Leadership
Gerard H. Sweeney
President & Chief Executive Officer and Trustee
Mr. Sweeney has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of Brandywine since the Company’s founding in 1994. Under his leadership, Brandywine has grown into one of the largest, publicly-traded, full-service, integrated real estate companies in the United States, with a core focus on urban, town center, and transit–oriented development in the Philadelphia, PA, Washington, D.C., and Austin, TX markets. Mr. Sweeney is also Chair of the Schuylkill River Development Corporate (SRDC), the Center City District Foundation (CCDF), the King of Prussia Rail Coalition Advisory Committee, and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. He is a member of the Real Estate Roundtable, NAIOP Research Foundation, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Additionally, Mr. Sweeney is co-founder and co-CEO of Bonomo Turkish Taffy LLC.
Prior to 1994, Mr. Sweeney served as Vice President of LCOR, Incorporated, a real estate development firm, and Financial Vice President and General Partner of the Linpro Company (a predecessor of LCOR). He has previously served on the boards of several Philadelphia organizations.
Mr. Sweeney holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Reginald DesRoches
Trustee
Reginald DesRoches was first elected to the Board on May 18, 2021. Dr. DesRoches was appointed President of Rice University on July 1, 2022. Prior to that, he served as Rice University’s Provost since 2020. As the University’s President, Dr. DesRoches is the chief administrative officer of the University and its 7,500 students, seven schools and more than 700 faculty. He is responsible for advancing the University’s teaching, research, and service mission and providing leadership and direction for all aspects of the University.
Dr. DesRoches previously served as the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering at the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University. Prior to that, he was chair of the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech.
A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Dr. DesRoches’ distinctive research record has been recognized for its impact and innovation. He is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Structural Engineering Institute, chairs the advisory board for the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Simulation Center, is on the Haliburton Labs Clean Energy Accelerator Advisory Board, and is on the Board of Texas Instruments Incorporated (Nasdaq: TXN). Dr. DesRoches previously served as chair of the National Construction Safety Team Advisory Committee (NCST).
He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, both from the University of California, Berkeley.
James C. Diggs
Chairman of the Board and Trustee
Mr. Diggs was first elected a Trustee on March 21, 2011, and was appointed our non-executive Chairman of the Board on May 18, 2022.
From 1997 until his retirement in June 2010, Mr. Diggs served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of PPG Industries, Inc., a producer of coatings and glass products. From 2004 to September 2009, Mr. Diggs also served as Corporate Secretary of PPG Industries, Inc. Prior to joining PPG, Mr. Diggs was a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of TRW Inc. and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in Cleveland.
Mr. Diggs holds both his bachelor’s degree and his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University.
H. Richard Haverstick Jr.
Trustee
Mr. Haverstick was first elected a Trustee on December 6, 2016. Mr. Haverstick is an emeritus trustee and former chair of the Board of Trustees of Jefferson Health and Thomas Jefferson University and also served as Interim CEO of Jefferson Health President of Thomas Jefferson University. He also currently serves as chair of Board of Visitors at the Temple University Fox School of Business and as the chair of the advisory board to the accounting department at Temple University. Mr. Haverstick previously served as trustee and audit committee member of Actua Corporation, the BMT Investment Fund and the Global Beta ETF Series of Funds.
Mr. Haverstick spent nearly 40 years with Ernst & Young LLP, where he served in many senior leadership roles, including managing partner of the Philadelphia Office, Global Financial Services partner, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Region banking leader and Mid-Atlantic Region partner-in-charge of human resources.
Mr. Haverstick has served in a variety of roles at civic and charitable organizations including board positions with The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, The Greater Philadelphia CEO Council for Growth, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, The Southeast Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross, The Philadelphia Arts and Business Council, the Penjerdel Council, the Greater Philadelphia First Corporation and Movement Theater International.
Mr. Haverstick holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Temple University’s Fox School of Business.
Joan Lau, PhD
Trustee
Ms. Lau was appointed a Trustee on December 6, 2022, effective as February 1, 2023.
Ms. Lau brings to the Board more than 20 years of executive leadership experience, including as chief executive officer, chief operating officer and director. In 2016, Ms. Lau co-founded Talee Bio, renamed Spirovant Sciences Inc. subsequent to its acquisition, a company focused on the discovery and development of gene therapies for respiratory diseases. Ms. Lau became, and continues as, its Chief Executive Officer. Since 2013, Ms. Lau is co-founder and partner of Militia Hill Ventures, a firm that creates and builds innovative life science entities. Ms. Lau also serves as director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc., RiboNova Inc., and Rockwell Medical; and trustee of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Lau previously served as director of Renovacor, Inc.
