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Owners, Principals & Senior Executives
Benjamin W. Schall's Bio
Ben is the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President and has been a director of the Company since January 2021.
Ben was previously AvalonBay's President, joining the Company in January 2021, and prior to that the Chief Executive Officer and President and a trustee of Seritage Growth Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust principally engaged in owning, developing, and managing a diversified portfolio of retail and mixed-use properties throughout the United States. Prior to becoming CEO and President of Seritage in May 2015, Ben served as Chief Operating Officer of Rouse Properties, Inc. from 2012 to 2015; Rouse was a publicly-traded REIT (since acquired) that owned and managed regional malls and retail centers in 21 states. Prior to that, Ben was Senior Vice President with Vornado Realty Trust, a publicly traded REIT that owns, manages, and develops office and retail assets concentrated in New York City with additional assets in Chicago and San Francisco.
Ben received his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 2003 and earned his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College.
Edward M. Schulman 's Bio
Ted has served as AvalonBay’s Executive Vice President—General Counsel and Secretary since 2012. He joined the Company in February 1999 and has served as General Counsel since that time.
Prior to joining AvalonBay he was a corporate and securities law partner at Goodwin Procter LLP.
Ted is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and received his undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton University, where he graduated with high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Kevin O'Shea's Bio
Kevin has been AvalonBay’s Chief Financial Officer since June 2014. Prior to that he was Executive Vice President—Capital Markets, from January 2013 to May 2014 and Senior Vice President—Investment Management after joining the Company in July 2003 until January 2013.
Prior to joining the Company, Kevin was an Executive Director at UBS Investment Bank, where his experience included real estate investment banking. Earlier in his career, he practiced commercial real estate and banking law as an attorney.
Kevin received his Masters Degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, his J.D. from Southern Methodist University and his undergraduate degree from Boston College.
Kevin is a Trustee of Urban Edge Properties, a publicly traded REIT. He also serves on the Real Estate Advisory Board of The Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School
Matthew H. Birenbaum's Bio
Matt became Chief Investment Officer in January 2015. He is responsible for AvalonBay’s investment strategy and oversees the Investments, West Coast Development, National Construction, Design, Asset Management and Market Research functions. Before assuming his current position, he was Executive Vice President—Corporate Strategy, a position he held from October 2011 until January 2015.
Prior to joining AvalonBay in October 2011, Matt was the founding principal of Abbey Road Property Group, LLC, a multi-family development and investment firm based in Arlington, Virginia since 2006 and before that a Senior Vice President at EYA (formerly Eakin/Youngentob Associates). Prior to joining EYA in 2003, he was a Regional Vice President of Development with the Company.
Matt received his Bachelor of Arts from Brown University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and his Masters Degree from The Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he graduated with honors. He is an active member of ULI and is certified LEED AP, serves on the Board of the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH), and is a member of the Federal City Council.
Sean J. Breslin's Bio
Sean is Chief Operating Officer, a position he has held since January 2015, with responsibility for the Company’s operating platform, including Property Operations, Engineering, Information and Digital Technology, Human Resources, Strategic Initiatives, and Marketing, Revenue Management and Brand Strategy. He was previously the Company’s Executive Vice President—Investments and Asset Management since April 2012 with overall responsibility for AvalonBay’s investment and operating platforms, including property operations, asset management and redevelopment, and investment activity, including acquisitions, dispositions and investment strategy. Sean’s other roles with the Company included Senior Vice President—Redevelopment and Asset Management and Senior Vice President—Investments.
Prior to joining AvalonBay in 2002, he was the Chief Operating Officer of CWS Capital Partners.
Sean received his Bachelors Degree from California State University, Long Beach and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Texas. He is a member of the Executive Committee of NMHC and is past Chair of ULI’s Multifamily Council. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Real Estate Finance & Investment Center at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross.
