Jeffrey Levine is the founding principal and chairman of The Douglaston Companies, consisting of Douglaston Development, Levine Builders, and Clinton Management. Since 1979, Mr. Levine has directed the new construction or rehabilitation of thousands of residential units, including both affordable and market rate housing, student housing, hotels, senior living, healthcare facilities, and millions of square feet of commercial retail, office, and institutional spaces.  

Mr. Levine’s most recent accomplishment is the development of 3Eleven, a 60-story tower adjacent to Hudson Yards, consisting of 938 mixed-income, multi-family units and over 60,000 square feet of amenity space. He is also participating in the rehabilitation of the Linden/Penn-Wortman Houses, a 1,922-unit NYCHA property in East New York, where he lived for a portion of his childhood.  

In recent years, Mr. Levine developed the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn – more than two million square feet of mixed-use residential, spread across six distinct buildings. This includes The Edge condominiums, affordable housing in the Edge Community Apartments, and market rate rental housing at 1 North 4^th Place and Level BK. The property houses approximately 2,000 residential units, over 60,000 square feet of retail, structured parking, a water taxi pier, and a pedestrian esplanade.  

Mr. Levine is a member of REBNY’s Executive Committee and a founding member of both the NYS Association for Affordable Housing and the Kimmel Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating and promoting affordable housing and services for aged, handicapped, and other special-needs populations. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council, the New York Housing Conference, and the Chamber of Commerce of the Borough of Queens. Mr. Levine also sits on the Advisory Board of the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City University of New York and New York University’s Real Estate Institute.  

Among Mr. Levine’s many professional recognitions are REBNY’s Harry B. Helmsley Distinguished New Yorker Award, which honors his lifetime of exceptional accomplishment in the industry and invaluable contributions to New York’s civic welfare. He has also been named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and the National Association of Home Builders Affordable Builder of the Year.  

Mr. Levine currently sits on the Board of Directors at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Jewish National Fund and is a member of its National Board, which recently honored him with its Tree of Life, a humanitarian award given in recognition of outstanding community involvement. 

Mr. Levine is a graduate of the City University of New York’s City College School of Architecture, from which he received the Townsend Harris Medal in 2020 for outstanding postgraduate achievement. 

Jed Resnick joined Douglaston Development as Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and assumed the role of CEO in 2020.  He brings 18 years of real estate finance and development experience to the company.  As CEO, Mr. Resnick oversees best-in-class execution across Douglaston’s various development projects, ensuring excellence in project planning, design, finance, and legal structuring.  He also leads site acquisition efforts to strengthen the company’s project pipeline, as well as critical asset management activities and other strategic business development initiatives. 

Prior to joining Douglaston Development, Mr. Resnick was a founding principal at Grafton Street Capital, a boutique real estate firm. He also spent ten years at LeFrak in New York City, serving in numerous roles including Senior Vice President for Real Estate Capital Markets and Acquisitions, and where he focused on project finance, ground-up development, and significant adaptive reuse projects.  

Mr. Resnick holds his B.A. from Harvard University and his M.B.A. from Columbia University. 

Steven Charno is President of Douglaston Development. Mr. Charno joined the company in 2003 and is responsible for overseeing the development of the Company’s market-rate residential projects. During his tenure, he has facilitated the development of more than 3,000 units of residential housing in Manhattan and Brooklyn, including luxury condominiums, market rate rentals, and affordable housing projects. Most recently, Mr. Charno spearheaded the development of 3Eleven, a one million square foot mixed-use/multifamily building in West Chelsea, including 938 rental units, of which 235 are permanently affordable. 

As a co-leader of the Executive Management team, Mr. Charno shares responsibility in the company’s investment strategy, retail leasing, and asset management, as well as shaping company policies and strategies.  

Prior to joining Douglaston Development, Mr. Charno served as Vice President and General Counsel at the Related Companies for the development of the AOL Time Warner Center Project at Columbus Circle. Mr. Charno currently serves on the Housing and Land Use Committees of the Real Estate Board of New York, as well as the Board of Directors of Friends of Hudson River Park.

Mr. Charno holds his B.A. from Brandeis University and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. 

