About CYC

Bradley Aaronson is a Managing Director of CIM’s Development Group. With over 15 years of experience overseeing large-scale, complex development and redevelopment projects, Bradley specializes in the leadership and technical acumen of a wide range of commercial real estate product types including mixed-use, residential (for rent and for sale), hospitality, retail, office and entertainment. For Centennial Yards, Bradley maintains development management oversight responsibility for the execution of the master plan as a whole, as well as individual projects within, which includes the leadership and guidance of a highly capable and dynamic development team. Notable projects that Bradley has led for CIM include Sunset La Cienega and The Lot in West Hollywood; The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood; Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas; and Tribune Tower in Chicago. Bradley began his career at CIM as an Analyst in the Investments Group and graduated from Stanford University.

Cora J. Barnes is a Project Accountant in CIM’s Development Group. She is responsible for job cost accounting associated with development projects. Cora began her career at CIM in 2019. Prior to CIM, Cora was a Project Accountant for Steiner Building NYC, LLC and began her Construction Accounting career at The New York City School Construction Authority. She earned her Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Georgia State University.

Brigitte Broyard is Vice President, Business and Workforce Opportunity, managing the Equal Business Opportunity Program for Centennial Yards in Downtown Atlanta. Brigitte worked with the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and spent the majority of her career with IBM Corporation. A 4th generation Atlanta native and graduate of Howard University, Brigitte’s love for her community is the primary reason that she is so passionate about equity and inclusion. Brigitte is married and has one son.

John Carnesale is a Vice President of Property Management with over 25 years of experience in property/asset management. John oversees all retail property management functions for properties located at Centennial Yards. He joined Centennial Yards in June 2022 and joined the CIM group in August 2018 where he was responsible for all retail properties located on the East Coast. His prior experience includes 10 years working with Cole Capital/VEREIT/ARCP where he oversaw all East Coast property management with 12M SF of Multi-Tenant Properties. In his spare time, he enjoys going on Caribbean cruises where he can go Scuba Diving.

Shelita K. Compton is an Associate in CIM’s Development Group. In this role, Shelita is responsible for day-to-day development management duties across a number of projects within Centennial Yards. Prior to joining CIM, Shelita worked in development of affordable housing. Prior to that, she valued commercial real estate as a MAI-designated appraiser. Shelita has earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Spelman College, a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Master of Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business of Indiana University. She is also a graduate of Urban Land Institute’s esteemed Center for Leadership program. In her spare time, she loves laughing with her husband and two beautiful children.

Alex is a Construction Manager in CIM’s Development Group. He received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Auburn University. At his last position as Pre-Construction Manager with Hoar Construction, he managed the pre-construction efforts on a variety of projects in the industrial, commercial, retail, interior renovation, and residential markets.

Brandon Dexter is a Vice President of Construction in CIM’s Development Group. He received a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction from Auburn University. Before joining CIM, Brandon was a General Superintendent for Hoar Construction. With 17 years of building mixed use multi-family, high rise residential towers, high rise student housing and much more. He is a strong leader who motivates his team daily.

Geoffrey Easterling is the Vice President of Strategy & Operations. He currently specializes in the organizational and operational management of strategic initiatives. Prior to working at Centennial Yards Geoffrey worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. Before McKinsey Geoffrey served as an US Army Field Artillery Officer and West Point Admissions Officer. Geoffrey earned the rank of Captain, deployed to Afghanistan, and was awarded the Combat Action Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the NATO Medal. He holds a BS in Sociology from the United States Military Academy and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, where he served as class president. In his off time, Geoffrey spends time with his wife Mikaela, and enjoys reading and hiking.

Brad is a Construction Manager in CIM’s Development Group. He received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Brad brings a proved track record as a Pre-Construction Manager in construction, engineering, and preconstruction/estimating. He has a passion for bringing efficiency and collaboration to projects and understands the utilization of technology and analytics to improve the design and construction process.

Rocky is a Construction Manager in CIM’s Development Group. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Liberty University. In his last position as Project Manager at Liberty University, he managed the construction of a basketball arena and football stadium in accordance with NCAA regulations. He also managed the demolition and redesign of Geodesic dome.

Olivia is a Construction Manager in CIM’s Development Group. She received a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Kennesaw State University. She brings extensive experience in managing commercial and multi-family ground up renovation, and demo projects

Victoria is a Construction Manager in CIM’s Development Group. She received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Old Dominion University. At her previous position as Project Manager at JE Dunn Construction, she helped facilitate construction of a Central utility plant.

Yasmin Laupus is a Project Coordinator in CIM’s Development Group. She is responsible for providing administrative, contract and budgetary support to the team from preconstruction through the construction and delivery of each assigned project. She has more than 20 + years in Real Estate development experience in a broad range of types and scales from commercial, retail to mixed used developments. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from University of Malaya and Master of Arts degree in Political Science from East Carolina University. She enjoys gardening, painting and being around her four precious grandchildren.

