Managing Director, Portfolio & Asset Management
Having represented the interests of institutional investors and pension fund investors for over 25 years, Ms. Ayivorh brings an invaluable depth of real estate experience to the firm. From her work at The Travelers and an English pension fund, Ms. Ayivorh adds to National’s experience in leasing, development and property management. This practical skill set, combined with her real estate finance background, has led her to successfully manage well over a billion and half dollars of real estate investment projects over the last 10 years with the National Electrical Benefit Fund. Ms. Ayivorh and her team take primary responsibility for carrying out National's investment management, from the closing of transactions, through construction, lease-up and stabilization, to long-term asset management and disposition. She is also intimately involved in charting the strategic course of National's real estate investment and management operations.
At the University of Wisconsin, Ms. Ayivorh earned her BBA degree concentrating in Real Estate and Urban Land Economics. She also holds an MBA from Averett University.
Officer, Asset Management
Mr. Akuete brings a substantial amount of experience and specialized knowledge to his portfolio management role at National. While conducting his underwriting and asset management duties as a Senior Multifamily Manager at Fannie Mae, he specialized in the complexities of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Mr. Akuete also worked with LIHTC at the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and underwrote multi-family mortgages while at Washington Mortgage and Reilly Mortgage.
Mr. Akuete earned his BBA degree in Finance from Howard University and has also earned his MBA degree from the Johns Hopkins University.
Director, Asset Management
Mr. Butler oversees a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate projects under development in markets throughout the United States. He was formerly a Transaction Manager in Multifamily Structured Finance at the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), where he managed the securitization and credit enhancement of pools of loans backed by apartment properties. He has also held asset management positions at NationsBank and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Mr. Butler is a graduate of Austin College and received a Master of Science in Real Estate from the Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Butler is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the JHU Real Estate Forum.
Director, Asset Management
Maryellen Dolan has 18 years experience managing real estate investments for corporate and institutional investors in the areas of joint venture development, acquisitions, dispositions, and asset management. She has held senior management positions with institutional and tax-exempt investors such as First Potomac Realty Trust and the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a Director in the Portfolio Management Group, Ms. Dolan is responsible for managing a segment of National’s portfolio of joint venture equity developments and construction loans.
At American University, Ms. Dolan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate. She also holds a Master’s in Economics from Georgetown University. Ms Dolan is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP). She has spoken at industry seminars on the topic of due diligence in the acquisition of real estate and is a member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).
Officer, Real Estate Development & Asset Management
Mr. Fenner provides asset management, market analysis, land use planning, and other predevelopment services to National’s new and existing properties. He brings over sixteen years of diverse urban planning, financial analysis, and general management experience in the real estate industry. Prior to joining National, Mr. Fenner led private sector master planning, community comprehensive land use planning and land entitlement efforts for a professional urban planning, civil engineering, and real estate development consulting firm which provided services to both private and public sector clients. He has extensive experience in market analysis and land use planning for complex mixed use and master planned communities in highly competitive markets and challenging regulatory environments.
Mr. Fenner earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the College of William and Mary and holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Virginia. He serves as an adjunct instructor in real estate development at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture and Darden School of Business. He is also an active member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
Todd Kindberg
Director, Asset Management
Mr. Kindberg manages National’s real estate equity and mortgage investment portfolio on the west coast from his Phoenix, AZ office. He began his career in Arthur Andersen’s Real Estate Valuation Group in Chicago, IL. Over his tenure, he was involved in a wide variety of real estate valuations and consulting projects on both a national and international level. He most often analyzed office, hotel, industrial, and retail portfolios. Mr. Kindberg later joined Mesirow Financial’s Real Estate Group in Chicago, IL as a Financial Analyst, where he provided complex financial modeling and project management for several real estate projects. He earned his way to Senior Vice President with the responsibility of managing the Phoenix, AZ real estate office and overseeing the pre-development, construction, and stabilization of a 26-story mixed-use tower. This project is comprised of Class A office and a four-star rated business class hotel. Mr. Kindberg also worked closely with Mesirow Financial’s Public Finance Group to secure business within the Phoenix Metropolitan market. His diverse experience provides value to his current scope as Director in the Portfolio Management Group.
Mr. Kindberg earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He serves on the Board of Directors for the City of Phoenix Downtown Phoenix Partnership and is a Council Member of the Arizona State University (ASU) Business Advisory Council. He also is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
Officer, Asset Management
Ms. Schmidtknecht manages a portfolio of National’s equity and mortgage investments including projects under construction and stabilized assets. She is responsible for assets consisting primarily of construction, mezzanine and permanent loan investments located throughout the United States. Her duties also include portfolio reporting, appraisal review, and borrower/partner relations. Ms. Schmidtknecht came to NEBF with 16 years of experience in property and asset management with a focus on retail shopping center management.
Ms. Schmidtknecht holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Strayer University, and the professional designation of Real Property Administrator (RPA) from the BOMI Institute. Ms. Schmidtknecht is also pursuing her Master of Science degree in Real Estate from the Johns Hopkins University.
Director, Asset Management
Mr. Vallese oversees a significant portion of National’s real estate equity and mortgage investment portfolio. He brings over 17 years of real estate experience to his position, previously as a senior manager in the Structured Finance Group at Freddie Mac specializing in the securitization and credit enhancement of multifamily mortgages. Mr. Vallese’s tenures at mortgage banking firm Walker & Dunlop, Inc., and Arthur Andersen & Co., contributed to his broad experience in real estate asset and portfolio management across virtually all commercial property types including strategic planning, portfolio, property and market analysis, and real estate systems design and implementation.
Mr. Vallese obtained an undergraduate degree from the George Washington University and a Master of Science degree in Real Estate from the Johns Hopkins University.