Denver Power Women

Nicole Ament

Shareholder
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Nicole has been working in real estate law for more than 20 years, and has experience managing transactions with as many as 276 properties in a single portfolio, as well as has expertise with handling $1.5 billion deals. These are just some of the many credentials that Nicole Ament brings to her role as Brownstein’s Real Estate Department chair—and to her clients’ projects, every day. Focusing on land use, development, financing and disposition, she spearheads transactions featuring complex portfolios and large single assets. Nicole draws on diverse experience navigating complicated development and land use issues, to ensure her clients across the nation—from hotels and healthcare facilities to ski resorts and fitness clubs—maximize opportunities. Previously, she served as the chair of the firm’s Hospitality, Resort & Recreation industry group and, in 2018, was named one of Bisnow’s Denver Power Women for having a significant impact on the business and commercial real estate industries, and helping propel cities and communities forward.

Fiona Arnold

President
Mainspring Developers

Fiona Arnold is a long time corporate attorney and real estate investor. After seven years as an executive vice president at Vail Resorts, Inc., she launched MAINSPRING Developers focused on residential and commercial urban real estate redevelopment in Denver with the guiding principle that development must have at its core the obligation to create unique, enduring and community centered spaces. Fiona is a native Australian but adopted Colorado and Denver as her home in 2001, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Donna Blair

COO
Pacific Retail Capital Partners

Michelle Brokaw

CEO
Fleisher Smyth Brokaw

Michelle Brokaw is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of Fleisher Smyth Brokaw LLC. She is responsible for the firm's strategic direction, investment strategy, investor relations, and capital sourcing. Ms. Brokaw's real estate career spans more than twenty years and includes experience in commercial real estate acquisition, development, finance, leasing, and asset management. Michelle began working for Fleisher Smyth Company in 1992 and purchased the company from Donald Fleisher and Clark Smyth in 2004 after 15 years with the firm. Early in her career, Michelle worked at the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), focusing on troubled real estate assets left behind by the 1980's Savings and Loan debacle and disposing of some of the most difficult real estate assets in the RTC portfolio. During her career at FSB, Michelle was directly involved or responsible for the acquisition or development of over 40 properties totaling more than 2,000,000 square feet of medical office, office, mixed-use, industrial, retail, and multi-family projects. Moreover, she has collaborated in raising more than $50 million in equity and obtaining more than $150 million in debt, assembling a portfolio valued at more than $200 million. She was a founding member of CREW Denver, Commercial Real Estate Women and elected Chairperson of the organization at age 27. In 2001 she was selected by the Denver Business Journal as a recipient of its prestigious 40 under 40 award. Also in 2001, she served as chair of Brokers Benefiting Kids which has now raised over $2,000,000 to benefit Colorado's children at-risk. She is a member of National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Ms. Brokaw has been a licensed real estate broker in the State of Colorado since 1989. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, Boulder where she majored in real estate and minored in finance and she holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration with a finance emphasis from the University of Denver.

Amy Cara

Managing Partner
East West Partners

Amy is the Managing Partner of East West Partners in Denver. East West Partners is devoted to creating terrific places. Since 1986, the firm has developed and sold over $7 billion of residential and commercial real estate. Amy is always looking for ways to connect people with the places they live and work. Amy is responsible for bringing the new Cherry Creek West development to life. Her team recently completed one of the Denver Union Station transit hub redevelopment and much of the adjacent residential and office including The Coloradan and 16 Chestnut. She also oversaw the revitalization of The Landmark, a distressed mixed-use community that needed new eyes and perspective. Prior to this, Amy helped to create the Riverfront Park community in Denver. More than a collection of buildings, the Riverfront Park neighborhood of Denver, Denver’s Union Station Neighborhood and the Landmark development represent something important to Amy - creating a sense of place. Amy is deeply committed to the community. She a founding member of the Center City Collaborative, which is a coalition of civic-minded, business and community leaders working to find creative and inclusive solutions to the current challenges facing downtown. She is also on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, the Denver Metro Chamber’s EDC, Downtown Denver Partnership’s Civic Ventures Board, the University of Colorado Real Estate Center’s International Advisory Board, and a member of Colorado Concern and the Urban Land Institute’s national Mixed-Use Council, Also deeply committed to the arts, Amy is a founding board member for the Riverfront Park Community Foundation, which fosters organizations particularly in the areas of arts and education in Denver, and as a founding board member of Union Hall, a new model to support local and emerging artists in downtown Denver.

