Principals
Patricia J. M. Blackburn - Principal Broker, Director and President
Ms. Blackburn's primary responsibility is to direct the asset and multi-family property management functions for Gates Hudson's portfolio. Ms. Blackburn served as the 1996 President of AOBA (Apartment and Office Building Association), a regional trade association based in Washington, D.C. She also serves on the National Advisory Council of BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association). Prior to founding Gates Hudson (formerly known as Gates, Hudson and Associates, Inc.) Ms. Blackburn was Vice President and Director of Multi-Family Operations for the Mark Winkler Company.
Daniel Schneider - Director and Executive Vice-President
Mr. Schneider's primary responsibility is to direct the property management and leasing functions for Gates Hudson's commercial portfolio. Mr. Schneider has 25 years of experience in the evaluation, acquisition, renovation and management of investment properties in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. Mr. Schneider has an undergraduate Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Real Estate and Urban Economics, both from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Executive Officers
Michael A. Barton - Vice-President of Energy Management
Mr. Barton has over 20 years of property management experience. Mr. Barton's primary responsibilities include oversight of all utility and energy management programs within the Gates Hudson portfolio. Utility management items include deregulated utility purchasing, energy auditing, utility budgeting and resident billing oversight. Mr. Barton is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and a member of the Association of Energy Engineers. Mr. Barton received a Bachelor of Science Degrees in Communications and Psychology from James Madison University.
Dennis l. Emison - Vice-President, Controller, GHA Community Management, LLC
(A wholly owned subsidiary of Gates Hudson)
Mr. Emison has over ten years experience in Community Association Management. He is responsible for the overall functioning of the Accounting Department, including the company's internal controls, financial statement reporting and cash management. Mr. Emison provides hands-on training classes to Board Members on How to Understand Your Association's Financial Statement, Budgeting, and Investment. Mr. Emison has spent most of his career supervising Accounting Staff, constructing and instituting efficient in-house policies and procedures, creating appropriate checks and balances, and effectively serving Board clients with top level Customer Service. Mr. Emison is a member of the Community Association Institute (CAI) and received his Business Management degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Diane Kaplon - Vice-President and Controller
Ms. Kaplon is primarily responsible for the financial management of the company and oversees all accounting operations. Ms. Kaplon has over 25 years experience in accounting, auditing, and financial management, including over 10 years in the real estate industry. Ms. Kaplon was formerly an audit manager for the "Big 4" accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, focusing on real estate audits and internal control review. Prior to joining the Gates Hudson team, Ms. Kaplon was Senior Director of Investor Accounting for Sunrise Senior Living Management, Inc. with oversight of GAAP and HUD audits, and owner accounting and reporting for over 400 properties and 30 development projects. Ms. Kaplon graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Accounting and has been a resident of Northern Virginia for over 18 years.
Lynn M. Kiley - Vice-President of Operations, GHA Community Management, LLC
(A wholly owned subsidiary of Gates Hudson)
Ms. Kiley has over 25 years experience in all facets of Real Estate, Property Management and Operations Management. She specializes in personnel management, organizational analysis, and systems development. Ms. Kiley holds the Certified Property Manager (CPM) Executive title for GHACM's Accredited Management Organization (AMO) certification with the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). She is a member of IREM Chapter 8 in DC and is the 2010 Past President. She is a Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA), an Association Management Specialist (AMS), and a Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM). She is also a Certified Analyst with the AVA Presidents Program, Bizet Human Asset Management, and is a member of both the Community Association's Institute (CAI) and the Property Management Association (PMA). Ms. Kiley received a BS in Business and obtained a Dual Masters Degrees in Technology Management and Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Maryland. Ms. Kiley is also a Realtor and holds a Salesperson license in the state of Maryland.
