A Dedicated Team
With Dedicated Leadership
John Ritz
President
John Ritz heads the property management, property services and heating/cooling divisions of WC Smith. He is responsible for all aspects of the management, leasing and maintenance of over 10,000 residential units in the DC area, as well as a portfolio of commercial and retail properties
Chris Smith
Chairman and CEO
Chris Smith has led the company to become a DC industry leader in the development of multi-family housing. Initially specializing in the rehabilitation and revitalization of challenged neighborhoods, he has expanded the company’s portfolio to include innovative market rate housing as well as commercial and office developments. With a lifelong commitment to community service, he has fostered a culture within WC Smith of improving the quality of life for residents of the District.
Development
Brad Fennell
Executive Vice President
Brad Fennell is President of WCS Development and responsible for the day to day real estate development activities from entitlement and design through construction and stabilization.
Brian Strott
Vice President
Brian Strott is the development manager for the company’s projects in the Capital Riverfront, including The Collective and 250 M Street. With over 13 years of experience, he is skilled at managing complex large-scale construction projects.
Matt Tsau
Assistant Vice President
Matt Tsau is the development executive for The Garrett. A former engineer, with nearly 10 years of experience in the industry, he brings a unique combination of design and construction expertise to the development leadership team.
Finance
Terry Beauford
Chief Financial Officer
Terry Beauford manages the company’s finances, including reporting, budgeting, forecasting, tax strategy, and monitoring. She oversees a team of controllers, accountants and the IT department as well as Risk Management.
Scott Heppe
Chief Accounting Officer
Scott Heppe oversees the accounting department and is responsible for the accurate, complete, and timely production and presentation of financial statements as well as analytical procedures applied to financial information. He is a licensed CPA and has over 20 years combined experience as a tax practitioner, auditor, and accounting manager.
Michael Iannarino
Corporate Controller
Michael Iannarino is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial position and results of operations of the company and its subsidiaries as well as managing assets in accordance with financial policies and procedures.
Property Management
George Pollard
Vice President
George Pollard is the asset manager for a portfolio of 1,522 units located in Southeast Washington. He is a specialist in the management of affordable housing and a leader in the company’s community outreach.
Samantha Branchaud
Vice President
Samantha Branchaud is the asset manager for 2M, 2800 Woodley, 2701 Connecticut, The Collective and Avec. She has over 19 years of property management experience, managing a wide range of property types and asset classes.
Pat McKenzie
Senior Vice President
Pat McKenzie oversees a team of managers whose portfolios cover more than 3,000 units primarily located in Southeast Washington. His concentration is in the redevelopment and repositioning of challenged properties.
Nicolle Davis-Niang
Vice President
Nicolle Davis-Niang is the asset manager for Washington View, Fairway Park and Jetu. She has over 30 years of experience in the property management field. Nicolle has been involved in the acquisition, renovation, new construction lease-up and management of over 3,500 apartment units in Washington Metropolitan Area
Glenda Walker
Vice President of Leasing Operations
Glenda Walker leads the corporate leasing department, providing support to all the apartment communities and condominium developments in the WC Smith portfolio. She provides the vital link between leasing operations and accounting as well as corporate management of all A/R functions and software support.
Robert Holcomb Jr.
Director
Robert Holcomb Jr. is the Director of Engineering for the Corporate Head Quarters and Oversees Operations/HVAC Services both Large and Small. He has over 25 years of experience within the DC Metro Area, he holds Master HVAC Licenses in the State of Maryland and a DC First Class Engineers Licenses in the District of Columbia.
Marketing & Communications
Holli Beckman
Vice President of Marketing & Leasing Operations
Holli Beckman leads the WC Smith marketing division. She blends new technologies with property management strategy to maximize traffic and produce outstanding results. Her efforts are documented in in The Best Real Estate Advice Ever podcast and Jay Baer’s best-selling book, Youtility for Real Estate.
Don Montuori
Vice President of Public Relations & Corporate Initiatives
Don Montuori manages public relations and corporate initiatives for WC Smith. He has more than 30 years of professional communications experience, and has been actively involved in founding and leading youth sports, school and community organizations in Washington, DC.
Human Resources
Ian Kessler
Vice President of Human Resources
Ian Kessler has oversight of human resources, benefits administration and payroll, and is a strategic partner to the management team. He has over 30 years of human resources experience, working with leading area companies, in construction, real estate, financial services and technology industries.
Mortgage Service
Clare McCabe
Senior Vice President
Clare McCabe has over 38 years of experience with multifamily financing, over 23 of those years with WC Smith. Under her tenure, WCS Mortgage has arranged financing for over 150 properties including over 8,500 units of multifamily housing, two hotels, over 400,000 square feet of commercial property space, a child development daycare center and THEARC West.
Acquisitions & Dispositions
Ed Wolynec
Chief Investment Officer
Ed Wolynec oversees the acquisition and disposition of WC Smith properties as well as leasing for commercial tenants. He has over 30 years of experience at the company.
Matt Ritz
Senior Vice President of Business Development
Matt Ritz is the senior project executive for Avec and the Skyland Town Center. In his 17 years at the company, he has worked in maintenance, construction, property management. Since joining development in 2002, has been responsible for development projects totaling over $500 million
Information Technology
Russ Kuyawa
Chief Information Officer
Russ Kuyawa oversees all IT operations for the corporate office, property sites and WCS Construction, ensuring that WC Smith staff are using technologies efficiently, profitably and securely. He has successfully led several company-wide hardware and software upgrades.
Risk Management
Luke Williams
Director of Risk Management
Luke Williams oversees insurance, risk management, and safety at WC Smith and its affiliated companies and brings 20 years of industry knowledge and experience to the role. He has served in legal and risk management capacities with a variety of development and construction firms prior to joining WC Smith in 2015.
Legal
Jeff Capron
General Counsel
Jeff Capron handles legal issues for WC Smith. Both a CPA and an attorney, he comes to WC Smith following a career at Aronson LLC that included serving for 7 years as Aronson’s Managing Partner.