Yvonne Choi

Chief Brand Officer
Red Lion Hotels Corporation

Yvonne Choi brings over 10 years of experience in hospitality branding, real estate development and marketing. She currently serves as Chief Brand Officer – Hotel RL for RLH Corporation. Choi oversees the development, branding and marketing of the Hotel RL brand, a lifestyle upscale hotel brand. Prior to joining RLH Corporation, Choi served as Chief Marketing Officer for Cachet Hospitality Group. Part of Cachet’s founding team in 2013, Choi led all marketing and branding strategies, including launching and establishing the Cachet corporate brand, building its luxury brands internationally, and managing key relations with owners and developers. Choi also was responsible for closing Cachet’s early deals, including Cachet Hotel Chengdu and Cachet Beach Cabo. Prior to Cachet, Choi has held sales and marketing positions at SBE International and at the Corcoran Group, New York City’s premier real estate marketing company. While at Corcoran, she oversaw the sales and marketing of luxury residential portfolio worth in excess of US$500 million. In addition to her broad experience working with leading international developers, architects and designers, Choi also specialized in developing Corcoran’s international markets. Choi was born in Hong Kong and earned a double degree in Marketing and Business Management from New York University’s Stern School of Business. An avid painter, classical pianist and a Marathon runner, she speaks Mandarin, Shanghainese and Cantonese.  Her accomplishments have been highlighted in the Wall Street Journal, Hospitality Industry News and at hospitality industry events including NYU and ALIS.

Dorit Makovsky Fischer

Partner / Broker
NAI Shames Makovsky

Dorit is a believer in cities, and in Denver in particular. Her commercial real estate practice focuses on strategic real estate planning and implementation involving all asset classes for public entities, corporations, non-profits and individual owners. Dorit prides herself on developing long-standing customer relationships, in-depth knowledge of the real estate market and superior customer service. Dorit spends her time with clients helping to solve problems and think outside of the box. Dorit has been with NAI Shames Makovsky since 2002 and represents buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants in office, retail and industrial properties. Over the past 12 years, Dorit has worked exclusively with Denver Health representing them in all of their commercial real estate activities including campus and strategic planning. Other notable clients are Denver Housing Authority and Denver Public Schools, where she and her business partner Hayden Hirschfeld are assisting in assessing their overall real estate portfolio and initiatives. Along with representing political subdivisions, Dorit also enjoys representing Denver’s local real estate owners and investors, regardless of size. Dorit is a licensed real estate broker in Colorado and part owner of several commercial real estate investments throughout the Denver area. She is a Denver native where she lives with her husband and four children and enjoys skiing, running, and philanthropy.

Lea Ann Fowler

Partner
Hogan Lovells

Lea Ann Fowler operates at the intersection of commercial real estate and finance, helping her clients effectively navigate and redefine today's complex real estate market. Clients turn to Lea Ann for practical, responsive, and strategic advice related to single and multi-tiered debt and equity financing structures, workouts and restructures of distressed assets, as well as the acquisition, construction, leasing, and sale of a wide range of real estate property types, including office, retail, industrial, mixed use condominium, multifamily, and hospitality. Combining her industry knowledge with a passion for complex commercial real estate finance transactions, Lea Ann proactively works with financial institutions, institutional investors, and borrowers on the full scope of their real estate issues. From prominent commercial lending institutions to real estate developers and private equity firms, Lea Ann's dexterity and hands-on approach benefit clients in the structuring and negotiation of a broad spectrum of mortgage loan and asset based transactions, involving senior, construction, permanent, and interim loans, multi-property financings, mezzanine financings, and preferred equity investments. With particular experience serving clients with hotel and resort, retail centers, medical offices, and mixed-use real estate assets, Lea Ann has the balanced local and global perspective to help you across the entire property lifecycle.

