Leadership

Michael Mendillo is an equity partner with FirstService Residential, the largest residential management company in North America. As president and principal, Michael’s responsibilities include client retention, leadership development, culture building, organizational growth and strategic initiatives. Michael possesses first-hand knowledge of industry and corporate trends and challenges, having directly pitched and closed some of the largest communities in the region. Michael is responsible for identifying, due diligence and negotiation of all regional acquisitions – through closing and integration. He has been involved in 24 such strategic acquisitions including The Niles Company, Community Management Group and the Abbott Group, attributing to the key growth of the organization. 
 
In 1997, Michael’s organization, The Wentworth Group partnered with FirstService Residential, becoming FirstService Residential’s East Region serving community associations across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Washington D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Tennessee. Prior to the Wentworth Group and FirstService Residential, Michael founded and served as CEO of Mandell Investment Inc., a real estate investment management firm, working with national and regional residential real estate developers.
 
Michael is responsible for creating two region-specific, associate-centric events aimed at education, development and motivation – L.E.A.D.S. in its 12^th year and the company’s Annual Meeting in its 22^nd year. L.E.A.D.S. attracts industry partners, clients and sponsors, giving them a unique opportunity to introduce their brand to all of the region’s associates, and features compelling motivational speakers, year-after-year. Both have evolved into two-day events that feature educational programming, a review of previous year accomplishments and goals and objectives for the current year, as well as allowing for associate interaction, networking and engagement.
 
Through a charismatic personality, a genuine connection with and passion for people, Michael has become a prolific public speaker on such topics as community association management, entrepreneurialism, leadership, vision, corporate culture and the relationship between service and business. He has appeared as a keynote speaker and panel member on such topics as customer service, leadership, human resources management, achieving and sustaining business success and growing your company in today’s climate. Michael’s speaking engagements have included Columbia University, New York University Stern School of Business, William Paterson University, The International Builders Show, Community Associations Institute (CAI) and the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM).
 
Michael graduated from William Paterson University with a Bachelor of Science in Business and currently sits on the University’s Advisory Board for the College of Business. Michael has taught on community association management at Monmouth University, highlighting industry principles community association management as a career path. Additionally, he sits on the board of Rutgers Customer Experience Program through Rutgers University Center for Innovation Education.

Bryan Hughes brings with him over two decades of leadership experience, including senior leadership roles in major publicly traded service organizations. Additionally, he has several years of experience working in and around the Property Management field, telecommunications, and as a leadership consultant. Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Bryan was a Regional Director and Vice President for Terminix International where he was responsible for managing 17 business units within a ten state area.

Hughes is a graduate of Bellevue University where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration and Western Governors University where he earned his MBA. He has also earned a Bachelor of Music from Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA. In addition, Bryan also holds the Six Sigma Lean Black Belt Professional (LBBP)® certification.

Jesse DiGiovanni, vice president of human resources, is responsible for the oversight and direction of all human resources activities, including planning and development of initiatives to align with company policies, culture and best practices. She will also serve as a strategic business partner, working closely with market and operational leaders to help meet and exceed organizational goals.

DiGiovanni has vast experience working with leadership teams to advise on talent management, associate engagement, HR metrics analysis, workforce and succession planning, performance management and learning and development functions. Most recently she served as the HR Leader – East Coast for The RealReal. Jesse has an MBA in human resource management from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Bachelor of Science in human resources management and industrial psychology from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

In addition to corporate finance, Jeff Cushing oversees the day to day operations of our client accounting department. He works closely with our managers designing specialized financial reports and providing project specific information for our clients in Massachusetts. Cushing brings 25+ years of accounting experience to our team as well as experience as a manager of operations within the property management industry.

Jeff Cushing received his B.A. degree in Accounting from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Sean Jordan has a diverse background in management, technology, accounting, marketing and home improvement. He has sat on the board of directors for a non-profit real estate development company focused on creating affordable housing, is the President of his condominium association and has worked with a number of developers in Massachusetts particularly in mixed used communities as a representative for developments including new construction, through lease up and sales of units.

For nearly 20 years Sean Jordan worked in real estate, primarily in condominium, commercial, and rental management. Jordan joined FirstService Residential in 2011 and was most recently Controller where he refined the accounting team processes. He holds both the CMCA® and AMS® designation, a Massachusetts real estate brokers license, and earned a BS degree in Business from Northeastern University.

