Managing Director, Equity Investments
Mr. Verdi leads National’s team of Equity Investment Officers. Mr. Verdi is directly responsible for pursuing equity investment opportunities in projects throughout the Eastern U.S. Before joining National, Mr. Verdi worked as an Associate Director at GE Capital Real Estate where he was responsible for the origination of commercial real estate loans for the purposes of securitization. Prior to concentrating on commercial real estate, Mr. Verdi gained experience in investment banking at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Company and in retail brokerage at Prudential Securities.
Mr. Verdi graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Urban Planning and earned his MBA degree from George Mason University. He represents National at Urban Land Institute (ULI) events where he is involved with the Mixed-Use Development Council.
Director, Equity Investments, Senior Housing
Ms. Barnes is focused on building National’s portfolio of equity investments in Senior Housing projects on a nationwide basis. Ms. Barnes has over 15 years of commercial real estate experience. Prior to joining National, she worked as a commercial real estate lender with a concentration in the Mid-Atlantic region. She specialized in the financing of complex redevelopment opportunities and was responsible for a team of business development lenders. Ms. Barnes was also previously a key team member responsible for the success of a de novo community bank in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Ms. Barnes obtained her BA degree in Economics from Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. She has spoken at the Urban Land Institute Senior Housing Council and is involved with the American Senior Housing Association (ASHA) and National Investment Center (NIC).
Director, Equity Investments, Mid-Western U.S.
Mr. Freko is responsible for pursuing joint venture equity investment opportunities throughout the Midwestern U.S. Mr. Freko brings an extensive background in development and structured finance as a result of his experience on both the development and capital side of the real estate business. Previously, Mr. Freko was responsible for financing and capitalizing development and value-add projects on behalf of Draper and Kramer, a Chicago-based development company. Prior to Draper and Kramer, Mr. Freko worked for GE Capital’s Commercial Real Estate team as a regional manager responsible for sourcing and structuring joint venture investment opportunities across all property types.
Mr. Freko holds a BS degree in Finance from the University of Illinois and an MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
Director, Equity Investments, Energy-Related Real Estate
Mr. Lewis coordinates National’s initiatives in alternative property types such as data centers and other electricity-intensive properties, incorporating his substantial technical expertise. In addition, he provides specialized assistance with Marketing and Investor Relations. Prior to joining National, Mr. Lewis served as Manager of Business Development for Coastal Power, a division of The Coastal Corporation. He was actively engaged in both the green-field development and acquisition of fossil-fired power generation projects globally. Mr. Lewis brings over twenty years of diverse business development experience to National, from the reorganization of automotive production facilities in Turkey, to the design and manufacturing of off-shore fishing trawlers in China, to a successful tenure at International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
Mr. Lewis holds a BA and a MBA in Finance from The American University.
Director, Equity Investments, Western U.S.
Mr. Whitaker is responsible for National’s equity investments in commercial and multi-family residential properties across the Western U.S. Mr. Whitaker has over 12 years of experience in structuring complex real estate investments, having joined National’s predecessor, NEBF Real Estate, in 2002. Previously, Mr. Whitaker was a successful commercial real estate banker with Wells Fargo Bank and SunTrust Bank. As a lender, he gained experience with underwriting large, commercial developments nationwide, financing publicly-traded REITs and the application of interest rate derivatives.
A native of San Diego, Mr. Whitaker obtained his BBA degree in Finance at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He studied graduate-level Institutional Finance in the Edward St. John Real Estate School at the Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Whitaker is a member of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers (NAREIM) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).