Whitney Hake

SVP
Transwestern

Whitney helps companies find office space in the Denver area. Focused on landlord representation, she delivers extraordinary leasing results to office owners. Whitney will build and lead a team of highly specialized professionals in office agency leasing. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Whitney brings a track record of success in commercial real estate leasing to Transwestern’s Denver platform. She has negotiated more than 750 transactions, totaling 2.5 million square feet. Prior to joining Transwestern, Whitney worked at Cushman & Wakefield (formerly DTZ and Cassidy Turley) where she was a Colorado top producer for several years. During her tenure at Cushman & Wakefield, Whitney leased an office listing portfolio of 4 million square feet where she developed a strong ability to successfully negotiate on the landlord's behalf. Her extensive knowledge of the office market trends and conditions is beneficial to her clients in saving time and money. Whitney works on behalf of both institutional owners and regional owners. Whitney’s vast listing experience in Southeast Denver, CBD and West Denver, coupled with her differentiating marketing tactics, offers landlords a compelling advantage. She is a frequent panelist at business networking events, sharing her passion for Denver and commercial real estate. Whitney has also been published by The Colorado Real Estate Journal, The Denver Business Journal, and Confluence Denver Magazine for her thought leadership. PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/RECOGNITION Whitney is a licensed Colorado Real Estate Broker and a member of Urban Land Institute (ULI).  Ranked within the top 10% of Cushman & Wakefield brokers globally in 2016- 2017  Earned the DTZ 2015 Production Achievement Award, doubling year-over-year income  Received Cassidy Turley Colorado 2012 Young Top Gun Award  Named DMCAR Heavy Hitters 2012 Top Young Gun Broker of Denver  Designated as a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) in 2011

Kittie Hook

Managing Director
Newmark Knight Frank

Kittie Hook is an executive managing director and corporate services specialist in Newmark Knight Frank's Denver office. A 32-year veteran of Colorado commercial real estate, Ms. Hook has dedicated her career to providing value-added representation services to users of commercial real estate, including site selection services for companies looking to locate in Colorado as well as expansion, consolidation and real estate analysis requirements for companies currently located in the state. In addition to providing comprehensive brokerage services, including sales, leasing, negotiations, project analysis and coordination, Ms. Hook is one of the few market experts who can integrate economic development advisory services for every stage of the planning and entitlement process with traditional brokerage services. Throughout her career, Ms. Hook has closed transactions valued at more than $300 million. Ms. Hook's specialized expertise includes government relations, site selection, incentive negotiation, portfolio analysis, strategic planning, land development and entitlements. Prior to joining Newmark Knight Frank in 2014, Ms. Hook was a senior vice president at Cassidy Turley Colorado, where she focused on a select cadre of corporate services clients. She was also the broker/owner of KLH Commercial, providing complete real estate services to users and corporate clients locally and regionally. Additional experience includes brokerage roles at Prime Commercial and Moore Commercial; economic development positions at the Jefferson Economic Council and the Greater Denver Corporation (now the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation); and marketing positions at financial institutions, including Interstate Lending Corporation and the First Interstate Banks of Golden and Fort Collins. Ms. Hook's community involvement is extensive, with a focus on promoting regional economic development initiatives and increasing commercial real estate's influence on the Denver community. Her current and past involvement includes serving as executive board member and chair of site selection for the Denver Metro Economic Development Corporation; executive board member for the Economic Development Council of Colorado; co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Real Estate Expo; member of the Downtown Denver Partnership; former president of the Denver Metro Commercial Association of Realtors; and former president of the Denver Metro Realtor Foundation. She is also a member of the Castle Rock Economic Development Council, Jefferson Economic Council, International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and CoreNet Global.