Ms. Lau earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a PhD in Medical Neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and a BSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Charles P. Pizzi
Trustee
Mr. Pizzi was first elected a Trustee on August 22, 1996.
Mr. Pizzi is the retired president, director and chief executive officer of Tasty Baking Company, manufacturer of Tastykake branded snack cakes. He served in these positions from 2002 to May 2011. Prior to leading Tasty Baking Company, Mr. Pizzi served as president and chief executive officer of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, vice-chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives and chairman of the Metro Council of Presidents.
His career includes work with the transition teams for the former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and the former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, as well as commerce director for the City of Philadelphia. Mr. Pizzi currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors of Independence Health Group (“IHG”), where he has been a member since 1991; a trustee of Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust since May 2013; a director of Drexel University since 1991; and a trustee of Mistras Group Inc. Mr. Pizzi was a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia from 2006 to December 2011, serving as chairman from January 2010 to December 2011. He also previously served as a director of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange from 1998 until it was acquired by NASDAQ in July 2008; on the board of governors of NASDAQ OMX PHLX, Inc. from August 2008 to March 2009; as a director of Allied Security Holdings LLC from 2011 to 2016; and as a director of PHH Corporation from 2011 to 2018. Mr. Pizzi holds a bachelor’s degree from LaSalle University and a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Gerard H. Sweeney
President & Chief Executive Officer and Trustee
Mr. Sweeney has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of Brandywine since the Company’s founding in 1994. He has overseen Brandywine’s growth from 200,000 square feet with a total market capitalization of less than $5 million, to nearly 25 million square feet and a total market capitalization of approximately $5.0 billion. Under his leadership, Brandywine has grown into one of the largest, publicly-traded, full-service, integrated real estate companies in the United States, with a core focus on urban, town center, and transit–oriented development in the Philadelphia, PA, Washington, D.C., and Austin, TX markets. Mr. Sweeney has overseen more than $2.5 billion and approximately 12 million square feet of successful development to-date, with many more projects currently in the pipeline. Mr. Sweeney believes that buildings are bridges to the communities they serve. He is passionate about placemaking and creating thoughtful, dynamic spaces that have a positive impact on surrounding communities, and is guided by a deep commitment to responsible, equitable development and business practices. In Philadelphia, he led the launch of a comprehensive Neighborhood Engagement Initiative focused on creating jobs, enhancing diversity in the building trades, creating affordable housing, and community engagement activity.
Prior to 1994, Mr. Sweeney served as Vice President of LCOR, Incorporated, a real estate development firm, and Financial Vice President and General Partner of the Linpro Company (a predecessor of LCOR). Mr. Sweeney holds a BS degree in Economics from West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Sweeney is Chair of the Schuylkill River Development Corporate (SRDC), the Center City District Foundation (CCDF), the King of Prussia Rail Coalition Advisory Committee, and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. He also serves on the boards of several other Philadelphia-based organizations and is a member of numerous real estate organizations. Additionally, Mr. Sweeney is co-founder and co-CEO of Bonomo Turkish Taffy LLC.
H. Jeffrey DeVuono
EVP, Senior Managing Director, Life Science
Mr. DeVuono is Brandywine’s Executive Vice President of the Life Science Division and Regional Managing Director of the Pennsylvania region. He joined Brandywine Realty Trust in January of 1997. Prior to Brandywine, Mr. DeVuono worked for LCOR, Inc., a private development company that had a previous association with Brandywine, where he held a variety of positions, all of which related to asset management. Before joining LCOR, Mr. DeVuono was a sales and leasing representative for Cushman & Wakefield of Philadelphia.
Mr. DeVuono currently serves on the Board, and is a former Chairman, of the King of Prussia District, and is a Board Member of the Center City District (CCD), the University City District, and the LaSalle University Rowing Stewards Foundation. He is also a member of CoreNet, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center. Past Boards include the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, University City District, the Westtown School, Bartram’s Garden, and The Center for Emerging Visual Artists.
George S. Hasenecz
Senior Vice President – Investments
George S. Hasenecz is the Senior Vice President – Investments of Brandywine Realty Trust. Since 2009, he has been responsible for the Company's portfolio management and investment activities as Brandywine has shifted its portfolio to focus on CBD and town center office properties as well as mixed-use projects in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Austin, TX. Previously, George had served as Brandywine's Vice President of Investments and Director of Acquisitions from 2000 to 2006.