Steven R. Larimer - Senior Vice-President of Asset Management
Mr. Larimer has 21 years of property management experience, with financial and asset management responsibility for the performance of Gates Hudson's residential portfolio in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. He is also responsible for property level Real Estate tax review, responding to tax assessments as necessary as well as overseeing tax appeal issues. Previously Mr. Larimer was Vice President of Residential Property management with full day-to-day responsibility for the Gates Hudson residential portfolio. His prior property management experience includes management of Class A, B, and C properties in three different geographic regions including Iowa, Alabama, and Texas. Mr. Larimer is a Certified Property Manager (CPM) from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), and has also received the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) Accreditation through the CCIM Institute, an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors. He is a member of the Apartment and Office Building Association and the Property Management Association. Mr. Larimer was an appointed Commissioner on the Fairfax County Tenant-Landlord Commission, where he served for five years from 2000 to 2005. Mr. Larimer is a Certified Analyst with the AVA President's Program, Bizet Human Asset Management. He received a B.A. in Communications from St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa.
Steven J. Melko - Vice-President of Commercial Facilities
Mr. Melko's responsibilities include oversight of the operations of commercial properties, capital improvements, tenant improvements and environmental management, and has completed over $5 million in capital improvements over the past few years. Mr. Melko has been with Gates Hudson since its inception in 1981. Mr. Melko serves on several BOMA committees and is a member of the Property Managers Association and the Association of Energy Engineers. Mr. Melko received a BS from Penn State University.
Howard J. Murphy - Vice-President of Information Technologies
Mr. Murphy's primary responsibilities include managing all aspects of the company's information management systems. With 8 years experience as a regional property manager, Mr. Murphy brings a unique experience to the GHA team. His understanding of the core business is critical when implementing technologies for our clients. During his tenure at Gates Hudson, Mr. Murphy served as Vice President for MeterCOM and 21 RealCOM, providing management and technical expertise to both companies. Mr. Murphy has 29 years in the property management industry with the last 21 years in the Gates Hudson family. Mr. Murphy holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
Karen K. O'Gorman - Vice-President of Commercial Leasing
Since 1989 Ms. O'Gorman has been assisting both Landlords and Tenants in achieving their real estate objectives with special emphasis on Landlord representation of office space. A native of Connecticut, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Connecticut with a B.S. in Marketing and obtained a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut. She relocated to the Baltimore/Washington area when she began her eight-year sales and marketing career with Exxon Company, USA. Karen is the 1994/1995 past president of the Northern Virginia Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and is licensed as an Associate Broker in both Virginia and Maryland. Karen is a member of the Northern Virginia Chapters of National Association of Industries & Office Properties (NAIOP) and CREW.
Joseph P. Schechtel - Senior Vice-President of Commercial Leasing and Management
Mr. Schechtel is responsible for oversight of all asset management, property management and agency leasing within the commercial department and leads a team of 10 corporate professionals who service Gates Hudson's commercial portfolio, which totals over 3.7 million square feet in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Mr. Schechtel has over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate with multi-disciplined expertise in the areas of asset management, property management, corporate facilities management, project management and development. Prior to joining Gates Hudson, Mr. Schechtel was Director of Asset Services for Cushman & Wakefield's Washington, DC and Baltimore Metropolitan areas. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Virginia Tech and has completed graduate coursework in real estate at the Gund School of Design, Harvard University. He is a licensed Salesperson in the State of Virginia and is a candidate to receive the Certified Commercial Investment Manager (CCIM®) designation from the CCIM Institute.
Joseph Tacchino - Vice President/Director of Operations GHA Services, Inc.
Mr. Tacchino is responsible for all operational aspects of GHA Services, project and facilities management and engineering services. Mr. Tacchino brings 14 years of experience in the construction industry as well as a variety of skills in both horizontal and vertical construction. Prior to coming to GHA Services, he served as a Senior Manager of Development for a National Builder of multi-family and single-family homes; and, he also served as a Project Manager for Civil Engineering firms specializing in commercial development. He received his Bachelors of Science of Civil Engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania and his Masters of Business Administration from Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania.
