Lori Hanson, board president
Lori Hanson is based in Denver, CO, and currently serves as a Client Services Director for Greystar, where she is responsible for organizational initiatives, client relations, and project management. Since joining Greystar in 2015, Lori has provided support services in a variety of capacities across Greystar’s 750,000 + unit portfolio, and specializes in improving property performance and enhancing operational efficiency.
Lori began her career in the multifamily housing industry in 1999, and has held a variety of positions both at the on-site and corporate levels. Prior to joining Greystar, Lori spent 16 years with Carmel Partners, where she oversaw the training department and led all project management, property transition, and property performance initiatives for the 10,000 + units within the organization.
Lori holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from the Metropolitan State College of Denver and a Master of Science degree in Management from Troy University. She has been designated as a Certified Apartment Manager and Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor through the National Apartment Association.
Peter Chan, board member
Peter Chan is the Director of Ancillary Services for Fairfield Residential
Peter joined Fairfield Residential in 2005 and in his years of service to Fairfield, he has held a wide variety of positions including Financial Analyst, Business Analyst, Facilities Management, and IT Project Management. In his current role, Peter has oversight of portfolio-wide utilities operations, ancillary revenue programs, benchmarking, with contributions to ESG, CSR, and other related programs. Prior to joining Fairfield, Peter worked in various roles including Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, IT Operations, and Venture Capital.
Annette Mendoza, board member
Annette Mendoza is the Ancillary Services Coordinator for Fairfield Residential. Annette’s primary responsibilities include the management of the utility expense program, utility billing and other ancillary related income for the Fairfield portfolio. Annette joined Fairfield in May of 2008 as a Compliance Specialist in Fairfield’s compliance department for the affordable portfolio. In 2013, Annette moved to the ancillary department where her primary focus was business licenses, utility billing and other Ancillary revenue streams. While growing into this new roll, Annette has assisted with the development of the department and has been essential with implementing new projects. Prior to Fairfield, Annette worked in the financial industry for 7 years.
Wes Winterstein, board member
Wes is a business development professional for WellVia Solutions, bringing telemedicine to the multifamily industry. Prior to WellVia, he spent 10 years driving sustainable utilities management processes for Bell Partners’ portfolio of over 50,000 apartment homes. His extensive experience in utility billing and expense management provided unique focus and support to operations. He directed conservation initiatives, procurement strategies in deregulated markets, and managed solid waste and recycling performance for the organization. During his tenure at Bell Partners, operations experienced unprecedented growth in utilities reimbursements significantly impacting the bottom line. Wes came to Bell from UDR, where he spent 6 years as the Director of Energy Management. He served in the United States Air Force for eight years prior to entering the private sector.
Wes completed the prestigious Executive Leadership in Sustainability program at Harvard University, has an MBA from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and is an alumnus of the United States Air Force Academy.
Joni Sappington, board member
Joni Sappington is based in Charlotte, NC and currently serves as Director, Utility Management Solutions for Quarterra. At Quarterra she oversees portfolio wide utility programs including benchmarking, procurement, utility reduction, revenue and expense management and ESG support.
Joni began her career in the multifamily industry in 1995, having held positions at on-site, corporate, and vendor levels. She has been focused on multifamily utility programs for the past 15 years. Prior to joining Quarterra, Joni worked for RealPage/AUM as a Strategic Account Manager and Director of Management Reporting. Joni has also held positions in IT Operations, Asset Management, and Ancillary Income.
Chris Laughman, leadership team
Chris is LEED AP O&M and Senior Director, Energy & Sustainability Services for Greystar.
Chris is based in St. Louis, MO and leads the Utility Management, Energy and Sustainability Team for Greystar. With over 20 years of experience in real estate, he is an accomplished subject matter expert in sustainable real estate operations, utility bill management, cost recovery, and energy strategies that enhance the human experience while positively impacting the triple bottom line.
Chris is an outspoken advocate that success requires collaboration amongst industry peers and vendors, and believes it is only when we are working together that we will be able to deliver the practical solutions and ignite the innovation that will result in the industry wide impact that is needed.
Chris is skilled in delivering sustainable solutions through analytical analysis, benchmarking, and opportunity identification that reduces energy consumption, increases water conservation, minimizes waste, impacts carbon emissions, and enhances the human experience. He has a proven record of developing energy procurement strategies, policy implementation, decarbonization, compliance practices, risk and opportunity assessment, performance certifications, CSR reporting, and the development of engaging strategic ESG programs.
Mary Nitschke, leadership team, former board president (non-voting)
Mary Nitschke is passionate about utilities, and should perhaps switch to decaf. She is the first president of the Utility Management Advisory board, possesses an Energy Resource Management Certificate from UC Davis, and two Bachelors of Art from UC Berkeley.
Previously she was the Director of Ancillary Services for the award winning Prometheus Real Estate Group, Inc, where she had the privilege of managing both the resident costs and expense sides of the utility wheelhouse. She has the first law of thermodynamics posted by her office door, and a triple black 1970 Lincoln Mark III, with over 400 bhp, in her garage.
Kent McDonald, leadership team, former board member (non-voting)
Kent is one of RealPage’s sustainability experts. He directs their Product Management team, helping multifamily communities with ESG, water, waste, and energy management services. Kent also helps organize RealPage Utility Management’s annual Energy Summit, and previously served as a managing editor for the Journal of Utility Management. Kent has worked previously at Aimco Apartment Homes for 14 years, most recently as vice president of the Ancillary Services Dept. His responsibilities at Aimco included utility cost management, energy procurement, and resident utility billing where he managed the REIT’s relationship with NWP for 60,000 units. Kent is a former member of Aimco’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability leadership team, NMHC’s Multi-family Information Transfer Standards (MITS) governance committee, and the Utility Management Advisory board of directors.
Kent earned a bachelor’s degree in 1995 and a Master’s in 2001. Kent, a certified expert in green buildings, holds the credentials of Certified Energy Manager (CEM), LEED Green Associate and Certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P). Kent lives with his wife and kids near Los Angeles, California.
Kevin Reid, leadership team (non-voting)
Kevin Reid, Marketing Director, joined RealPage in 2014 and is responsible for the overall marketing strategy for the utility management business unit.
For the past six years, Kevin has supported the UMA with marketing guidance and support as well as serving as managing editor for the Journal of Utility Management and event producer for the Energy Summit.
Kevin has over 20 years of marketing experience in the technology, finance and real estate fields. He is an experienced, hands-on senior marketing executive with a proven track record of successfully launching new products and helping innovative, entrepreneurial companies grow revenue. Specialties include ROI based online marketing programs, online advertising and high-volume lead generation.
Kevin earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Southern California and an MBA from California State University, Long Beach.