Board of Directors
Executive Team
Senior Officers
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William C. Bayless, Jr.President, CEO William C. Bayless, Jr., our president and chief executive officer, is a co-founder of American Campus and serves on our board of directors. Prior to assuming the role of CEO in 2003, he served as our chief operating officer where he directed all of the company's business segments. From 1993 until July 1995, he served as our vice president of development. Prior to the formation of ACC, he served as the director of operations for Century Development's student housing division and as the director of marketing for the student housing division of Cardinal Industries. His student housing career began in 1984 with Allen & O'Hara where he held the positions of resident assistant, resident manager and area marketing coordinator. Mr. Bayless, who received a B.S. in Business Administration from West Virginia University, is considered one the nation's foremost experts on student housing. |
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Brian B. NickelSEVP, CIO Brian B. Nickel serves as our senior executive vice president of capital market strategies and chief investment officer where he leads the execution of all investment and growth activities. He is also a member of ACC’s board of directors. Mr. Nickel joined the company in June 1996 as the director of business development and has progressively contributed to the growth of the company, serving in various capacities including chief financial officer, senior vice president of development and vice president of on-campus development, vice president of acquisitions and director of acquisitions. Before joining ACC, he held positions in the investment banking firm of Kidder, Peabody & Company and with the corporate finance group of LaSalle Partners. Mr. Nickel received a B.S. in Economics from Northwestern University. |
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Greg A. DowellSEVP, COO Greg A. Dowell serves as our senior executive vice president and chief operating officer. In this capacity, he directs our management services division that oversees the operations of our student housing communities, and is responsible for corporate support functions that enhance the scalability of our operating platforms. Prior to being promoted to executive vice president in May 2005, he served as our senior vice president and chief of operations. From October 2001 until August 2004, he served as the senior vice president of management services. Before joining ACC, he spent 10 years in progressive capacities with Century Development where he began as an accountant and ultimately served as a senior vice president over the operations of their 29-property student housing portfolio. A certified public accountant, Mr. Dowell received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. |
James C. Hopke, Jr.EVP Project Management & Construction James C. Hopke, Jr. serves as our executive vice president of project management and construction where he provides oversight of the delivery of our owned and third-party development pipeline. Previously, Mr. Hopke served as chief investment officer where he oversaw the company’s acquisitions and development investments, and third-party business development services. Prior to rejoining ACC in May 2005, Mr. Hopke was vice president, asset management and advisory services, for Wachovia Securities’ Real Estate Capital Markets group. From February 2000 until November 2002, he served as our senior vice president of acquisitions. Before ACC, he held the position of vice president at JPI Development and Insignia Financial Group. A former MAI appraiser and member of the Appraisal Institute, Mr. Hopke received a B.S. in Administrative Management from Clemson University. |
Steve CrawfordSVP Management Services Steve Crawford serves as senior vice president of management services and previously held the position of vice president of management services. He joined ACC in October 1997 as a regional manager and has since served us in increasing capacities. Mr. Crawford began his career in student housing with Allen & O'Hara, Inc., where he held various student housing management positions from 1991 until 1997. Mr. Crawford received a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Masters of Public Administration from California State University, San Diego. |
Jorge de CárdenasSVP Information Technology Jorge de Cárdenas serves as our senior vice president of information technology and joined ACC in January 2004 as vice president of IT. He currently serves as board president for The Austin School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Prior to joining American Campus, he served as director of product management for emerging technologies at Visa where he was responsible for defining product strategies and delivering application services to a global market. Mr. de Cárdenas began his career developing software for NASA at Lockheed Engineering and Science. He was also co-founder and principal consultant of Everest Technologies, Inc., an Oil & Gas IT consulting firm which was sold to SAIC, Inc. Mr. de Cárdenas received a B.S. in Computer Science with specializations in Mathematics and Management from Texas A&M University. |
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Jonathan A. GrafEVP, CFO, Treasurer Jonathan A. Graf serves as our executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. Previously, Mr. Graf held the position of senior vice president, chief accounting officer, and controller. Mr. Graf joined the company shortly after its IPO bringing more than 10 years of public company accounting, compliance and regulatory experience. Prior to joining ACC, he served as vice president and controller at Southern Union Company. From 1988 until 1994, he was an audit manager and information systems auditor at Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Graf received a B.A. in Accounting from Texas A&M University and is a certified public accountant. |
