Leadership
JORGE LOPEZ
PARTNER
Prior to founding The Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in 1993...
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PARTNER
JORGE LOPEZ
Prior to founding The Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in 1993, Jorge Lopez spent over seven years with the Related Companies of Florida, Inc., one of the largest and most active real estate companies in the State of Florida. He began his tenure as Project Manager and was later promoted to Vice President of Development. During that time he gained extensive experience developing over 2,000 units of subsidized, affordable and market-rate multi-family rental housing properties.
Mr. Lopez is responsible for setting the long-term strategy and direction of the firm, and for overseeing all of the divisions of the company. This includes directing financial and banking relationships, hiring of staff, and leading the company as it develops communities across the State of Florida. Those developments have included 20,000+ multifamily rental units, including both market rate and affordable rentals, along with award-winning townhome and condominium developments.
A critical element in the successful development of multi-family properties is the establishment of quality control and cost containment by providing construction management through an affiliated licensed general contractor. Mr. Lopez also oversees the affiliated construction entity, CSG Construction, LLC, a well as the affiliated management entity and telecommunications firm.
The best way to ensure a property’s long-term viability is to be in direct control of the property’s management function. Mr. Lopez oversees the hiring of staff, preparation of marketing plans, project lease-up, compliance monitoring and long term asset management including budgeting, capital expenditures, refinancing and property dispositions.
Mr. Lopez began his real estate career with Barnett Bank of South Florida, N.A., where he served as an Assistant Vice President and Loan Officer dealing with a wide array of developments.
Mr. Lopez graduated with highest honors from Florida International University. He majored in Finance and has a B.A. in Business Administration.
MARA MADES
PARTNER
Ms. Mades joined Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in September 1994...
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PARTNER
MARA MADES
Ms. Mades joined Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in September 1994. With 30 years of experience in real estate and finance, Ms. Mades is responsible for acquisitions, due diligence and procuring financing for the acquisition and development of affordable housing. She has overseen the land acquisition for 60+ properties over the past twenty years, and closed in excess of $2 billion of financing for those properties.
Immediately prior to joining the organization, Ms. Mades was Assistant Vice President, Acquisitions, at J.I. Kislak Mortgage Corporation, where she was responsible for the purchase/sale, negotiation, and hedging of over $2 billion of mortgage servicing rights and whole loans. Ms. Mades' other real estate experience includes working as an Investment Analyst at The Balcor Company, underwriting apartments, office and retail properties nationwide, as well as working at Arvida/Disney Corporation as a Treasury Analyst. At Arvida/Disney, she was responsible for the analysis of existing and to-be-built residential and commercial properties.
Ms. Mades is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance, where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Economics, as a member of both the Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies, and a Benjamin Franklin Scholar. During 1987 - 1988, she was Executive Director of the Class of '63's 25th reunion campaign, raising $3.8 million for the University. Ms. Mades obtained her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, where she also obtained Beta Gamma Sigma and summa cum laude honors.
Leon J. Wolfe
PARTNER
Prior to joining Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in October 2001...
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PARTNER
Leon J. Wolfe
Prior to joining Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in October 2001, Mr. Wolfe practiced law for over 20 years focusing on real estate development, taxation and corporate law. He was a founding partner of the Miami-based law firm of Berman Wolfe Rennert Vogel Mandler, P.A. Concentrating his practice in multi‑use developments and multi-family housing, Mr. Wolfe represented developers, syndicators, borrowers and lenders in Florida and throughout the United States in connection with the evaluation, structuring, acquisition, financing, development and syndication of residential, commercial and industrial projects as well as mixed-use residential and commercial developments. He also has broad experience with taxable and tax-exempt public and private bond offerings, involving a wide variety of issuers and credit enhancers, as well as housing tax credits and other state and federal programs. He participated as a lawyer in the development of almost 10,000 affordable housing units.
He is a frequent lecturer on housing matters, tax advantaged investments, and housing tax credits. He also serves as a member of the ABA Sections on Taxation, International Law and Practice. Through his membership in the American Bar Association, Mr. Wolfe participates in the Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law. He also serves on Miami-Dade County’s homeless advisory committee.
