Our Team
As President and CEO, Dionne establishes and manages the overall strategic direction, operations, and growth of the company and has more than 25 years of experience in real estate development, finance, and operations. Dionne also serves as President of LSA Management, a property management company serving Laurel Street’s development properties.
Prior to founding Laurel Street, Dionne served as Senior Vice President at Crosland and led the company’s affordable housing development and multifamily operations. Previously, she managed investments at NewSchools Venture Fund and Earnest Partners and built her skills in strategy, organization, and operations as a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Dionne began her career in financial services as an Investment Banking Analyst at Salomon Brothers.
Dionne serves on the Board of Directors for Cousins Properties (NYSE: CUZ) and the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) and as a Director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond – Charlotte Branch. She is also a member of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council (CELC) and the Real Estate Executive Council (REEC). Dionne is a Trustee for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and a member of the National Advisory Board for the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing. She also serves on Renaissance West Community Initiative’s Advisory Board and Real Estate Committee and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Childress Klein Center for Real Estate Advisory Board. Dionne was also named 2023 Charlotte Woman of the Year for exceptional service and exemplary leadership.
Dionne earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Spelman College.
Lee leads development activities for Laurel Street. His oversight starts at project conception and runs through completion and stabilization. He is responsible for development and project financing relationships. Lee has more than 20 years of experience in affordable and market-rate housing development, including elderly and family housing.
Previously, Lee was Chief Operating Officer at Levine Properties. There, he was responsible for working with the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County on public/private partnerships for the redevelopment of First Ward, a 30-acre, $700 million mixed-use project in Charlotte’s city center. Prior to joining Levine Properties, Lee worked for The Housing Partnership. During his nine years there, he helped develop projects that included single-family rehabilitation, multifamily new construction, and master-planned development of neighborhoods. Lee served as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer during his last three years. He began his real estate career with the Housing Authority and Housing Department of the City of Baltimore.
Lee is on the Finance Committee for Habitat for Humanity Charlotte and is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Charlotte Capital Markets Council.
He earned a Master of Public Policy degree and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Duke University.
Sylvia leads financial management and business operations for Laurel Street. She is responsible for the oversight and management of daily business operations as well as corporate and project financial management. Her responsibilities include coordination with the CEO on financial planning, cash management, preparation of financial statements, and coordination of third-party reviews. She also provides oversight on project-level financial requirements. Sylvia has over 23 years of experience in real estate accounting and finance.
Previously, Sylvia was Controller at Northwood Ravin. There, she was responsible for general accounting as well as the development, construction, and management of market-rate multifamily projects. Prior to joining Northwood Ravin, she worked as Finance Manager for the residential division of Crosland.
Sylvia earned a Master of Business Administration degree from East Carolina University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the State University of New York and passed the New York CPA exam.
Colleen leads human resources, marketing, IT, and administrative operations for Laurel Street. She is responsible for the oversight and management of the full employment cycle of the team. She manages staffing, benefit programs, payroll, and analysis of Laurel Street’s compensation structure. Colleen has over 25 years of experience in human resources.
Previously, Colleen was Vice President of Human Resource Operations at LendingTree. In that role, she was responsible for benefits, payroll, compensation, employee experience, training and development, community outreach, and HRIS. Additionally, Colleen helped establish and ran the LendingTree Foundation for two years. Prior to joining LendingTree, Colleen worked as the Group Director of Human Resources at Baker & Taylor.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality at Cornell University. Colleen is currently a committee member for the St. Jude Celebrity Dinner and Gala committee.
Samantha oversees development activities for Laurel Street, primarily focusing on the pursuit and closing phases of the development process. Samantha has more than 20 years of experience in affordable housing development with a specialization in securing low-income housing tax-credits and closing on new construction and rehabilitation developments with a wide variety of federal, state, and local funding programs.
Previously, Samantha was Senior Vice President of Altman Living where she worked with the leadership team to launch an affordable housing division of The Altman Companies. Prior to joining Altman, she worked as Vice President of Community Housing Partners. During her 17 years there, she directed the LIHTC and closing processes, managed the development team, coordinated relocation on all rehabilitation projects, and maintained third-party relationships.
Samantha earned a Masters of Community Planning degree from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Appalachian State University.
Jonathan is the Director of Construction for Laurel Street Residential, LLC. He is directly responsible for the overall construction operations for Laurel Street, including high level oversight of all construction project teams. Jonathan has over 20 years of construction experience.
As Director, Jonathan is responsible for managing construction operations nationally including business development, customer relationships, project management and administration. Currently he is overseeing construction projects in North Carolina and Georgia. He also maintains close working relationship with LSA Management in maintaining the LSR real estate holdings from Virginia to Georgia. Jonathan coordinates with Laurel Street’s development team on project design, land planning, construction costs, and overall project delivery.
The Construction team presently provides construction management services and is responsible for overseeing construction of LIHTC and mixed-income housing. Jonathan works closely with North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, Durham Housing Authority, Highpoint Housing Authority, financing partners, developer partners, as well as many other municipalities, and CDC’s.
Jonathan earned a Master of Construction Management degree from East Carolina University and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Morehouse College. He is also a former member of the strategic alliance committee and former Chair of United Minority Contractors of North Carolina (UMCNC).