Our Senior Living Experts.

Mike Gilliam is responsible for providing strategic direction to Greenbrier’s clients in the areas of planning, development, financing and marketing. He’s been in senior housing since 1990 and has worked with more than 400 clients over this time. Mike, along with Tom Navin, founded Greenbrier in 2006 with the goal of providing the best client service and objective advice in the sector. Prior to forming Greenbrier, he was a senior vice president at another national senior housing company and served various roles in the planning and development of approximately 30 senior living communities as well as led the new business development. Prior to 1990, he was a consultant at Deloitte & Touche. Mike earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Tom Navin is responsible for coordination of all aspects of Greenbrier’s development team, including entitlements, site logistics, design, and construction-related activities. He co-founded Greenbrier in 2006 with Mike Gilliam after working for another national senior housing development firm for six years, where he was responsible for coordination of the full range of development services for his clients. Prior to 2000, Tom was a development project manager where he was responsible for the planning and development of 20 senior living communities and two prototype designs. He also has 22 years of architectural, construction and development experience and received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Illinois.

Cole Gray leads the planning and finance group and is responsible for the coordination of planning and consulting services for clients, as well as the coordination of financing activities. He has worked with more than 200 senior living clients and has been involved in more than $2 billion of senior living financings since beginning his career in senior housing development and consulting in 1999. Prior to his work in senior housing, Cole was a management consultant for Navigant Consulting and Gibson & Associates. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Illinois.

Stephen Young joined Greenbrier as part of the initial management team, responsible for implementing and managing all financial reporting, Treasury, HR, IT and administrative functions for Greenbrier, as well as all cost reporting for client accounting. Prior to joining Greenbrier, Stephen was chief financial officer for Home Corporation International (HCI), responsible for establishing and directing all financial and administrative functions for a start-up encompassing five entities. He was also an independent financial and management consultant for small businesses in the Houston area and previously gained 10 years of experience in the senior housing industry as director of finance with Marriott and as controller for National Guest Homes, Inc. Stephen received a bachelor’s degree in finance from SMU and an executive MBA from the University of Houston.

Barry Johnson joined Greenbrier Development in May 2006 and is responsible for leading the marketing and sales organization. Barry has been instrumental in distinguishing Greenbrier as an industry leader in this regard. Under his leadership, Greenbrier clients have enjoyed excellent results in presales and occupancy growth, even in troubled markets. He has more than 30 years’ experience in senior housing, having previously worked for Vi (formerly Classic Residences by Hyatt) and Erickson. Barry received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Michigan State University.

Adam Heffernan has spent more than 20 years working with senior housing organizations to plan and develop successful projects. He is responsible for the coordination of planning and consulting services for Greenbrier’s clients, including project-specific business planning, organizational strategic planning, coordination of financing activities for development projects and other aspects of project development. Prior to his career in senior housing development, Adam was a consultant with Peterson Consulting and Barrington Consulting, where he provided financial advisory services to clients involved in litigation and other disputes. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in finance from Texas A&M University.

Ames Allen has spent 27 years working exclusively in the senior living industry. She joined Greenbrier in July 2018 and is responsible for the pre-sales and occupancy growth of start-up communities and expansions. After 10 years with Carlton Senior Living, Ames joined the regional team at Life Care Services, providing oversight for both rental and life plan communities in the West/Midwest division. Eventually, she became the vice president/senior director of marketing & sales for LCS, where she remained for almost 10 years prior to joining Greenbrier. She graduated from California State University, Chico in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and English and a minor in gerontology. She completed her graduate work in gerontological marketing at California State University, Sacramento.

Allison Cervantez joined Greenbrier in November 2016 and is responsible for the marketing oversight for some of our West Coast communities. She has 20 years of experience in the senior housing industry, beginning her career with Transamerica Senior Living in San Francisco in marketing and operations. She later joined Vi (formerly Classic Residence by Hyatt) as one of the key people responsible for the success of the CCRC developed at Stanford University. Allison furthered her career as vice president of marketing with Oakmont Senior Living. Prior to arriving at Greenbrier, she was with Continuing Life, Stoneridge Creek in Pleasanton, California. Allison has a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Chico.

Gene Hooton has been developing senior living communities since 2004, with experience in the design, development and construction aspects of numerous CCRC projects, including several new construction high-rise communities. He joined Greenbrier in February 2008, and is currently managing several new construction projects across the country, as well as several projects dealing with redevelopment and expansions of current campuses. Gene’s previous professional experience was as a developer in the multifamily industry, managing the design and construction of many luxury apartment communities across the country. He attended the School of Architecture and received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas in Austin.

Tony Teague is responsible for the planning, coordination, and development of projects from conception to completion. Prior to joining Greenbrier Development, he spent 10 years with Seneca Investments, a Dallas-based real estate development company. Tony was responsible for the overall planning and construction of a variety of projects, including luxury high-rise condominiums, commercial and medical office buildings, and multi-family communities. Before joining Seneca, he worked for Ridgemont Commercial Construction as an estimator and project manager. Tony is a LEED Green Associate and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas Tech University.

Peter Lin joined the Greenbrier team in April 2013 and provides project management support to our clients. With 19 years of experience, Peter brings a good balance of knowledge of the architectural design and construction process to his experience in real estate development. Prior to joining Greenbrier, he spent six years with Gables Residential and UDR managing the development process of projects such as luxury high-rise multi-family and mixed-use communities in California and Texas. Peter earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Texas Tech University and an executive MBA from University of Texas at Dallas.

Brian Devlin has worked in the senior living field since 2002 and is responsible for the delivery of development services encompassing everything from design through construction. He has a robust work history that includes working for some of the largest nonprofit operators in the country and within an industry-leading architectural firm. Because of this extensive background, he has a strong understanding of the internal operational challenges that clients face on a day-to-day basis. Brian earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Texas Tech University.

