People

David Zucker

LEED AP—Principal, Director of Development

David co-founded Zocalo spurred by a commitment to development that balanced investment returns, community impact and environmental respect.

David focused on downtown development as soon as he arrived in Denver in 1990.  David’s first project was the Lofts over the Wynkoop Brewery. Since the Wynkoop, David established the vision for historic conversions such as the Downtown Denver and Downtown San Diego Courtyards by Marriott, which utilized the Historic Investment Tax Credit. In Denver, David was one of the first developers to work through, develop and sell deed-restricted, for-sale units at Silver State Lofts, a program that codified in the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. 

Since formation, Zocalo has quickly become among the best respected development companies in Colorado, recognized for thoughtful, innovative, well-timed and skillfully-executed projects.  As a LEED-Accredited Professional, David oversees all aspects of project development and management to ensure they meet project specifications, budgets and timelines.  As recognition, David received the Denver Business Journal's Developer of the Year award for 2012.

David received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is interim board chair of the State Housing Board and was chairman of the board of directors of community jazz station KUVO and co-chair of the Downtown Denver Partnership's Housing Council.  David co-founded the University of Denver's Affordable Housing Conference and co-chaired the Conference's first five years.

David has an appointment to Mayor Hancock's Task Force on Affordable Housing.  He received the Affordable Housing Leader of the Year Award for 2006 from the Denver chapter of the Enterprise Foundation.  

Chris Achenbach

RA, Principal, Director of Construction

Chris is a licensed Architect, General Contractor, and co-founding Principal of Zocalo Community Development, Inc. As Director of Construction, Chris manages the design and construction of urban, LEED certified mixed-use projects for Zocalo, serving as General Contractor or Construction Manager, depending on project requirements. This architect-led, design-build approach maximizes value, streamlines decisions, and is fundamental to the delivery of high quality sustainable projects.

Recent projects include Solera Apartments, a 120 unit LEED Gold building completed in 2010; Riverclay Condominiums, a 62 unit mixed-use project and the first condominium building in the Rocky Mountain region to be certified LEED Silver; Zocalo Condominiums, a 42 unit mixed use project; and 2020 Lawrence, a 231 unit LEED Gold registered apartment building (under construction and scheduled for completion in fall 2012).

Chris received a Psychology degree from the University of Vermont and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Colorado. He is Chair of the Colorado Urban Land Institute (ULI), serves on the ULI Colorado Executive Committee, and is Co-Founder of the ULI Sustainable Communities Committee. He has served as Vice Chair of ULI Colorado, on the Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver Sustainable Building Task Force, and the Denver Mayor’s Development Advisory Committee.

Committed to sharing green-building knowledge, Chris is an instructor for the ULI Real Estate Diversity Initiative (REDI Program), and a mentor for the ULI Partnership Forum program. He is a frequent presenter at conferences including the Urban Land Institute Speaker Events Series, The Colorado Urban Green Conference, The Multi-Family World Conference, and The National Association of Homebuilders. He has served as a guest instructor at regional universities including the University of Colorado, the University of Denver, Colorado State University, and Naropa University of Boulder.

Awards and commendations received included: Denver Business Journal 2012 Powerbook Award - Residential Developer of the Year;  Apartment Association of Denver 2011 Tribute Award - Best Use of Technology at Solera Apartments;  University of Denver Burns School of Real Estate – 2010 Project of the Year Award for Solera Apartments; Environmental Defense Fund – Top Real Estate Innovation of 2009 for the Riverclay Solar Mortgage Program ; University of Denver Burns School of Real Estate – 2008 Project of the year Award for Riverclay Condominiums; Denver Micro Business Development Corp - 2007 Business Leader of the Year; University of Colorado Research Competition – 1st place for the design of An Affordable Alternative Materials House; and the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute Steve Dach Memorial Award – Honorable Mention for the Design of An Affordable Masonry home.
 

Susan Maxwell

CAPS – Director of Real Estate

Susan Maxwell brings more than 25 years of progressive executive management and leadership experience as the Director of Real Estate for Zocalo Community Development.  Having served the multi-family industry for some of the largest, most respected brands she implements an exquisite knowledge of operations and property management that allowed her to create Zocalo’s property management division.  Susan is integral in the acquisition and development planning for Zocalo’s future projects, working directly with equity partners.

Susan leads all community operations for Zocalo Community Development including budgeting, financial reporting, and cost containment procedures from project conception through execution.  She developed Zocalo’s property management foundation, standards of excellence and service culture through the implementation of the entrepreneurial spirit to her team.  She encompasses the communication of the organization’s brand and service mentality through community branding, strategic planning, sales and training, marketing and media relations, process improvement and implementation, online marketing and web reputation. Employing a robust process for evaluating opportunity gaps to capitalize efficiencies, advance reputation and drive performance. These skills are implemented as Susan oversees Zocalo’s latest urban apartment developments 2020 Lawrence and Cadence: Union Station. 

