The Ancora Team
Innovation Personified
Ancora’s collective character might at first appear as a dichotomy.
Tremendous talent both new and renowned.
Careers highlighted by relationships as much as results.
Industry insights coupled with personal interests.
We’re a unique mix and innovative in nature.
Together, our principals and professional staff represent decades of deep experience in commercial real estate development, investment, finance, and leasing. We offer capabilities in all the core functions of development – pre-development and master-planning, design, financing, construction, and leasing.
Josh Parker
Chief Executive Officer
jparker@ancora.re
Josh Parker is Ancora’s Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He leads the Board of Directors and sits on the firm’s Investment Committee. As Chairman and CEO, he is responsible for overseeing all firm strategy, policies and procedures as well as day-to-day operations.
A national leader in the anchor institution, life sciences, and innovation real estate sectors, he has unique real estate experience spanning adaptive re-use, urban redevelopment, innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives, university-leased real estate and mixed-use development.
After a stint in NY theatre, Josh began his real estate career in Durham, NC. In the two decades since as a serial entrepreneur, he experienced industry success that includes developing a combined 3.5 million square feet totaling over $2 billion in value.
While leading Ancora, Josh remains committed to public service. He has served in a variety of roles for non-profit and government appointed positions. He is currently a member of the Selective Service Board (local board member), full member of the Urban Land Institute serving as Vice-Chair of the University Development & Innovation Council, a member of the Economic Club of Washington, DC, a member of the Council on Competitiveness and Commissioner on the National Commission on Innovation and Competitiveness Frontiers.
He is a graduate of North Carolina Central University.
Jeff Kingsbury
Co-founder, Chief Connectivity Officer
jkingsbury@ancora.re
Jeff leads our Connections & Insights (C&I) team focused on building relationships within the communities where we operate and creating new partnerships with anchor institutions and tenants that drive innovation.
Jeff has 30 years of experience in planning and developing communities, including partnerships with leading colleges, universities, health care systems, and cultural institutions. As an urban planner and developer, Jeff has worked at the intersection of economic development, placemaking, and sustainability with private sector clients as well as cities, counties, and non-profits in 16 states and internationally.
He is committed to thought leadership and co-authored the book, Developing Sustainable Planned Communities for the Urban Land Institute, and is the founding chair of ULI’s Redevelopment and Reuse Council.
John Philipchuck
Co-founder, Chief Investment Officer
jphilipc@ancora.re
With experience guiding some of the world’s largest institutional real estate portfolios, John serves as Ancora’s director of investment and strategy. He manages Ancora’s investment portfolio strategy with a steady hand and quick wit.
His background spans all institutional real estate sectors across public and private debt and equity structures. John has managed a variety of real estate development projects, including land entitlement, retail, industrial, apartments, mixed-use, senior housing, student housing, single family homes, and master-planned communities.
An active member of the Urban Land Institute, John serves on ULI’s Global Exchange Council, which expands knowledge and understanding of the global real estate market.
Nicole Brognano Morrill
Chief Real Estate Officer
nmorrill@ancora.re
Nicole oversees all development and construction activities for Ancora. Her nearly two decades of experience include leading development and construction projects for both privately held and publicly held companies. Nicole’s experience spans the full life cycle of development and multiple asset classes, including complicated master planned and phased projects.
An adept negotiator and navigator, Nicole has crafted agreements with cities, public utilities, and transportation entities. Her knack for collaboration (with colleagues and clients alike) has informed her success throughout complex entitlements and planning in multiple jurisdictions, urban and suburban.
Sujee Rajah, FCA
Chief Financial Officer
srajah@ancora.re
Sujee brings 15+ years of diverse financial services experience to his role as Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for Ancora’s financial strategy, corporate accounting, and reporting. Over the last decade, he held various senior roles at Legal & General Group, most recently as Director of Investor Relations.
Prior to Legal & General, Sujee worked in corporate banking in the UK after starting his career with Deloitte’s Assurance group, helping companies to reduce risk, accelerate performance, and meet the assurance demands of regulations and standards.