Benjamin Levine is Executive Vice President, Finance & Acquisitions at Douglaston Development. Mr. Levine joined the company in 2008 as a Project Manager, where he oversaw developments throughout the boroughs. He is responsible for all acquisition and development underwriting and feasibility and has secured over $2 billion in project underwriting to date. Most recently, Mr. Levine was part of the team that syndicated the debt and equity capital for 601 West 29^th Street, an over $600 million, 938-unit luxury mixed-use residential development located in the Hudson Yards area. 

Mr. Levine is a sitting board member for Haymakers of Hope as well as a member and former chair of the Jewish National Fund Future in New York. 

Prior to joining Douglaston Development, Mr. Levine worked as an analyst at Credit Suisse in both New York City and London for their real estate finance and securitization group.

Mr. Levine holds his B.A. in Urban Studies with a minor in Urban Real Estate and Development from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Liz Oakley is Executive Vice President, Affordable Development at Douglaston Development.  She leads the firm’s affordable housing development strategy, including strengthening relationships with government agencies and community partners, and fostering seamless coordination between the development team and our construction and management entities.

 Ms. Oakley joined the company in 2022, bringing over 15 years of experience in affordable housing and community development. Previously, she served as Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), leading the development team to exceed annual housing production targets of more than 25,000 affordable units for both the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years, and setting new records for homeless, senior, and new construction production. Ms. Oakley has also previously served as a Special Advisor for NY State Homes and Community Renewal, as Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo Community Lending & Investment and in various roles at the NYC Housing Development Corporation and NYC HPD.

 Ms. Oakley has served on numerous non-profit boards, including Neighborhood Restore, NYC Housing Partnership, Broadway Housing Communities, and Women in Housing and Finance.  She currently represents Douglaston on the boards of the NYU Furman Center, NYSAFAH, and the NY Housing Conference.

 Ms. Oakley graduated from St. Joseph’s University with a BS in History, cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. She also holds an MPA from the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service at New York University. 

Jessica Sherman is Senior Vice President, Affordable Development at Douglaston Development. Since joining Douglaston in 2016, Ms. Sherman has been instrumental in developing and implementing the firm’s affordable housing strategy and execution, overseeing numerous new construction and preservation deals.

Prior to joining Douglaston Development, Ms. Sherman worked as a Leadership Fellow at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, focusing on regional infrastructure management and development. Ms. Sherman is a Board Member of the Public Housing Community Fund, Committee Member of SheBuilds, and serves on the Executive Board of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council.

Ms. Sherman holds her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, an M.Sc. in Social Policy from the University of Oxford, and a B.A. from  the University of Pennsylvania.

Adam Ditchfield is the Director of Finance at Douglaston Development. Mr. Ditchfield joined the company as an intern in 2008 and throughout his tenure has seen many projects through their full life cycle, including market rate and affordable projects with various financing scenarios.

In his current role, Mr. Ditchfield is responsible for overseeing financial operations of all development projects from acquisition through stabilization and refinancing. His duties include implementing and maintaining company accounting systems and processes, financial planning, forecasting, and modeling, as well as managing development accounting staff, ensuring audit, tax and reporting compliance with lenders, investors, and agencies.

Mr. Ditchfield holds a B.A. in Accounting & Economics with a minor in mathematics from Queens College.

Graham Christensen is Vice President, Market Rate Development at Douglaston Development. Mr. Christensen is responsible for managing all phases of the development cycle for Douglaston’s market rate projects. Mr. Christensen’s duties include initial underwriting, performance of due diligence on acquisitions, coordinating project capitalization, bidding and contract negotiation, working closely with architects and engineers to direct project design and entitlement, ongoing management of budgets and consultants during construction, and overseeing marketing, leasing, and sales strategy through stabilization.

Most recently, Mr. Christensen oversaw the development of 3Eleven, a ULURP-entitled one million square foot mixed-use/multifamily building in West Chelsea, including 938 rental units, of which 235 are permanently affordable. 

Prior to joining Douglaston Development in 2015, he worked as a Project Manager at an architecture and interior design firm. Mr. Christensen holds a M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University and a B.A. in both Economics and Architectural Studies from Connecticut College.