Leveraging traditional and online channels to promote communities and their LEED certification lent its hand to Zocalo’s receipt of the exceptional 2012 PowerBook Award from the Denver Business Journal in Residential Real Estate for Solera.   The revenue management and outstanding leasing accomplishments also contributed to Solera being sold at the highest per unit price in Colorado history.

Her inimitable balance of innovation, analytical skills, creativity and leadership have made Susan a pioneer in the operations role for the Metro Denver real estate market and gained her a place as a finalist in the prestigious Apartment Association of Metro Denver’s 2011 Tributes Awards as Most Outstanding Executive.

Susan has worked across multiple channels with Greystar Real Estate Partners, Riverstone Residential Group, and Lincoln Property Company overseeing new developments, identifying new management opportunities and cultivating relationships with future and existing clients.  She enhanced relationships with equity partners to increase business development across portfolios.  Prior to joining Zocalo, Susan served as the Regional Vice President for Campus Advantage where she oversaw a fluid portfolio of over 4000 beds in a variety of markets ranging over numerous states. 

Susan lends her expertise to the Metro Denver market by her involvement in the United States Green Building Council as a Green Associate Candidate, and as the Vice Chair for Public Relations for the Apartment Association of Metro Denver.  She is also a designated Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor through the National Apartment Association.
 

Jody Golden

Director of Accounting

As a CPA with over 20 years experience, Jody is the Director of Accounting, overseeing the day-to-day accounting operations with a high level understanding of Real Estate Investment Trusts. She has worked at such national firms as CarrAmerica Realty Corporation and Archstone Smith Real Estate Investment Trust. At Carr she was a Finance Manager for the Denver, Salt Lake City, Arizona and Nebraska markets overseeing the accounting, budgeting and forecasting initiatives. At Archstone she was a Manager of Joint Venture Reporting gaining expertise in variable interest entities and consolidation of them. In both positions she contributed to SEC reporting requirements. Jody has worked in other local real estate firms and in the investment industry.

Jody earned her MBA from Regis University, Denver, Colorado in 2004 and her Bachelors at LaSalle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1990. She obtained her CPA license in 1993 and worked for the international accounting firm, Coopers & Lybrand, as an auditor (now PricewaterhouseCoopers). Jody is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants. Currently she is an active volunteer at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, home to over 280 large carnivores.

 

Emilie Baratta

LEED AP BD+C, Director, Finance & Development

Emilie has been involved in sustainable commercial real estate development and consulting for nearly a decade, and has worked on over $350 million worth of projects. The majority of her developments have involved public-private partnerships and complex financing mechanisms including Tax Increment Financing, New Markets Tax Credits, Brownfield Tax Credits, Parking Revenue Bonds, Motor Vehicle Funds, state-specific Green Tax Credits and Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

Emilie has been in her current capacity at Zocalo Community Development since 2010; during that time she has been involved in all aspects of Zocalo’s projects, including closing the HUD-financed 2020 Lawrence Street development. Prior to Zocalo she worked at the Ross Consulting Group, whose clients included national and multi-national businesses, and whose pro-bono roster included Denver Public Schools and the Union Station Project. Before Emilie had the good fortune to be recruited to Denver, she worked at Struever Brothers, Eccles & Rouse (SBER), a leading mid-Atlantic development and construction firm headquartered in Baltimore, MD, and for Peter Allen, a long-time instructor in real estate at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. At SBER Emilie was primarily in charge of a $100M mixed-use infill project in the Charles Village neighborhood of Baltimore; with Peter Allen, Emilie worked on a variety of pre-development projects including the creation of open space, transit-oriented development and a large brownfield redevelopment.

Emilie earned an M.B.A. from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and a B.A. in English Literature from Yale University. Prior to her career in real estate, she worked in public relations and marketing in New York City for non-profit organizations focusing on children and women's rights and health.

Emilie is the Board Chair of Groundwork Denver as well as the past Education Co-Chair and Steering Committee Member for the Metropolitan Branch of the Colorado Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. Additionally, she has been active with the Urban Land Institute. Outside of her life in real estate, Emilie has had several short stories published.

Chris Archer

Assistant Project Manager

Previously, Chris served as Facilities Director for Zocalo’s award winning Solera and 2020 Lawrence.  Prior to joining Zocalo Chris was the Owner of a construction and consulting business in Northern Colorado,  specializing in new construction, re-development, project estimating and scheduling .