James SholdersSVP Management Services James Sholders serves as senior vice president of management services. From June 2003 to 2005 he served as our vice president of management services, and joined ACC in 2001 as a regional manager. Mr. Sholders began his career in student housing in 1989 as a resident assistant with Allen and O'Hara, where he served in increasing capacities through 2001. Mr. Sholders received a B.S. in Secondary Education from West Virginia University and is a Certified Property Manager. |
William TalbotSVP Investments William Talbot serves as our senior vice president-investments. He joined us in August 2001 as director of acquisitions and has since served in increasing capacities, including director of asset management and vice president of investments. Prior to joining us, Mr. Talbot was an acquisitions analyst for Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Inc. from 1997 until 2001, where he was involved in acquisitions on behalf of pension fund clients. Mr. Talbot received a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from Vanderbilt University. |
Brian WingerSVP Transactions Brian Winger serves as our senior vice president-transactions. He joined ACC in March 2000 as director-on-campus development and has since served in increasing capacities. Prior to joining us, Mr. Winger was the chief operating officer with Aspen Gold Development Company (a private real estate developer). He also held the position of endowment development officer and ultimately served as general counsel for Oklahoma Christian University. Mr. Winger received a J.D. from Oklahoma City University and a B.S. in history/pre-law from Oklahoma Christian University. He is a licensed attorney in Oklahoma and a real estate broker licensed to practice in Oklahoma and Colorado. |
Jason WillsSVP On-Campus Development Jason Wills serves as our senior vice president of on-campus development. Prior to obtaining this position, he served as our senior vice president of marketing and development. Mr. Wills joined ACC in February 1997 as manager-marketing and leasing and has served us in increasing capacities. He began his career in student housing with Century Development, where he held the positions of resident assistant and marketing coordinator. Mr. Wills attended the University of Texas, Arlington, where he studied Journalism and Marketing. |
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R.D. BurckChairman of the Board R.D. Burck has been our independent chairman of the board since August 2004. Since June 2006, he has served as the chief executive officer of Nano-Proprietary, Inc. Mr. Burck retired from the position of chancellor of the University of Texas System in 2002. He currently serves as the first advisory director appointed by the University of Texas Investment Management Company. In 1988, he joined the University of Texas System as the vice chancellor of business affairs, and then served as executive vice chancellor for business affairs before being appointed by the Board of Regents as interim chancellor in June 2000 and as chancellor in December 2000. Mr. Burck worked worldwide for Getty Oil Co. from 1955 until 1984, and in 1979, he was involved in the creation and served as director and vice president of ESPN, the first cable TV sports network. Mr. Burck is currently a member of the board of directors of infiNET, Inc., Celo Data, Inc. and Frost Bank; a senior client advocate for Willis Group Holdings; and chairman of the advisory board of Patton Medical Devices, all of which are private companies. In addition, he serves as a member of the board of trustees of the Headliners Club. He also has been a member of the board of the Texas Department of Information Resources; the board of the Texas Life, Accident, Health and Hospital Service Insurance Guaranty Association; the formal advisory committee of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; and the advisory council of the UT Austin College of Natural Sciences. Mr. Burck is a former director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and a former member of the board of directors of the American Cancer Society. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.B.A., Mr. Burck also attended the South Texas School of Law in Houston. |
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William C. Bayless, Jr.President, CEO William C. Bayless, Jr., our president and chief executive officer, is a co-founder of American Campus and serves on our board of directors. Prior to assuming the role of CEO in 2003, he served as our chief operating officer where he directed all of the company's business segments. From 1993 until July 1995, he served as our vice president of development. Prior to the formation of ACC, he served as the director of operations for Century Development's student housing division and as the director of marketing for the student housing division of Cardinal Industries. His student housing career began in 1984 with Allen & O'Hara where he held the positions of resident assistant, resident manager and area marketing coordinator. Mr. Bayless, who received a B.S. in Business Administration from West Virginia University, is considered one the nation's foremost experts on student housing. |
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Brian B. NickelSEVP, CIO Brian B. Nickel serves as our senior executive vice president of capital market strategies and chief investment officer where he leads the execution of all investment and growth activities. He is also a member of ACC’s board of directors. Mr. Nickel joined the company in June 1996 as the director of business development and has progressively contributed to the growth of the company, serving in various capacities including chief financial officer, senior vice president of development and vice president of on-campus development, vice president of acquisitions and director of acquisitions. Before joining ACC, he held positions in the investment banking firm of Kidder, Peabody & Company and with the corporate finance group of LaSalle Partners. Mr. Nickel received a B.S. in Economics from Northwestern University. |