As Regional Operations Manager, Jennifer Moriarty provides leadership and oversight for the Central Support Team who provides support to the community managers and client communities in the Massachusetts market. Though each team member develops expertise in specific support functions such as maintenance, compliance and account receivables, the team works as a collective. This unique structure allows the team to provide best-in-class support to the managers and their communities by ensuring timely responses with quality information.

Moriarty joined FirstService Residential as a Portfolio Manager Assistant in 2015. She brought to the company 15 years of experience in many facets of the property management industry. This included administration, accounting and management with assisted living, commercial and residential properties. She received her B.A. degree from Wheelock College in Massachusetts.

Colette Montanaro works closely with Executive Management to staff and retain our internal teams throughout the region. Through her leadership, new associate orientation programs have been created, assuring top Managers and Directors are properly trained. These critical programs prepare associates for their new positions both at client sites and in regional offices. She also works closely with the Human Resources department to create customer service training for sited associates and travels throughout the region to communicate and launch these programs.
 
Montanaro is often asked to visit client sites to work with and advise residential boards during the selection process of their sited managers. She also provides our clients with extensive associate evaluations ensuring their communities are properly staffed and managed accordingly.
 
She has over 18 years of experience in staffing services. Prior to joining FirstService in 2008, Montanaro was the President and Founder of an Executive Search Firm specializing in service related industries where she placed and coached Executive level management nationally. She worked closely with “C” level management to identify their associate needs and improve their selection processes.
 
Montanaro is an active member of Community Associations Institute (CAI) New Jersey including serving on the Beach Party Committee. Montanaro attended Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey where she majored in Communications with a concentration in Radio and Television.

Raymond Tate serves as a key member of the region’s executive team that sets our strategic direction, spearheading business development initiatives consistent with this strategy. In addition, he is responsible for building and managing the region’s business development team always leading by example in maintaining FirstService Residential’s mission and core values.
 
Raymond Tate came to FirstService Residential with over 15 years of progressive business development experience. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President of Business Development for Planned Companies. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Hampton University.

Scott Lang is Senior Vice President of Finance for the East Region at FirstService Residential where he is responsible for driving revenue enhancement and cost control initiatives across the region. Additionally, he is responsible for providing leadership and oversight to our Corporate Accounting, Client Accounting, HR and Legal groups.
 
Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Lang was a Managing Director at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) where he advised large financial institutions on derivative and market matters. Prior to RBS, Lang had a successful career at Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers. In total, Lang brings over 25 years of financial, business management, and customer service expertise to FirstService Residential.
 
Lang has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting/Finance/Economics from the State University of New York at Oswego, an MBA in Finance/Management of Organizations from Columbia University in New York City and is a Certified Public Accountant.
 
Lang is actively involved in his local community, serving as Treasurer of the Cub Scouts and of the town library.

Scott Bresnick drives and supports a wide range of strategic and operational initiatives. He is also responsible for transferring best practices across the operations and business units to impact positive change throughout the organization.

Bresnick brings over 15 years of strategic management and process development experience. He has hands-on experience with businesses ranging from start-up to enterprise with extensive knowledge of corporate operations and business management including business planning, strategic management, and project planning.

Bresnick received his Bachelors Degree in Business Management and his Masters in Business Administration, both from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.

Alan Trachtenberg has centralized legal oversight responsibility including contract initiation, review and negotiation; oversees corporate compliance; provides education, advice and assistance to associates on their responsibilities and legal related industry topics; litigation oversight and management; risk management including mitigating and reporting and liaison for national risk management and insurance programs; consults on and assists with employment law and related matters.

Trachtenberg has over 20 years experience in the professional community association management having previously provided direct community management services, as well as providing oversight and guidance to community managers and board members. He also has served as Director of Human Resources for FirstService Residential, coordinating and overseeing personnel management and administration.

Trachtenberg graduated from Rutgers College with a B.A. in Economics and received his J.D. from New England School of Law. He is a member of the New Jersey and Massachusetts Bars and is an active member of Community Associations Institute.