Mr. Wolfe is admitted to practice in Florida and Georgia, the U. S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia, U. S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits and U. S. Tax Court. He is a Board Certified Tax Attorney. A graduate of Boston University, magna cum laude, with a B. S. degree in 1977, Mr. Wolfe received his Juris Doctorate in 1980 from the University of Miami School of Law.
NOLA CASTILLO
President of CRM management, LLC
Ms. Nola Castillo joined the organization in 1996...
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President of CRM management, LLC
NOLA CASTILLO
Ms. Nola Castillo joined the organization in 1996, and she heads up all residential management operations for Cornerstone Residential Management, LLC. She has 35 years of senior level property management experience, with extensive experience working with both commercial and multi-family properties. Her varied experiences in multi-family housing ranges from involvement in properties with bond financing and Section 8 programs to new development of sites both with bond and conventional financing. She is thoroughly versed in all aspects of these programs. She also has a strong reputation as a turn-around and market specialist in the Florida marketplace.
Before joining Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners, Ms. Castillo was employed for eight years at The Related Companies of Florida where she was a Regional Manager, overseeing eleven market-rate, tax-exempt bond and tax credit properties in South Florida. While at Related, she specialized in training, lease-up and compliance. She was directly responsible for all budgeting, vendor bid negotiations, property purchasing, hiring and staff development. In addition, she oversaw the preparation and implementation of all marketing plans.
Prior to working at The Related Companies, Ms. Castillo spent four years with First Florida Equities, overseeing fifteen South Florida multi-family properties, which were primarily 80/20 tax-exempt bond developments. Ms. Castillo started her property management career at Johnstown American, where she spent seven years, rising to Regional Manager, overseeing several market rate rental communities in Florida. She is a Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) and a licensed broker in the State of Florida.
Gerardo Gato
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Mr. Gato is an accomplished executive with extensive experience...
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CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Gerardo Gato
Gerardo Gato is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in finance, accounting, and operations, and a proven track record of driving strong business performance. He currently serves as Chief Financial Officer at Cornerstone Group, where he supports the firm’s strategic growth and operational excellence. Prior to joining Cornerstone, Mr. Gato was Executive Vice President at Arqline (fka RKW Residential), where he was responsible for financial management and administration of a $2+ billion AUM portfolio. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Monument Capital Management (an A-ROD Corp subsidiary), overseeing more than $500 million in real estate investments and multiple investment fund vehicles. Earlier in his career, he served as CFO of Adler Group, managing financial operations for a large-scale commercial portfolio.
Mr. Gato holds a master’s degree in International Real Estate and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Florida International University. He is an Argus Certified Professional and a licensed real estate sales associate in the State of Florida.
MARIA SOBRADO
Chief Accounting Officer
Ms. Sobrado serves as Chief Accounting Officer at Cornerstone Group...
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Chief Accounting Officer
MARIA SOBRADO
Maria Sobrado serves as Chief Accounting Officer at Cornerstone Group, bringing over 20 years of executive leadership experience in accounting, financial management, and systems integration. Since joining the firm in 2005, she has been instrumental in building, scaling, and leading the company’s accounting organization to support its continued growth across both market-rate and affordable housing platforms.
As CAO, Ms. Sobrado provides strategic leadership over all accounting functions, including development, construction, and property management accounting, as well as financial reporting, internal controls, and compliance. She leads and mentors a high-performing accounting team, drives process improvements, and ensures the integrity, accuracy, and scalability of financial operations. She has overseen the accounting and financial close of more than 40 development projects, playing a critical role in supporting the firm’s expanding portfolio. Prior to joining Cornerstone, Ms. Sobrado held Controller and CFO roles across multiple industries, where she led finance teams, implemented accounting systems, and enhanced reporting and operational efficiency.
Ms. Sobrado holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration.
FRANK W. WHITE III
PRESIDENT BROOKSTONE CONSTRUCTION
As President of Brookstone Construction, Mr. White is responsible...
