Leadership
Nelson Mills
President
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Property Trust, Nelson Mills is responsible for the Company’s overall strategy, capital allocation, operations, and the performance of its portfolio of investments. Mr. Mills also serves as a director on the Columbia Board.
Mr. Mills has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate investment and financial services industries. Prior to joining Columbia in 2010, he served for five years as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Williams Realty Advisors, LLC, managing and advising a series of real estate investment funds serving both institutional and individual investors. In this role, he was responsible for the firm’s investment and financial strategy and oversaw the design, formation, investment, and operations of several substantial funds across multiple asset classes.
Previously, Mr. Mills served as Chief Financial Officer with Lend Lease Real Estate Investments (US), Inc., one of the world’s largest institutional investment managers specializing in the acquisition and management of commercial real estate. He began his career in the financial industry as a partner with KPMG LLP, specializing in tax and transaction advisory services for the real estate industry. He received a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and an M.B.A. from the University of Georgia.
Mr. Mills served as a member of the NAREIT Advisory Board of Governors for 2018 and 2019 and is a member of The Real Estate Roundtable.
Leadership
David Cheikin
Executive Vice President
As Executive Vice President of Columbia Property Trust, Dave Cheikin is responsible for directing the financial performance of the Company’s portfolio of owned and managed investments in the Northeast markets of New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. His principal responsibility is to enhance the value of the portfolio through proactive leasing and the management of major capital projects.
Prior to joining Columbia Property Trust in 2018, Mr. Cheikin spent 16 years with Brookfield Properties, serving most recently as the executive vice president and head of its New York and Boston regions. In that role, he oversaw the performance of that company’s 25 million-square-foot commercial portfolio, inclusive of asset management, office leasing, retail leasing, property marketing, property operations, and on-site arts/activation.
Mr. Cheikin is an active member of the Urban Land Institute. He received a B.A. in Economics and Environmental Studies from the University of Rochester and an M.B.A from Washington University.
Leadership
David Dowdney
Executive Vice President
As Executive Vice President of Columbia Property Trust, Dave Dowdney oversees all leasing, asset management, and acquisitions activities for the Company on the West Coast. He is principally responsible for directing the financial performance of the Company’s portfolio of owned and managed investments in the San Francisco Bay Area through proactive leasing and the management of major capital projects. He also serves on Columbia’s Investment Committee.
Mr. Dowdney came to Columbia in 2014 from GE Capital Real Estate, where he spent nearly eight years managing activities for GE’s West Coast portfolio, first as Acquisitions Director and then as Western Region Manager, Asset Management. In the latter role, he managed a team of 20 real estate professionals that oversaw all leasing, asset management, and capital markets activity for GE’s 15 million square foot portfolio of office/R&D buildings nationwide.
Over the decade prior to GE Capital, Mr. Dowdney led other asset management and real estate transaction activities, most recently as Vice President of Portfolio Management for Divco West Properties, and earlier as Vice President of JLL’s Leasing and Management Group in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and then became Vice President of Corporate Services.
Mr. Dowdney is an active member of both the Urban Land Institute and the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP). He also serves on the board of the Northern California Real Estate Council for the City of Hope, a leading research hospital in Los Angeles.
He received his M.B.A in Finance and Real Estate from the University of California, Berkeley, and his B.A. in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Leadership
Travis Feehan
Executive Vice President
Travis Feehan is Executive Vice President of Investments for Columbia Property Trust. His principal responsibility is to enhance the value of Columbia’s portfolio through proactive investment management, strategic acquisitions, and capital partnerships. He oversees the sourcing, execution, and financing of investments, as well as the ongoing management of key value-add projects.
Mr. Feehan came to Columbia in 2020 from Normandy Real Estate Partners, where he was a Principal and head of capital markets, responsible for overseeing Normandy’s debt and joint venture equity transactions and overseeing New York investments. Prior to joining Normandy in 2006, he was employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York, where he served as Senior Associate in the Real Estate Business Advisory Services Group. His experience encompasses transaction sourcing and execution, investment analysis, acquisition underwriting and due diligence, debt underwriting, low-income housing tax credit market analysis, and portfolio valuation.