Ilene Jablonski, vice president of marketing and communications, is responsible for the marketing strategy and execution, internal and external communications and development of new business development initiatives for the East Region of FirstService Residential.

With many years of marketing leadership experience, llene has developed and implemented marketing, branding and communications programs for the real estate industry. Prior to joining FirstService Residential in 2018, Ilene spent over 17 years with Mack-Cali Realty Corporation and Roseland Residential Trust. With over 20 years of related experience, Ilene has a proven track record of building successful marketing teams, developing award-winning campaigns and increasing brand recognition.

Ilene remains active on the Hudson County landscape, serving on the board of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce and the Jersey City Economic Development Association and member of the New Jersey City University School of Business Advisory Council. In addition, she is a member of Community Associations Institute of New Jersey (CAI-NJ) and IREM NJ.

Ilene graduated, with honors, from Kean University with a Bachelor’s degree in Management Science and Marketing.

Judy Julison recently joined the FirstService Residential team as the Senior Vice President of Lifestyle Programming.  In this capacity, Julison facilitates lifestyle training for new Associates and oversees the development and execution of lifestyle programs and support operations at our active adult and multi-generational lifestyle communities across the East Region.
 
Prior to making the decision to join the FirstService Residential team, Julison worked as the National Director of Lifestyle Operations for PulteGroup, working exclusively with the company’s Del Webb brand.  Over her 14 year tenure with this homebuilder, Julison was responsible for supporting more than 50 Del Webb community teams in 21 markets across the country with planning, development and delivery of active adult lifestyle amenities, programs and Association management and governance operations.  Ensuring quality, continuity and alignment with the ever changing consumer needs and interests were a primary emphasis.
 
Earlier in her career, Julison worked as the Vice President/Executive Director of the Homeowner's Association at Del Webb’s Sun City Huntley, a 5,750 home large-scale active-adult lifestyle community in the state of Illinois.  Concurrently, she also supported smaller-scale Del Webb residential properties in the area with lifestyle programming and Association operations.  Prior to employment at Sun City, Julison worked as the Superintendent of Recreation and in other management capacities in the leisure service/parks & recreation industry for over 15 years. 
 
Julison completed undergraduate studies in Education at Northern Illinois University and holds a Master of Science in Management & Leadership from National Louis University.  She is also certified as a National Parks & Recreation Industry professional and holds the CMCA and AMS professional designations through the Community Association Institute.

Alison Phillips, CMCA(R), CAM(R) is the Vice President of FirstService Residential in New England. Alison joined FirstService Residential in early 2019 and oversees all aspects of multi-family residential and commercial operations. Root-cause identification and implementing new strategies is Alison’s specialty.

Alison has over 12 years of property management experience including 10 years in real estate development and management of market rate, historic tax-credit conversions. She pairs this knowledge with strong leadership and mentoring skills, and uses it as a pathway to success.

Alison brings to FirstService Residential a strong operational and financial savvy, but also significant success in marketing and leasing operations. She began her leasing career with Riverstone (now Greystar), and has carried that experience as she has completed full lease-ups and building conversions.

Alison is a graduate of Framingham State College where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a concentration in medicine. In addition to her love of learning anything new, she’s a fitness, music and sign language enthusiast.

Michael Refat joined FirstService Residential in 2018 and provides leadership and operational oversight to associates and client communities in the high-rise division.

Rafat comes to FirstService Residential with a 19-year career in property management that began on the accounting side in Atlanta, Georgia, where he worked for some of the largest property management companies and developers. While in Atlanta, Refat transitioned to direct property management and specialized in managing communities under developers’ control and overseeing the associations’ transitions to homeowner control. In 2008, he brought his experience to Boston, managing luxury high-rises.

Refat has an undergraduate degree in accounting from Ain Shams University, an MBA from Kennesaw State University and a real estate license in Massachusetts.

Laureen Ballard provides leadership and operational oversight to COA/HOA clients and associates throughout Massachusetts. Laureen has over 25 years of experience in managing properties and previously ran and operated a family owned property management company. She has been with FirstService Residential for 8+ years, starting out with predecessor company, The Niles Company.

Building meaningful relationships with board members and residents at the properties she manages is one of the reasons she has sustained such longevity in the industry.  

Laureen holds an Associate’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Massasoit Community College.