Founded in 1987 by Donna Preiss, The Preiss Company is an industry leader and trusted partner in the acquisition, development, and management of multi-family properties nationwide. As the largest woman-owned student housing company in the country, and with roots planted in Raleigh, North Carolina, The Preiss Company believes firmly in a mission that has guided us over the past 35+ years, in which we strive to foster communities that inspire and empower individuals to be the best version of themselves.
About Us
Leadership Team
Donna Preiss
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Since founding The Preiss Company in 1987, Donna Preiss has been a pioneer in student housing, spearheading the creation of groundbreaking practices in development, financing, technology, operations, and marketing.
Tempered by her hands-on experience in all phases of student housing, Donna is a highly sought-after speaker and has represented the industry at conferences worldwide. She is a member of the NAA National Student Housing Committee and the NMHC National Student Housing Committee. Donna currently serves on the Executive Committee of the NMHC, the Board of Advisors for the UNC Wood Center for Real Estate Services, UNC Board of Visitors, Rams Club Board of Advisors, the NC Veterinary Medical Foundation Board and the Board of Trustees for Ravenscroft School, and is active in a wide array of charities. She is also a recipient of one of Triangle Business Journal's CEO of the Year Awards and was recognized among the Women of Influence by Globe St. She has been recognized as one of the top women in our industry by Business Leader Magazine and Women in Business.
Donna received a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MA from the University of Maryland.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Kirk Preiss
Principal
Principal Kirk Preiss provides decision-making authority on behalf of The Preiss Company and oversight of both property and corporate level technology. As a 20-plus-year real estate veteran, he has contributed to the growth of Preiss’ current portfolio size. Prior to joining The Preiss Company, he held an executive position in technology at IBM, involving him heavily in the LAN and internet movement of the 80s and 90s. He produced patents and led international standards in his field.
Kirk received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, a Master of Science in Mathematics from George Mason University, and an MBA from Duke University. In 2002, he was appointed by Governor Mike Easley to the North Carolina Science and Technology Board. He is an Accredited Residential Manager (ARM) through the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and holds a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation.
Principal
John Preiss
President
With more than 25 years at The Preiss Company, John Preiss has held a progression of key leadership roles, including Broker, Vice President, Executive Vice President of New Business Development, and Chief Investments Officer. In these roles, he has played a pivotal part in driving the company’s investment strategy and managing its joint ventures. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the College of Charleston. He currently serves on the board of directors and the executive committee of the National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC), is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Student Housing Council.
President
Adam Byrley
Chief Operating Officer
Adam Byrley joined The Preiss Company in 2003 and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer.
In his role, Adam oversees all day-to-day operations of the 32,000+ bed Preiss property management portfolio in over 14 states nationwide. These duties include the direct oversight of all day-to-day management operations and all corporate Marketing, Human Resources, and IT teams. Additionally, Adam plays a key role in implementing company strategic initiatives and is a key contributor in the operational underwriting for all acquisition and development opportunities at Preiss.
Adam received his undergraduate degree from Clemson University Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
Chief Operating Officer
Susan Folckemer
Chief A&D Officer
Susan’s role as Chief Acquisitions & Development Officer includes oversight of all acquisitions and ground-up developments, as well as substantial upgrades and renovations of both new and existing assets and dispositions. Susan's team is also responsible for sourcing equity and debt for new projects and asset management oversight for existing joint venture partners. Susan brings over 40 years of development, construction, operations, new business development, and investment sales experience to the Preiss team.
Prior to joining Preiss 22 years ago, Susan served as a Regional Senior Director with CB Richard Ellis, covering the Carolinas and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Susan received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business at North Carolina Wesleyan. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and as Chair of the Hillsborough Street Community Service Corporation at NCSU (HSCSC).
Chief A&D Officer
Chad West
Chief Financial Officer
Chad West serves as the Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for accounting, financial reporting, and tax compliance, as he also directs the treasury management function and the company’s internal controls.
Prior to joining Preiss, he worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers as an Audit Manager serving construction, manufacturing, and real estate clients. He also served as a Controller for several private companies, primarily in the construction industry.
In 1997, Chad graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.
Chief Financial Officer
Kyle Barger
EVP of Construction Management
Kyle joined the company a decade ago as head of Construction Management Services. In his role as Executive Vice President of Construction Management, he oversees all capital improvement projects for Preiss' portfolio. While with Preiss, Kyle has provided a variety of services, including due diligence, property need evaluations, ongoing capital improvement plans, budget analysis, and project management for existing student housing projects. Kyle is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management.