George also worked at ProLogis as Vice President – Capital Deployment from 2006 to 2008 where he oversaw development and investments for the New Jersey and Pennsylvania regions. Prior to his previous tenure at Brandywine, George served as Vice President – Acquisitions with Keystone Property Trust where he oversaw the sale of Keystone’s office portfolio as the company transitioned to a pure-play industrial REIT.
George is a board member of the Committee of Seventy, an independent and nonpartisan advocate for better government in both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania and serves as the Co-Chair of the Policy Committee. George is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Advisory Board of ULI Philadelphia. George received his B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Drexel University.
George D. Johnstone
Executive Vice President – Operations
Mr. Johnstone joined us in November 1998. He works in conjunction with our regional managing directors in running our operations. Prior to his appointment in March 2014 as our Executive Vice President, Operations, Mr. Johnstone served as our Senior Vice President, Operations & Asset Management. Prior to his service in that position, Mr. Johnstone served as our Vice President of Operations for our Pennsylvania Region (2004 – 2005) and for our New Jersey Region (2002 – 2004) and served as Director of Operations for our New Jersey Region from 1998 until 2002. Prior to joining us, Mr. Johnstone was the Regional Controller for Linpro/LCOR Inc., where he was responsible for strategic and tactical accounting processes and oversight and leadership of all accounting functions for that company. Mr. Johnstone earned his B.S. in accounting from Albright College.
Shawn Neuman
Senior Vice President – General Counsel
Mr. Neuman joined Brandywine Realty Trust in March 2020 as Senior Vice President, General Counsel. Prior to joining Brandywine, Mr. Neuman most recently served as the General Counsel of Liberty Property Trust, a publicly traded REIT, preceding its merger into Prologis, Inc. During his tenure at Liberty, Mr. Neuman was responsible for overseeing, managing and advising on all legal aspects of real estate activities, public company governance matters, general corporate affairs and capital market transactions. He also served on its Investment Committee. Prior to transitioning to an in-house role, Mr. Neuman practiced in the real estate departments of several prominent law firms in New York City and Philadelphia from 2004-2012, most recently as a Member of Cozen O’Connor. In private practice, Mr. Neuman represented developers and institutional owners in complex real estate transactions involving acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, developments, joint ventures and financings.
Mr. Neuman earned a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from University of Florida. Mr. Neuman is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT).
William D. Redd
Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director – Austin, Metro DC, Richmond
Mr. Redd is our Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director for the Austin, Metro DC, and Richmond regions with responsibility for the leasing and marketing, asset management, evaluation of building and land acquisitions and dispositions, third party services and property management of a diversified portfolio consisting of urban and suburban high-rise and mid-rise properties. He joined Brandywine in 1999 as Vice President of our Richmond operations. Formerly, Mr. Redd was a partner from 1988 until 1999 with Childress Klein Properties, a privately-held real estate firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. From 1985 until 1988, he was with the Trammell Crow Company.
In Austin, Mr. Redd serves on the Board of Directors of the Hill Country Conservancy, the Opportunity Austin Economic Development Council, and is a member of the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA) and ULI Austin. He is also a member of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Real Estate Circle of Excellence, Greater Richmond Association of Commercial Real Estate (GRACRE), and Richmond Real Estate Group. Mr. Redd earned his law degree from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. degree from Hampden-Sydney College.
Thomas E. Wirth
Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Wirth was named our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in March 2014. From December 2009 to March 2014, Mr. Wirth served the Company as Executive Vice President, Portfolio Management and Investments where he directed portfolio management, acquisition and disposition activities and assisted in formulating the Company's capital allocation tactics, including structuring joint ventures and construction financings. From 2004 until 2009, Mr. Wirth served as President (2007-2009) and Chief Financial Officer of Feldman Mall Properties, Inc. From 1997 to 2004, he served first as the Vice President of Finance and later as Chief Financial Officer of SL Green Realty Corp. Mr. Wirth has also served as Vice President of Financial Reporting and Analysis for Greenwich, Connecticut-based United Waste Systems, Inc., and spent ten years with Ernst & Young LLP in various positions, including Senior Manager. Mr. Wirth is a member of NAREIT, and is a board member of The Philadelphia Police Foundation. Mr. Wirth earned his B.A. in Busi ess Management and Accounting from Gettysburg College.
