Hartford Chapter

Hartford Chapter President
Brian Zelman
Principal, Zelman Real Estate

Brian Zelman has broad experience in multiple commercial real estate sectors and roles, including retail real estate brokerage and leasing, development across multiple asset types and as an expert in legal proceedings. His expertise includes land assemblage and entitlement as well as structuring public private partnerships.

The services he offers to clients in the Northeast and around the country include build-to-suit development of single- and multi-tenant retail, medical and dental retail properties (triple net lease), and he is currently engaged in a significant number of multifamily developments with hundreds of units in the pipeline, as well as the entitlement and development of an anchored mixed use retail and healthcare center in a high growth North Carolina market.

Prior to founding Zelman Real Estate, he served as Director of Real Estate for Eagle Rock Retail and as a Partner and Realtor at Broder Commercial. Zelman is an active member of ICSC and has served as ICSC’s CT Next Generation Chair, CT State Director, CT GR Chair and a member of the Federal PAC Management Committee. He also regularly guest lectures in the UConn MBA Real Estate program.

Hartford Chapter Vice President
Melissa Ferrucci
Office Managing Partner, CohnReznick

Melissa Ferrucci is the Office Managing Partner for CohnReznick’s Hartford and Stamford, CT offices. Serving clients in commercial real estate and affordable housing, she provides auditing services and guidance on critical industry issues to a range of stakeholders. She has also worked closely with various governments and quasi-governmental agencies. 

Melissa is a board member of the Real Estate Finance Association, serving as Co-Chair of the Program Committee.  She is a board member of the CohnReznick Foundation.  She is the Treasurer of the Construction Institute and Past President of CREW-CT.  She also serves on the Building Foundations – Commercial Real Estate and Building Industry Breakfast Committee.

John Alissi
Updike, Kelly & Spellacy
Past President, REFA-CT Executive Board Member

John J. Alissi, currently serving as the Firm’s President, is a member of the Firm’s
Corporate Law Department where he focuses his practice in the area of banking
and commercial law, business law, real estate financing & leasing and public finance.
As a member of the Commercial Lending & Banking practice group, Mr. Alissi
represents commercial banks, finance companies and other debt and equity
providers in all aspects of commercial lending including acquisition and
construction financing, permanent mortgage financing, syndicated loans and
participation agreements. Mr. Alissi also has extensive experience in asset based
lending, commercial finance and other forms of secured lending transactions,
including revolving loans, term loans and letters of credit to various types of
businesses. Mr. Alissi regularly represents small and medium sized businesses in general
corporate matters as well as clients involved in real estate matters including the
acquisition, disposition and leasing of industrial, commercial, office and mixed use
properties as well as clients involved in the acquisition and disposition of
apartment buildings, hotels and other hospitality properties. Mr. Alissi also has
extensive experience creating and maintaining corporations, limited liability
companies and other legal entities.

Frank Appicelli, Carlton Fields
Past President, REFA-CT Executive Board Member

Frank Appicelli concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial finance, real estate, and investments, and regularly represents lenders, investors, owners, sponsors, developers, and operating companies.

Frank advises insurance companies, investment funds, and commercial banks in commercial real estate financings involving acquisition, bridge, construction, permanent, mezzanine and subordinate loans, and commercial credit and asset-based financings involving revolving credit and term loans, letters of credit, and liquidity and other credit enhancement facilities.

Matthew Callahan, Ion Bank
Chair of Hartford Young Professionals Committee

Matthew Callahan started his career in 2012 at People’s United Bank in a formal credit training program.  Matt is Vice President at Ion Bank, serving as a commercial real estate lender.  Matt has over a decade of commercial real estate experience.  Matt is responsible for managing his existing real estate portfolio and developing new relationships to bring to the bank to generate new business, fee income and cross-sell other bank products.  Matt’s advanced lending experience allows him to assist existing and prospective clients in structuring and restructuring their financing needs, creating a balance that works for the client and the bank. Matt graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in economics and he currently resides in Wethersfield with his wife, Karli and son, Chase.   

Mark Duclos, Sentry Commercial
Past President, Golf Committee Chair

Mark Duclos, SIOR, CRE, is co-founder and President of Sentry Commercial. He has more than 35 years of experience as an industrial specialist. He has held the SIOR designation for more than 18 years, served as the SIOR Global President for 2 years (the longest tenure of an SIOR President to date), and currently is the Immediate Past SIOR Global President.

He started his commercial real estate career in 1986 with developer and owner, Griffin Industrial Realty, and began his brokerage career with The Farley Company, representing industrial companies for their real estate needs. In addition to holding the prestigious SIOR designation, he also holds the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) designation currently.

Derek Ezovski, Outsourced Risk Management Solutions
Past President, REFA-CT Executive Board Member

Derek has extensive experience in environmental and property risk management. Has spent entire professional career helping companies create best practices to manage their risks via engineering solutions, insurance, and information needs. He has a very unique background focused on business development to the financial services community which is why ORMS was founded.