EVP of Construction Management
Sara Clark
EVP of Property Management
Sara Clark joined The Preiss Company in 2005 and currently serves as Executive Vice President of Property Management. In this role, she provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the company’s national portfolio, which includes over 40,000 beds across 80+ student and multifamily housing communities. Sara also leads the corporate property operations team, ensuring seamless support for site-level teams and consistent execution of company standards.
A valued member of the Preiss Executive Team, Sara plays a key role in shaping organizational strategy and driving company-wide initiatives.
Throughout her tenure at Preiss, Sara has held a variety of leadership positions, including Property Manager, Regional Manager, and multiple Vice President roles, contributing to her deep expertise in property operations and team development.
Sara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Housing and Interior Design, with a concentration in Property Management, from Virginia Tech.
EVP of Property Management
John Revington
EVP of Investments
John joined The Preiss Company in 2007 and serves as the Executive Vice President of Investments. As part of his role, John oversees the underwriting of new acquisition and development opportunities. Other key aspects of his position include market analysis, managing debt placement and execution efforts, and general transaction process oversight.
Prior to his current appointment, John served as Preiss' Asset Manager and was responsible for the oversight of annual budget efforts, management of insurance programs, and creating tracking tools to assist property management with day-to-day operations.
John graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Finance
EVP of Investments
Jeff Bartholomew
EVP of Development & Construction Services
Jeff Bartholomew joined The Preiss Company in 2020 and serves as the Vice President of Development & Construction Services. He is responsible for overseeing both current and under construction development projects throughout the development phase and collaborating with the company’s Chief Acquisitions & Development Officer on potential new development projects.
Prior to joining Preiss, Jeff served as the Vice President of Development at Excel Group, leading development and project management functions. He has also held Financial Analyst, Assistant Development Manager, Development Manager, and Senior Asset Manager positions.
Jeff earned a BA in Economics from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Kenan-Flagler Business School.
EVP of Development & Construction Services
David Leake
EVP of Business Development
David Leake joined the New Business Development Team in 2009 and has been part of The Preiss Company since 2000.
He helps bring on new Acquisitions, Developments, and Third-Party Management sites in the industry. He also plays a huge role in market studies and the due diligence process with new potential properties. David has been on all sides of the Student housing real-estate spectrum, including Real-Estate Broker, Acquisition and Development, Leasing Agent, Property Manager, Project Manager, and Construction Management.
David graduated from Appalachian State University.
EVP of Business Development
DeWana Falks
EVP of Property Management
DeWana joined the company in 2008 and oversees two regional managers with responsibility for a portion of Preiss' portfolio, including day-to-day student housing operations oversight. Since joining the company, she has helped to develop a scalable platform that has enabled the company to grow over the last several years.
A 28-year apartment industry veteran, DeWana previously served as a Regional Manager for Campus Advantage, where she operated a portfolio of seven on and off-campus student-housing communities comprised of 6,000 beds. She has held a variety of increasingly important positions within the industry, including Regional Manager for both Stokes-McCaleb and Place Properties.
EVP of Property Management
Chloe Rasmussen
VP of Property Management
Chloe Rasmussen joined The Preiss Company in 2006 and currently serves as Vice President of Property Management. She oversees a team of Regional Managers as well as the Raleigh and conventional multifamily portfolios.
Prior to her current role, Chloe served as a Regional Vice President, Regional Manager, Area Property Manager, and Property Manager.
Chloe is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with a minor in Business.
VP of Property Management
Chelsey Harper
VP of Property Management
Chelsey Harper joined The Preiss Company in 2011 and currently serves as Vice President of Property Management. She oversees 24 of the properties within our portfolio across 3 Regional Managers.
Prior to her current position, Chelsey has worked in the student housing industry for 17 years as a Leasing Consultant, Business Manager, Assistant Property Manager, Property Manager, Area Property Manager, Regional Manager, and Regional VP.
Chelsey graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile and Apparel Brand Management and Marketing with a minor in Spanish.
VP of Property Management
Whitney Kidd
SVP of Innovation & Technology
Whitney joined The Preiss Company in 2022 and serves as the Senior Vice President of Innovation and Technology. She is responsible for the development of revenue-generating technology initiatives serving the Preiss portfolio and broader multifamily markets.
