Management Team

Principals and Executive Officers

Principals

Patricia J. M. Blackburn, is the Principal Broker, Director and President of Gates, Hudson & Associates, Inc. Ms. Blackburn's primary responsibility is to direct the asset and multi-family property management functions for GHA'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. Prior to founding GHA, Ms. Blackburn was Vice President and Director of Multifamily Operations for the Mark Winkler Company.

Daniel Schneider, is a Director and Executive Vice President of Gates, Hudson, & Associates Inc. Mr. Schneider's primary responsibility is to direct the property management and leasing functions for GHA'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, is Vice President of Energy Management for Gates, Hudson & Associates, Inc. Mr. Barton has 11 years of property management experience. His primary responsibilities include oversight of all utility and energy management programs within the GHA 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.

Alan Beckett, is the Senior Vice President of GHA Services Inc., a wholly owned construction and ancillary services subsidiary of Gates Hudson and Associates. His primary responsibilities include oversight of all construction, renovation and repositioning  projects, as well as overseeing the ancillary energy management, telecommunications and environmental services performed by GHA Services. Mr. Beckett was integral to the formation of MeterCom, 21RealCom and Signet Construction. He has provided legislative testimony regarding utility, telecommunications and environmental regulations. He was previously the President of Premium Management Inc. in Baltimore Maryland. Mr.Beckett received a B. S. in Urban Planning from the University of Maryland.

Diane Kaplon , is Vice President and Controller for Gates, Hudson & Associates, Inc. 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 GHA 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.

Matt Lawson, is the Vice President of Residential Operations. Mr. Lawson oversees the operations of GHA's residential portfolio. Mr. Lawson has over 18 years experience in the planning, development, construction and management of investment properties. Mr. Lawson began his career as a Leasing Consultant while attending University of Maryland. Prior to joining GHA, Mr. Lawson provided oversight for a portfolio of 10,500 units both in South Florida and Missouri, including supervision of the renovation/reconstruction of much of the portfolio in South Florida following Hurricane Andrew. After returning to the Metro DC area, Mr. Lawson was a Regional Manager and then Director of Client relations and Market Analyst, providing oversight of all third-party management and market analysis for a large development/management firm in Baltimore.

Steven R. Larimer, is Vice President of Asset Management. Mr. Larimer has 21 years of property management experience, with financial and asset management responsibility for the performance of the 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, and overseeing tax appeal issues. Previously Mr. Larimer was Vice President of Residential Property management with full day-to-day responsibility for the Gates Hudson & Associates, Inc. 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, is Vice President of Commercial Facilities for Gates, Hudson & Associates, Inc. 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 GHA 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, is Vice President of Information Technologies for Gates, Hudson & Associates, Inc. His primary responsibilities include managing all aspects of the company's computer systems department. Currently the I.S. department supports 225 pc's and 15 servers at 50 locations in the Metro area. Serving as Vice-President of MeterCOM and 21 RealCOM, Mr. Murphy provides the technical expertise to support the management team. Mr. Murphy has recently taken on the roll of marketing GHA Financial Management Services. Mr. Murphy has 24 years in the property management business with the last 18 years at GHA. Mr. Murphy holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.

Karen K. O'Gorman, is Vice-President of Commercial Leasing at Gates, Hudson & Associates, Inc. where she has been employed since 1989. Ms. O'Gorman assists 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.