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PRESIDENT BROOKSTONE CONSTRUCTION
FRANK W. WHITE III
As President of Brookstone Construction, Mr. White is responsible for the entire life cycle of a project from design to completion of construction. Mr. White is a credentialed construction executive and accomplished bilingual business professional with proven record of success managing teams and projects. During his 35 year career his portfolio of completed projects includes office, retail, medical, airport, schools, municipal and historical projects with a greatly expanded resume of commercial multi-family and senior living projects. Mr. White has successfully directed, from conceptual budgeting, through design, to turnover and occupancy, over 25,000 multifamily units including market rate and affordable apartments, senior living facilities and condominiums.
Prior to rejoining Cornerstone Frank spent over ten years with Kaufman Lynn Construction as a Senior Vice President and President. He was hired by Kaufman Lynn to develop a multifamily division.
Previously Mr. White was the President of Alliance Construction, a Cornerstone Group affiliate company from 1999 to 2008.
Frank is a graduate of the University Of Florida School Of Building Construction and is a Licensed Florida General Contractor.
Dwayne S. Flournoy
DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS
Mr. Flournoy is a highly accomplished criminal justice and physical security..
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DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS
Dwayne S. Flournoy
Dwayne S. Flournoy is a highly accomplished criminal justice and physical security professional with extensive experience in law enforcement management and strategies, and physical security system design, implementation, and field operations management.
Dwayne joined the Cornerstone Group and Brookstone Partners in 2018 as Director of Field Operations. In this role, he is responsible for managing the organization’s field operations and overseeing the design and implementation of physical security systems for entities.
Dwayne began his career in law enforcement as a US Army Military Policeman. He later transitioned to civilian law enforcement as a patrol officer in the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida. Dwayne worked numerous assignments during his career with HBPD, including School Resource Officer, Gang Detective, Undercover Narcotic Detective, and S.W.A.T Commander, and later became the city's Chief of Police.
As Police Chief, Flournoy developed and implemented innovative policing strategies that reduced crime rates and enhanced community engagement. He also oversaw the implementation of cutting-edge security systems and components, including surveillance cameras, access control systems, and intrusion detection systems. Dwayne was responsible for developing and implementing the security design for the City’s two Safe Neighborhood Districts.
He is also a trained Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design practitioner (CPTED). He has amassed well over 6,500 hours of assorted training in advancing his law enforcement and security profession.
Dwayne has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public administration from Barry University and a graduate of two highly advanced programs which are the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Senior Leadership Program class 7, and the FBI National Academy class 231
William KasseBaum, ESQ
Principal
At Cornerstone, Mr. Kassebaum is responsible for all facets...
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Principal
William KasseBaum, ESQ
At Cornerstone, Mr. Kassebaum is responsible for all facets of deal sourcing, managing transactional processes, and creating monitoring relationships with capital markets. He focuses on land acquisitions, horizontal & vertical development, land use, zoning, and entitlement matters. Mr. Kassebaum has grown the pipeline of real estate development projects consisting of market rate rental, tax credit rental and for-sale communities for both Cornerstone and Cornerstone Group, He had similar responsibilities at ZOM Communities. All are nationally recognized top ten residential multi-family developers based in Florida. Mr. Kassebaum has had great success in locating sites in select high barrier-to-entry markets and securing entitlements for residential and ancillary commercial uses.
Mr. Kassebaum returned to work with Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in 2014 after successful tenures at both TM Residential and ZOM Development Inc. During his time at ZOM, Mr. Kassebaum was responsible for acquisitions efforts in the State of Florida in addition to serving as a development associate.
Mr. Kassebaum started his real estate career at Marcus and Millichap in 1998. During his time at Marcus and Millichap, Mr. Kassebaum, represented both institutional and private capital clients.
Mr. Kassebaum is admitted to practice law in The State of Florida and is also admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Mr. Kassebaum holds multiple active Florida real estate broker licenses. A graduate of Auburn University in 1991 with a B.A. degree, he received his Juris Doctorate in 1996 from St. Thomas University School of Law, in Miami, Florida.
Barbara Beguiristain
Regional Vice President of CRM management, LLC
Ms. Beguiristain joined the Cornerstone Group in 2002...
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Regional Vice President of CRM management, LLC
Barbara Beguiristain
Ms. Beguiristain joined the Cornerstone Group in 2002 as the Regional Vice President of Cornerstone Residential Management. Her duties at Cornerstone include spearheading the daily operations of property management and commercial office buildings.
