People

David Zucker

LEED AP—Principal, Director of Development

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. As a LEED-Accredited Professional, David oversees all aspects of project development and management to ensure they meet project specifications, budgets and timelines.

David received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1990. He was chairman of the board of directors of community jazz station KUVO and was Co-Chair of the Downtown Denver Partnership’s Housing Council. David was co-founder of the University of Denver's Affordable Housing Conference and was co-chair for the Conference's first five years.

David has appointed to the 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: 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

As Director of Real Estate, Susan is responsible for the creation of Zocalo's property management division. Additionally, Susan participates in the company's acquisition and development initiatives.

Susan oversees all property operations, leasing, budgeting, resident relations/retention, financial reporting and client satisfaction. Additionally, Susan establishes and monitors monthly and annual income and occupancy goals; supervises on-site team members; develops and implements effective marketing plans and is responsible for rent collection, preventative maintenance and cost containment procedures. Susan is a twenty five-year veteran in residential property management and has worked for national companies including Lincoln Property Company, Riverstone Residential Group and Greystar Real Estate Partners. Prior to joining Zocalo, Susan served as Regional Vice President for Campus Advantage with asset oversight in California, Texas, Florida, Minnesota and Missouri.

Her career highlights include being a key participant in the development of Greystar's Central Texas Region, managing over $7 million in value add initiatives and supervising the opening of eight new developments in the last six years. Susan holds her Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor (CAPS®) designation 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

Emilie has been involved in sustainable commercial real estate development and consulting for more than six years. The majority of her projects involved public-private partnerships and financing mechanisms, including Tax Increment Financing, New Markets Tax Credits, Brownfield Tax Credits, Parking Revenue Bonds, Motor Vehicle Funds and Green Tax Credits.

In Denver she worked at the Ross Consulting Group, whose traditional clients included both local and multi-national businesses, and whose pro-bono roster included the Denver Public Schools and the Union Station Project. Prior to moving to Colorado, Emilie worked at Struever Brothers, Eccles & Rouse, a leading mid-Atlantic development and construction firm headquartered in Baltimore, MD.

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 work in development, she worked five years in public relations and marketing for non-profit organizations in New York City. Emilie is the Board Chair of Groundwork Denver as well as the Education Co-Chair and Steering Committee Member for the Metropolitan Branch of the Colorado Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. She is also active with the Urban Land Institute.

Monica Martinez

LEED-AP

During three years working in the Denver Mayor’s Office, Monica served as policy analyst and community engagement lead. Important projects included the Mayor’s Affordable Housing Task Force and content manager for the customer service initiative, 311. She also led two Mayor’s office outreach efforts – Partnership Denver and Denver Listens – that engaged residents and businesses to collaborate with city government to address quality of life and civic issues.

Monica earned a Public Policy degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where she focused on municipal efforts to create responsible growth management policies. She is originally from Los Angeles where she worked for Los Angeles City Council after running a Mexican furniture import business. She currently serves on the Mi Casa Resource Center and Denver SCORES non-profit boards.