Ben Holder joined the Greenbrier team in March 2016. Prior to joining Greenbrier, he worked for Accenture, a large consulting firm, in both the management and strategy consulting groups. He worked across various industries including healthcare operators, IT manufacturers, and multi-system operators. At Greenbrier, Ben is a senior associate in the planning & finance group responsible for consulting services, market research, financial analysis and forecasting, as well as the coordination of financing activities for clients across the country. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX and his Master of Science in finance from the University of Virginia.

Scott Kaufman has over 15 years of experience working in real estate finance with an emphasis in senior housing and care. He rejoined Greenbrier in January 2022 after working as a FP&A consultant for several operators and serving as an interim CFO for a single-site provider in the Midwest. He has played a key role in the capital planning and structuring of start-up and repositioning projects for over 100 senior living clients. Prior to his involvement with Greenbrier, he worked in the capital markets division at Behringer Harvard, which at the time served as a sponsor and advisor to over $2 billion real estate assets. Scott has a bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Business from the University of Texas at Austin.

Evan Richter joined Greenbrier in May 2017 and currently serves as the Controller. He oversees the accounting department, which includes the preparation and review of cost reports, corporate and client audits, accounts payable and accounts receivable, monthly financial reporting, and review of federal and state tax returns. Evan previously worked as a senior accountant at Invesco from 2012 to 2017 and a senior associate at CliftonLarsonAllen from 2009 to 2012. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas and attended Southern Methodist University, where he received his Master of Science in accounting in and his bachelor of business administration.

Caroline Roth joined the Greenbrier Development team in October 2020, and is responsible for overseeing various marketing projects. In 2004 she worked as director of marketing for Carlton Senior Living. Caroline then successfully opened a family-owned and operated licensed RCFE, igniting her passion in senior living. Caroline eventually joined Integral Senior Living as the regional director of sales & marketing, overseeing communities and coaching teams throughout California and Idaho. She graduated from Santa Clara University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and minor in business administration.

Amy Linder joined Greenbrier in 2011 as a member of the sales and marketing team and has worked her way to become senior vice president of marketing. She has successfully lead presales for two communities and has had great success in filling these communities in record time. Amy received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Lynn University.

Paula McCann joined the Greenbrier Development team in July 2021. She has spent her career working in the senior living industry, starting as a sales assistant with a small senior living company and quickly transitioning to sales & marketing director. Throughout her tenure in the senior living sector, Paula has held multiple roles, including business development director, sales specialist, and regional sales & marketing director. She is a strong sales coach and is skilled in the pre-sales process and at turning around occupancy growth. Paula received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Winthrop University.

Martha Holloway joined Greenbrier as a regional marketing director in April 2022. She has a deep history of sales success in the senior living industry, working for a luxury buy-in CCRC community in Dallas prior to joining the Greenbrier team. Martha has also worked as a licensed real estate broker for 11 years and spent over a decade in sales with IBM and HP. Her strengths in both rental and buy-in CCRC sales, blue-sky development and pre-sales, and campus renovation and expansion sales make her an asset to the Greenbrier team. Martha received a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Florida.

Maranda Diener joined Greenbrier in February of 2019 as a development accountant and is responsible for the cost and financial reporting for various clients throughout the development stages. She previously worked as a bookkeeper at Dominion Harbor Group, a senior accounting specialist at Ragland, Strother & Lafitte Insurance, and a fiduciary accounting specialist at Crump Insurance, along with many other years of accounting experience. Maranda graduated from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, California in 2002.

Garet Taake joined Greenbrier in January 2021. He is responsible for consulting services, market research, financial analysis and forecasting, in addition to the coordination of financing activities. Prior to joining Greenbrier, Garet was a senior associate at PwC in the financial services assurance group, where he was responsible for conducting the financial audits for various asset management and real estate clients. It was during this time that he became a Certified Public Accountant. Garet has earned a bachelor’s degree of business administration in accounting and a master’s degree in financial management from Texas A&M University.

Lizett Holvoet joined Greenbrier in February 2020. She was promoted to her current role in May 2022, and now provides analytic and reporting support to the sales and marketing team, creates workflows, and provides training and administrative support for community clients. Before joining Greenbrier, she worked in human resources and project management in the senior living sector for seven years and has more than 10 years of office management experience. Lizett received a bachelor’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology from the University of Phoenix.

Dylan Redig joined Greenbrier in April 2024. He is responsible for consulting services, market research, financial analysis, and forecasting, in addition to the coordination of financing activities. Dylan joined Greenbrier after working as a Financial Analyst at Houlihan Lokey in the Transaction Advisory Services group and an M&A Analyst for ERIKS. He was responsible for supporting clients throughout the transaction lifecycle on both buy- and sell-side transactions. Dylan holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with a focus on financial applications and a master’s degree in accountancy with a specialization in assurance and advisory from Southern Methodist University.

Esmeralda Garcia joined Greenbrier in December 2021. As a development accountant, Esmeralda is responsible for monthly cost reporting and draw process for client development projects. She also assists with other accounting duties, including accounts receivable, invoicing, and expense reporting. Prior to her role at Greenbrier, she served as staff accountant at RV Retailers. Esmeralda received a Bachelor of Business Administration and MBA in accounting from the University of North Texas at Dallas.

Melanie Cheney joined Greenbrier in August 2023 as office manager and marketing coordinator, coordinating day-to-day logistics in the Dallas office and working to maximize public awareness of Greenbrier and its services. Having transitioned from the nonprofit fundraising sector, Ms. Cheney previously spent five years writing and managing grants at the Dallas Zoo. Melanie received a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.