senior officers
Dan Barry
SVP, Facilities Operations
University of Wisconsin-Madison | Bachelor’s in Business Administration
First student housing experience: I worked as a front desk assistant at a private residence hall, answering phones, sorting mail and packages, and assisting residents, parents and guests.
Most memorable college experience: Meeting my wife at a computer engineering-house event.
Dan provides operational supervision for one American Campus Communities regional vice president and five regional managers. He oversees all operational aspects for dozens of communities, providing direction to his operations team members and day-to-day operational support to the on-site management staff. Dan is also the communities’ corporate liaison between ACC and partner institutions.
Dan has over 15 years of experience in the student housing industry. He joined ACC in 2012 as an area manager at our three communities serving students at State University of New York at Buffalo. He advanced to become a regional manager and then a senior regional vice president. In the role as SVP of Facilities Operations, Dan will be leading our facilities team with a focus on quality assurance and systems efficiencies. Dan enjoys completing home improvement and DIY projects with his wife, Dabby, coaching his daughter’s soccer team, and boating with the family.
Steve Beinke
SVP, Tax
Texas A&M University | Bachelor’s & Master’s in Accounting
Something most people don't know: I grew up in an Air Force family and lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, for five years. Many years, and many sweltering summers later, I'll still take the Texas heat over brutal Fairbanks winters any day.
Steve oversees the planning, organization and implementation of all tax initiatives at American Campus Communities. He ensures ACC’s compliance with all REIT tax laws and regulations and directs the performance of tax due diligence on transactions. He implements tax optimization strategies for federal, state, and local tax filings, and drives tax reduction efforts by assessing and adapting ACC’s current tax strategies. Steve also oversees ACC’s property tax function for its multi-state portfolio to optimize financial results for investors.
Steve’s history with ACC goes back to his days as a tax professional specializing in real estate in Deloitte’s Houston office, where he first prepared the company’s income tax returns in 2005. After an eight-year tenure at Deloitte, he eventually joined ACC in 2009.
Steve is a licensed CPA and active board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Georgetown.
Brian Bowers
SVP, Construction Management
Arizona State University, Master's in Architecture | Loyola University Chicago, Bachelor's in Finance and International Business
Most people don't know: Much of my time growing up was spent overseas and I lived in countries in Europe, Asia and South America.
Brian leads American Campus Communities’ construction management group, where he helps increase the development pipeline and focuses on efficiencies to drive maximum value and innovation for our partners. Leveraging his expertise and positive attitude toward collaboration and customer service, he has played a pivotal role in large-scale developments with over 15,000 total beds. This includes his development and construction supervision of the award-winning Walt Disney World, Flamingo Crossings Village project.
Brian is a registered architect through the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He first worked with ACC as a contractor on the company’s initial projects with Arizona State University. He then joined ACC in 2015 as director of development management.
Tosha Bowles
SVP, Property Operations
Prairie View A&M University | Bachelor’s in Psychology/Sociology
Favorite thing about college: The lifelong friendships I made and meeting my life partner who is also part of the ACC family.
One thing most people don’t know about me: I am a first-generation college student. After I graduated, my mom attended PVAMU and earned her bachelor’s degree in education.
Tosha oversees American Campus Communities’ entire property operations organization including managed and owned properties. Her exceptional leadership skills and her ability to construct high-performing teams and nurture talent ensure our team members are supported in achieving our company mission to put students first. Tosha has been instrumental to ACC’s public-private partnership business, serving on university management committees across the country including Arizona State University and University of California, Irvine.
Tosha began her career in student housing as a community assistant at ACC’s first development at Prairie View A&M University. Although her original goal was to be a clinical psychologist, in her CA role Tosha quickly learned she had a passion for helping students. She moved on to other property-level roles at ACC including resident director, bookkeeper, leasing manager and eventually general manager. She is a graduate of the ACC Inside Track program. At the corporate level, Tosha was a regional manager and regional vice president prior to her promotion to senior regional vice president and SVP, regional before her promotion to SVP, property operations.
Noel Brinkman
SVP, Public/Private Partnerships
Texas State University | Bachelor’s in Marketing and Finance, Summa Cum Laude
Best college-themed movie/TV show: Rudy
Noel leads American Campus Communities’ business development efforts under the P3 (public-private partnership) model. He helps university leaders see how utilizing the private sector can help them deliver the types of housing that today’s student consumers demand in a more efficient, cost-effective way than traditional approaches.
Over the last two decades, Noel has served ACC in a variety of capacities, including market analyst, director of development, and vice president of on-campus development. He is an active participant in numerous industry conferences, such as the National Association of College and University Business Officers, Association of College and University Housing Officers – International, Society for College and University Planning and National Association of College Auxiliary Services.
Outside of work, Noel is an active member of the local Boy Scouts board.
Mazelle Cannon
SVP, Deputy General Counsel
Texas Tech University, JD | The University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts
Most memorable college experience: My most memorable college experience was the opportunity to study abroad in Seville, Spain. I loved fully immersing myself in another language and culture, not to mention the lifelong friendships formed. I learned so much about the world and myself during that semester.