Jennifer Jasinski

Chef/Owner
Rioja, Bistro Vendome, Stoic & Genuine, Euclid Hall, Ultreia

A James Beard Foundation award winner for Best Chef Southwest in 2013 and nominee for Outstanding Chef in 2016, Jasinski opened her first restaurant, Rioja, in Denver’s Larimer Square to critical acclaim in 2004 featuring a Mediterranean menu influenced by local and seasonal products. She and business partner Beth Gruitch acquired Bistro Vendôme, a French bistro in 2006, opened Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen in 2010 and their homage to seafood, Stoic & Genuine, debuted at Denver’s historic Union Station in 2014. Her newest is Ultreia featuring the foods of the Iberian Peninsula, also in Union Station. “Chef Jen” was a finalist on the 2013 season of Top Chef Masters and won the Denver tour stop of Cochon 555 in 2014. She was named 2004 Colorado Chef of the Year and 2005 Western Regional Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation. Rioja is consistently listed among Denver’s top restaurants by the 5280 Magazine and The Denver Post and Rioja has been annually awarded four stars by AAA since 2010. Jasinski’s impressive restaurant credits include stints at Wolfgang Puck restaurants including Postrio, San Francisco; Spago, Las Vegas; Granita, Malibu; Spago, Chicago; corporate chef at Wolfgang Puck Food Company. She lives in Denver with her husband Max MacKissock (also a chef) and their dogs.

Stina Kayser

Principal & General Counsel
Urban Villages & Bio-Logical Capital

Stina Kayser is a legal counselor, real estate development professional and corporate leader. Her skill in deal structuring, operational oversight, and team-building has been developed through both her legal practice and her experience as a company owner and operator. As an Urban Villages principal, she participates in all levels of company management and strategic decisions. As general counsel, she is an advisor to the board of directors and oversees all of the company’s legal activities, including real estate purchases, sales and financing; landlord tenant issues; investor and lender relations; entity and organizational structuring; corporate governance; risk management; and human resources. Ms. Kayser is the 2016 President of CREW Denver. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Denver Police Foundation and Wild Seed Project. She is the recipient of the CREW Denver Women of Influence Award (2009) and the Denver Business Journal Outstanding Women in Business Award in the Real Estate Category (2016).

Susan Maxwell

Principal and Chief Operating Officer
Zocalo Development

Susan brings more than 30 years of progressive executive management and leadership experience as Chief Operating Officer. Susan is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Company, implementing strategies for the Chief Executive Officer, directing internal operations, and plays an important role with investors. Susan’s strategic role in the development process is to ensure consideration for the operational perspective into design. Susan leads interior design, common area uses, and branding and marketing for new developments. She also acts as managing partner for operations. She is integral in the acquisition and development planning for Zocalo’s future developments, working directly with equity partners. Susan developed Zocalo’s property management foundation, standards of excellence and service culture through the implementation of the entrepreneurial spirit to her team. She encompasses the communication of the organization’s brand and service mentality through community branding, strategic planning, sales and training, marketing and media relations, process improvement and implementation, online marketing, and web reputation. Employing a robust process for evaluating opportunity gaps to capitalize efficiencies, advance reputation and drive performance. Her balance of innovation, analytical skills, creativity, and leadership have made Susan a pioneer in the operations role for the Metro Denver real estate market and gained her a place as a finalist in the prestigious Apartment Association of Metro Denver’s 2011 Tributes Awards as Most Outstanding Executive. Susan has worked with Greystar Real Estate Partners, Riverstone Residential Group, and Lincoln Property Company overseeing new developments, identifying new management opportunities and cultivating relationships with future and existing clients. Prior to joining Zocalo, Susan served as the Regional Vice President for Campus Advantage where she oversaw a portfolio of over 4,000 beds in a variety of markets in numerous states. Susan is past Secretary and Treasurer of the Apartment Association of Metro Denver. She also holds a Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor (CAPS®) designation through the National Apartment Association.

