Tamela Thornton brings her 35-year experience in real estate growth strategies, analytics, and development to

her roles within the E Smith companies. As President of E Smith Communities, and Head of Client Services for E

Smith Advisors, Tamela is responsible for new business development, strategic market planning, site selection

and transaction management. She is a founding partner of the company.

In her leadership of E Smith Communities, Ms. Thornton focuses on identifying and developing those catalytic

uses such as grocery stores, educational facilities, wellness uses and other commercial services which serve as

pivots for community expansion or redevelopment. As a leader in the full-service real estate advisory practice,

Tamela brings expertise to national and global clients with a wide range of services, including developing go-to-

market strategies, site selection, national roll-outs, global portfolio advisory, and negotiating and executing

complex transactions.

Her unique background has evolved from a variety of assignments with PepsiCo / YUM! Brands and Starbucks

Coffee Company, private developers, and public agencies. Tamela brings an exceptional knowledge and

understanding of real estate development challenges, effectively utilizing her insight to deliver relevant and

cost-effective business solutions to the client to maximize their return on investment.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designee

• Licensed real estate salesperson, Texas

• City Director, The REAP Program – DFW

• Board Member – Trust for Public Land and the Dallas Zoo Board; HERitage Giving Fund

• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Regional Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kerri arrived at Bisnow after spending three years as a civil litigation attorney for the Law Offices of William Chu in the Dallas-Fort Worth area—and after working for more than a decade as a business journalist for two separate trade publications focused on commercial mortgage-backed securities and residential real estate. Kerri has spent her entire life in Dallas-Fort Worth and has watched the North Texas economy and real estate sector grow exponentially over the course of the past two decades. She remembers her hometown of Plano—once surrounded by empty fields of hay—morph into home to dozens of major corporate headquarters, retail developments, and luxury office complexes. A homegrown resident of Plano, Texas, Kerri is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Kerri returned to business journalism (lucky for us, with Bisnow!) with a renewed interest in how commercial real estate development and population growth continue to reshape the Dallas area and surrounding suburbs.

Hussain's passion for sales and commercial real estate can be traced back to his dad, a first generation immigrant from Afghanistan, who shared his interests of new developments in Dallas, TX with Hussain and a young age. After leaving Dallas, he moved to Fayetteville, AR to attend the University of Arkansas (Go Hogs!) where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Finance with a concentration in real estate. During his time at Arkansas, Hussain established himself as a co-founder of a wine accessory company and a 4.96 star Uber driver (we'd give him a 5). Outside of the office, Hussain cheers for the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and the Texas Rangers (incase you forgot where he was from). Most importantly, Hussain prides himself on being an investigator and organizer of engaging conversations, connecting with people from all backgrounds.