She has over 46 years of experience in multifamily property management. Prior to 2002, she held positions with Professional Management Inc. as General Manager for 17 years, The Related Group as Regional Manager for 3 years and Johnstone Properties as Area Manager for 6 years.
Throughout her career, she has developed expertise in Multi-Family, Tax Credit, 80/20 Bond, Fee Management, Luxury Market-Rate, Condominium, HOA, Commercial, and Retail Management.
Ms. Beguiristain holds a Florida Real Estate License, NAA Certified Apartment Manager License, Florida Community Association Manager License, and (CPM) Candidate with IREM. She is a member of IREM, National Apartment Association, Florida Apartment Association and South East Florida Apartment Association.
PABLO LOPEZ
VICE PRESIDENT
Mr. Lopez began his current role with Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in 2010...
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VICE PRESIDENT
PABLO LOPEZ
Mr. Lopez began his current role with Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in 2010 as Finance and Development Manager. As interest rates reached historic lows, he helped refinance over $200 million in first mortgage and subordinate debt by processing prepayments with existing lenders, providing new lenders with due diligence for underwriting and coordinating closings with all parties involved.
Mr. Lopez’s recent projects include the development of several affordable housing communities. In 2016, he completed the development of John and Anita Ferguson Senior Residences, Villa Capri II and Coquina Place. Mr. Lopez’s responsibilities include oversight of the land development process, from acquiring the zoning entitlements and land use approvals to coordinating the design and permitting process between the architects and the municipalities. He also provided due diligence information for the lenders and participated in the finance closings.
As project manager, his role during construction is as the owner’s rep, and he is responsible for construction budget oversight, timely delivery and coordination with the marketing and property management through lease up of the property. In 2016, he completed John and Anita Ferguson Senior Residences and Villa Capri II and in 2017 completed Coquina Place.
DON SANDERS
VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING & TRAINING
Prior to joining Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in March 2009...
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VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING & TRAINING
DON SANDERS
Prior to joining Cornerstone Group & Brookstone Partners in March 2009, Mr. Sanders was Vice President of Marketing/Training/Design for 10 years at Laramar Group, a Chicago based multi-family housing owner/management company. He was responsible for marketing of all assets coast to coast for both owned and fee-managed assets. Mr. Sanders was also in charge of employee professional development at both corporate and field levels, overseeing both online learning as well as in-person training. Laramar was known to do major renovations, turning Class C assets into Class A assets. Don was in charge of all exterior, unit interior and amenity design decisions, working directly with the Laramar construction team.
Don’s initial multi-family experience was gained through a decade of experience at Equity Residential, being mentored by industry icons such as Sam Zell, Doug Crocker and Jerry Spector.
Don has held multiple positions, including president, on various apartment association boards. He is a nationally known keynote speaker within the multi-family industry and a co-author of The Apartment All Stars Complete Guide to Leasing Apartments. He also often presents at national, state and local apartment association events.
Mr. Sanders received is B.A. in 1984 from Aurora University as a double major in Education and Business.
Tony Juhe
Director, Human Resources
Mr. Juhe is a results-oriented HR professional with deep expertise in payroll administration...
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Director, Human Resources
Tony Juhe
Tony Juhe is a results-oriented HR professional with deep expertise in payroll administration, talent acquisition, employee retention, and staff development. A South Florida native, he has delivered workforce solutions across diverse industries including automotive retail, health insurance, software, and building materials. Tony holds a bachelor's degree in Management and International Business from Florida International University and is SHRM-CP certified. He is passionate about fostering positive workplace cultures and building high-performing teams that drive long-term business success.
Daniel J. Lopez
Vice President of Development
Mr. Lopez serves as Vice President of Development at Cornerstone Group...
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Vice President of Development
Daniel J. Lopez
Daniel Lopez serves as Vice President of Development at Cornerstone Group, leading acquisitions and development strategy across retail and mixed-use projects. He brings a sharp eye for high-potential opportunities, overseeing deals from underwriting and site evaluation through full project delivery. His prior experience owning and operating a construction business across commercial, retail, and multifamily properties gives him a rare, ground-up command of the development process. Daniel combines financial discipline with development expertise to execute projects that are both high-performing and impactful to the communities they serve.
