2008 GBAA Officers Profiles...
| Frank Barefield President Frank Barefield is President of Abbey Residential, LLC, a real estate development company which owns a portfolio of approximately one-third of a billion dollars of multi-family properties. Barefield received a BS degree from the University of Alabama and an MBA degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma National Scholastic Honor Society. Barefield is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and graduated from the University of South Alabama Banking School where he was valedictorian. Barefield is past president of the Alabama Investment Property Owners Council and a past member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Homebuilders Association of Alabama. Barefield was the silver medalist at the 1974 World Powerlifting Championships and has been awarded the Master of the Sport award by the Amateur Athletic Union and the Elite Award by the U.S. National Weightlifting Committee. |
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| Ray Hutchinson President Elect |
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| Keli Lynch-Wright Secretary |
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| John Blackwell Treasurer |
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Dion Fox
Immediate Past Presidents Dion Fox is currently a Property Manager with Colonial Properties Trust. Having been dedicated to the multifamily industry in Birmingham since 1993, she has worked as a leasing consultant, assistant property manager, property manager and also as a vendor to the industry for 9 years of her career. Dion has served on the Association of Apartment Homes Board of Directors since 1995 to include chairing various committees and holding several elected offices over the years. She served as President of the AAH in 2006 and is Co President of the Greater Birmingham Apartment Association for 2007. Dion has been the recipient of many awards from the association including Vendor of the Year in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003 as well as Community Manager of the Year in 2005 and The Leadership Award in 2006. She also holds a seat on the Board of Directors for the Greater Birmingham Association of Homebuilders and has been an active member of the Associates Council of the GBAHB since 1996. Dion attended The University of Alabama and has a degree in Retail Management and Merchandising. She resides in Birmingham with her husband Mike and their 3 year old son Peyton |
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| James Reffelt Immediate Past Presidents James Reffelt serves as President of the Property Management Division for Arlington Properties. In this position, Mr. Reffelt is responsible for all oversight, direction and performance of the multi-family and retail portfolios and with over 18 years of experience in property management, brings significant knowledge and proficiency to Arlington Properties. Prior to joining Arlington Properties, he was the Eastern Region Vice President at Fore Property Company and before that held several positions for Equity Residential up to and including Sr. Regional Manager. His tenure with these companies afforded him the opportunity to oversee multi-family portfolios in markets such as Washington, DC, Kentucky, Nevada, Colorado and the the Carolinas. Mr. Reffelt has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University in Washington DC and has sat on the boards of the Las Vegas and Northern Virginia Apartment Associations and is currently the Co- President of the Greater Birmingham Apartment Association. |
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Joanna Lape, Account Executive
Mrs. Lape began her career in Property Management in 1990 working at a Student Housing Apartment Community in Auburn. After moving to Birmingham in 1996 she worked as a Leasing Consultant, Assistant Manager and Community Manager until 2001. She became the Association Executive for the Birmingham Apartment Assocation when it was founded in 2002. She is also the Association Executive for the Alabama Apartment Association. Mrs. Lape received her Bachelor Degree from Auburn University. She is married and the mother of two children, Griffin and Gracen. |
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