Our Team

Gabi Franco joined Carmel Partners in 2014 and is a Partner and the Head of Asset Management. He is responsible for all Asset Management activities, including oversight of the national team, property underwriting, operations and performance, and also oversees Marketing and Retail. He is a member of the Investment Committee.

Prior to Carmel, Mr. Franco worked in New York as a third-party Asset Manager & Development Associate for LCOR, Inc. He managed legacy assets for Lehman Brothers, overseeing a national portfolio, concentrating on capital improvements and dispositions while sourcing and underwriting new development opportunities in the Northeast.

Mr. Franco received a Bachelor of Arts degree in international security and conflict resolution at San Diego State University and a Master of Science degree in real estate development at Columbia University.

Melanie Flaherty joined Carmel Partners in 2013, where she oversees branding, creative strategy and digital marketing with a focus on Carmel’s multifamily portfolio.

Previously, as Vice President, Marketing at Archstone, Ms. Flaherty led brand strategy and online marketing for 180+ luxury apartment communities in major metropolitan markets, including a pipeline of over 50 new development projects. Prior to real estate, Ms. Flaherty spent 13 years in brand management in the food industry. Ms. Flaherty headed marketing for Gardenburger (Wholesome & Hearty Foods), where she built the strategic plan and new products pipeline. Ms. Flaherty also spent eight years with ConAgra Foods, where she led the Hunt’s brand revitalization, including new products, new positioning, new website and a comprehensive loyalty program.

Ms. Flaherty received a Bachelor of Science degree in business from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Master of Business Administration degree with honors from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Jennifer Will joined Carmel Partners in 2015. She has over 15 years of experience in asset management and acquisitions of multifamily and commercial assets and as a Senior Vice President is responsible for overseeing the Asset Management Team and operations for Denver and East Coast assets.

Prior to joining Carmel, Ms. Will served as a Senior Associate at Shorenstein Properties and also gained experience in asset management and acquisitions while working at Glenborough.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration at Saint Louis University with a concentration in finance.

Leah Woogen joined Carmel Partners in 2020 as Vice President, Asset Management. As Senior Vice President she is responsible for overseeing the Asset Management Team and operations for the California and Hawaii portfolio.

Ms. Woogen has worked in real estate and asset management for over a decade. Prior to joining Carmel, she served as Vice President of Asset Management at Mill Creek Residential Trust where she managed Mill Creek’s West Coast portfolio. Ms. Woogen also held roles at Greystar Real Estate Partners as Director of Real Estate, where she directed national portfolio performance and execution for Blackstone’s multifamily portfolio, and as Director of Investments, responsible for sourcing and evaluating all multifamily acquisitions and disposition opportunities in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Chicago MSA.

Ms. Woogen received her master’s degree in real estate finance from Georgetown University and her undergraduate degree in finance from Tulane University.

Pieter Joosen joined Carmel Partners in 2014. In his role as Vice President, Capital Projects Mr. Joosen is responsible for planning, managing and overseeing the implementation of capital projects for Carmel’s multifamily assets located nationwide as well as retail space delivery condition and tenant improvement construction.

Prior to joining Carmel, Mr. Joosen worked for Avalon Bay and Core Builders, Inc. as a Project Manager for various ground-up multi-family developments. Additionally, he worked for AECOM as a Construction Manager overseeing transit-related projects for the Bay Area Rapid Transit District.

Mr. Joosen has a Master of Science in construction management from California State University, East Bay, and a Bachelor of Science in construction management from California State University, Chico.

Carly Lenderts joined Carmel Partners in 2018 and has a decade of experience working in the multifamily real estate investment space. As Vice President, Asset Management she is responsible for lease-up strategy and operations for the Denver and Washington D.C. markets.

Prior to joining Carmel, Ms. Lenderts served as analyst at Monarch Investment and Management Group where she handled sourcing and underwriting multifamily properties. She also provided due diligence and transaction management for new acquisitions and refinances, as well as financial analysis and budgeting for properties across the Midwest and Southeast.

Ms. Lenderts earned her Bachelor of Arts in international relations and politics, philosophy and economics from Claremont McKenna College.

Jen Bucktrout joined Carmel Partners in 2014. As Vice President, Marketing she is responsible for brand execution, property website architecture and functionality, leasing technology and Carmel’s corporate marketing.

Prior to joining Carmel, Ms. Bucktrout oversaw an extensive multifamily portfolio as a Regional Marketing Manager for Greystar. She developed marketing plans to drive leasing efforts, managed advertising campaigns and successfully brought new assets from lease-up to stabilization. Prior to her work at Greystar, Ms. Bucktrout worked on the creative agency side as an Account Strategist, where she handled creative workflow for both traditional and digital elements with a specialization in lifestyle brands, including multifamily real estate. Through her knowledge of website design and information architecture, she continues to evolve Carmel property websites and enhance online leasing through use of the latest technologies and property visualization.

Ms. Bucktrout earned her Bachelor of Arts in humanities from the University of South Florida.

Lacy Swindle joined Carmel Partners in 2014 and leads brand development and marketing for the Southern California and Denver developments, as well as digital initiatives for the portfolio.

Ms. Swindle has worked in multifamily marketing for over a decade. Prior to joining Carmel, she gained experience driving brand awareness and developing strategic digital plans for an extensive luxury multifamily portfolio at Irvine Company Apartment Communities. Additionally, Ms. Swindle spent a portion of her career specializing in content development, marketing analytics, and account management for several global brands.

She received a Bachelor of Science in business administration with an emphasis in advertising from the University of Southern California.