Mr. Feehan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Real Estate and Urban Land Economics and earned a Master’s in Real Estate Finance from New York University.
Leadership
Wendy Gill
Executive Vice President
As Executive Vice President of Accounting & Finance for Columbia Property Trust, Wendy Gill oversees all of the Company’s financial areas, including accounting, reporting, finance, compliance, budgeting, treasury, and tax areas. Her responsibilities also include oversight of internal controls over accounting and financial reporting.
Ms. Gill has over 25 years of experience in the accounting and finance industries. She was promoted to her current role in 2022 in connection with the Company’s transition to PIMCO ownership. Prior to this role, Ms. Gill was appointed to the role of Chief Accounting Officer in 2013, as the Company established its inaugural team in preparation to list its shares on the NYSE. Ms. Gill also served as the Company’s interim Principal Financial Officer in 2013. Previously, Ms. Gill served with Wells Real Estate Funds, Columbia Property Trust’s predecessor advisory firm, for 11 years in progressive roles until her appointment to Chief Accounting Officer in 2007. Earlier in her career, she worked for Arthur Andersen as an audit and assurance manager in the firm’s Atlanta and Washington, D.C. offices with a focus on clients in the real estate, hospitality, and financial services industries.
Ms. Gill serves as an emeritus member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trust’s Best Practices Financial Council.
Ms. Gill earned a B.S. degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware. She holds the Certified Public Accountant designation from the Maryland State Board of Public Accountancy and is a member of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Leadership
Kevin Hoover
Executive Vice President
As Executive Vice President of Portfolio Management for Columbia Property Trust, Kevin Hoover oversees the strategic planning and business plan execution for Columbia’s portfolio. He also chairs Columbia’s Investment Committee.
Mr. Hoover has more than 30 years of broad-based commercial real estate experience, including portfolio and investment management, capital transactions, marketing, investment analysis and underwriting, and valuation. At Columbia, he has led a team that has completed over $8.0 billion in transaction volume since 2011.
Previously, Mr. Hoover served as co-head of the Asset Management team for Wells Real Estate Funds, a REIT advisory company, and as Portfolio Manager for several of its sponsored real estate products. He also served as a Principal of Equity Portfolio Management for Lend Lease Real Estate Investments and as a Manager of Real Estate Valuation/Advisor Services Practice for Price Waterhouse (predecessor to PricewaterhouseCoopers).
Mr. Hoover is a member of the Urban Land Institute, the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers, the Appraisal Institute, and the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute.
He received his B.B.A in Real Estate from the University of Georgia.
Leadership
Cheney Hickey
Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President of Financial Reporting for Columbia Property Trust, Cheney Hickey is responsible for managing the Columbia’s financial reporting areas, including coordination with auditors, lenders, partners, and the Company’s management to ensure compliance. Ms. Hickey also helps to lead the company’s Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives and reporting.
Ms. Hickey has more than 20 years of experience in the accounting and finance industries and has been serving with Columbia since 2011. Prior to that time, she held the role of Accounting Technical Specialist with Northside Hospital, managing monthly and annual financial statements and working closely with external auditors. Earlier, she served as the Financial Reporting Manager for Beazer Homes USA, with responsibility for SEC filings and stock compensation accounting. Ms. Hickey also has worked for Ernst & Young and Andersen, LLC.
Ms. Hickey is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants.
She received her Master of Accountancy and Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration from the University of Alabama.
Leadership
Steve Smith
Executive Vice President
As Executive Vice President of Property Management for Columbia Property Trust, Steve Smith oversees all property management and engineering operations for the company’s owned and managed national portfolio.
Mr. Smith came to Columbia in 2020 from Normandy Real Estate Partners, where he was a Principal, responsible for directing the firm’s property management activities. Prior to Normandy, Mr. Smith worked for Yale Properties USA, where he oversaw the property management of nearly 2 million square feet of landmark office facilities in the Boston area.
Mr. Smith has over 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, managing over 40 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail property. Throughout his career, Mr. Smith has worked for several of the top firms in the Boston area, including Spaulding & Slye, Trammell Crow Company, and Leggat McCall Properties.
