Acquisitions
Acqusitions Team
President
Jonathan F.P. Rose
Mr. Rose founded Jonathan Rose Companies in 1989. Known as an innovator in green building and smart growth development, Mr. Rose has over 30 years of experience acquiring, developing and owning large scale multifamily and commercial properties. He provides daily strategic direction to the firm’s management team and chairs its Investment Committee. Mr. Rose is Vice Chair of Enterprise Community Partners and is a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Mr.Rose chaired the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Blue Ribbon Sustainability Commission, which developed the nation’s first green transit plan. He also serves on the Board of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and is an Honorary Member of The American Institute of Architects. Mr. Rose is a former partner of Rose Associates, a leading owner, developer and investor in New York City since the 1920s. Mr. Rose graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy and received a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.
Partner / Chief Investment Officer
Nathan D. Taft
Mr. Taft joined Jonathan Rose Companies in 2004 and oversees the Acquisitions Team in sourcing, financing and closing portfolio properties. During his tenure, Mr. Taft has expanded the firm’s national brokerage and partnership networks and has managed the acquisition of nearly a $1 billion of assets. Mr. Taft has also played an integral role in JRCo’s effort to create national models of best practice in the greening of existing buildings. He brings financing, design, construction management, marketing and leasing skills to his investment work. His prior experience includes working for a private equity fund at J.P. Morgan and leading public-private economic development partnerships for Yale University. He is a member of the Pension Real Estate Association as well as the Urban Land Institute, where he sits on the Responsible Property Investment Council. Mr. Taft earned an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and a B.A. in History from Yale University.
Managing Director, Acquisitions and Redevelopment
Brandon Kearse
Mr. Kearse joined Jonathan Rose Companies in 2015 as a member of the Acquisitions Team. He is responsible for analyzing and executing property and portfolio investments. Prior to joining Rose, Mr. Kearse worked as an associate at Summit Partners, a $15 billion growth equity fund, where he sourced and analyzed investments in the technology sector. He previously served as a Senior Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, where he consulted government agencies and Fortune 500 companies on a range of strategic and operational issues. Mr. Kearse received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Civil Engineering (focused in transit and urban planning) from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist.
Director, Investments
Max Jawer
Mr. Jawer joined Jonathan Rose Companies in 2016 as a member of the Investments Team. He is responsible for sourcing and executing new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Rose, Mr. Jawer spent four years at JBG Smith (formerly The JBG Companies), overseeing the completion of over half a million square feet in new office development. In addition, Mr. Jawer worked on several mixed use, multi-family and retail developments. Mr. Jawer is a Junior Board Member of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. Mr. Jawer received a B.A. in English from Georgetown University and an M.S. in Real Estate at New York University.
Partner / Chief Construction Officer
Christopher Edwards
As Senior Managing Director of Design and Construction, Mr. Edwards is involved in all aspects of the design and construction processes. Mr. Edwards instills a collaborative team approach in each project to ensure the clients’ needs are met and that each project is completed on time, under budget and with the highest standard of quality. Prior to joining Jonathan Rose Companies, Mr. Edwards was a Project Manager for The Dermot Company, a private developer, where he managed new construction and renovation projects ranging from $1.5 million to $186 million. Earlier in his career, Mr. Edwards was a Project Management Cost Systems Engineer and an Assistant Project Manager at Turner Construction where he worked on core and shell commercial buildings, office renovations/office fit-outs, and educational facilities. Mr. Edwards is a LEED Accredited Professional who received his B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Bucknell University.
Director of Finance
Virginia Plithides
Ms.Plithides joined Jonathan Rose Companies in 2010. She serves as Director of Finance for Rose Investments, and Chief Compliance Officer to the firm's Investment Manager. Ms.Plithides is responsible for fund budgeting, accounting, reporting, risk management, and compliance. She brings over 25 years experience and has been a Certified Public Accountant in New York since 1986. Prior to joining Jonathan Rose Companies, Ms. Plithides was the Controller of Red Stone Partners LLC, a private real estate finance company with a core focus on the multifamily industry. Ms.Plithides previously held several positions of increasing responsibility with Centerline Capital Group and its predecessor, Related Capital Partners. Her most recent role was Senior Vice President of the tax department. Ms.Plithides began her career at the accounting firms Blonder Seymour & Shapss and Bernstein & Berger. Ms.Plithides graduated with distinction from the University of Rhode Island with B.S. in Accounting.
Managing Director of Investor Relations
Kristin Sikorski Koch
Ms. Koch joined Jonathan Rose Companies in January 2015 as Director of Investor Relations. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Koch worked in residential real estate sales with Elegran Real Estate and Development. Ms. Koch previously served as Vice President of Investor Relations at Solus Alternative Asset Management (formerly Stanfield Capital Partners), an investment advisor specializing in event-driven, distressed and special situation opportunities. Ms. Koch received a BS in Technical and Scientific Communication from James Madison University.
Managing Director, Portfolio Management
Sasima Pongfuengfu
Ms. Pongfuengfu joined Jonathan Rose Companies in 2016 as a Portfolio Manager and is responsible for fund valuations, forecasting, and investor reporting. Prior to joining Jonathan Rose Companies, Ms. Pongfuengfu served as a Vice President of Asset Management at Urban American Management, a NJ-based real estate investment and management company. At Urban American, Ms. Pongfuengfu was actively managing $98 million of workforce housing in New York City and New Jersey alongside her other duties involving acquisitions, investor reporting, and fund-level analysis. Ms. Pongfuengfu previously served as a Consultant at Deloitte Consulting in Thailand, where she was engaged on projects in different industries such as energy, insurance, steel, and finance. Ms. Pongfuengfu received a Master’s Degree in Real Estate from Cornell University, where she was a Cornell Real Estate Advisory Board Scholar, and she received a B.B.A. from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
Jonathan Rose Companies' Acquisitions practice, Rose Acquisitions, builds on 20+ years of real estate investment and development success.
Our market-rate strategies combine a disciplined investment approach with innovative green solutions to produce superior, risk-adjusted returns.