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
James A. Fleming
Executive Vice President
Jim Fleming is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Columbia Property Trust, where he is responsible for the company’s finance, treasury, investor relations, capital markets and financial reporting functions, and serves on Columbia’s Investment Committee.
Before he joined Columbia in 2013, Mr. Fleming served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Schottenstein Property Group, a national shopping center owner-operator, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ), a REIT that developed and owned multiple property types.
Mr. Fleming was a member of the Board of Directors of Carmike Cinemas, Inc. (NASDAQ:CKEC), a national motion picture exhibitor, from 2009 until it was sold to AMC Theatres in December 2016.
Mr. Fleming has been a co-chair of NAREIT’s annual Law and Accounting Conference, as well as Chair of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Atlanta, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, Chair of the Real Estate Committee of the Woodruff Arts Center Corporate Campaign, President of the Real Estate Section of the Atlanta Bar Association, and Board Member of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia.
Mr. Fleming has a law degree from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Auburn University. He and his wife Nancy live in Atlanta and have three adult children.
LEADERSHIP
Jeff Gronning
Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
Jeff Gronning serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for Columbia Property Trust. He is responsible for directing the overall investment strategies, capital transactions and financings for the company, and serves on Columbia’s Investment Committee.
Mr. Gronning came to Columbia in 2020 from Normandy Real Estate Partners, where he was a Partner of Normandy and co-founder of the Normandy Real Estate Funds. During his 15-year tenure at Normandy, Mr. Gronning co-led the growth of this vertically integrated real estate private equity firm, including the formation of five institutional real estate funds, related joint ventures, and the management of a portfolio totaling of over 14 million square feet of property and over $3.5 billion of assets under management.
Prior to Normandy, Mr. Gronning held the position of Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Morgan Stanley’s real estate investing division. During his 12 years at Morgan Stanley, he was responsible for the financial management of a $13 billion asset portfolio that served more than 100 clients. Before Morgan Stanley, Mr. Gronning was employed by the accounting and consulting firm PWC for three years.
Mr. Gronning, a Certified Public Accountant, earned his bachelor’s degree in Business/Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University.
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
David Cheikin
Senior Vice President
As the Senior Vice President of Leasing and Asset Management for Columbia Property Trust, Dave Cheikin is responsible for directing the financial performance of the Company’s portfolio of 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. Cheikin led several notable projects for Brookfield, including the repositioning and re-leasing of the 8.5 million-square-foot Brookfield Place NY complex, the pending redevelopment and re-leasing of 1100 Avenue of the Americas, as well as the leasing and asset management of the six-building, 7 million-square-foot, ground-up Manhattan West development in the Hudson Yards District.
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
Melissa Donohoe
Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President of Private Investor Relations at Columbia Property Trust, Ms. Donohoe oversees private capital formation, fundraising and ongoing investor relations for a series of closed-end, discretionary value-add investment funds, separate accounts, and joint ventures. She works closely with the asset management and accounting teams for the development of asset plans and reporting to investors and contributes to the formation and execution of capital strategies across the Firm.
Ms. Donohoe joined Columbia through its acquisition of Normandy in January 2020. With Normandy, she led investor relations, capital formation, and strategic business development. In her almost 20-year career in real estate, she has held roles in investor relations, acquisitions, asset management, and investment banking. Prior to Normandy, she held positions with Ares Management, where she helped to lead execution and asset management of over $1 billion in high-yield real estate debt funds, and Deutsche Bank Securities in the Global Commercial Real Estate Group in New York focusing on loan origination and commercial mortgage-backed securitization.
Ms. Donohoe graduated cum laude from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance and Accounting.
LEADERSHIP
David Dowdney
Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President of Columbia Property Trust, Dave Dowdney oversees all leasing and asset management activities for the Company on the West Coast. He is principally responsible for directing the financial performance of the Company’s portfolio of investments in the San Francisco Bay Area through proactive leasing and the management of major capital projects.
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
Senior Vice President
Travis Feehan is a Senior Vice President of Columbia Property Trust and the New York Transactions Lead. His principal responsibility is to enhance the value of Columbia’s New York City portfolio through proactive investment management, strategic acquisitions, and capital partnerships. He oversees the sourcing, execution, and financing of investments in New York City, 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 the company’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
Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer for Columbia Property Trust, Wendy Gill oversees the Company’s accounting, financial reporting and tax areas, including reporting to the SEC, NYSE, and Columbia’s board of directors. Her responsibilities also include oversight of internal controls to ensure Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
Ms. Gill has 24 years of experience in the accounting and finance industries. She was appointed to her current position 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 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 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
Cheney Hickey
Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President of Financial Reporting for Columbia Property Trust, Cheney Hickey is responsible for reviewing and managing all SEC-related filings and coordination with law firms, auditors, and the Company’s Board of directors to ensure SEC reporting compliance. Ms. Hickey also plays a key role in corporate governance and the Company’s ESG efforts.
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
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
Patrick Keeley
Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President and D.C. Region Lead for Columbia Property Trust, Patrick Keeley is responsible for sourcing new acquisition opportunities and directing the financial performance of the Company’s portfolio of investments in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He directs the operations and transactions across the region, including sourcing new acquisitions, executing on lease transactions, supervising major capital projects, and managing tenant relationships. He also serves on Columbia’s Investment Committee.
Mr. Keeley came to Columbia in 2020 from Normandy Real Estate Partners, where he was a Principal responsible for the firm’s investment activity in the Mid-Atlantic region. In this role, he was responsible for the cradle to grave execution of the property-level business plan, including sourcing debt/equity, hiring third parties, executing on capital improvements, leasing, and eventually selling the asset.