Prior to Preiss, Kidd co-founded the connectivity scoring company, ROVR Score, which provides owners and operators a platform to monitor, score, and promote the quality of Wifi connectivity at multifamily dwellings. During her time as an active partner, she oversaw the operations, sales, and go-to-market strategy for the organization, which expanded to 50,000 student housing beds, 16,000 multifamily units, and 75 communities in the first year of business.
Whitney joined ROVR Score from RealPage, where she managed integrated business solutions across 70+ products to improve performance and drive top-line revenue growth for the Student, Military, and Urban markets. Prior to her departure, the business unit she oversaw achieved 30% YOY growth, resulting in $20 million in recurring revenue. Whitney has an innate and recognized passion for driving innovative technology—paired with operational best practices—to maximize performance. Her customer-first leadership approach delivers market-specific solutions focused on increasing revenue, managing risk, and decreasing expense through technology.
She has over 15 years of professional experience in prop-tech and property management and is a founding board member of the W. Collective, a women in leadership network for the student housing industry.
SVP of Innovation & Technology
Kasey Munsch
VP of Marketing
Kasey began her career in operations as a Leasing and Marketing Manager while still attending college full-time. Joining The Preiss Company in 2010, she has held increasingly more prominent positions in support of the company’s innovative marketing efforts. Leading an internal team of specialized marketing professionals, she oversees brand development, marketing and leasing strategy, creative messaging, and both corporate and property-level marketing. She is also responsible for overseeing resident programming initiatives, communications, sports marketing partnerships, and corporate events.
Munsch also works closely with the New Business Development Team to support new business presentations and strategies. She plays a key role in company functions and conference planning and implements the company’s philanthropic initiatives.
Kasey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication & Public Relations from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
VP of Marketing
Sally De Sousa
VP of Human Resources
Sally's role as VP of Human Resources focuses specifically on Compliance, Employee Relations, and Benefit Strategies within the Preiss company. She oversees a team of HR professionals, who together, manage all components of the end-to-end lifecycle of our employees.
Prior to joining the Preiss Company, Sally worked for an international telecommunications business for over 20 years, where she held various HR roles during her time. These positions included America's Recruiting Manager, North American HR Shared Services Manager, Mergers and Acquisitions Advisor, and HR Business Partner.
Sally graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development.
VP of Human Resources
Colton Lassinger
Regional Vice President
Colton Lassinger joined The Preiss Company in 2008 and currently serves as Regional Vice President. He oversees a number of assets within our portfolio and assists with strategic company initiatives and third-party management assignments.
Prior to his current position, Colton worked in the student housing industry for 20 years as a Leasing Consultant, Assistant Property Manager, Leasing Manager, Property Manager, Area Property Manager, and Regional Manager.
Colton graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.
Regional Vice President
Mike Kivitz
Director, Strategic Partnerships
Mike Kivitz joined The Preiss Company in 2010 and currently serves as Director, Strategic Partnerships. Mike is primarily responsible for initiating and executing strategic growth opportunities for TPCO third-party management platform. Mike will continue to maintain close relationships with existing partners and clients, as well as seek new relationships in both student and conventional multifamily housing. Additionally, Mike assists the new business development team with market research and due diligence efforts for both acquisitions and dispositions.
Prior to his current position, Mike has worked in the student housing industry as a Leasing Consultant, Assistant Property Manager, Area Property Manager, Regional Manager and most recently Regional Director.
Mike graduated from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in Information Systems.
Director, Strategic Partnerships
Andrew Belter
Senior Director, Business Intelligence & Operational Strategy
Andrew Belter joined The Preiss Company in 2011 and currently serves as Senior Director of Business Intelligence and Operational Strategy. He is building out TPCO's business intelligence data platform while also developing the company's overall strategy for operational excellence, with a focus on developing efficiencies to simplify team members' day-to-day work and support the company’s continued portfolio growth.
Andrew previously served as Co-Director of Property Operations, where he jointly oversaw Preiss' core property management and leasing systems, including the company's 2024 migration to Entrata, alongside reporting, training, support, policy & procedure, and additional property systems.
Andrew has operated within The Preiss Company as a Leasing Agent, Assistant Property Manager, Area Business Manager, Area Property Manager, and Operations Specialist since he joined.