Ronald J. Becker
Senior Vice President - Operations and Sustainability
Ronald J. Becker, CRX, CSM, Fitwel Ambassador, Senior Vice President of Operations & Sustainability joined Brandywine Realty Trust in August of 2019. In his role Ron oversees all aspects of operations and property management for the firm providing tactical leadership and strategy to the building operators and management teams. In addition, Ron has taken over leadership of Brandywine’s continued commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance platform including best practice implementation in each of the segmented sectors.
Mr. Becker was most recently the Vice President of National Operations & Sustainability for Federal Realty Investment Trust based in Rockville, MD where he oversaw all aspects of operations for the national portfolio including Federal’s ESG program and multiple solar photovoltaic system investments. Prior to that he was the assistant vice president of property management for Cedar Realty Trust as well as working for a number of niche and boutique companies such as Pennsylvania based WP Realty, Inc. Mr. Becker is a 27-year industry veteran whose career has ranged from the management and leasing of retail, office and flex-space throughout the US to the acquisition of commercial assets in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest for a Boise, ID based 1031 syndicator.
Mr. Becker is a Certified Real Estate Executive (CRX), a Certified Shopping Center Manager (CSM) and became a Fitwel Ambassador in March of 2020. He has published articles for Management-Marketing-Leasing Today and has taught at ICSC University at the Wharton School of Business as well as at the John T. Riordan School of Professional Development in Arizona. Mr. Becker graduated from Adelphi University with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
Ralph Bistline
Senior Vice President – Leasing and Business Development – Austin
Mr. Bistline has been with Brandywine since 1996. He serves as the Senior Vice President of Leasing and Business Development in Austin and is directly responsible for marketing and leasing Brandywine’s portfolio. Mr. Bistline has 30 years of experience in the Austin office market, having worked in the CBD market for 15 years on development projects totaling over 2 million square feet; and in the suburban market for the last 15 years, developing and leasing over 1 million square feet of Class A office space. Mr. Bistline holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is a member of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, founding member of the Commercial Leasing Broker Association (then Office Leasing Broker Association), and other community organizations.
Ann Lisa “A.L.” Braun
Vice President - Senior Leasing Counsel
Ann Lisa “A.L.” Braun joined Brandywine Realty Trust in January 2013 as Assistant General Counsel. She is the managing attorney for all of Brandywine’s lease transactions across our portfolio and is responsible for our standard lease documents. She is also active on the Advisory Board of the Georgetown Law Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute.
Prior to joining Brandywine, Ms. Braun was a real estate partner at LeClairRyan, representing primarily landlords and tenants nationwide for office, retail, flex, industrial, and warehouse spaces. Her clients included Brandywine since 2004. She previously had her own firm and worked at large law firms such as Day Pitney in Stamford, Connecticut, and McGuireWoods in Richmond, Virginia as a commercial real estate attorney. Ms. Braun holds a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. from Yale University, where she was on the varsity swim team. She is an active masters swimmer in the early mornings and entrenched in competitive sailboat racing with her family.
Joey Caperton
Senior Vice President - Leasing - Richmond, Metro DC, Austin
Mr. Caperton joined Brandywine in 1999 and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Leasing, with responsibility for the leasing and development of the Company’s Richmond, Metro DC, and Austin portfolios. Mr. Caperton has negotiated the vast majority of the office portfolio leases for the Company’s Richmond Region since he joined the Company. He is a member of the Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate (GRACRE). Mr. Caperton holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Virginia Tech.
Matthew Croce
Vice President - Leasing
Matthew joined Brandywine in 2005. He’s held numerous leasing roles in multiple submarkets throughout the PA region over the years - from Bucks & Montgomery to Chester & Delaware counties – spanning different asset classes and product types. He is now Vice President – Leasing in the Philadelphia CBD, with direct responsibilities for overseeing the leasing of Brandywine’s Logan Square office portfolio as well as 1900 Market Street – a combined approximately 3 million RSF of Class A and Trophy Class office product. Throughout Matthew’s tenure at Brandywine to date, he has been actively involved in over 300 leasing transactions, aggregating over 3.3 million RSF to the Company.
Matthew is a member of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, the American Lung Association – sitting on the Executive Planning Committee for the ALA’s annual Fight For Air Climb, and is also a member of the Pyramid Club. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University’s School of Business.
