Our Team
The right people. The right experience.
Fairlawn’s executive leadership team has over 100 years of combined experience doing what we do best—real estate investing, property management, development, construction, accounting, finance, human resources, and law. In total, we employ over 130 full-time professionals dedicated to ensuring the continued success of each of our properties from the ground up.
In particular, Fairlawn Capital's Investments Team scrutinizes each potential opportunity with respect to underwriting, risk management, physical due diligence, marketing, and operations—meaning our entire team is consistently well-prepared for the challenges of long-term property ownership.
Chris is a Principal, President and Chairman of Fairlawn. Chris' focus involves setting the vision for the Fairlawn platform, as well as developing and executing on the firm’s investment strategies. He has been an active real estate developer since 2002, having acquired, developed and managed over $600 million of multi-family, office and real estate throughout the Midwest. He also serves as the managing broker of Fairlawn Real Estate and is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization.
Prior to founding Fairlawn Real Estate and Fairlawn Capital, Chris served as Managing Partner at JSM Real Estate—a family-owned company in Champaign-Urbana. Chris began his career at Accenture Consulting in Chicago building financial IT systems for various clients around the globe. He earned bachelor’s degrees in Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University.
Gozen is a Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Fairlawn. Gozen’s core focus is to integrate Fairlawn’s investments, operations and finance & administration functions. She also ensures that the company’s successful management formula and culture are effectively deployed across all locations. As Co-founder, Gozen has been integral in taking the company from fewer than 10 employees and 300 units in 2015 to 140+ employees and 5,200+ units today.
Prior to co-founding Fairlawn, Gozen worked at McKinsey & Company in strategy consulting within the air and travel industries. During her 12 years at McKinsey, she also spent several years managing a global team of industry experts across all travel and logistics industries. Gozen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with concentrations in Construction Management and Transportation Systems from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master of Science in Transportation Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Jason is a Principal, General Counsel and Director of Investor Relations of Fairlawn and primarily focuses on developing the overall firm strategy, sourcing equity for new projects, and facilitating the deal execution phase of Fairlawn's investment process.
Jason is a former Shareholder at the Champaign-based law firm Meyer Capel, PC. He served in the Illinois General Assembly for twelve years, ten of which were in the Illinois State Senate. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University. Prior to law school, Jason served in the Illinois Army National Guard as an infantry soldier and was employed by Ernst & Young, LLP.
Maggie is the Chief Operating Officer of Fairlawn and is responsible for integrating the operational components of the company including Property Management, Asset Management and Marketing and Sales. Her primary focus is ensuring that Fairlawn is taking the best care of its people, residents and investors, while optimizing the performance of the properties. Having been with Fairlawn since its founding in 2015, Maggie has created and shaped the operational processes that have provided a platform for Fairlawn’s rapid growth.
Prior to joining Fairlawn, Maggie was Director of Marketing & Public Relations for Regency Apartments and managed leasing and marketing for multiple student housing properties at The Scion Group. Maggie also previously served as a sergeant in the Illinois National Guard where she specialized in transportation and tactical operations. Maggie earned a Bachelor of Science in Media Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Joe is the Chief Financial Officer of Fairlawn and is responsible for the management of the Finance and Administration functions within the company. His primary focus is on integrating the core functions of accounting, finance, debt and equity management, human resources, and information technology. Throughout the course of his career, Joe has worked on over $5 billion of real estate and overseen portfolios across the United States. His experience encompasses a wide range of asset classes, with a focus on multifamily, student housing, and senior housing.
Joe started his career in accounting and financial reporting functions before focusing on portfolio management, asset management, and capital strategy. Joe is a Certified Public Accountant, earned an MBA with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Illinois Wesleyan University.
BJ is the Senior Director of Project Management for Fairlawn Real Estate and is primarily focused on project estimating, execution, management, and oversight. He is also responsible for conducting due diligence inspections, capital budgeting, scope of work preparation, contractor negotiations, quality control, and risk management.
He is experienced in managing renovations, fit-out construction, and ground-up development in both commercial and multi-family real estate. He provides day-to-day communication with the project team to ensure Fairlawn's projects remain on schedule and within budget.
Prior to joining Fairlawn Real Estate, BJ spent 10 years in the insurance industry as a structural and real property adjuster where he investigated, analyzed, and estimated property loss/damages and negotiated claim settlements. BJ earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Marianne is the Associate Director of Asset Management for Fairlawn’s student housing portfolio. She provides asset management oversight for a variety of campus assets throughout the Midwest and focuses on market evaluation, pricing, financial modeling, and product management.
Marianne joined Fairlawn in January of 2020 as Senior Portfolio Manager, and spearheaded the launch of Smile Student Living--Fairlawn's dedicated student housing property management organization. Prior to that role, she provided private student housing consulting as owner of Illinois West Consulting Company, and spent 8 years as Director of Residential Property for JSM Real Estate--one of the largest student housing operators at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She earned her bachelor’s degree and MBA from the University of Illinois.
Audrey is the Director of Marketing & Sales of Fairlawn Real Estate. She is responsible for marketing strategy, analysis, and the sales process for Fairlawn Real Estate’s management company and portfolio of properties. She also oversees client account management, the leasing process, and the company’s brand positioning.
Prior to joining Fairlawn, Audrey was a Portfolio Sales and Marketing Manager for Cardinal Group Management, with a focus on student housing across the country. She has over 10 years of marketing management experience with a concentration on human capital.
Audrey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Illinois College in Jacksonville, IL. Her degree concentration was in creative writing.
Matt is the Acquisitions Manager of Fairlawn Capital. He is responsible for the investment analysis, project underwriting, capital raising, and deal execution of new projects.
Prior to Joining Fairlawn Capital, Matt worked as the Senior Investments Analyst for The Habitat Company. During his time there, he primarily focused on analyzing and underwriting large-scale multifamily value-add properties and ground-up developments. He has assisted in the acquisition and closing of over $250 million of multi-family real estate.
Matt earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance from The University of Iowa.
Jon is a Development Associate with Fairlawn Capital and primarily focuses on executing the company’s real estate development projects. He collaborates with consultants and team members to plan, design, and realize new residential and mixed-use communities.
Prior to joining Fairlawn Capital, Jon worked as a design consultant before transitioning to the development side, and has worked for multiple residential developers. He received a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Carleton University and a Master of Science degree in Community & Regional Planning and Urban Design from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dylan is an Investment Analyst at Fairlawn Capital, where his primary focus is underwriting new investment opportunities. He focuses his efforts on financial analysis, risk assessment, and market research. Dylan joined the firm in June 2023 and was previously an intern during Summer 2022.
Dylan earned a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University, with a double major in Finance and Real Estate. During his tenure at IU, Dylan was actively involved in Kelley School of Business's Commercial Real Estate Workshop and Commercial Real Estate Club, which further honed his expertise in the realm of real estate.