Megan Abney
Development Associate
mabney@ancora.re
Megan supports all aspects of planning, development, and construction. She assists in the management of site selection, project budgets, design development, and construction management, working closely with architectural and consulting teams. She especially enjoys working on adaptive reuse projects.
A LEED Green Associate, she’s passionate about sustainable development. Megan occasionally moonlights as a muralist.
David Arbeláez García
Senior Associate, Transactions
darbelaez@ancora.re
David participates in the underwriting of investment opportunities. To his role, he brings industrial, multifamily, retail, and office asset management experience, which includes various sizable Manhattan properties.
David’s experience in Latin America includes fund capital raising, real estate valuation analysis, and financial evaluation of pre-development, development, and operational projects. He served as a board member for a children’s home and tutored at-risk youth in his native Bogotá. David earned his MBA from Harvard University.
Peter Calkins
Vice President, Development
pcalkins@ancora.re
With experience including biotech, pharmaceutical, and institutional R&D-oriented organizations, Peter is responsible for sourcing and delivering on new development opportunities.
He brings experience in mixed-use project planning and development, accentuated with a focus in life sciences. Peter is no stranger to planning and implementing complex multi-phase development projects. In fact, he rather enjoys them, which figures, given his aptitude for solving problems and building community.
Jill Collins
Executive Assistant to the CEO
jcollins@ancora.re
Jill oversees administrative duties, ensuring the smooth operation of Ancora’s business, while providing support to the CEO, team, and clients no matter where they are.
Ryan Hessing
Head of Finance
rhessing@ancora.re
Ryan’s experience spans 12 years of executive-level accounting and finance along with a decade in real estate investment. He works closely with our Executive Team and institutional partners, overseeing Ancora’s finance and accounting operations. He also collaborates with our Real Estate and Operations teams.
As a seasoned finance leader with years of experience as both a principal and consultant, Ryan has been involved in all aspects of the real estate life cycle, including sourcing, underwriting, capital raising and financial reporting.
He’s involved with many groups serving the Fort Worth community, including Cooks Children’s Medical Center and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. Ryan earned his Accounting BBA and a Master of Accounting from Texas Christian University. Ryan is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas.
Peter Isaac
Vice President, Development
pisaac@ancora.re
Pete has spent his career helping colleges and universities optimize real estate solutions through innovative public-private partnerships. First as an advisor, then as a development partner, Pete has supported nearly 100 institutions in the planning and delivery of both mission-driven and market-responsive projects.
Pete is responsible for developing places that prioritize the success of Ancora’s institutional partners and the communities they serve. In every project, he’s guided by the belief that “belonging to a community is a fundamental human need.” Pete earned his MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC.
Kasey Johnson
Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel
kjohnson@ancora.re
As the CLO and General Counsel, Kasey oversees Ancora’s legal function. Her experience is underlined by her track record and ability to build and scale legal and business teams in high-growth, fast-paced businesses. Her experience both in-house and in private practice enables her to bring strategic counsel and business expertise to every engagement.
Kasey’s background spans serving in executive legal and business roles across various industries, as well as representing global and domestic companies at several prominent law firms. Kasey’s tenure in private practice and in-house for high-growth companies accentuated her business acumen across sectors including technology and SAAS, real estate, M&A, fundraising, and more.
Passionate about equality and access, Kasey has served as a board member and advisor of organizations providing access to critical resources for babies and children. Her commitment to DEI is evidenced by prioritizing purposeful hiring and retention. She’s an executive board member of the Colorado General Counsel Mentoring Program, which provides business development access to lawyers in underrepresented groups.
Kasey holds a JD from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law; a Master’s Degree in Higher Education from Ole Miss; and a BA from Drake University.
Kevin Kirby
Senior Advisor, Connections & Insights
kkirby@ancora.re
Kevin is Ancora’s Senior Advisor focused on university relationships. In his role, he leverages a career spent in public and private institutions with research and innovation as their core missions. This has yielded broad, deep leadership experience in every functional area of higher education.
Over the past 25 years, he has served as COO at Rice University, Columbia University Medical Center, and the National Institutes of Health. Early career experience at the U.S. Army Research Lab spanned basic research on materials, technology management, science advising, and a stint in the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy.