As a key leader in American Campus Communities’ legal department, Mazelle supports the business by mitigating operational risks. She provides strategic guidance to our business, leveraging her extensive experience as an advisor in the real estate sector.
Prior to joining ACC, Mazelle served as vice president of litigation management for Revantage and vice president of dispute resolution and operations at G6 Hospitality, where she supported hotel operations and managed litigation.
Felicia Chachere
SRVP, Operations
Walden University, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah State University | Ph.D. in Management, Master of Public Health, Bachelor’s in Biology
First student housing experience: My first residence life experience was moving into my shared room with my twin sister in Wright Hall which was an all-female dorm with community bathrooms. We were both so excited and could not wait to explore the college campus our mom and grandmother attended! During our freshman year we participated in a lock-in in the administration building advocating for better housing and some years later ACC came in and built a new apartment style community.
Most memorable college experience: My most memorable experience was my probate show where myself along with 13 of my line sisters were presented to the campus as new members of the first African American Sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Felicia helps steer the success of American Campus Communities’ third-party management division, which includes on-campus ACE properties. Her responsibilities include supervising business operations, facilities maintenance, marketing and leasing, residence life and student development, and staffing for ACC-managed communities.
Felicia has 24 years of experience in the student housing industry. While attending Savannah State University (SSU) she served as a resident assistant for Lockette Hall for three years. She began her career with ACC in 2000 as the assistant general manager at University Village serving SSU. She has since served ACC in a variety of positions including general manager, floater manager, area manager, regional manager and regional vice president. In her role as SRVP, Operations she oversees all managed properties as well as be the single point of contact for our managed partners. She will also assist the P3 team on new managed deals.
Michael Cipriano
SVP, Development
Texas State University | Bachelor's in Marketing
Most people don't know: When I first started working with ACC, one of our Austin student communities had a staffing shortage and I worked on-site for a few months to help and learn about ACC. What a great way to learn about a new company and start an amazing career!
Michael oversees American Campus Communities’ P3 development platform and drives excellence in the development, ownership, and management of student housing across the country. His positive attitude and dedicated ownership of projects have led to many successful opportunities with ACC’s university partners.
To date, Michael has worked on the development and in-process predevelopment of nearly $1.5 billion in student housing and other related campus projects.
As a 23-year veteran of ACC, Michael brings an extensive depth and breadth of experience to each project. He began his career as a director in operations and eventually became vice president of property marketing before transitioning into business development operations.
Gina Cowart
SVP, Brand & MarCom Strategy
Florida State University | Bachelor’s in English Literature
Favorite college-themed movie: Good Will Hunting!
Gina leads American Campus Communities’ brand and corporate marketing and communications and has been instrumental in building ACC’s renowned reputation. She oversees stakeholder communications from the earliest stages of development and manages the company’s media relations, crisis communications.
Gina also oversees ACC’s social impact programs and is an active member of its ESG Taskforce, Social Impact Committee, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Taskforce and American Campus Charity Foundation. She leads the company's mental health initiative and is a board member of the Hi, How Are You Project, a nonprofit promoting wellness among young people.
In her previous role as ACC’s VP of investor relations and marketing, Gina managed investor communications to establish ACC, the first publicly traded real estate investment trust, as a best-in-class company, defining a new investment class. Gina joined ACC with international marketing experience across multiple industries, including previous positions at Horticulture Australia Limited and Cello Technologies.
Steve Crawford
SVP, P3
University of California, Santa Barbara; San Diego State University | Bachelor’s in Geography, Master’s in Public Administration
Most people don't know: My original plan was to fly F-15s in the Air Force, but poor vision made that dream less likely, so I chose “the world’s second most exciting profession” – student housing!
Steve spearheads American Campus Communities’ third-party management division, recognized as the nation’s premier student housing manager. His mission is to deliver the optimal living-learning experience for residents, while exceeding the goals and standards of ACC’s clients. Steve’s oversight of ACC-managed communities includes procuring third-party management contracts and supervising business operations, facilities maintenance, marketing and leasing, residence life, student development and staffing.
Steve began his career in student housing as a resident assistant and ultimately a residential life director at a privately owned residence hall near University of California, Santa Barbara. After graduation, he continued his career at El Conquistador near San Diego State University and Granville Towers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Stacey Heller
SVP, Strategic Initiatives and Internal Audit
Texas A&M University | Bachelor’s and Master’s in Accounting
Favorite thing about college: The freedom to explore and learn, and the opportunities and encouragement to create and discover!
Stacey serves as a partner to American Campus Communities’ executive teams, spearheading several strategic initiatives focused on making our processes and organizational structure more scalable and efficient to accommodate the exciting technology transformation activities in our roadmap. She also leads our internal audit function, which she essentially established when she joined ACC in 2009. The institutional knowledge and deep familiarity with business processes across all areas of our organization that Stacey has gained in her 15-year tenure at ACC will allow her to be a valuable partner and strategic advisor as we plan and prepare for the exciting growth and transformation activities ahead.
