OUR LEADERSHIP

Derek is a Vice President and Division Manager for Swinerton, a commercial general contractor in Atlanta. In his 12 years with Swinerton, Derek has been instrumental in developing Atlanta’s interior and aviation business as a market lead. As Division Manager, he focuses on the further expansion of key markets including corporate interiors, aviation, industrial, multi-key, and ground-up commercial markets and corresponding self-perform trades, while maintaining an emphasis on talent development, best-in-class project execution, and building quality relationships.     

In his free time, Derek enjoys spending time with his two daughters, wonderful wife, and friends.

Derek joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in June 2022.

Mark Crump is an Operations Manager for the general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC.

Mark joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in 2021. 

Matthew (Matt) Smith works as Chief Financial Officer – Investment Management with Atlanta & Pacific Real Estate Group. Matt graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He obtained his master’s in accounting from Florida Atlantic University. He is also licensed in the state of Florida as a Certified Public Accountant.

Matt joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in April 2020. 

Currently, Jay serves as the Operations Manager for BMA Doors.  For over 25 years, BMA has represented excellence in door, frame and specialty hardware installation, serving clients throughout Georgia and the Southeast. Jay possesses more than 20 years’ experience in the construction field in various areas, including: estimating, sales, project management, and operations management. 

With a proven ability to lead cross department teams to solve complicated problems, Jay develops, documents, and implements effective policies and procedures. Innovative and driven to move quickly into action, Jay is a skilled leader in problem solving, communication, negotiating, and adapting to change in evolving environments.

Jay  joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in March 2024.

John Hamilton currently serves as Vice President with Regent Partners, where he focuses on the acquisition, development and capitalization of ground-up projects primarily in the office, hotel and residential sectors. He is also active in the asset management, sales and marketing of certain office, residential, land and retail properties. Prior to joining Regent Partners, Mr. Hamilton worked with real estate investment banking firm Eastdil Secured. While at Eastdil, he completed $11.8 billion of transactions involving office, retail, multifamily, and land / master-planned community property types.

John graduated from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. He is currently a member of ULI, NAIOP, and is a licensed real estate agent in Georgia.

John joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in April 2020. 

Michele Crochtiere works as a Senior Director of Relationships with One11 Advisors. Michele has a Bachelor of Business and a MBA from Bay Path University.

Michele joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in April 2020.

Laura Friddell currently works as Director and Partner with Patterson Real Estate Advisory Group. Since joining Patterson in 2015, Laura has directly assisted in raising over $3.2 billion dollars in financing for clients.  She has worked on a wide range of property types across the Southeast, and is experienced in raising development, bridge and permanent financing.  The financing raised has included a mix of equity, senior debt and subordinate capital, such as mezzanine debt and preferred equity.  Laura has also been actively involved in the advisory side of Patterson’s business, helping clients with overall strategic thinking as well as detailed analyses for certain projects and situations.

She attended the University of Virginia, majoring in both Finance and French.

Laura joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in April 2020. 

Combining her love and knowledge of real estate, design, and business, Shanda-Joy Laws is a REALTOR®, broker, and owner of Adara Properties brokered by eXp Realty, an Atlanta-based boutique real estate company that specializes in residential and light commercial. At the heart of her business, activities focus on veterans, public servants, buyers, sellers, investors, business owners, and mentoring agents, contributing to sustainable community and economic development.

Among the many professional certifications and designations from the National Association of REALTORS®, Shanda holds a GREEN designation and is a Military Relocation Professional. In 2018, she received personal training from former U.S. Vice President Al Gore to become a local leader with the Climate Reality Project and is Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) and OSHA 30 certified.

Shanda has the honor of being a proud mother of two sons and a daughter, who are affectionately known as "The Fab 3;" "Gigi" to her granddaughter, grandson, and two grand dogs; and mom to her rescue cat. Shanda is an avid home cook, baker, foodie, and wine aficionado. In her free time, she enjoys reading, antiquing, restoring, and reinventing furniture.

Shanda-Joy joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in May 2023. 