Nicole Nathan

Partner
Johnson Nathan Strohe

Nicole Nathan is a creative visionary with more than 20 years of experience as a design architect creating some of the most dynamic spaces in Denver and across the country. As a Partner at JOHNSON NATHAN STROHE, Nicole leads the firm’s architectural and interior design studios, focusing on hospitality, urban mixed-use and housing projects. Nicole believes in creating architecture that is of its place and time – a contextual framework for experience. Blending practicality and beauty, she achieves spaces that are at once memorable and timeless. Her projects look as though they belong in their neighborhood, with the exterior architecture fully integrated and coordinated with the interior design, as well as with the surrounding built environment. Nicole’s leadership throughout her 15 years with the firm has helped grow JOHNSON NATHAN STROHE into a top architecture and interior design firm in the region. Her projects bring value to both her clients and society, creating measurable financial return as well as addressing the long-term impact on the environment and community. Some of Nicole’s most notable projects include The Maven Hotel (Denver’s Dairy Block), Oceanside Springhill Suites (Oceanside, CA), Moxy Denver Cherry Creek, Metro State Hotel and Learning Center (Denver), Hedgerow Townhomes (Lafayette, CO), Maverick & Runway 35 Pool Houses (Stapleton-Denver), and the Aspen St. Regis Resort (Aspen, CO). Current projects include 1999 Chestnut Place (Denver – in progress), 18th and Market (Denver – in progress), and The Mercantile Hotel (Missoula, MT – in progress). Nicole received her Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She credits her appreciation for design to her mother, an interior designer, and her aunts, an artist and a flight attendant, who collectively taught her to appreciate that design is everywhere. A fourth-generation Colorado native, Nicole spends her free time enjoying the sunshine and snow in the Rocky Mountains with her family and friends.

Marti Page

Co-Founder & Principal
Anchor Investments

Marti Page is a the co-founder and principal of Anchor Investments, a boutique investment firm focused on the opportunistic acquisition of apartment communities between 15-150 units in the Denver metro, Colorado Springs, and Colorado’s mountain communities. Before founding Anchor Investments, Marti worked for Canyon Partners, a Los Angeles-based hedge fund with approximately $20 billion in assets under management. During Marti’s 15-year tenure at Canyon, she oversaw acquisitions activity for the firm’s real estate debt and equity vehicles, originating over $2 billion in transactions across all asset classes (hospitality, office, retail, industrial, condominiums, and apartments). While at Canyon, Marti established the Canyon Multifamily Impact Fund, a workforce housing platform committed to acquiring market-rate apartment communities where Canyon could achieve attractive returns while implementing measurable social impact through educational and health care programming and through enhancements to the security and energy efficiency of the communities. Marti is a graduate of Yale University.

Jenny Robinson

Chief Investment Officer
Continuum Partners

Jenny is the Chief Investment Officer, leading all debt and equity transactions and directing asset management activities. Jenny originally joined Continuum’s finance department in 2005 where she has worked on sourcing debt and equity for a number of Continuum’s development projects to date as well as underwriting new project opportunities. In her current capacity, Jenny has overseen the debt and equity raises for Continuum’s $120M Block A project, Continuum’s $200M Market Station project and the $48M public finance component of Continuum’s 9th + Colorado project. Following a move to California and Nevada, Jenny returned to Continuum in 2014 in the role of Development Manager on the 9+CO and A Block teams where part of her role included working with the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise/Small Business Enterprise programs to encourage involvement in Continuum’s projects. In the spring of 2015, Jenny was appointed to Director of Capital Markets and Asset Management and again promoted in 2018 to her current role. Jenny currently sits on the board of a $130 million asset community bank and takes an active role with several real estate industry organizations. She is heavily involved with the University of Colorado Real Estate Center, ULI, the Downtown Denver Partnership Leadership program, and CREW, being twice nominated for the Woman of Influence award in 2015 and 2017. Mentoring young women entering the professional workforce is a passion of hers and she currently has two mentees through the Denver Urban Scholars program and the CU real estate center. Jenny began her career in real estate with Principal Financial Group, as a commercial mortgage underwriter. She graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in finance and accounting, and went on to complete a master’s degree in finance and real estate from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Ashley Stiles