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Cydney DonnellCydney Donnell has served on our board of directors since August 2004. She has been the director of real estate programs and an executive professor at the Mays Business School of Texas A&M University since March 2006, where she teaches in the finance department. Ms. Donnell was an executive professor at the Mays School from August 2004 until March 2006 and was a visiting lecturer from January 2004 until August 2004. Formerly a principal and managing director of European Investors/EII Realty Securities, Inc., she served in various capacities at EII and was chair of the investment committee from 2002 until 2003, head of the real estate securities group and portfolio manager from 1992 until 2002, and vice president and analyst from 1986 until 1992. Ms. Donnell served on the board of European Investors Holding Company from 1992 until 2005. Prior to joining EII, she was a real estate lending officer at RepublicBanc Corporation in Dallas from 1983 until 1986. Ms. Donnell currently serves on the board of directors of Madison Harbor Balanced Strategies, Inc., a closed-end investment fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. She has served on the board and institutional advisory committee of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) and in various leadership capacities for the Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University and the Junior League of the City of New York. Ms. Donnell received a B.B.A. from Texas A&M University and an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University. |
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Winston WalkerWinston W. Walker has served on our board of directors since August 2004. Since 1993, he has been president and chief executive officer of Walker & Associates, which provides strategic consultation primarily to clients in the healthcare and insurance industries. From 1987 until October 1993, Mr. Walker served as the chief executive officer of Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company of America. He is currently a member of the board of directors and the audit committee chair of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE: CBL), a shopping center REIT, and a member of the board of directors of MRI Medical, a private company. Mr. Walker received a B.A. in Russian from Tulane University and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Georgia. |
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G. Steven DawsonSteven Dawson has served on our board of directors since August 2004. Primarily a private investor since 2003, he served as chief financial officer of Camden Property Trust (NYSE: CPT), a large multi-family REIT based in Houston, from 1990 to 2003. Mr. Dawson serves on the boards of Trustreet Properties, Inc. (NYSE: TSY), the largest restaurant REIT in the U.S.; Sunset Financial Resources, Inc. (NYSE: SFO), a mortgage REIT; AmREIT (AMEX: AMY), a retail property REIT; Desert Capital REIT, Inc., an unlisted public mortgage REIT; and Medical Properties Trust (NYSE: MPW), a hospital/healthcare REIT. He also serves on boards of various private charities and civic organizations and has other private interests. Mr. Dawson holds a degree in business from Texas A&M University, where he serves on the Real Estate Council of the Mays Graduate School of Business. |
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Edward LowenthalEdward Lowenthal has served on our board of directors since August 2004. Since April 2002, he has been president of Ackerman Management LLC. From 1997 until 2002, Mr. Lowenthal was a founder and served as president of Wellsford Real Properties, Inc. (AMEX: WRP). He continues to serve as Wellsford Real Properties, Inc.’s director. Mr. Lowenthal was a founder, trustee and president of Wellsford Residential Property Trust until May 1997 when it was merged into Equity Residential. Mr. Lowenthal has more than 30 years of real estate and merger and acquisition experience in both public and private entities. He serves as a trustee of Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (NYSE: OHI), a healthcare REIT; as a director of Ark Restaurants (NASDAQ: ARKR), an owner and operator of restaurants; as a director of Reis, Inc., a privately held real estate information and analytics provider; and as a director of Desarrolladora Homex, S.A. de C.V., a vertically integrated home development company focused on affordable entry-level and middle-income housing in Mexico. A trustee of the Manhattan School of Music, he serves on its finance and executive committees and chairs its new building committee. From 1992 until 2000, he served as a member of the Board of Governors of NAREIT. Mr. Lowenthal received a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was an editor of the Georgetown University Law Journal. |
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Scott Rechler Scott Rechler has served on our board of directors since August 2004. At Reckson Associates Realty Corp. (NYSE: RA), he has been chief executive officer and president since December 2003, served as co-chief executive officer from May 1999 until December 2003, serves as chairman of the executive committee of the board of directors and has been a director since its formation. From February 1997 until May 2001, he served as president of Reckson and as its chief operating officer until May 1999. Mr. Rechler is a member of the board of directors of the Long Island Children's Museum and the board of governors of NAREIT. Since 1997, he has served as chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors of Frontline Capital Group, and also served as the non-executive chairman of the board of directors and former interim executive officer of HQ Global Holdings, Inc. Mr. Rechler is a graduate of Clark University and received a Master's in finance with a specialization in real estate from New York University. |
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Clint Braun
SVP Construction Management Clint Braun serves as our senior vice president of construction management and oversees project development, design, scheduling, budgeting, procurement, construction and reporting for the company. Mr. Braun joined ACC in February 2000 as director of construction management, was promoted to vice president of construction management in February 2002, and assumed the role of SVP in September 2006. During his tenure with us, he has supervised the successful completion of over 6,500 beds and $380 million in development costs, including three LEED projects, on-time and within the approved budgets. Before joining ACC, Mr. Braun held various construction management positions with JPI (a private real estate developer) from 1996 to 2000. Mr. Braun received a B.S. in Construction Science from Texas A&M University. |