Kevin earned his Doctorate of Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, MS in Management (Sloan Fellow) from MIT, MS in Organizational Learning from George Mason University, and BS in Chemical Engineering from Syracuse University.
Stacey Lager
Vice President, People Operations
slager@ancora.re
Stacey brings extensive experience in building out and leading the Talent, HR, and People Operations functions in the private equity, finance, and growth-stage startup spaces. She is instrumental in growing the Ancora team, streamlining processes, and supporting the firm’s employees.
Stacey is responsible for creating, implementing, and managing programs affecting Ancora’s people. These include onboarding and orientation, employee relations, performance management, healthcare and insurance, benefits and total rewards, diversity and inclusion efforts, payroll and compensation, compliance and trainings, recruitment and talent acquisition, long-term incentive plans, and employee-centric initiatives. She acts as a liaison and subject matter expert to Ancora’s employees, Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors, Executive Leadership Team, and external stakeholders in all matters related to People Operations.
Stacey graduated magna cum laude with honors distinction from the University of Delaware.
Michelle Maldonado
Manager, Transactions
mmaldonado@ancora.re
Michelle has over 10 years of experience in transactional real estate, closing complex commercial and residential deals across the country. Before joining Ancora as the Transactions Manager, she was the leading paralegal at a top New York City law firm where her strong financial analysis skills, ability to negotiate and penchant for organizing contracts led to many successful closings for clients.
Michelle’s experience focuses on the financing, acquisition, and sale of commercial property. On the non-commercial side of the equation, she has experience in the operation, development, conversion and sale of residential property.
At Ancora, Michelle brings her valuable legal and financial knowledge to achieve the best results for Ancora’s real estate goals.
Jeff Morrow
Vice President, Transactions
jmorrow@ancora.re
As the Vice President of Transactions, Jeff leads the team in the evaluation of opportunities and providing due diligence materials to third parties interested in doing business with Ancora. He brings expertise in complex real estate financial modeling and analysis.
His career includes 24 years of real estate experience in development, acquisitions, dispositions, and asset management across multiple asset classes including life science, office, retail, multifamily, warehouse, and hotel. Jeff has experience with public-private partnerships, complex waterfalls, tax increment financing, and tax credit financing (new market, low-income housing, historic, and state tax).
Jeff earned his BBA from Northeastern University and completed the Financial Management Program (FMP) at GE Capital.
Mark O’Neall
Director, Connections & Insights
moneall@ancora.re
Mark oversees anchor partner relations, innovation assessments, and new business development in select markets. Through his consulting and work experience with public and private sector institutions, he has developed an approach that combines rigorous analysis and fresh thinking.
A decade of consulting experience to his name, Mark continues to build trust and forge new relationships in growing knowledge markets. He continues to volunteer with the Urban Land Institute, leading multiple groups focused on young professional development and membership.
Ursula Powidzki
Senior Vice President, Connections & Insights
upowidzki@ancora.re
Over a career of 35+ years in both private and public sectors, Ursula has explored and expanded the intersection of commercial real estate and economic development. Her role at Ancora taps into both disciplines.
Ursula pursues and assesses new markets and institutional partners and finds partnerships and tenants that generate innovation buzz and substance. Ursula’s public/private identity includes a portfolio management role for a publicly held real estate investment management firm and six-year stint leading the State of Maryland’s core economic development programs.
Ursula has a leading role on the Connections & Insights team, where this active gardener nurtures her knack for developing relationships.
Rashaad Robinson
Executive Vice President, Operations
rrobinson@ancora.re
Working closely with the CEO, Rashaad delivers an operational platform leveraging his background in real estate, strategy, operations, and financial services. He holds senior responsibility for business lines including IT, HR, corporate marketing, and coordination. In his role, Rashaad collaborates closely with Ancora leadership to improve operational processes, support strategy, and enable operational efficiency.
An innovator and collaborator with an analytical approach, Rashaad has extensive experience coordinating and directing multiple complex workstreams while managing, motivating, and leading diverse teams.