Prior to joining Normandy, he was a member of the Real Estate Investment Banking group at FBR Capital Markets and the Capital Markets group at Morgan Stanley.
Mr. Keeley received a B.A. degree in Economics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. with honors from The Wharton School, where he majored in real estate and finance.
LEADERSHIP
Paul Teti
Executive Vice President
As Executive Vice President of Real Estate Operations at Columbia Property Trust, Paul Teti is responsible for directing the operations of Columbia’s portfolio of investments nationwide, including enhancing the value of the portfolio through proactive leasing and the management of major capital projects. He also serves on Columbia’s Investment Committee.
Mr. Teti came to Columbia in 2020 from Normandy Real Estate Partners, where he was a Partner and head of its leasing group, responsible for managing the leasing and marketing activities for the company’s portfolio. Mr. Teti also spent time on business development and capital raising activities for Normandy. Earlier, Mr. Teti was part of Normandy’s acquisitions team, where he assisted in underwriting and closing acquisitions and financings. Prior to joining Normandy, he was Vice President of Operations at 52 Transom Group, where he oversaw sales and sourcing operations.
Mr. Teti holds a degree in Sociology from Princeton University, where he was a member of the National Champion rowing team. Mr. Teti is also a three-time member of the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team, competing in the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Games. As a member of the U.S. National Team, Mr. Teti won ten national championships and is a winner of three World Cup medals and a Pan American Games gold medal.
Mr. Teti is active in the community and serves on the Board of Trustees at Stuart Country Day School, the Madison Square Park Conservancy, and Playworks. He has held leadership positions with several local and national non-profits and charities, including Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, The Diabetes Research Institute, the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team, Row New York, and the National Rowing Foundation.
LEADERSHIP
Eric Rubin
Senior Vice President
Eric Rubin serves as Senior Vice President of Columbia Real Estate Management (“CREM”) and Northeast Real Estate for Columbia Property Trust. In this role, he is responsible for directing the asset management and financial performance of selected Company investments in the Northeast markets of New York, New Jersey, and Boston, as well as its managed portfolio of investments held by several funds advised by CREM, a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Property Trust, Inc.
Mr. Rubin came to Columbia in 2020 from Normandy Real Estate Partners, where he was a Senior Vice President responsible for the firm’s investment activity in the NY-Tristate region. In this role, he was responsible for sourcing, underwriting, and closing investments. Additionally, he was involved in executing the business plans for acquired assets, including managing major capital improvements, leasing, and the sale process.
Prior to joining Normandy in 2007, he was employed by GVA Williams in New Jersey, where he served as a director within the Investment Sales Division. His responsibilities included the underwriting and valuation of office and industrial properties.
Mr. Rubin received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the School of Business at George Washington University and Certificate in Real Estate Finance & Investments within the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
LEADERSHIP
Michael T. Schmidt
Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President of the Western Region at Columbia Property Trust, Michael Schmidt oversees asset management and the financial performance of the Company’s portfolio of investments in the major West Coast markets. In this role, Mr. Schmidt is responsible for enhancing the value of real estate assets through proactive investment management, overseeing leasing activities, supervising major capital projects, investing in tenant relationships, and directing operations for the assets in his region. He is also involved in many of Columbia’s innovation initiatives, including the implementation of VTS and other property technology platforms.
Mr. Schmidt joined Columbia in 2014. Today, he has more than 20 years of commercial real estate experience in markets across the U.S., with the majority of his career focused on portfolio and asset management activities in major West Coast markets. Prior to his current role, he spent eight years with CBRE Global Investors, most recently as Portfolio Manager overseeing more than $1 billion of U.S. commercial office properties, primarily located on the West Coast. Earlier in his career, he served as an asset manager for CBRE covering a diversified portfolio of nearly $4 billion in holdings for various institutional owners, and before that, as an analyst for several leading commercial real estate management firms.
Mr. Schmidt received his M.B.A. from the Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina and his B.S. in Construction Management from the University of Washington.
LEADERSHIP
Steve Smith
Senior Vice President
As the Senior Vice President of Property Management for Columbia Property Trust, Steve Smith oversees all property management and engineering operations for the company’s national portfolio. Mr. Smith provides leadership for Columbia’s sustainability program, providing oversight of sustainable building operations efforts and asset data collection.
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
Steve Trapp
Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President of Construction and Development 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, as well as for all joint venture and Fund 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, he concurrently held 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 is 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
LEADERSHIP
Elka Wilson
Senior Vice President
As the Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations for Columbia Property Trust, Elka Wilson is responsible for overseeing the company’s corporate governance, treasury, human resources, and information technology functions. She works with other senior leaders to ensure that the Company’s corporate infrastructure is effective and efficient.
Previously, Ms. Wilson served as the Vice President and Controller for Columbia. In that role, she oversaw the consolidation of property-level and portfolio-level financials, coordinated the recording of real estate transactions, and provided tactical oversight for Board, internal and external reporting functions, and the implementation of proper internal accounting controls, policies, and procedures.
Ms. Wilson has more than 15 years of accounting experience and has served with Columbia since 2008. Previously, she worked as a Financial Reporting Manager for Tensar Corp., an international engineering products and services company, where she prepared financial data for an IPO filing, managed quarterly and annual financial statements, and implemented Sarbanes Oxley controls. Prior to that, she served as a Financial Analyst with Genuine Parts Co.
Ms. Wilson is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of CPAs. She received an M.B.A. from Kennesaw State University and a B.S. in Mathematics from Berry College.
