Windham Professional Profiles

Herbert Lawson - President/CEO
Mr. Lawson, the cofounder of the Windham companies, has been a leader in the real estate development industry in Michigan for the last forty years. Mr. Lawson and his partners have acquired, developed, built, marketed, and sold over $1 billion worth of single family, multi-family, and commercial real estate in the region. Instrumental in the revitalization of the City of Detroit, Mr. Lawson's expertise was called upon to manage Victoria Park, the first major residential development in the city in over forty years. He has also been engaged as a consultant throughout his career to lending institutions for assistance on problem loans, and REO properties. In addition to real estate development and consulting, he has also managed large portfolios of property, including a 5,000 unit national apartment portfolio, as well as numerous office buildings. He is a past president of the Building Industry Association of Southeastern Michigan, and currently serves on its board of directors. He is a licensed builder and real estate broker. Mr. Lawson received his degree in Accountancy and Financial Administration from Walsh College in Detroit, Michigan.

Steven Lawson - Vice-President-Windham / Group President-Windham International
Steven Lawson has been associated with the Windham companies for more than 10 years. In his current capacity as Vice President he is involved with all areas of the Windham business, but is focused on our Finance and the Consulting practice. Additionally, he leads our international presence as Group President of Windham International focusing primarily on opportunities in Southeast Asia. Mr. Lawson also brings a strong technology background to the Windham companies; having designed and built some of the largest educational computer networks in both the K-12 and higher education sectors in Michigan during the internet boom of the 1990's. Active in the community, he serves on the board of directors of Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. Mr. Lawson received his BA from Michigan State University located in East Lansing, Michigan.

William Phillips - Vice-President
William Phillips directs Project Management Services. He has managed the design and construction of numerous residential developments, including Victoria Park. Victoria Park was the first single-family subdivision in the City of Detroit in over forty years. Mr. Phillips has also provided construction management services at Clairpointe of Victoria Park. He holds both a Residential Builder license and a Real Estate Salesperson license in the State of Michigan. Mr. Phillips led Windham's Detroit activities, including a contractual arrangement with the City of Detroit's Planning and Development Department. He received the 2001 Distinguished Service to the Housing Industry award and the 2006 Spike of the Year Award from the Building Industry Association of Southeastern Michigan. He has been employed with Windham for over 25 years.

Karen Shepherd - Support Services Manager
Karen Shepherd is a licensed real estate salesperson in the State of Michigan. She has experience in residential, multi-family and mixed use real estate transactions. She has been involved with all areas of land development including but not limited to the approval process, due diligence, government approvals, title insurance issues, marketing activities, purchase agreements, closing documents and various administrative duties. She is involved with the day-to-day activities of the business. She is experienced in all facets of the transaction from acquisition to closing. She has been employed with Windham for over 20 years.

Eli Sherr - Financial Analysis
Eli Scherr holds a Bachelor of Science Degree as well as a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Wayne State University. He has been a certified Public Accountant since 1971. He worked for the Internal Revenue Service for 5 years as a Field Auditor and in a variety of administrative positions. Subsequently, he has worked in the private sector as a company Controller and Chief Financial Officer for two large multi-level real estate companies from 1978 to the present.

John Woods - Chief Forensic Accountant
John Woods is an experienced building and real estate professional and has worked as the Vice President/CFO in the residential and commercial contracting sector. He most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for a Giant 400 residential builder and developer. His extensive background includes managing the daily operations of a large building operation as well as directing the following objectives: developing short and long term strategic planning initiatives, complex financial modeling/forecasting, detailed cash flow and liquidity analysis, risk management assessment, contract administration, trade contractor negotiations and settlements, credit facility negotiations with lenders, real estate negotiations and subsequent entitlement and development. Prior to joining the industry, Mr. Woods worked for KPMG Peat Warwick and Plante & Moran. John Woods is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accountancy and Economics from Western Michigan University.

Kenneth Meskin - Forensic Accountant
Kenneth Meskin is an extremely experienced real estate, retail and automotive industry Corporate Controller and CFO. He has directed and been involved with cash flow, contract administration, vendor terms analysis, internal audit, financial analysis, tax and strategic planning. Kenneth Meskin has a proven record of consistent contributions to company profits through the utilization of financial planning, forecasting, budget development, management, communication and follow-through techniques. Additionally, Kenneth has strong communication skills, able to present information, counter objectives, provide feedback, perform research, write reports and quickly identify and resolve complex problems. He is inured to the changing regulatory and investor requirements and adept at learning new systems rapidly.

Jacqueline Rau - Forensic Accountant
Jacqueline Rau has worked over 20 years in the finance and accounting field. She has public and private experience and has worked in the residential construction industry for several years. Jacqueline is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. Jacqueline Rau holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting from Hillsdale College.

Linda Early is Windham's Corporate Controller. She handles all project and corporate accounting for Windham Development, Inc. and Windham Realty Group, Inc. She offers over 30 years of experience in accounting.

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