His passion for equitable, community-oriented development and investments finds its form in healthcare and education projects, while Rashaad finds fulfillment through serving on the advisory board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts and on the Alumni Advisory Board of The University of Illinois at Springfield. Rashaad is a USAF veteran and earned his MBA from Cornell University.
Peter Roy
Vice President, Development
proy@ancora.re
Peter brings over 40 years’ experience in mixed-use project planning, design, and development. His robust record is accentuated with a science and technology focus, including ultra-high-tech projects, large hospitals, and IT.
No stranger to the complexity of multi-phase development planning and implementation, Peter has developed billions of dollars in office and R&D space. This has generally found its form in mixed-use campus environments also featuring extensive civil infrastructure, multifamily residential, retail, and public open-space components.
Peter earned his Architectural Engineering BS from Toronto Metropolitan University, MS from University of Maryland, and JD from the Columbus School of Law (Catholic University of America).
Kylie Ruffalo
Director, Transactions
kruffalo@ancora.re
Kylie is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, and closing Ancora real estate transactions. Since joining in 2021, Kylie has played a key role in Ancora’s investments, including the acquisition of 387 Technology Circle NW in Atlanta, GA. Prior to joining Ancora, Kylie held positions with Altus Group and Revantage, a Blackstone company. Kylie received her BSBA in Finance from the University of Denver where she graduated magna cum laude, and received her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Natisha Sloley-Hamilton
Controller and Vice President, Accounting
nhamilton@ancora.re
Spanning 20+ years and multiple industries, Natisha’s experience includes financial reporting, planning and budgeting, systems of internal controls, and corporate and benefits accounting. Phenomenal at follow-through, her ability to anticipate needs borders on precognition. Natisha is currently pursuing her MBA at the University of North Carolina.
Phil Storch
Vice President, Construction
pstorch@ancora.re
Phil oversees all construction activities for Ancora, building on nearly two decades of experience in construction and real estate within multiple asset classes. Having managed general contractor and real estate company projects, he’s very capable at collaborating with jurisdictions, public utilities, and multiple stakeholders, not just direct project owners, contractors, and design professionals.
Phil is an active member of NAOIP, where he takes part in the NAIOP Research Foundation through its Visionary program.
Holden Thorp
Senior Advisor, Connections & Insights
hthorp@ancora.re
Provost and venture partner. Technologist and teacher. Scientist and Science family of journals editor-in-chief. Holden’s experience is as impressive as it is broad.
He brings a deep understanding of the ecosystem to anchor-driven projects, engaging universities and academic medical institutions on the research and commercialization side of Ancora.
Tapped into today’s trends and R&D in life sciences and able to tap into long-standing relationships in academia, the value Holden brings to Ancora and our clients is indeed multifaceted.
Hank Webber
Senior Advisor, Connections & Insights
hwebber@ancora.re
Hank is a nationally recognized higher education and community and economic development leader – with good reason. He’s spent the past 35 years making significant contributions to Chicago and St. Louis, helping to lead two of America’s largest and finest research universities: the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis.
Hank advises and helps shape the programming and activities that drive productive relationships. This takes shape through relationships with local business and government leadership, real estate and financial sector stakeholders, and university administration.
Katie Wertz
Vice President, Connections & Insights
kwertz@ancora.re
With experience in consulting, community development, and real estate development, Katie is accomplished in integrating master planning with market-based strategies. She produces visionary and actionable solutions proving advantageous to clients, while at the same time proving the value of C&I.
She has managed numerous planning and redevelopment efforts across the country, from small college towns to booming metros. Despite her role and active membership with the Urban Land Institute’s Real Estate Diversity Initiative, Katie finds time to volunteer, supporting equitable development, food access, and youth.
Margrit Williams
Director, External Engagement
mwilliams@ancora.re
As Ancora’s Director of External Engagement, Margrit engages with media, economic development agencies, industry, business partners, and other stakeholders. She’s focused on identifying and supporting new growth and investment opportunities throughout the US.
Her experience in communications and external affairs spans highly complex regulatory environments and matrixed structures. Margrit’s aptitude for engagement encompasses the political realm as well, where she has written, directed, and influenced primary legislation.