Hank Minskoff is Vice President, Preservation at Douglaston Development. He joined the company in 2020 as a Project Manager after spending 2 years as an Associate Developer at Pennrose, LLC, an affordable housing development company headquartered in Pennsylvania. While at Pennrose, he focused on a large scale 1,300 unit RAD/Section 18 project in the Bushwick Neighborhood in Brooklyn, as well as working on Section 18 projects in Albany and Troy, NY. Mr. Minskoff also worked as a Senior Project Manager in New Construction Finance with the City of New York’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). While at HPD, he closed 10 projects and over 2,000 affordable units, as well as serving in the Storm Recovery Division. 

Mr. Minskoff holds a B.A. in History from Lehigh University and a Masters in Urban Planning, Housing and Economic Development from New York University.

JaVonna James is an Assistant Vice President on Douglaston Development’s affordable housing team, serving as project lead on the Rialto West development in Hell’s Kitchen and Sparrow Square (Vital Brooklyn – Kingsboro Psychiatric Hospital).

Prior to joining Douglaston in 2023, Ms. James was Vice President of Development at Apex Building Group, where she built out the development department and led project efforts on Alafia (Phase 1B) Vital Brooklyn – BDC, and 1193 Fulton in the Bronx. Ms. James was also previously a Project Manager/Analyst with the Inclusionary Housing Unit of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. She is a current member and former board member of Women in Housing & Finance, and previously served as a member of the NYSAFAH Policy Committee.

Ms. James holds a B.S. in Accounting from The University of Southern California, and a M.S. in Real Estate Development from New York University.

Reia Tong is an Assistant Vice President at Douglaston Development, working on its Webster Phase II, 110 East 138th Street, and Kingsboro Psychiatric Center projects.  Ms. Tong is responsible for all aspects of project development including initial underwriting and ongoing financial analysis, project due diligence, and architectural development.   

 Ms. Tong joined Douglaston Development in 2019 as an Analyst, where she evaluated new acquisitions and developed RFP submissions for the company, including the team’s submission for the Kingsboro Psychiatric Center. 

Prior to joining Douglaston Development, Ms. Tong spent two years working with the team at CetraRuddy Architecture and she also completed an internship with L+M Development Partners. Ms. Tong is a volunteer with Big Brothers and Sisters of America as well as a member of the Urban Land Institute and the Advisory Council for the Fund for Public Housing.  

Ms. Tong holds a master’s in real estate development from Columbia University and a B.A. in Architectural Studies from Brown University. 

Daniel Russo is a Project Manager on Douglaston Development’s affordable housing team. Mr. Russo is primarily focused on Douglaston’s preservation portfolio and has experience in both rehabilitation and new construction projects. His project responsibilities span design and construction management, financial analysis, and stakeholder coordination.  

Prior to joining Douglaston, Daniel worked as a Senior Project Manager at Turner & Townsend providing owner’s representative and asset management services. Mr. Russo has additional experience in engineering design and construction management on public and private sector projects. His expertise is focused within New York City and the greater New York area. 

Daniel is a licensed New York State Professional Engineer and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University as well as a Masters of Urban Planning, Housing and Economic Development from NYU.

Nelson West is a Project Manager at Douglaston Development, working on the Comprehensive Modernization of St. Nicholas Houses in Harlem, one of the New York Housing Authority’s largest design-build projects. In his role, Mr. West contributes to design development, construction management, financial analysis, and overall stakeholder coordination.

Prior to joining Douglaston Development, Mr. West worked at Slate Property Group and Ironstate Development, where he managed market rate and affordable projects ranging from ground-up new construction to renovations and conversions.

Mr. West holds a B.A. in Business Management and Administration from Stockton University and a M.P.S. in Real Estate Development from Georgetown University. 

Michael Kessler is President of The Douglaston Companies. He has been a member of the organization for over 30 years, overseeing and managing the three companies’ financial teams. Mr. Kessler is responsible for securing financing for projects and overseeing the finance and accounting aspects of each project’s full life cycle from inception through disposition.

As a key advisor and member of the Executive Management team, he shares responsibility in supervising the organization’s insurance and risk management departments, as well as Human Resources and Information Technology departments.

Mr. Kessler was an officer of the Queens Bronx Builders Association for many years and more recently served as a director on the New York/New Jersey Commercial Client Advisory Board for Capital One Banking group representing tristate real estate construction companies. Mr. Kessler currently serves in many community roles, including National Vice President of the Jewish National Fund’s Education Centurium, member of the JNF’s Go North and Israel Heritage Task Forces, and a member of the New York Board of the UJA Federation as well as the Executive Committee of UJA Long Island.

