Our Team
Management
Jack K. Heilbron
CEO and President
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Heilbron has served as a director and officer of the Company since its inception. Mr. Heilbron also has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and President and Chief Executive Officer of NetREIT Dubose Model Home REIT, Inc. since its inception, and has served as President of NetREIT Advisors, LLC and NTR Property Management, Inc. since their inceptions. Mr. Heilbron was a founding officer, director, and shareholder of the former CI Holding Group, Inc. and of its subsidiary corporations (Centurion Counsel, Inc., Bishop Crown Investment Research Inc., PIM Financial Securities Inc., Centurion Institutional Services Inc. and CHG Properties, Inc.) and currently serves as CEO and Chairman of Centurion Counsel, Inc., a licensed investment advisor. He also served as a director of the Centurion Counsel Funds, an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, from March 10, 2001 until 2005. From 1994 until its dissolution in 1999, Mr. Heilbron served as the Chairman and/or Director of Clover REIT. Mr. Heilbron graduated with a B.S. degree in Business Administration from California Polytechnic College, San Luis Obispo, California.
Gary M. Katz
Chief Investment Officer
Gary Katz joined the Company in 2010. He is responsible for overseeing the Company’s investment and asset management functions, including acquisitions, leasing and management of the portfolio. Prior to joining NetREIT, Mr. Katz served in senior acquisition, leasing, and development roles for Westcore Properties, where he was involved in transactions throughout the western U.S. He has worked in the commercial real estate field for more than 30 years and has held positions with Legacy Partners, Lincoln Property Company, Kemper Real Estate Management Company, Bedford Properties, and Meyer Investment Properties. Gary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from UC San Diego. He is a former president and current treasurer of NAIOP – San Diego Chapter.
Steve Hightower
President
NetREIT Advisors
Steve Hightower joined the Company as Executive Vice President in 2010. He is responsible for overseeing the Company’s Model Home Division including acquisitions, resales, and management of its residential real estate portfolio. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Hightower held the position of Executive Vice President of Dubose Model Homes, USA, a model home real estate investment company, where he was responsible for the Company’s Model Home assets, including property acquisitions, divestment, as well as builder and banking relations. He has over 26 years of experience in real estate specializing in Model Home related transactions. Prior to joining Dubose Model Homes in 1996, he held various positions within Exxon Company USA. Steve holds a B.A degree in Business Administration from Texas State University.
Ed Bentzen
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Bentzen joined the Company as Chief Accounting Officer in March 2021 and became the Chief Financial Officer in September 2023. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Bentzen served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer for Crystal View Capital Management in 2020, as a Chief Financial Officer / Finance consultant for various clients (including real estate development companies) from 2018 to 2020, and as Chief Financial Officer for a non traded REIT from 2016 to 2018. Prior to these roles, Mr. Bentzen held senior and/or accounting roles at Western Funding, Inc., a Real Estate lender, and a local CPA firm in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, Mr. Bentzen worked as a Senior Internal Auditor at Ameristar Casinos, Inc. (formerly Nasdaq: ASCA). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration, with an emphasis in Gaming, and a Master of Science degree in Accountancy, from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and is licensed as a Certified Internal Auditor (inactive).
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
Jennifer A. Barnes
Mrs. Barnes has served as a director and as a member of the Audit Committee since February 2020. In January 2023, she was named Chair of the Audit Committee. Mrs. Barnes served on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee from December 2020 through March 2023. Mrs. Barnes currently serves as CEO of Optima Office, Inc., an accounting and HR services company that she founded in October 2018. From September 2012 to September 2018, she served as CEO of Pro Back Office, LLC, a company that she co-founded. Mrs. Barnes has also held a number of Controller and Director of Accounting positions at privately held for-profit and non-profit companies. She currently serves on the boards of the San Diego Chapter of Junior Achievement, the Better Business Bureau of the Pacific Southwest as the Treasurer of the Foundation Board and is also the Treasurer for Tech Coast Angels. Mrs. Barnes received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing from the University of Arizona and an Executive MBA from San Diego State University. She also completed the Becker CPA courses. Based on her extensive experience in accounting and personnel matters, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determined that Mrs. Barnes is qualified to serve on the Board of Directors.
