Tony Chen joined Crescent Communities in 2021 to lead the start-up and launch of the Single-Family Build-to-Rent business unit. Tony is responsible for strategic planning, business development, investment strategy, property manager oversight, land acquisition, site planning, entitlements, product design and construction oversight.

Prior to Crescent Communities, Tony was a senior executive at FirstKey Homes, Cerberus Capital Management’s investment platform to acquire and manage scattered-site single-family rental properties. During his tenure at FirstKey, Tony helped stabilize, scale and optimize the business, growing the portfolio to over 28,000 homes and executing over $4.5 billion of acquisition, disposition and securitization transactions through his involvement with FirstKey’s investment committee, asset management and strategy functions.

Prior to FirstKey Homes, Tony was an investment banker in the real estate, gaming and lodging group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he executed over $16 billion of M&A, equity and debt transactions. Tony started his career at Deloitte where he advised companies across various sectors on finance transformation, capital markets accounting and M&A integration.

Tony earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech.

A graduate of The Art Institute of Atlanta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design, Melissa Banko founded Banko Design with 10+ years of experience in the industry. Her creative and leadership skills were recognized early; she led the interior studios of Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio and played a vital part in building project teams at TVS Design. She brings a comprehensive approach to each project, with an ability to implement cutting edge designs, timeless aesthetics, and incomparable project management. As Founder and Principal of Banko Design, Melissa oversees the day-to-day operations of a 50 person team of designers, interior architects, purchasing agents, warehouse staff and administrative personnel. Under Melissa’s guidance, Banko Design is renowned for offering great design and unparalleled project management at an incredible value to each of our clients.

Ray Mazzie, Founder & Managing Partner at Southern Waters Capital, focuses his time on sourcing and managing BTR and multifamily development opportunities throughout the Sunbelt. With a strong background in raising capital and forming strategic partnerships, Ray's experience spans key government agencies and corporate advisory roles. Ray has a proven track record of building collaborative relationships and creating value at the intersection of business and bureaucracy.

Mike Donaldson is a Vice Chairman with Cushman & Wakefield’s Florida investment sales team. Mr. Donaldson co‐leads the Florida Multifamily Group advising and representing institutional and private capital owners as well as developers of multifamily assets throughout the Tampa Bay, southwest Florida, central Florida and north Florida markets.

Mr. Donaldson and his partner Nick Meoli joined Cushman & Wakefield in 2019 and have a combined 35 years of experience in the multifamily industry. Their expertise in multifamily investment sales includes value-add communities, new construction, development projects, portfolio sales, BTR and SFR communities, affordable housing, fractured condominiums, loan sales and distressed assets in primary, secondary and tertiary markets throughout the state. They have successfully represented clients on sales of 80,000 units totaling over $4 billion in transaction volume, achieving some of the highest accolades in the industry. Additionally, the team has established themselves as market leaders for portfolio sales in central and north Florida, having closed 33 portfolios totaling over 10,000 units in the last five years.

Mike is the founder of LyvWell Communities and is the acting Managing Partner. He oversees the strategic initiatives, capital relationships, investment strategy and operational execution of the investment and development Company.

Prior to launching LyvWell, he spent two decades as an investor and developer for various real estate strategies such as urban infill self-storage development, land development, SFR acquisitions and management, multi-family and the office sector. His venture partners typically include private equity partners or an institutional capital group. Mike has raised over $100mm for investments/projects to date. He currently owns and operates a $50mm+ portfolio of SFR, land and other real estate assets.

Mike has a B.S. in Building Construction and a M.S. in Business Management with a real estate concentration from University of Florida, and a M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. He is a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker and Commercial Building Contractor.

With over two decades of diverse finance experience, Dean Kirkham has held executive roles as president, Co-CEO, and Chief Credit Officer, driving corporate strategy and operational alignment through market cycles to deliver long-term value.

His leadership is defined by a commitment to inspiring teams and fostering talent, rooted in the belief that effective leadership requires a clear vision, empowerment, and disciplined execution to create opportunities and drive sustainable results.

Dean began his career at ABN AMRO’s investment bank, starting in Amsterdam before transitioning to New York. He then spent over a decade at the Bank of Montreal, holding executive leadership roles in origination and risk management. Most recently, he served as President and Co-CEO at Trez Capital, a real estate investment firm providing private debt and equity financing across Canada and the United States.

Dean holds a BSc from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University.