Keith Mack is a Vice President in CIM’s Development Group. In this role, Keith plays a key role in the development execution of Centennial Yards. Keith has been an integral part of the development and construction of significant projects in Georgia and Florida since 1994. He has served on the development teams for more than 600 million dollars of hospitality, office, multifamily, mixed use and transit-oriented development projects. As the Director of Development Services at Regent Partners, he successfully executed the 3344 Peachtree/Sovereign mixed-use project in Atlanta, the 315 key Hyatt Place/Hyatt House hotel project in Charleston, South Carolina, more than 1.1 million square feet of tenant improvements, and most recently, the 193 key Thompson Savannah, and the 201 key Thompson Buckhead. Keith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Virginia, a Master of Science in Building Construction from the University of Florida, a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University, and is a licensed real estate salesperson in the State of Georgia. In 2009, Keith founded the Circle of Trust, a commercial real estate networking organization that boasts more than 5,000 members in Atlanta and Chicago. He is also a member of Urban Land Institute and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

McGowan has over 20 years of economic development experience working at all levels of government. He was appointed by President Obama as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and served as Economic Solutions Team lead in the National Incident Command set up by the President to respond to the BP Oil Spill. Prior to that, he was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce for the State of California. In Atlanta, he served as CEO of Invest Atlanta and CEO of the Atlanta Beltline. McGowan was also the Executive Vice President/COO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Principal with the global law firm Dentons. Additionally, Governor Deal appointed McGowan to the Board of the Fort McPherson Redevelopment Authority where he served for 5 years. McGowan is a board member for the Atlanta Visitors and Convention Bureau, Central Atlanta Progress and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Foundation. He also serves as Chair of the Board for the Center for Civic Innovation in Atlanta and is a Non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institute.

Christine Rector is a Project Coordinator in CIM’s Development Group with over 20 years of experience within the commercial real estate industry developing Office, Hotel, and Residential buildings. Her primary role includes providing detailed document management for each assigned project. She has worked on several projects in Atlanta (as well as other projects mostly in the southeast) including Icon Midtown and Icon Buckhead with The Related Group; Sovereign/3344 Peachtree, and Hyatt Place/Hyatt House in Charleston, SC with Regent Partners. Christine has additional experience in office management, asset management, development coordination, and tenant improvement buildouts. Christine has a Paralegal Studies/Business Transaction certification from The National Center for Paralegal Training and a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies from The City University of New York John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Ben Reeves is the Vice President of Transaction Strategy for Centennial Yards Company. As part of the executive leadership team, Mr. Reeves oversees third-party engagement for Centennial Yards across a range of structures, including acquisition/disposition, joint venture, leasing, and strategic partnerships. With 16 years in Atlanta commercial real estate, Mr. Reeves has been directly involved in more than $3 billion of transactions with expertise in brokerage, development, and investment across a variety of product types. Throughout his career, he has held various leadership positions within Atlanta’s civic community ranging from the creation of new organizations to board positions on iconic Atlanta non-profits. In addition, Mr. Reeves has previously served as a strategic consultant for various CRE start-up companies.

Darlecia is an Assistant Construction Manager in CIM’s Development Group. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Columbus State University. Having worked as a Project Engineer with New South Construction, she managed multiple projects at once and helped to mitigate potential conflicts between subcontractors during preconstruction. She performed project closeout management and participated in various project inspection walks.

Taylor H. Staggers is the Marketing Director, Development, creating marketing and communication strategies for Centennial Yards. Taylor holds over a decade of multi-industry experience in branding, marketing, and digital media. Her commercial development experience includes serving as the Marketing Manager for Comstock Partners’ BLVD Reston Station, a 12-acre mixed-used development near Washington, D.C. area. Using her talents to uplift the community, in 2020, Taylor launched the It’s Not Business as Usual (INBAU) campaign. INBAU challenged businesses to analyze their internal practices and find ways to make their institution and industries more equitable and inclusive. Due to this work, she received a fellowship from The Gathering Spot and Advertisers for Change. Taylor’s career as a creative marketer has led her to create award-winning campaigns for brands such as the NBA, Rosetta Stone, Bloomberg News, and TV One. Taylor is a graduate of The University of Georgia and a proud Atlanta native.

Julie is a Project Coordinator in CIM’s Development Group. With her previous role as Administrative Assistant at Hoar Construction, she brings extensive experience as an administrative professional, supporting the business areas of Accounting, Operations and Human Resources. She is a strong problem solver and a dedicated team player.

Jessica Walburn is an Associate in CIM’s Development Group. In this role, she focuses on the day-to-day development management duties from acquisition through construction and pre-operation on several Centennial Yards’ assets. With a background in adaptive reuse, mixed-use, and urban development she brings a robust skillset to the Centennial Yards team. Notable Atlanta projects include Ponce City Market, 725 Ponce, and Halcyon. Jessica received her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of South Florida and her MBA in Global Business from Georgia Tech. She is an active member of ULI and a graduate of ULI’s Center for Leadership class of 2020. Jessica lives in Edgewood with her dog Remington, and enjoys traveling, antiquing, running, and keeping up with Atlanta’s food and music scene.