Mr. Kessler graduated Cum Laude from SUNY-Albany’s Business School with a B.S. in Accounting. He is a member of the NYS Society of Certified Public Accounts, and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Olivia Kelly is Chief Administrative Officer at The Douglaston Companies. Ms. Kelly joined The Douglaston Companies in 2018 and brings over 12 years of experience in human resources. She directs the day-to-day operations of the human resources department including human capital management, policy review and implementation, benefits and compensation management, compliance, and professional development. 

Prior to joining The Douglaston Companies, Ms. Kelly oversaw the human resources department of an international law firm. She is a certified HR professional and holds both the SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications.

Ms. Kelly holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Long Island University and is currently completing her Master’s degree in Human Resources Management and Organizational Effectiveness from Manhattanville College. 

Rizo Ramusevic is Vice President of Corporate Safety & Compliance at The Douglaston Companies. Mr. Ramusevic joined The Douglaston Companies in 2006 and brings over 30 years of experience to the organization. Mr. Ramusevic is responsible for developing, overseeing, and implementing the company’s Environmental, Health and Safety programs, and is also responsible for the design, delivery and oversight of the company’s various insurance, surety, and risk management programs by establishing industry best practices. 

Prior to joining the organization, Mr. Ramusevic was a risk management and insurance consultant at Ernst & Young servicing various fortune 1000 companies and also served as the Risk Manager for AMEC Construction Management, Inc. (f/k/a Morse Diesel International). Mr. Ramusevic is an OSHA 500 Authorized Outreach Instructor & Facilitator, and holds various licenses with NYC agencies including General Contractor, Site Safety Manager, and Construction Site Fire Safety Manager and has served in advisory roles on the topic of NYC construction industry safety to both the Real Estate Board Of New York and to the Office of the Manhattan Borough President. 

Mr. Ramusevic holds a Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation and his B.A. in Accounting with a minor in Economics from Queens College.

Tim Mahon is Director of Information Technology for The Douglaston Companies. Mr. Mahon joined the organization in 2022 and brings over 16 years of experience to his role. He is responsible for oversight of all technology operations, including the help desk, cyber security, disaster recovery, and vendor management. Mr. Mahon also works with the companies to understand processes and workflows to create operational efficiency tactics leveraging best practices and automation utilizing technology.

Prior to joining The Douglaston Companies, Mr. Mahon was Director of Information Technology at Masterpiece International, where he built out and managed teams supporting all facets of technology, including infrastructure, applications, development, and end user support. Mr. Mahon also led the organization through disaster recovery efforts during Hurricane Sandy, as well as office closure and remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Mahon holds a BBA in Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management from Western Governors University.

Erin DeCandio is Director of Risk Management at The Douglaston Companies. She is responsible for reviewing all RFP/bid and contract documents to assess liability exposures, working as a liaison with legal counsel and executive management to ensure that all insurance contracts are in order.  Further Ms. DeCandio and her department manage and monitor the subcontractor insurance process to ensure all policies are compliant with the company’s insurance requirements. Ms. DeCandio is also responsible for the management of all corporate claims and legal proceedings. 

Ms. DeCandio brings 30 years of experience to her role, including in managing property and casualty insurance programs.  Along with the marketing, negotiating and the purchasing of all corporate insurance programs she has extensive experience with securing project specific coverage for all types of exposures.  

Ms. DeCandio attended Nassau Community College and holds a certificate in Construction Project Management from New York University. 

Kathleen Delevante is the Director of Payroll and Benefits at The Douglaston Companies.

Ms. Delevante oversees day-to-day operations of the payroll and benefits department. She is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing processes and procedures and works directly with the company’s benefits brokers, insurance providers, and payroll service providers. She also serves on The Douglaston Companies’ 401(k) Retirement Plan and Executive Benefits Committees.

Ms. Delevante joined the company in 2006, after working as a paralegal for 4 years at a personal injury litigation firm and 3 years as an account manager for a process serving firm.

Ms. Delevante holds Certified Paralegal and Certified Payroll Professional credentials from York College of the City University of New York and New York Institute of Technology.