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Victor Young
SVP Project Management & Construction Victor Young serves as our senior vice president of project management and construction with a focus on the execution and delivery of projects under construction. Mr. Young joined ACC in January 2007 as vice president of construction management and was promoted to his current position in November 2007. Prior to joining ACC, he held a number of construction management positions at privately owned real estate development companies including JPI, The Hanover Company, and TCR. His background includes field supervision and project management of garden-style, urban high density, and high-rise multifamily projects. Mr. Young received a B.S. in Construction Management from Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM) in Monroe, La. in 1996. |
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Daniel Perry
SVP Capital Markets Daniel Perry serves as our senior vice president of capital markets. He joined ACC in February 2005 as vice president of investments. Prior to joining ACC, Mr. Perry held positions in the investment banking division of Citigroup Global Markets where he assisted with the successful completion of ACC’s initial public offering in 2004. He also worked in the corporate finance divisions of BNP Paribas and Banc of America (fka NationsBank). Mr. Perry holds a B.A. in Finance and Accounting from Texas A&M University and a M.B.A. from NYU’s Stern School of Business. |
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Kim K. Voss
SVP, Controller Kim K. Voss serves as our senior vice president and controller. Ms. Voss joined ACC in June 2004, previously holding the positions of vice president and controller and assistant controller. She began her career in the Audit and Business Advisory group of Arthur Andersen LLP in San Francisco, California, where her client base consisted primarily of REITs and other real estate entities. Immediately prior to joining ACC, she held the position of assistant controller with AMB Property Corporation in San Francisco, a publicly-traded industrial REIT that owns and operates properties in numerous global markets. A certified public accountant, Ms. Voss holds a B.B.A. and a Master in Professional Accounting degree from the University of Texas at Austin. |
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Jennifer Beese
SVP Leasing Administration Jennifer Beese serves as our senior vice president of leasing administration. Ms. Beese joined ACC in November 1999 as regional manager and has contributed to the operational growth of the company in the positions of vice president of leasing administration, director of leasing administration and director of on-campus development. Ms. Beese was largely responsible for the initial concept, design and implementation of ACC’s proprietary leasing administration and marketing software system (LAMS). Prior to joining ACC, Ms. Beese began her career with JPI Development where she held various property management positions. Ms. Beese received a B.A. in History from Texas A&M University. |
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James E. Wilhelm, III
SVP Public/Private Transactions James E. Wilhelm, III serves as our senior vice president of public/private transactions and spearheads the company's American Campus Equity (ACE) program.
For more than a decade, Mr. Wilhelm has specialized in higher education and related non-profit finance, and since 2000, has originated more than $1.8 billion of debt and derivative transactions for more than 80 higher education institutions and non-profits. He has served as the investment banker for more than $350 million of ACC projects. Mr. Wilhelm joined ACC from RBC's public finance department where he served as the managing director of the higher education sector. Prior to RBC, he was a managing director with Bank One Capital Markets (currently JPMorgan Capital Markets) and held positions at McDonald & Company Securities (currently KeyBanc Capital Markets) and The Ohio Company (currently Fifth Third Markets). Mr. Wilhelm is a graduate of Miami University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. |
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Joseph Macchione
Joseph Macchione joined our board of directors in June 2008. During this time, Mr. Macchione became executive vice president and chief operating officer of GMH Associates, Inc. Mr. Macchione served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of GMH Communities Trust from 2004 until June 2008, when it was merged into American Campus Communities, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Macchione served as general counsel for GMH Capital Partners LLC, formerly a joint venture between Gary Holloway and GE Capital Corporation, which focused on corporate real estate services. Mr. Macchione was also an attorney with Morgan Lewis & Bockius as well as Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll in Philadelphia, where his practice focused on commercial real estate joint ventures, acquisitions and disposition strategies, as well as zoning, land use and construction and environmental law. Prior to launching his legal career, Mr. Macchione was the managing partner of a Philadelphia-based commercial construction company.
Mr. Macchione is a member of the American Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association as well as the Philadelphia Bar Association, where he served on the Executive Committee member and Co-Editor of the Philadelphia Bar Newsletter. Mr. Macchione was named to the National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals in 2005. Mr. Macchione is also an executive committee member of Inspire Philadelphia, a Pennsylvania-based non-profit organization.
Mr. Macchione received his J.D. from Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he graduated cum laude and served as editor-in-chief of the Environmental Law and Technology Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree from Temple University, where he graduated summa cum laude. |
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