Michael P. Devine
Senior Vice President - Development
Mike Devine joined Brandywine in 2024 as the Senior Vice President of Development overseeing company-wide development efforts including master-planned projects Schuylkill Yards in Philadelphia, PA and Discovery Point at the University Maryland, College Park, MD. With a background in Civil Engineering, Mike brings more than 35 years of experience in real estate development, investment, and construction for both public and private developers, investors, and university partners across multifamily, class A office, life sciences, innovation districts, and master-planned mixed-use developments.
Prior to joining Brandywine, Mike held executive positions at Wexford Science + Technology and BioMed Realty Trust, where he was responsible for the acquisition, development, leasing, and asset management for 5.6M square feet of life science real estate. He also worked in the office and multifamily industry for O’Neill Properties Group, where he was responsible for the acquisitions, development, leasing, and asset management of over 3,000 multifamily residences, and most recently, at GMH Communities where he was responsible for the company’s acquisitions and growth for new development projects across the company’s three residential verticals: student living, market rate residential living, and innovative living.
Mike holds an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Villanova University and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware.
Christopher Franklin
Vice President - Development
Mr. Franklin joined Brandywine in 2004 and has served in many roles including Senior Director of Construction. During his 27 years of industry experience Mr. Franklin has executed product types that include education, healthcare, high rise commercial office and mixed-use residential. Responsibilities at Brandywine have included overall project oversight as well as governmental approvals, stakeholder coordination and other interactive requirements to ensure a smooth project execution. Mr. Franklin oversees Brandywine’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts for development and construction projects. Prior to joining Brandywine, Mr. Franklin worked at LF Driscoll, a Philadelphia area Construction Firm.
Mr. Franklin earned an MBA, Finance from Drexel University and a BS in Construction Management from Central Connecticut State University. Mr. Franklin is a member of the African American Chamber of Commerce and a member of Urban Land Institute. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Drexel University.
Will Golden
Vice President - Construction
Will Golden serves as Vice President of Construction, where he oversees tenant improvement, capital, and new construction projects in Pennsylvania region. Will joined Brandywine in 2013, starting as a TI project manager in suburban Philadelphia markets before expanding his role to managing the Philadelphia CBD and Suburban TI construction teams. During his tenure, Will has also directly managed the construction of numerous suburban base building construction projects including 155 and 250 King of Prussia Road in Radnor, along with 933 First Avenue and 500 North Gulph Road in King of Prussia.
Will has over 20 years of commercial construction experience, starting his career in the field as a laborer and assistant superintendent before following a path in project management. His career experience includes new and renovation work in numerous building sectors including office, life science, residential, and retail. He holds a degree from the University of Pittsburgh and is a LEED AP and FitWel Ambassador.
Stephen J. Harris
Vice President - Investments
Stephen serves as Vice President on Brandywine's Investments Team and has worked at the organization since early 2013. During his time with Brandywine, Stephen has worked across all facets of the company's transactional and general investment activities, including overseeing acquisitions, dispositions and JV formation, as well as providing investment management oversight on ground-up development and value0ass projects. His experience at the company has spanned multiple assert classes, including office, multifamily, mixed-use, life science, and student housing.
Prior to working at Brandywine, Stephen received his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. He also previously held various roles at Cushman & Wakefield, Wells Fargo, and Chubb Insurance in New York City, as well as Beacon Capital Partners out of Boston. Before starting his career in the commercial real estate industry, Stephen graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Stephen is also a CFA© Charterholder, having earned the designation in 2016.
John Hill
Senior Vice President - Construction
Mr. Hill graduated from Mount Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Upon graduation, Mr. Hill immediately began his career in the Construction Industry in Atlantic City, NJ eventually becoming Vice President of Operations for the largest mechanical contractor in the region. In 1990, Mr. Hill started work in the General Construction industry managing large construction projects and served as an Executive Manager responsible for overseeing all construction operations. Prior to joining Brandywine in 2014, Mr. Hill was Vice President of Construction for a large Philadelphia-based Construction Manager.
Mr. Hill’s careers in the Construction Industry spans more than 40 years where he has compiled an impressive record of successfully managing a diverse portfolio of challenging, high-profile projects. Mr. Hill recently served as Executive Director of Construction on Brandywine’s award-winning FMC Tower.
Jerry Kilkenny
Vice President - Leasing - Metro Washington, DC
Mr. Kilkenny currently serves as Vice President of Leasing and is responsible for the implementation of Brandywine’s leasing and marketing strategies for the Metro Washington, DC portfolio, maintaining relationships with Brandywine’s strategic partners & third-party brokerage houses. Mr. Kilkenny joined Brandywine Realty Trust in 2007 and was an active member of the company’s Advance Leadership Program. He has 20 years of commercial real estate experience, previously working at Cushman & Wakefield in Philadelphia and Grubb & Ellis (now Newmark) in Washington DC.