David T. Bruen
Mr. Bruen has served as our Lead Independent Director since May 2020 and Chair of our Audit Committee until January 2023. Mr. Bruen joined our Board of Directors in 2008 and has served as a member of the Audit Committee since 2010. Mr. Bruen retired in 2008 from San Diego National Bank after six years as a senior commercial lending officer. During the previous 17 years, Mr. Bruen was in commercial lending for mid-size businesses in San Diego County for First Interstate Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Mellon 1st Business Bank, and San Diego National Bank. He is a Life Member of the Holiday Bowl Committee and has been a member of the Presidents Association for Palomar College, Financial Executives International, the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum, and the Association for Corporate Growth. Mr. Bruen is a graduate of San Diego State University and has an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. Based on his experience with banks, his educational background, and his achievements in the community, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determined that Mr. Bruen is qualified to serve on the Board of Directors.
James R. Durfey
Mr. Durfey has served as a director, as a member of the Compensation Committee, and as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee since December 2019. Effective December 31, 2020, Mr. Durfey was appointed to serve as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. In March 2023, Mr. Durfey was appointed to serve as Chair of the Compensation Committee and as member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Durfey retired in 2017 from American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE: AAT), a publicly traded REIT, where he served as Vice President, Office Properties, since 2004. During his tenure at AAT, Mr. Durfey supervised property management and leasing of Class A office buildings, assisted in the acquisition and/or development of office buildings, and worked with AAT’s board in developing corporate investment strategies. From 1996 to 2004, Mr. Durfey was Vice President of Trammell Crow Company and General Manager of the Century Plaza Towers and the ABC Entertainment Center. From 1980 to 1996, Mr. Durfey held various senior roles at Homart Development Company, which was the commercial real estate subsidiary of Sears, Roebuck and Company. Mr. Durfey received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Indiana University and is a licensed real estate broker in California. Based on his extensive experience in various facets of commercial real estate and with a publicly traded REIT, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determined that Mr. Durfey is qualified to serve on the Board of Directors.
Tracie Hager
Ms. Hager has served as a director, as a member of the Compensation Committee and Audit Committee and as the Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee since March 2023. Ms. Hager has served as Vice President, asset management, at Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (NYSE: IIPR) since October 2020. She has almost 30 years of experience in commercial property management, having overseen management teams and properties across the United States and the United Kingdom. Until January 2020, Ms. Hager served as vice president of property management for BioMed Realty Trust, Inc. (formerly NYSE: BMR), a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) specializing in acquiring, leasing, developing and managing laboratory and office space for the life science industry, having joined BioMed Realty in 2010. Prior to her tenure at BioMed, Ms. Hager served in senior management positions at the Irvine Company, a privately held real estate development company, and Equity Office Properties Trust (formerly NYSE: EOP), a REIT that was one of the largest owners and managers of commercial office buildings in the United States. Ms. Hager holds the Real Property Administrator designation administered by the Building Owners and Managers Institute. Based on her industry and management experience, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determined that Ms. Hager is qualified to serve on the Board of Directors.
Elena Piliptchak
Ms. Piliptchak joined the Board of Directors in May of 2024 and serves as a member of its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Ms. Piliptchak currently serves as Portfolio Manager for Ouray Capital Management, LLC, a concentrated small-cap equity fund focused on investing in a limited number of under-researched stocks, since founding the company in 2014. Previously, she served as a Senior Investment Professional for Axial Capital Management LLC, a $1.5 billion long-short equity “Tiger Cub” fund, from 2012 to 2014, Portfolio Manager for Tiger Europe Management LLC, a long-shorty equity “Tiger Cub” fund that she co-founded, from 2008 to 2012, Director for Tiger Europe Master Fund Ltd., a European-focused “Tiger Cub” fund, from 2008 to 2012, and an Analyst for Highfields Capital Management LP, an investment management fund, from 2003 to 2007. Ms. Piliptchak previously served as a member of the Asset Management Committee for the Kansas State University Foundation, a committee dedicated to overseeing university endowment investments, from December 2020 to December 2022. Ms. Piliptchak received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Kansas State University.