Senior Director, Business Intelligence & Operational Strategy
Lane Sheer
Senior Director, Management Systems & Business Processes
Lane Sheer joined The Preiss Company in 2011 and currently serves as Senior Director of Management Systems & Business Processes. She oversees Preiss' property management and leasing systems, reporting, support, and policy and procedure.
She also oversees the company's Operations team, whose primary responsibilities include property support, managing system access, new property system setup, and auditing the compliance of leases, policies, and deadlines across the portfolio.
Lane is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.
Senior Director, Management Systems & Business Processes
Chantele Hawkins
Director, Property Financial Management
Chantele Hawkins joined The Preiss Company in 2005 and currently serves as the Director of Property Financial Management. She oversees the analysis of existing revenue operations, and acts as the liaison with the Accounting and Property Management teams, helping our Regional Managers with accounting-related procedures. Additionally, she provides analysis and support to Regional and Property Managers on property financials.
Chantele graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
Director, Property Financial Management
Toni Yrlas
Director, Training
Toni Yrlas joined The Preiss Company in 2017 and currently serves as Director of Training. She oversees all of Preiss' training processes, which include training on new software, creating thorough internal tutorials, and developing training videos to ensure all employees have access to a variety of resources to excel in their positions.
Prior to her current position, Toni operated within The Preiss Company as a Leasing Manager, Assistant Property Manager, Area Business Manager, and Property Training Specialist.
Toni graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Communication Studies and obtained her Master of Arts in Communication Studies with a concentration in Organizational Rhetoric.
Director, Training
Telsherree Hurd
Director, Management Specialists
Telsherree Hurd joined The Preiss Company in 2006 and currently serves as Director of Management Specialists. She is a liaison to our corporate Property Operations team to ensure standardization and efficiency of corporate systems/protocols/policies across the portfolio.
Prior to her current position, Telsherree has worked in the student housing industry as a Leasing Consultant, Assistant Property Manager, Regional Business Manager, Property Manager, Management Specialist, and Regional Manager.
Telsherree graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Government Pre-Law with a minor in Business Foundations.
Director, Management Specialists
Lauren Dalia
Regional Manager
Lauren Dalia joined The Preiss Company in 2006 and currently serves as Regional Manager. She oversees 8 of the properties within our portfolio.
Prior to her current position, Lauren worked in the student housing industry as an Assistant Property Manager, HOA Manager, Executive Assistant, and Property Manager.
Lauren graduated from Peace College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
Regional Manager
Mariana Morton
Regional Manager
Mariana Morton joined The Preiss Company in 2008 and currently serves as Regional Manager. She oversees 8 of the properties within our portfolio.
Prior to her current position, Mariana worked in the student housing industry as a Corporate Receptionist, Leasing Consultant, Business Manager, Assistant Property Manager, and Property Manager.
Mariana graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Textiles Brand Management and Marketing, achieving Magna Cum Laude.
Regional Manager
Jessica Decker
Regional Manager
Jessica Decker joined The Preiss Company in 2014 after seven years of previous student housing experience. She was promoted to Property Manager at Orion on Orpington in Orlando, FL, in 2015, then quickly moved into an Area Property Manager role for two properties when Preiss acquired management at Arden Villas in 2018. She has led her teams through extremely successful leasing seasons and multiple extensive renovation projects.
Regional Manager
Tyler Hey
Regional Manager
Tyler Hey joined The Preiss Company in 2015 as a Leasing Agent at Orion on Orpington and has since worked his way up the property management organizational chart, serving in a variety of roles and in multiple different markets. Tyler served as Property Manager at Park on Morton in Bloomington, IN, as well as at University Park in Boca Raton, FL. Most recently, his time has been spent as a Management Specialist, where he's traveled to sites to provide additional training to staff, onboarding new teams, and has played a critical role in filling a variety of on-site positions.
Regional Manager
Marissa Sepulveda
Regional Manager
Marissa Sepulveda joined The Preiss Company in 2014 and currently serves as Regional Manager, overseeing eight properties across five markets nationwide.
With over a decade of experience exclusively with The Preiss Company, she has held various roles, including Leasing Agent, Leasing Manager, Assistant Property Manager, and Property Manager. Specializing in leasing, marketing, and new developments, Marissa has been instrumental in both on-site operations across multiple markets and the successful launch of three student housing communities in Greenville, NC, as well as a multifamily asset in Nashville, TN.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Master’s Certificate in Organizational Leadership from East Carolina University.