Jerry currently serves as a Board member for NAIOP Northern Virginia and CREBA of Greater Washington, DC (Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Association).
He lives in Old Town Alexandria with his two sons.
Laura Krebs Miller
Vice President - Marketing, Media, and Brand Management
Laura Krebs Miller serves as Vice President of Marketing, Media and Brand Management, where she oversees company-wide integrated marketing initiatives, communications, brand management and creative services. Prior to joining Brandywine in 2019, Laura served as Senior Vice President at Cashman & Associates, where she oversaw the company’s corporate communications and real estate division, representing a wide variety of globally-recognized brands in commercial and residential real estate. She led strategic marketing and public relations for upscale brands in hospitality, retail and tourism, and spearheaded the agency’s business development, client relations, and employee engagement programs. She is a past recipient of PR News' 30 Under 30 award and is a member of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, CORENET Global, Professional Women in Construction and the National Association of Asian American Professionals. Laura is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University where she earned a B.A. in Journalism.
Jim Kurek
Vice President - Chief Technology and Innovation Officer
Mr. Kurek joined Brandywine in 2020 and currently serves as Vice President Chief Technology and Innovation Officer. With over 20 years of experience in technology across multiple verticals, his expertise includes all facets of information technology including cyber security, infrastructure and operations, digital transformation, and data analytics. Prior to joining Brandywine, Mr. Kurek worked for Liberty Property Trust as their Chief Information Officer, as well as D&H as their Senior Vice President of Technology and Operations where he was responsible for the global technology footprint. Mr. Kurek is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and has earned a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and Computer Science where he also teaches and lectures on various technology topics and trends.
Barry Lohr
Vice President of Parking Operations
Barry Lohr is the Vice President – Parking Operations for Brandywine Realty Trust. Since joining in 2022, Barry is responsible for the entire parking portfolio for Brandywine’s urban core parking facilities, as well as the various suburban parking facilities.
Beginning in 1996, Barry worked for Central Parking System in a number of U.S markets. Prior to joining Brandywine Realty Trust, he worked for a privately held commercial real estate company in Fort Worth, Texas for 17 years.
Barry is a member and previous board member and officer of the Texas Parking and Transportation Association as well as a member of the International Parking and Mobility Institute. Barry holds B.S in Business Administration from Tennessee Tech University and is a Certified Administrator of Public Parking from the University of Virginia.
Kyle McDonald
Vice President of Development - Austin, TX
Kyle McDonald joined Brandywine in 2022 and serves as the Vice President of Development for the Austin region, where he plays a lead role in new development. He has over 20 years of experience in the real estate development and construction industry.
Prior to joining Brandywine, Kyle served as the Senior Regional Vice President for American Campus Communities where he was responsible for several of the company’s largest urban developments.
Kyle led the development for the Rise School of Austin, the Boys & Girls Club of Austin’s Home Club, and is a member of Urban Land Institute (ULI) Austin. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) from The University of Oklahoma.
John Norjen
Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Director – Metro DC
John Norjen serves as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Brandywine Realty Trust, and is responsible for managing the Company's investments and operations for the Metropolitan Washington region. Prior to joining Brandywine in 2018, Mr. Norjen was Senior Vice President, Investments for Corporate Office Properties Trust, where he completed over $2.5 billion in acquisitions and sales. Mr. Norjen began his career as an investment sales advisor in Washington, D.C., representing institutional clients in the completion of over $6 billion in property sales for JLL, CBRE and Eastdil Secured. Mr. Norjen serves on the leadership team of the Urban Land Institute’s Office Development Council, and has held board positions with Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson, Maryland and The First Tee of Howard County, MD. Mr. Norjen has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Loyola University Maryland and a Master's degree in Finance from Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Keith Oldt
Vice President of Leasing
Keith has been with Brandywine since 1998 having previously worked for several boutique CRE brokerage firms in the Philadelphia suburbs. Over the past 22 years, Keith has played an integral role in the lease-up, stabilization, and repositioning of several portfolios of office and commercial properties in the region. Working closely with Brandywine’s joint venture partners, he developed long-term relationships that have resulted in opportunities to continue to grow Brandywine’s platform. Keith is currently responsible for a 2M+ RSF portfolio of properties in the Conshohocken/Plymouth Meeting Corridor…home of some of the fastest-growing companies in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Keith has served as a member of the Fort Washington Business Alliance, Horsham Chamber of Commerce, and the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC). He currently serves as a member of the Transportation Committee for the King of Prussia Business Improvement District. He enjoys fundraising for the Kathy Miller Cancer Fund to benefit The Hope Lodge. Keith also provides mentoring and career counseling through programs at Brandywine, Drexel, and LaSalle College High School. Keith received his B.S. degree in Marketing and Business Administration from the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University.