Founder & CEO
Tribe Development

Tribe was founded out of a desire to be and do better. Not being limited to real estate development, but as thought leaders, stewards of the built environment and as fellow tribe members. My native American roots have shown me that being part of a team, a Tribe, generates stronger results, better ideas and problem solving, and it is far more fun than trying to work alone. The foundation of my career was built in the design world as a landscape architect, focused on luxury resort projects. It is here that I learned from the best, about the importance of delivering positive and memorable customer experiences to stand out from the competition and drive loyalty. For over a decade now, I have been focused on exceeding customers’ expectations in commercial development, what we now refer to as experiential development. Though these projects were rewarding, both personally and financially, I was very aware of an underserved, yet powerful, stakeholder --- the employee-- the very people who can make a brand come alive for your customers. I started asking- How do we create exceptional experiences for not only customers or visitors, but also the employees, perhaps the most critical constituency? I believe that the brand of a company or project is not separate from the culture, and that brand should drive every decision from design and development to recruiting and onboarding. Employee engagement, recruiting and retention are issues for every business regardless of industry. Creating brand loyalty starts from within. If you have passionate, engaged and loyal Tribe members the likelihood of success on any real estate development project is exponentially greater. The mission for Tribe is to create compelling spaces not just for visitors, but for everyone the space touches. The goal is that everyone becomes a brand ambassador, or better yet, a member of the Tribe!

Rebecca Stone

Principal
Oz Architecture

Becky’s work for hospitality and resort clients and multi-family/mixed use projects reflects her guiding principle — designing dynamic environments that enrich their communities and set the highest of standards. Her involvement with hundreds of projects over the span of her career give her an inherent understanding of the best ways to create a destination sense of place — in the mountains, by the sea, or in an urban setting. When she’s not traveling to support clients and projects around the U.S., Becky serves as a valued mentor to OZ staff and her teams. She sits on several Resort Design Review Boards, the ULI Resort, Tourism & Leisure Product Council and is a ULI Partnership Forum 2013 Mentor. Becky is also active in the Greenway Foundation, Colorado Destination Imagination, and the Greenwood Elementary School PTCO.

Celeste Tanner

CDO
Confluent Development

Celeste Tanner is the co-founder and chief development officer of Confluent Development. Bringing nearly 20 years of industry experience, she established the full-service real estate investment and development firm to bring a new vision of development within the industry to life. In her role, she steers the firm’s execution across all phases of real estate development, successfully delivering custom and complex projects that create significant value in their respective communities. Since the company’s inception in 2014, Celeste has overseen more than $1.5 billion in development projects across the organization’s diverse portfolio, consisting of more than 100 industrial, office, retail, mixed-use and senior housing development projects. Under Celeste’s guidance, Confluent has delivered award-winning projects and works with some of the country’s most sophisticated clients including Target, FedEx, Starbucks, Mikron Corporation, Vectra Bank, and Charter Communications, among others. In her previous role as director of real estate development at Opus Development Company, Celeste led the real estate project team for its Denver office and played a key role in the ground-up development of more than 5 million square feet of commercial and multi-family space. Celeste holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado at Denver, is an alumnus of the Downtown Denver Partnership Leadership Program, and has been awarded for her outstanding achievements from organizations such as The Denver Business Journal, CREW, NAIOP Colorado and Bisnow. Giving Back in Business and Community Celeste has represented the development industry both locally and nationally through her leadership in NAIOP, where she previously served as the chapter president for Colorado. Currently an executive committee member on NAIOP’s national board, she provides a voice for Colorado’s development industry at the national table. Celeste also contributes her leadership well beyond the industry and into the community. She serves on the board of Wheat Ridge Localworks, where she contributes her industry expertise to help implement the organization’s business and home improvement loan programs, among others, focused on enhancing the city’s economic vitality and neighborhood revitalization. Celeste also represents District I as a member in Renewal Wheat Ridge (RWR), an Urban Renewal Authority committed to improving the visual aesthetics and environmental aspects of Wheat Ridge, meanwhile adhering to the wants and needs of the community.

Cyndi Thomas

Partner
Etkin Johnson

As a partner and executive vice president of Etkin Johnson’s Asset Management team, Cyndi Thomas oversees the management, financial performance and business strategy for the company’s extensive property portfolio. Leveraging her extensive experience in real estate acquisitions, financing, restructurings, and asset management, Cyndi helps drive a progressive approach to Etkin Johnson’s asset management that consistently results in income-producing properties with favorable appreciation. Outside of Etkin Johnson, Cyndi is an executive committee board member of the Urban Land Institute – Colorado Chapter and a member of the CU Real Estate Council Board of Directors.