MARK MARTINEZ
ANALYST
Mr. Martinez joined Cornerstone Group in 2018 as a Financial Analyst...
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ANALYST
MARK MARTINEZ
Mr. Martinez joined Cornerstone Group in 2018 as a Financial Analyst and was later promoted to Vice President of Finance. In his role, Mr. Martinez is responsible for financial analysis, underwriting, due diligence, capital structuring, overseeing project lease-up and disposition for all new developments, as well as project management for select developments. He has been involved in the development of over 1,400 multifamily units, 150,000 SF of retail, and has closed over $140 million in loans.
Prior to joining Cornerstone, Mr. Martinez was a wealth management intern at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc, an American multinational investment bank. During his time there, he developed his skills in equity research and financial modeling, which he then used to analyze institutional-grade real estate developments for Cornerstone Group.
Mr. Martinez is a graduate of Florida International University, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with dual specializations in Finance and Real Estate, as well as a Master’s of Science in International Real Estate.
Development Partner
Jose Romero
Jose Romero is an award winning real estate developer focused on innovation and finance throughout his nearly 20-year career in real estate development, finance, and management. Born in Miami, Romero earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Yale School of Management.
Romero began his career rebuilding his family’s material supplier into a rebar fabricator, creating over thirty jobs in the process. He left the family business for Yale School of Management and then was an analyst at Hartford Investment Management Company where he assisted in the management of a $1.4 billion hedge fund portfolio. He then turned his focus to real estate as Vice President of Development, overseeing feasibility analyses for multifamily developments and multistate portfolio acquisitions.
In 2014, Romero was the project manager and in that role, involved from inception to lease-up in a multi-family development in Arizona and another in Princeton, Florida, just south of Miami. Both projects were finalists in the National Association of Homebuilders’ Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Awards.
Romero founded Luna House Ventures in 2019 to solve the housing crisis pervasive in Miami and other fast-growing cities around the world, drawing on his successes as a leader in smart development and a collaborator to nonprofits, government agencies, institutional investors, landowners and other key stakeholders.
Romero lives in Miami and is a past South Florida chairman of Read to a Child, a national literacy and mentoring nonprofit focused on building a love of reading among underserved children.
JOSH TONNESEN
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Mr. Tonnesen joined Cornerstone in 2019, bringing with him 14 years of tax credit development experience...
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PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
JOSH TONNESEN
Josh Tonnesen joined Cornerstone in 2019, bringing with him 14 years of tax credit development experience as an owner of a tax credit development company. His job responsibilities included all facets of tax credit development, from acquisition, pre-development, financing, construction and lease-up. The properties he developed included properties that served family, elderly and special needs households, all located in the Midwest.
Mr. Tonnesen brings to Cornerstone a wealth of experience, with both development expertise as well as established debt and equity relationships. He also has had the experience of developing affordable housing properties and maintaining them over many years, giving him the knowledge to continue improving the quality of developments.
Kristian Lastre
Assistant Vice President
Mr. Lastre joined Cornerstone in May of 2021 as a Finance and Development Associate
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Assistant Vice President
Kristian Lastre
Mr. Lastre joined Cornerstone in May of 2021 as a Finance and Development Associate where his works on acquisitions, due diligence, and financing of developments. He also sources new development opportunities to provide affordable housing in the state of Florida.
Through communication with multiple third parties including brokers, government officials, land-use attorneys, engineers, bankers and participating in municipal events, Mr. Lastre stays up-to-date with the latest data on the South and Central Florida markets.
Most recently Mr. Lastre was involved in successfully sourcing over $38 million in funding for Captiva Cove III in Pompano Beach, FL, which included a mix of federal, state, and local funds as well private construction and permanent debt from JP Morgan Chase.
Prior to joining Cornerstone, Mr. Lastre began his career working on business development for local residential brokerages in Coral Gables, Florida.
He then transitioned to becoming a residential mortgage underwriter for Amerisave and was promoted to becoming a mortgage loan underwriter after successfully passing the state exam. Mr. Lastre is a graduate of the University of Miami’s Herbert Business School, where he graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Finance and Entrepreneurship.