Former roles include Managing Director of Environmental Data Resources, a national environmental information company, Environmental Practice Leader – Western New England for Marsh USA, VP of Casualty for Marsh USA, Environmental Risk Manager for FleetBoston’s Small Business Services division, Assistant Director/Engineering Manager at Travelers Insurance.e. As President of ORMS, Derek continues to work closely with industry experts, regulators and government agencies on risk management issues. In fact, the SBA modeled their desktop due diligence requirements in their new SOP after a product developed by my team. Currently working with lenders and other real estate managers to assist with the due diligence process to make the process simple.

Kathryn Frasier, Sentry Commercial
Hartford Chapter Director

Kathryn Frasier joined Sentry Commercial in September 2022 with a Corporate Services position on the Brokerage and Advisory team. She has her real estate license in both Massachusetts and Connecticut and is excited to continue her journey with Sentry Commercial. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her fiancé, her puppy Benny, and playing golf!

Lyle Fulton, Guilford Savings Bank
Sponsorship Committee

Jayne Kelly, Ion Bank
Sponsorship Committee

Jayne Kelly, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Banking Officer, has been employed by Ion Bank since 1998, serving as Chief Commercial Banking Officer since 2008.  She has over 30 years commercial banking experience and is a graduate with honors from the National School of Banking. She currently sits on the Boards of United Way Greater Waterbury Finance Committee, Post University School of Business Advisory Board, Women’s Business Development Council, and is a Member of the Real Estate Finance Association of Hartford CT.

Kevin Kenny, Lexington Partners
Hartford Chapter Director

Kevin F. Kenny is an accomplished leader in the commercial real estate industry and is the Founder and President of NAI Lexington Commercial, LLC (a commercial real estate brokerage). He also holds the title of Vice President with Lexington Partners, LLC (Real Estate Development) and is Vice President of Business Development for Innoconn Construction Management. Kevin has 15 years of dedicated experience in real estate development, brokerage, and construction management, specializing in new business development, acquisitions, investor relations, and owners project management.

Brion Kirsch, Pullman & Comley
Sponsorship Committee

Nate Kirschner, Hillwood
Hartford Chapter Director, Program Committee

Nate Kirschner servers as a Senior Development Director on Hillwood’s Northeast team. Nate’s role includes land due diligence and acquisitions, financial analysis, coordination with government agencies on zoning and permitting, and ultimately the design and construction of quality industrial facilities. Before Hillwood, Nate spent 17 years as a civil engineer. Nate’s work as a civil engineer included leading a 10-person team on projects in over 20 states throughout the country with a focus on managing and implementing due diligence, entitlement, design, and development/redevelopment for high profile, large scale industrial, retail, private, and public sector projects. He has successfully permitted and constructed over ten million square feet of industrial space throughout New England.

Nate also served as an Infantry Squad Leader in the U.S. Army from December 1999 to March 2008. As an Infantry Squad Leader, he was responsible for personnel and equipment both stateside and while conducting combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom

Paul LaMonica, Ion Bank
Past President, REFA-CT Executive Board Member

Paul LaMonica is a Senior Vice President, CRE team leader with ION Bank and has over 40 years banking experience, primarily as a commercial real estate lender, in the Tri-State and New England region. Over the last 30 years, he has provided over 2 billion in financing to some of the region’s top investors and developers. LaMonica is a past senior CRE lender for numerous institutions including Farmers & Mechanics Bank, Citizens Bank, Liberty Bank, First Horizon Corporation and Farmington Bank. LaMonica has specific expertise in land development and construction lending with projects financed ranging from $1 million to $40 million, including medical office buildings, apartment complexes, hospitality facilities and land development. Paul is the Past President of the Hartford Chapter of REFA CT. He is a past program committee chair for REFA, CT, as well as being a past president of the Middletown Exchange Club, a board member of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Middlesex Hospice Golf Committee, and serves as a corporator for Middlesex Hospital.

Dinora Lopez, Liberty Bank
Hartford Chapter Director

Dinora Lopez is a Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Liberty Bank, the oldest mutual savings bank in America, based out of Middletown, CT.  In her role at Liberty Bank she supports all of the bank’s business lines, including working closely with the bank’s facilities team on legal issues related to real estate owned or operated by the bank, and the bank’s lending team as an advisor on legal issues.

Dinora is very active in community affairs and is a leader on many boards and organizations. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, President of the Commercial Real Estate Women’s Network (CREW) Connecticut Chapter, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Capital Community College Foundation and member of the Board of Directors of Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Company (CATIC), among many other organizations.

Stuart Manley, GHD
Membership Committee

Stewart is an environmental professional in GHD’s Hartford office responsible for business development and project management. He’s a Connecticut Licensed Environmental Professional (LEP), Massachusetts Licensed Site Professional (LSP) and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) with over 25 years of experience leading multi-disciplinary teams in the assessment and remediation of complex industrial properties, as well as providing regulatory compliance and permitting services.

