AZCREW names 2025 leadership team
AZCREW has elected the officers and directors that will lead Metro Phoenix’s premier commercial real estate organization in 2025. AZCREW exists to transform the commercial real estate industry by advancing women globally.
The 2025 Board of Directors comprises President Lynette Dreitz Fort, Principal/CFO, Cawley Architects; President-Elect Nicole Solar, Business Consultant, Olsson; Past President Jenny Liles, Director of Market Operations, CRESA; Treasurer Nicole Cuellar, General Manager, CG Schmidt; and Secretary Kristen Hernandez, Director of Marketing, RED Development.
Directors for 2025 are Chapter Champion Director Carol Schillne, Senior Vice President, ORION Investment Real Estate; Communications Director Hannah Bashaw, Business Development Manager, GCON; Membership Director Jacqi Marth, Director of Business Development, CCS Facility Services; Programs Director Stephanie Handley, Principal, Economic Development, Lamar Johnson Collaborative; Special Events Director Serena Wedlich, First Vice President, CBRE; Sponsorship Director, Savannah Carbine, Account Manager, Climatec; and Non-Voting Historian Beth Jo Zeitzer, President/Designated Broker, R.O.I. Properties.
“As President of AZCREW, a women’s non-profit organization, I am committed to fostering a community of empowerment and growth,” Fort said. “Together, we will embrace new opportunities and continue to make a meaningful impact in the lives of women globally.”
AZCREW’s focus remains providing unparalleled membership value, focusing on quality programming, and leadership development. AZCREW is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as evident by its CEO-driven pledge for action in CRE, signed by more than 100 company leaders.
AZCREW’s 2025 strategic initiatives to further its mission include:
- Provide professional development and leadership training
- Cultivate purpose-driven events that will grow the CRE pipeline and leaders in the Valley;
- Create unparalleled business, networking, and deal-making opportunities;
- Elevate member and sponsor achievements and projects organization wide;
- Continue to advocate and drive change of DEI within the CRE industry;
- Foster connections between business leaders and decision makers in the market.
C-Path announces key leadership appointments
Critical Path Institute® (C-Path) today announced key leadership appointments: Diane Stephenson, Ph.D., has been promoted to Vice President of Neurology, and Nadine Tatton, Ph.D., has been welcomed as the new Executive Director of C-Path’s Critical Path for Alzheimer’s Disease (CPAD) Consortium.
With over 30 years of specialized research in neuroscience and drug development and having served as the Executive Director of the Critical Path for Parkinson’s Consortium (CPP) for nearly 15 years, Dr. Stephenson has been an extraordinary partner in advancing our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD), and Parkinson’s (PD) diseases. Her leadership in spearheading the progress of CPP through collaboration across all stakeholders has broadened treatment pathways and deepened scientific knowledge in these areas.
As Vice President of Neurology, Dr. Stephenson will continue to guide C-Path’s initiatives for brain health, applying her expertise in neuroimaging, neuropathology, digital health technologies and translational model characterization to further C-Path’s research objectives. Importantly, she will continue to serve as Executive Director of CPP, ensuring ongoing strategic alignment with C-Path’s mission.
“It is a great privilege to advance my career at C-Path, an organization at the forefront of developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases,” said Stephenson. “I am looking forward to this new chapter, where I will continue to build upon our collective expertise across academia, industry, and regulatory bodies to deepen our impact on patient care.”
Dr. Nadine Tatton brings more than two decades of expertise in drug development, strategic leadership, and neurodegenerative disease research to her new role as Executive Director of CPAD. Dr. Tatton earned her Ph.D. in physiology (neuroscience) from the University of Toronto and pursued postdoctoral studies in spinal cord research and molecular neuroscience. Over her career, she has held leadership roles in both academic and industry settings where she advanced clinical programs for diseases like AD, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and PD.
Prior to joining C-Path, Tatton served as Medical Director, Immuno-Neurology at Alector, Inc., where she worked on novel therapeutic approaches targeting neurodegenerative diseases. Her extensive experience also includes her role as Scientific Director at the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration where she spearheaded collaborative partnerships to advance research on FTD disorders and helped build the FTD Disorders Registry. Dr. Tatton’s diverse background uniquely positions her to lead CPAD in its mission to foster innovative regulatory science that accelerates drug development for AD.
“I am honored to join C-Path and to lead the CPAD Consortium in its mission to drive therapeutic innovation for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Tatton. “There is so much momentum in AD research today, and I look forward to working with our global collaborators across industry, regulatory agencies, and academia to push the boundaries of what is possible in Alzheimer’s drug development.”
Alliance Residential Company announces investment by Daiwa House USA Holdings
Alliance Residential Company, one of the largest multifamily developers in the nation (“Alliance Residential”), is pleased to announce a minority investment in the company by Texas-based Daiwa House USA Holdings Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Daiwa House Industry Co. Ltd. (“Daiwa House”).
Daiwa House is a global real estate investment, development, construction and management company, based in Japan and traded publicly on the Tokyo Stock Exchange with over $40b in total assets. Previous US real estate investments include three for-sale homebuilders: Stanley Martin in the East, Trumark Companies in the West, and CastleRock Communities in the South. With this transaction, Alliance Residential becomes their first and exclusive platform investment in the U.S. rental segment.
“We are honored that Daiwa House chose Alliance Residential for their U.S. residential rental real estate platform. We believe this meaningfully adds to our balance sheet capability, provides Alliance Residential additional reach into global capital markets and creates a solid foundation for our long-term success,” said Alliance Residential’s Chairman and CEO Jay Hiemenz. “Preserving our entrepreneurial culture and retaining the competitive advantages that have made us so successful, including local execution and alignment, were key considerations in our discussions, and of paramount importance to both Alliance Residential and Daiwa House. This investment not only allows us to continue this proven strategy, but to also become more evergreen through new growth capital.”
No significant changes to Alliance Residential’s business model or operations are anticipated. The company will continue to finance opportunities with its long-time trusted lending and investment partners. Alliance Residential’s senior management team will remain unchanged except Bruce Ward, who will transition to Chairman Emeritus. The Alliance Residential Board will include current Alliance Residential executives including Chairman and CEO Jay Hiemenz, COO-West Nick Chapman, COO-East Brian Austin and CFO Bob Weston, together with representation from Daiwa House.
“Having spent significant time in Japan and the U.S with Daiwa House’s executive team and their U.S. partners, I have been impressed by their core competencies in constructing residential real estate,” said Hiemenz. “The company was founded 70 years ago building quality housing with an efficient and replicable model, which evolved into an impressive use of building technology and supply chain management which is very much aligned with Alliance’s approach and methods. Equally like-minded is their mission statement with an intent to enhance social good by improving customers’ lives and the communities in which they operate. We are very excited about our future together.”
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