With 12 years of experience, David brings a unique blend of construction and development background that has enabled him to successfully cement critical relationships in the market, ensuring a more effective, streamlined approach to all projects. Before joining IMPACT, David was a Senior Project Manager, leading the design and construction process with Carter’s equity development and program management teams. He also worked at Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC, where he managed the construction process of several multifamily projects in the metro Atlanta area, including a 28-story high-rise in midtown and two Type 5-A residential wrap deals. Before Greystar, David worked for Turner Construction under their Interiors Division, where he was instrumental in the preconstruction and execution of project turnover.

David joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in October 2024.

Dana is a highly motivated and experienced Digital Commerce Operational Process Designer with a proven track record of success in the technology industry. She has a strong understanding of eBusiness processes and is skilled in developing and implementing process improvements that lead to increased efficiency and profitability. 

She currently works on projects and develops process improvements that have a significant impact on the various businesses within her company - helping to put the "digital" into their goal of delivering the best digitally enabled human relationships. 

Dana joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in October 2023.

Introduced early in his career to real estate and construction, Alex Vess began in building management and pivoted to project management in 2016. Primarily focused on the healthcare market, and some on multifamily and hospitality, Alex’s talents translate easily in any environment. Relying on tactful and honest communication, he builds trust and unites project teams to a common goal. Instead of dictating how work gets done, he keys in on critical activities and works in support of each project partner to stay ahead of the game. In his mind, every team presents different dynamics, and every project represents different goals. Alex’s agile, adaptive, and collaborative style plays to an individual’s strengths and fosters complete “alignment” – one of his favorite buzzwords. He proves daily that consensus-building promotes accountability and leads to better outcomes. Alex’s leadership yields tangible results. And to him, the biggest reward comes in delivering improved quality of care and livelihood to communities.

Outside of the office, Alex enjoys spending time with his wife and two young kids. 

Alex joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in January 2023.

Grace is the Principal Owner and Designer of Grace In Design Services, a boutique interior design and project management company specializing in both commercial and residential projects. As Principal Designer, she also provides aging-in-place and WELL Certified building services.

Grace joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in July 2023. 

Laura joined the Rebuilding Together Atlanta Board of Directors in September 2023. 

Darlene Donlan has been fortunate enough to have spent 27 years at TEKsystems where most recently I served as the Executive Director of Operational Risk and Compliance.  In the role of Executive Director I oversaw 13 cross-functional teams/programs (the main teams/programs were Information Security, Wage and Hour, Third-party Vendor Management, Security Clearance, Backgrounds, Credit, and Contract Compliance), consisting of over 500 employees that directly managed operational risk and compliance.  

Why RTA?

By contributing to Rebuilding Together Atlanta,I hope  to ensure that vulnerable communities have a foundation of security, dignity, and opportunity.  The mission of RTA to provide safe and healthy housing speaks to my core values of compassion and community.  Being part of RTA will allow me to contribute to making sure those in need has a safe place to call home.

Personal

Outside of my career and RT Board Service, I am working to become a wine sommelier.  I enjoy exercising, golf, tennis and any outdoor activity, especially if it involves my family or friends.

Stefan Glover currently serves as Operations Manager and Senior Project Manager at Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC since June 2016. Prior to this role, Stefan worked at The Lemoine Company, LLC as a Senior Project Manager and Project Manager from July 2013 to June 2016. Stefan's experience also includes a position as Superintendent at Manhattan Construction Company from April 2011 to July 2013, and various roles including Project Engineer, Assistant Superintendent, and Superintendent at Linbeck Group, LLC between May 2007 and April 2011. Stefan holds a Master of Building Construction and a Bachelor of Industrial Design, both from Auburn University.

April Cline is a mission-driven nonprofit professional committed to improving the quality of life for vulnerable, under-served populations. She was formerly the Executive Director of Entryway in Atlanta. Entryway is a national 501(c)3 organization that transitions individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness to economic self-sufficiency. She has over 20 years of experience in the Atlanta philanthropic community, and has worked for the American Red Cross, the Grady Health Care system, and was the executive director for the Georgia Radio Reading Service. April has worked for an international NGO in Ghana to combat

human trafficking and is a licensed social worker in the state of Georgia. She is currently a Disaster Mental Health volunteer for the American Red Cross, where she provides emotional and psychosocial support to the victims of disasters.