GHD is one of the world’s leading professional services companies operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. We provide engineering, environmental, and construction services to private and public sector clients.
ate lasting community benefits.

Jeff Matrullo, Penwood Real Estate
Membership Committee

Jeff is general counsel at Penwood Real Estate Investment Management, where he advises Penwood on its real estate investments, closed-end investment funds, separate accounts, regulatory compliance, and general business operations. With over fifteen years of experience as a commercial real estate attorney, he supports Penwood in the formulation and implantation of strategic plans for the company’s assets. Jeff joined Penwood from an Am Law 200 firm, where as a partner he represented private developers and institutions in commercial real estate acquisitions, dispositions, leases, and financing involving a variety of asset types, including industrial properties. Jeff received a B.S. summa cum laude, in Business Management from Providence College and a J.D., with high honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law

Timothy Mitchell, CBRE
Past President, Program Committee

Timothy B. Mitchell is a Vice President in the Hartford, Connecticut office of CBRE/New England. He has over 25 years of professional experience in the preparation and review of commercial real estate appraisals, feasibility studies, rent analysis, market studies, partial-interest analysis, property-assessment valuations, easements, consulting assignments, right-of-way valuations, and diminution-in-value from full and partial takings.

Patrick Mulready, CBRE
Past President, REFA-CT Executive Board Member

Patrick joined the New England offices of CBRE in 1996 as an appraiser, specializing in the valuation of office buildings. He became a member of the brokerage staff in 1998, and has since developed a career as one of the premier investment specialists in Central Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Patrick has played a significant role in more than 120 building sales over the past 10 years, including several Downtown Hartford office towers and several suburban office and industrial portfolios.

Paige Owens, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.
Chair of Hartford Young Professionals Committee

Paige L. Owens is an attorney at Updike, Kelly, and Spellacy, P.C., where she practices in the areas of commercial lending and banking, real estate finance and leasing, and real estate development.

Prior to joining UKS, Ms. Owens served as a law clerk to the Honorable William J. Sullivan, the Honorable Dennis G. Eveleigh, the Honorable Joseph H. Pellegrino, and the Honorable Michael R. Sheldon of the Connecticut Appellate Court.

Anna Paladino, CBRE
Hartford Chapter Director, Membership Committee

Anna is a Director at CBRE Capital Markets in the Debt & Structured Finance group. She is based out of the Hartford, Connecticut office. Anna’s primary role is to support the Hartford team in originating, underwriting, marketing and closing commercial loans. Since joining the Hartford DSF team in 2011, Anna has been involved in over $8.0 Billion of commercial mortgages on behalf of institutional quality borrowers and lenders, in various primary and secondary markets within 27+ U.S. states. The Hartford DSF Team facilitates financing for all asset types – including Multifamily, Industrial, Retail, Office and Hotels and more specialized assets including Student Housing, Medical Office, and more.

Nicole Pratt, CATIC
Hartford Chapter Director, Program Committee

Attorney Pratt is currently VP, National Commercial Sales Manager and manages the Industry Relations Department at CATIC, where she has worked for 6+ years. Prior to joining CATIC, Nicole served as an agency services representative and agency account manager for two national title insurance underwriters. She received her undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College, and her J.D. from New England Law- Boston.  She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and has focused her entire career in real estate. Nicole is involved with many national and local organizations, including the MBA, CREW CT and Boston (Golf Committee), REFA CT (Board of Directors) and Boston, Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers’ Association, Greater Boston Association of Realtors, AREAA, CCIM New England (Planning Committee), and ICSC (CT Planning Committee). Nicole currently resides in Brookline, MA with her husband Jonathan and their English Bulldogs Star and Seamus and loves to spend time down on Cape Cod.

Rocco Quaresima, Elm Realty Advisors
Past President

Rocco Quaresima, MAI, AI-GRS is the President of Elm Realty Advisors, LLC  and has been active in the real estate industry since 1990. Prior to establishing Elm Realty Advisors, LLC, Mr. Quaresima was the co‑founder of FRQ Property Advisors, LLC. In addition to providing valuation and consultant services, he was responsible for maintaining client relations, managing appraisal assignments, and training new employees. Mr. Quaresima has developed an expertise in the valuation of solar photovoltaic systems as well as other energy efficient related improvements. He also has extensive experience in reviewing third party appraisal reports for the purpose of examining form, content, methodology, accuracy, adequacy of data and reasoning employed by the appraiser.

Michael Riccio, CBRE
Past President

Mr. Riccio is Co-Head of National Production for CBRE Capital Markets Debt & Equity Finance, and Head of Lender Relations. Mr. Riccio, one of the few player-coaches for CBRE, is based in Hartford, CT also acts as a trusted advisor to many top-tier institutional investors across the US.  He joined CBRE in 2004 and has more than 40 years of commercial real estate experience. Michael has closed billions of mortgage transactions in major metropolitan areas around the United States in all property types.