Brian Orr
Vice President of Leasing
Mr. Orr joined Brandywine Realty Trust in June of 2010. Prior to joining Brandywine, Mr. Orr worked for Gramercy Property Trust a publicly traded REIT where he held a variety of positions, all of which related to leasing and asset management. Prior to joining Gramercy, Mr. Orr was a senior advisor at CBRE and The Rubenstein Brokerage Group. He serves on the executive leadership committee for the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. Mr. Orr is a 21 year veteran of the real estate industry and a graduate of The University of Delaware.
Daniel Palazzo
Sr. Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer
Mr. Palazzo currently serves as our Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer. Formerly he served as Vice President of Asset Management of Brandywine’s Pennsylvania Region from 2006 until 2014 and served as the Director of Operations for the Company’s New Jersey Portfolio from 2004 until 2006. Mr. Palazzo joined Brandywine as Corporate Controller in 1999. Prior to joining Brandywine, Mr. Palazzo, was a CPA working for Arthur Andersen in their commercial audit division specializing in the real estate, construction and financial services industries. He earned his B.A. in Accounting from the University of Delaware.
Mr. Palazzo is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT") and is a board member of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia.
Stephen P. Rush
Vice President – Office, Life Science, University City
Mr. Rush joined Brandywine in 2001 and currently serves as Vice President – Leasing, with responsibility for leasing and development of the Company’s Philadelphia CBD portfolio. Mr. Rush has negotiated numerous major lease transactions as well as analyzed and implemented various project marketing strategies. He also works closely with Brandywine’s urban development team in developing the marketing and leasing plans for new developments in the Cira Centre Complex in University City. Prior to joining Brandywine, Mr. Rush was employed in the field of public finance as a consultant with Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management (PFM). Before joining PFM, he was employed as an economic development consultant with the Montgomery County Industrial Development Corporation, and prior to that was a Legislative Aide in Philadelphia City Council. Mr. Rush is a member of the Board of Directors of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Temple University and a Master’s Degree in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
Leon Shadowen
Senior Vice President – Development – Austin
Mr. Shadowen joined Brandywine in 1999 and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Development for the Austin region, where he plays a lead role in new development. Prior to joining Brandywine, Mr. Shadowen served as a project partner with Childress Klein Properties. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and Economic Development Committee of the Downtown Austin Alliance and is a member of the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA) and ULI Austin. He is a 2006 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond, a member of the Virginia Commonwealth University Real Estate Circle of Excellence, and the Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate (Founding Member). Mr. Shadowen is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), a licensed real estate broker in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a licensed attorney in the Commonwealths of Kentucky and Virginia. He earned law degrees from New York University and the University of Kentucky and his undergraduate degree in Accounting from the University of Kentucky.
Ron Pluto
Vice President - Engineering
Since joining Brandywine in 2005, Ron has overseen many of the company's major constructions projects and activities relative to building system design and construction including Cira Centre, the historic renovation of the 30th Street Post Office building, FMC Tower, and the conversion of the Bulletin Building into lab space of Spark Therapeutics. As Vice President of Engineering, Ron is responsible for Brandywine's major development projects for building system design, installation, and commissioning. His expertise also includes working with various design teams on the designs of multi-tenant, ground-up life science buildings in Brandywine's development pipeline.
Prior to his tenure at Brandywine, Ron worked at Lucent Technologies as Director of Building Systems and Corporate Energy Manager from 11997 to 2005, where he oversaw all major MEP projects and supported all ground-up development related to building system design, construction, and commissioning. Here, he was also responsible for oversight of energy procurement, operational audits, and other activities–resulting in a $20 million-plus reductions in annual energy cost nationwide.
Prior to his tenure at Lucent, Mr. Pluto was the Senior Vice President of Engineering with Heitman Properties, Ltd., where he oversaw Engineering Operations and the engineering of over 20 million square feet for a Class A high-rise portfolio, as well as hotel, residential, mall, and industrial properties.
