BISWIRE/Aug. 27, 2026 — De Rito Partners Development Inc. is proud to announce the addition of Karen Gleason Parrott as Director of Development, effective Monday, August 24, 2026. A corporate real estate executive with more than 30 years of experience spanning commercial development, land acquisition, ground leasing, construction management, and brokerage, Gleason Parrott brings the strategic depth and national perspective to further expand De Rito’s development platform across the Southwest.

In her new role, Gleason Parrott will lead development projects from site identification and entitlement through construction delivery and occupancy, providing guidance on entitlement strategy, capital planning, ground lease structuring, and cross-functional project execution. She will work closely with De Rito’s development, acquisition, leasing, and brokerage teams.

“Karen has built and executed development strategy at a national scale, and she has done it while building teams that want to follow her,” said Marty De Rito, CEO, De Rito Partners Development. “That combination — deep technical command of entitlements, ground leases, and capital planning paired with genuine leadership — is exactly what will drive our development platform forward.”

Gleason Parrott joins De Rito from Restaurant Brands International, where as Senior Real Estate Manager she advised 60 franchisees across 10 states on entitlements, site selection, lease negotiations, and new restaurant development. She spent the preceding 23 years with Starbucks Corporation, including a decade as Director of Development – Real Estate & Construction, where she oversaw a $1.5 billion portfolio with $62 million in annual capital expenditures, led one-, three-, and five-year growth strategies across 12 states, and served as the company’s advisor and trainer on all ground lease projects in the United States.

Earlier in her career, Gleason Parrott served as Director of Leasing for the western United States at Chico’s FAS / White House Black Market and worked in tenant representation brokerage in San Diego. At Starbucks she was recognized as the only director in the North America division to post repeatable 100% scores on anonymous employee surveys — a reflection of the coaching and mentorship approach she brings to the teams she leads. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, is a licensed Arizona real estate professional, and is based in Scottsdale.

“De Rito Partners has spent decades shaping retail across Arizona, and the opportunity to help grow that development platform was one I could not pass up,” said Gleason Parrott. “I am looking forward to getting to work with this team and to delivering projects that serve these communities for the long term.”

For more information about De Rito Partners Development, visit www.derito.com.