In addition, he has been designated as a Real Property Administrator by BOMI. Mr. Smith is a graduate of Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Leadership
Eric Liang
Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President of Real Estate at Columbia Property Trust, Eric Liang oversees asset management for properties in Washington D.C. and New York. In this role, he manages the strategic coordination of investments, leasing, asset management, and construction. He is also responsible for new acquisition underwriting and due diligence along with capital markets activity within these markets.
Mr. Liang came to Columbia in 2020 from Normandy Real Estate Partners, where he was previously responsible for cross-regional investments and asset management. Prior to joining Normandy in 2017, he held various real estate positions, where he was responsible for investment sourcing, underwriting, diligence, and fundraising for commercial real estate transactions.
He received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting, with a minor in Statistics from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. Mr. Liang is a CFA Charterholder. He also serves on the associate board of the Madison Square Park Conservancy.
Leadership
Amy Tabb
Executive Vice President
As Executive Vice President of Business Development and Innovation for Columbia Property Trust, Amy Tabb serves as a member of the senior leadership team, providing strategic direction and acting as a thought leader with primary responsibility for developing and executing innovative strategies to achieve business objectives and meet company goals. She oversees enterprise risk management, Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives and reporting, and also serves on Columbia’s Investment Committee and Columbia’s corporate philanthropy and social responsibility committee.
An operational leader, Ms. Tabb works with the real estate and marketing and communications teams to ensure activities are aligned with business objectives for the portfolio. With a focus on creating and driving added value, she serves as a key monitor of the day-to-day operations across the platform by ensuring initiatives are planned and executed with the desired business outcomes.
Prior to joining Columbia Property Trust in 2013, Ms. Tabb founded and served as the president of Sara Charles LLC, providing advisory services for publicly owned companies. Previous to that, she was a manager at Grant Thornton where she led international and domestic 404 compliance engagements.
Ms. Tabb received both her M.S.M.E. and B.S.M.E. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Leadership
Steve Trapp
Executive Vice President
As Executive Vice President of Development and Construction for Columbia, Steve Trapp leads Columbia’s development and construction team. He provides oversight for the planning and execution of all development and construction projects for the Company’s owned and managed investments.
Mr. Trapp came to Columbia in 2020 from Normandy Real Estate Partners, where he was a Principal, responsible for directing the construction activities of the company. He has over 35 years of experience in the commercial real estate and construction industry. Prior to joining Normandy in 2013, Mr. Trapp had a 15-year tenure at Gale & Wentworth and its successor companies, concurrently holding the positions of Senior Vice President of Development for Mack Cali Realty Corporation and President of The Gale Construction Company, a construction management firm that was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mack Cali.
Mr. Trapp is a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering with Honors and earned his M.S. in Construction Engineering and Management from the University of California at Berkeley. He holds the Professional Engineer, P.E., and LEED Accredited Professional, LEED AP, designations.
Leadership
Rachel E. Williams
Senior Vice President
As the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Columbia Property Trust, Rachel Williams directs the communication efforts targeting all internal and external stakeholder groups for the Company, including the media, tenants, investors, employees, and the real estate community. Ms. Williams is also responsible for the advancement of the Columbia Property Trust brand and its marketing efforts at the property, market, and corporate levels. Additionally, she helps to lead the company’s Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives and reporting.
Ms. Williams has nearly 25 years of experience in marketing, public relations and communications across several industries, primarily commercial real estate. Before joining Columbia in 2013, she spent six years implementing marketing and communications initiatives for Wells Real Estate Funds, a REIT advisory firm in Atlanta, most recently as Investor Communications Manager for the company’s REIT products and 1031 Exchange programs.
Ms. Williams began her career in Nashville, Tennessee, serving as a publicist in the music and hospitality industries. As a manager of media relations for Provident Music Group and, later, Word Entertainment, she spent four years coordinating national public relations and promotional campaigns to promote Gold and Platinum-selling recording artists.
Ms. Williams received a B.A. in English-Journalism from Tennessee Technological University, where she graduated summa cum laude.