Stacey previously worked for Ernst & Young, where she participated as a senior auditor during ACC’s initial public offering. She also gained experience with public companies while working in corporate accounting at Freescale (now NXP).
Stacey is a licensed CPA and enjoys giving back to the community. She serves on the Board of Directors as Audit Committee Chair for the Boys and Girls Club of the Austin Area.
Jimmy Henson
SRVP, Operations Transition Management
The University of Texas at Austin | Economics
First student housing experience: I moved into Jester Hall for my freshman year at The University of Texas at Austin. Standard shared room with community bathrooms down the hall. Met a lot of great people and will never forget the camaraderie we had on our floor.
Most memorable college experience: Meeting many great friends, several of which are still some of my best friends to this day.
Favorite thing about college: Watching Longhorn sports, especially football!
Something most people don't know: I love to play the guitar.
Favorite college-themed movie: 30 for 30 Survive and Advance
Jimmy started working in the student housing industry as a Community Assistant while attending The University of Texas at Austin. In 2004, Jimmy joined American Campus as a General Manager in Fresno, California to open University Village.
Jimmy later came home to Texas to be a General Manager and Area Manager, before being promoted to Regional Manager in 2008. Since 2008, Jimmy has overseen communities as far apart as North Carolina to the California coast as both a Regional and Regional Vice President. Jimmy spearheads warranty contracts at current and future properties to ensure we save and spend wisely.
Jennifer Jones
SVP, Transactions
The University of Texas at Austin | Bachelor’s in Finance
Favorite college-themed movie/TV show: Good Will Hunting
As one of the nation’s foremost experts in student housing transaction structure and finance, Jen helps American Campus Communities’ college and university clients choose the financing structure that best meets their needs. Her primary focus is negotiating, financing, and closing ACC’s P3 (public-private partnership) projects, which have included project-based 501(c)3 transactions, conventional leasehold mortgages, ACC equity ownership transactions and university general obligation bonds.
Jen began her career in commercial banking at Texas Commerce Bank and JPMorgan Chase, where she made construction loans for student housing projects including ACC communities. She joined the ACC team in 2002.
Jen is an active board member for LifeWorks Youth & Family Alliance.
Heather Laney
SVP, Procurement
Texas State University | Bachelor’s in Biology, Master of Business Administration
Something most people don't know: I became an EMT during my sophomore year in college.
As a key member of American Campus Communities’ development team, Heather oversees the design and space planning of our new communities to ensure they meet ACC’s development standards. She also manages renovations and repositioning activities for our existing portfolio, national purchasing agreements, development accounting, property integration, signage coordination and the procurement and installation of furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Heather’s entire professional career since has been with ACC. She has played key roles in investments, business development, project management and asset management. Heather’s diverse experience and partnering approach have been instrumental in ACC’s success, enhancing the value of our communities and driving occupancy and rental rate growth.
Hoang Nguyen
SVP, Chief Technology Officer
The Pennsylvania State University | Bachelor’s in Hotel & Restaurant Management
Something most people don't know: I was a Michelin-sponsored social media influencer on Instagram with my sports car page.
Hoang leads American Campus Communities’ technical services team in the execution of companywide technology enterprise solutions. These include ACC’s operations and maintenance platforms as well as our IT services for communities and residents.
Hoang brings extensive technology leadership experience to ACC. He joined us from Bonotel Exclusive Travel, a subsidiary of Internova Travel Group. As Bonotel’s chief information officer, he led the move to a modern cloud scalable vendor platform that allowed the company to rapidly grow its wholesale travel product business beyond hotels to over 1,000 international tour operators. Prior to Bonotel, Hoang spent 23 years at LaQuinta in operations and IT, eventually becoming vice president of applications, providing leadership and architecture oversight for the enterprise applications portfolio. He started his hospitality career in college, working in various staff-level positions for full-service hotel companies.
Jason Wills
SVP, Corporate Responsibility and Development
The University of Texas at Arlington | Bachelor’s in Journalism and Marketing
Favorite college movie: Road Trip and Animal House
Jason leads all aspects of American Campus Communities’ on-campus development projects. He works closely with our university partners to bring their vision of the student experience to life while meeting their architectural standards, financial goals and operational needs. Along the way, he oversees market analysis, project feasibility, design and team oversight.
Jason also leads ACC’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) team. He is responsible for setting our long-term ESG goals and leading sustainability initiatives to reduce emissions, conserve resources and minimize climate risk. His big-picture planning draws upon deep experience: Throughout his career, Jason has worked in every functional aspect of student housing. He began as a resident assistant and marketing coordinator with Century Development before joining ACC in 1997 as a marketing and leasing manager and later moving into business development and corporate marketing. He also helped create the 21st Century Project, a groundbreaking initiative of the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International that set a vision and principles that have transformed the student housing industry.
Outside of work, Jason is a big supporter of the arts and serves on the board of Ballet Austin.