University.

Nicolas Kane is an Analyst of Transactions. He is responsible for identifying, underwriting, and structuring investments across Croatan’s portfolio.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Kane served as a Project Manager at OWN Real Estate, focusing on accounts receivable and the commission payout process, along with building financial models to educate business planning. Previously, he was an intern at LifeGuide Financial Planning, where he assisted financial advisors.

Mr. Kane received his Bachelor of Science in Finance at Messiah University.

Juleah Landis is a Coordinator. She provides interdepartmental support and assists with portfolio management, construction management, and transaction functions.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Ms. Landis was a Lead Pharmacy Technician, overseeing a team of six. She managed inventory, training, filing, and scheduling.

Ms. Landis is pursuing her Bachelor of Science from Old Dominion University.

Jimmy Leffler is the Vice President of Asset and Portfolio Management. He focuses on the execution of each investment’s business plan and maximizing performance across the portfolio.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Leffler served as an associate appraiser with Hotel and Club Associates where he valued existing hospitality properties and performed feasibility studies for proposed developments across the country. He brings years of real estate experience to the firm ranging from property management, construction, and appraisals.

Mr. Leffler received his Master of Business Administration from The Mason School of Business at The College of William & Mary and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business from Old Dominion University.

Jeff Mack is the Head of Asset and Portfolio Management. He leads the division, focusing on the execution of each investment’s business plan and maximizing performance across the portfolio.

Mr. Mack brings 30 years of extensive experience and expertise in real estate investment management, covering multifamily, office, retail, industrial, and parking assets. Most recently, Jeff served as a senior executive at CIM Group, where he oversaw a multibillion-dollar national portfolio and managed a team of over 250 professionals. His previous experience includes positions at Jones Lang LaSalle; SITE Centers, a publicly traded REIT (NYSE: SITC); and Robinson Development Group. He also performed advisory work for Harbor Group International as a consultant.

Mr. Mack received his Master of Business Administration from The University Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Computer Studies from Northwestern University.

Chris Madden is a Senior Vice President of Transactions. In addition to identifying, underwriting, and structuring investments across the company’s portfolio, he leads our conventional rental housing platform. He is intimately involved with acquisitions, financing, dispositions, and business development.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Madden was a part of Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group, where he priced and securitized residential mortgages.

Mr. Madden is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC), and various civic organizations. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from East Carolina University.

Will Martin is a Vice President of Investor Relations for Croatan Investments. He is primarily focused on building and expanding the firm’s private wealth investor base, joint venture partnerships, and institutional relationships.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Martin was the Head of Investor Relations at Scientia Ventures, where he oversaw communication to fund investors and supported the investment team by providing market research for prospective and current portfolio investments across the healthcare and technology space.

Mr. Martin received his Master of Business Administration from Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and Bachelor of Science in Economics from Regent University. He currently holds a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.

Kristina Mazzella is an Administrative Assistant for Corporate Operations. She serves as office manager and supports the administrative functions of the firm, including accounting, recruiting, legal, risk management, and technology.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Ms. Mazzella served as Senior Operations and Closing Coordinator at EPOC Real Estate, where she managed the contract-to-close operations, cultivated vendor relationships, and served as office manager.

Ms. Mazzella received her Bachelor of Science at The University of Arizona.

Jamie Skinner is a Vice President of Construction Management. He focuses on developing and executing capital investment plans across the Croatan portfolio.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Skinner worked at Harbor Group International where he oversaw $70MM in total capital projects. In addition to multifamily assets, he has extensive experience in commercial properties and government contracts.

Mr. Skinner received his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from East Carolina University and previously held a Class A General Contractor license in the State of Virginia.

Justin Stelzer is an Associate of Transactions. He is responsible for identifying, underwriting, and structuring investments across Croatan’s portfolio.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Stelzer served as a private equity analyst at Brown Advisory, where he supported senior members of the investment team with sourcing, market research, financial modeling, due diligence, and analysis. At Brown Advisory, he prepared due diligence reports for investment opportunities across a variety of asset classes and was responsible for maintaining relationship coverage on over 75 investments, equivalent to over $500M of committed capital.

Mr. Stelzer earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the Stevenson University.

Ryan Trainor is a Senior Vice President of Transactions. In addition to identifying, underwriting, and structuring investments across the company’s portfolio, he leads our Build-to-Rent (“BTR”) division.

Prior to joining Croatan Investments, Mr. Trainor most recently served as Assistant Vice President at RXR Realty, where he was responsible for the execution of debt and equity capitalization and ongoing development oversight of several ground-up multifamily and industrial projects throughout the greater New York City region. Mr. Trainor previously held roles with Goldman Sachs, where he was responsible for portfolio and asset management for a variety of operating, development, and redevelopment investments across student housing, office, hospitality, and multifamily throughout the United States.

Mr. Trainor began his career in corporate finance and investment management. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from The University of Richmond.