Mr. Pluto is a member of ASHRAE, and has completed courses on the design of DOAS, design of high-performance buildings, advanced laboratory design, and many others. He achieved certifications from BOMA as an RPA, AEE, CEM, and CBCP, and also holds a Pennsylvania Real Estates Salesperson license.
Regina Sitler
Senior Vice President – Portfolio Management
Ms. Sitler serves as Vice President, Portfolio Management with responsibility for the oversight of Brandywine’s joint venture relationships and company-wide capital budgeting for major capital projects. Before joining Brandywine, Ms. Sitler served as Vice President—Operations, Director of Operations, and General Manager with RREEF Real Estate/Deutsche Asset Management from 1989 to 1998. There, she oversaw the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio Portfolios. Ms. Sitler first joined Brandywine in 1998, and worked for us until 2005. From 2005 until 2007, she held the position of Vice President, Asset Management for the Buccini Pollin Group. It was in 2008 that Ms. Sitler rejoined Brandywine as Vice President – Asset Management for the New Jersey/Delaware Region. Ms. Sitler is a member of NAREIT, NAIOP, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), Women in the Board Room, Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) and Committee Member for American Heart Association New Jersey “Go Red for Women” 2012.
Kathleen P. Sweeney-Pogwist
Senior Vice President – Leasing – Pennsylvania
Kathy joined Brandywine in 1997, and worked as the Director of Leasing for Southern New Jersey. In 2004, she became the Director of Leasing, overseeing Brandywine's King of Prussia and Southern Chester County assets. Currently, she is the Senior Vice President of Leasing, and oversees the leasing efforts of Brandywine’s Pennsylvania suburban assets—approximately 5 million RSF.
Kathy has participated as a member of Commercial Real Estate Women, Inc. of Philadelphia (CREW), NAIOP, Businesses Committed to Burlington County (BC 2), and she is involved with the Chester County Commercial Industrial Investment Council, Inc. (CCII), Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and PWC Philadelphia.
She currently serves as a board member for CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) Institute; GVF, which advocates for investment in Transportation Demand Management (TDM); and Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School located in Drexel Hill, PA. She is also on the Physical Improvements Committee for the King of Prussia Business Improvement District. Kathy holds real estate licenses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and she received her B.S. degree from West Chester University.
Jennifer Unterberger
Vice President of Leasing
Jennifer Unterberger joined Brandywine in 2004 and currently serves as Vice President of Leasing in the Pennsylvania suburbs. In her years at Brandywine, Jen has worked on twenty-one assets including: Cira Centre, Logan Square, One and Two Christina, Rodney Square, One and 101 W Elm, 6 Tower Bridge, and is now focused on Radnor Corporate Center and Radnor Financial Center. During her tenure, she has negotiated over 550 transactions for about 4M square feet. She works closely with the construction and property management teams overseeing our existing 1.8M Radnor portfolio as well as with the development team in creating leasing strategies for our new development opportunities in the PA Suburbs. She is passionate about renovating existing buildings with a focus on wellness, activating spaces and creating places where employees want to be!
Prior to joining Brandywine, Mrs. Unterberger raised critical funds for Junior Achievement in San Francisco and, before that, spent several years working in politics in Washington, DC. Mrs. Unterberger is currently a founding board member of PWC (Professional Women in Construction) working on the DEI task force and student scholarship program. She also serves on the Radnor School PTO as Chair of the multi-cultural committee. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Lafayette College.
Anthony V. Ziccardi
Vice President – Development
Mr. Ziccardi joined Brandywine in 1999. He is the Vice President of Development and is responsible for all suburban land and development in New Jersey and Delaware. With over 48 years of experience, Mr. Ziccardi was previously the Vice President of Canuso Corporation, a partner in the Linpro Company, a Regional Vice President of LCOR, and was the Division President of K. Hovnanian Companies.
Mr. Ziccardi is also a Business Fellow in the Villanova University Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate and an Adjunct Professor in the Villanova School of Business Department of Finance and Real Estate since the Fall of 2010.
He was the President of the Builders League of South Jersey in 1980, the President of New Jersey Builders Association in 1988, and was the Area Vice President of the National Association of Home Builders from 1992 to 1994. Currently, Mr. Ziccardi is the President of St. Simon Stock Pastoral Council, holding this position since 2009. He is also a trustee of the St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society in Camden, NJ—whose mission it is to rehabilitate housing for low and moderate income families in Camden and surrounding communities. Mr. Ziccardi earned his B.S. from Saint Joseph's University and his M.S. from Fordham University.