Scott Melnick

President

Scott Melnick, one of the leading multifamily brokers in the nation, has closed over $25 billion of properties throughout his 35-year career—including some of the largest transactions ever completed in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore Metropolitan Areas. From 1999 to 2018, Scott created and led dominant multifamily sales teams at Transwestern, JLL, and Berkadia. Immediately prior to forming Melnick Real Estate Advisors (MREA) in July 2018, Scott led Berkadia’s National Institutional Client Services platform for investment sales and debt. Scott earned his MBA in Finance from New York University and his B.A. in Economics from Ithaca College. Scott also completed specialized real estate coursework at Cornell University and NYU Law School and is an active member of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) where he has been a prominent speaker at NMHC national and local conferences.

Paul Mattoon

Executive Vice President

Paul Mattoon has over 30 years of experience in commercial real estate. He was a portfolio manager with R&B Realty Group (Oakwood Worldwide) where he helped acquire multifamily assets in 16 States throughout the U.S. on behalf of legacy partnerships executing 1031 tax deferred exchanges. Paul also has a deep knowledge of the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore multifamily markets through his work with L2 Partners and other Washington, D.C. based investment companies, involving over $860 million of multifamily investments in 2013-2018. Since joining MREA in 2018, Paul has led the team’s research, valuations and due diligence as well as advising clients on 1031 exchanges and helping to create off-market opportunities, including portfolios and entity transactions. Paul graduated from Pepperdine University and was a Certified Public Accountant prior to entering the real estate industry.

Phil Pitney

Executive Vice President

Phil Pitney has over 30 years of experience in the multifamily real estate industry, including key positions in acquisitions, development, asset management, construction management, and finance. Before joining MREA, Phil was President of PRP Real Estate Management where he was responsible for all the multifamily activity of the firm. Additionally, Phil has held senior positions at some of the largest multifamily owners in the country, including CompassRock, Lane, BRE Properties, Simpson Housing, and Fairfield Residential. At Fairfield Residential, Phil oversaw the asset management, redevelopment, construction, and portfolio acquisitions for all Eastern Region assets. Through his leadership, he led his staff in the acquisition and disposition of $2.8 billion in assets and the redevelopment of $280 million in total project value. Phil received his B.A. in Economics and Business from Westmont College and holds a Real Estate Management certification from The Center for Real Estate Enterprise Management, as well as an IIA designation as a Charter Property Casualty Underwriter.

Dominick Buffa

Executive Vice President, Affordable Housing

Dominick Buffa joins MREA after a 23-year tenure in the financing, acquisition and underwriting of Investor Partner interests in affordable housing throughout the Country. During this time, he acquired interests in support of over $2 billion of affordable projects. As the senior vice president and head of underwriting for the Regions Affordable Housing (RAH) division of Regions Bank he oversaw the underwriting of over $1 billion of properties. All these transactions were financed in part by allocations of low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC). Prior to this role, Dominick served as regional manager for RAH’s northeast sales team, was responsible for placement and management of investor relationships and co-managed the company wide acquisitions group. Prior to his term in affordable housing, Dominick was a consultant, real estate appraiser, general contractor and developer.

Dominick holds a BA from Ithaca College and MBA from Hofstra University. He holds a MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute, was on the Board of Directors for the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH) where he served to draft RPTL 58-a and was a board member of the New York Housing Conference and a member of the National Council of Housing Market Analysts.

Jenny Arias May

Senior Managing Director

Jenny Arias May is based in Orlando, Florida and is the Managing Broker and Co-Lead of MREA’s Florida office. Jenny has more than 20 years of experience as a commercial broker in Florida, where she has represented developers and Institutional investors in the acquisition of land, multifamily, industrial, and hospitality assets. Prior to joining MREA, Jenny was a Vice President and Co-Head of the Multifamily Advisory Group for APEX Capital Realty and Metro 1 Commercial. Jenny is an avid environmentalist and has served as an appointed member to the City of Coral Gables Green Task Force and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Committee on Land Use, Property Rights, and Sustainable Development. Jenny currently serves on several Boards and committees, including Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) of Miami, USGBC, DREAM in GREEN, Miami Dade Land Trust, and The City of Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. Jenny graduated with a B.S. in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry from Florida International University.

Scott Koch

Senior Managing Director

Scott Koch is the Co-Lead of MREA’s Florida office based in Orlando, Florida. Scott is responsible for sourcing, originating, and structuring MREA’s Southeast multifamily activities. As a dynamic, results-oriented executive with over 30 years of experience, Scott has structured and closed over $750 million of transactions for High Net Worth Investors, Institutional Investment Firms, and Family Offices. Prior to joining MREA, Scott was an Executive Vice President and Head of the Multifamily Advisory Group for APEX Capital Realty and Metro 1 Commercial. Additionally, Scott has over years of experience as an Investment Banker, including positions with H.C. Wainwright & Co. in New York City and the Bear Stearns & Co. Private Client Investment Management Group in San Francisco, California. Scott graduated from Southern Illinois University with a B.A. in Finance and Business Administration.

Jesse Mates

Managing Director

At MREA, Jesse’s main roles include assisting Scott Melnick and the team with asset sales, due diligence, business development, and actively sourcing off-market purchases and sale opportunities with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic and South Florida. In addition, Jesse actively focuses on raising equity and tailoring multifamily investments that fit the unique needs of athletes and entertainers. Jesse has recently been selected by both the Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal and the University of Maryland Terrapin Club as a Top 30 Under 30 along with being honored by a competitive field of nominations as a recipient of Connect Commercial Real Estate’s Next Generation Awards. A native Washingtonian, Jesse graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, and then went on to earn his Master’s Degree from Georgetown University. Jesse is an active member of the DC Real Estate Group and is a part of the NMHC Emerging Leaders Committee. In his free time, Jesse is actively involved in volunteering at The Children’s Inn at NIH and the Terrapin Club along with being an avid golfer and coaching youth baseball.

Matthew Crossley

Managing Director

Matthew Crossley joins Melnick Real Estate Advisors (MREA) to further the firm’s Affordable and Workforce Housing Advisory practice. In this capacity, his work will span deeply affordable, income-restricted, and mixed-income housing transactions that use Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and HUD-administered programs including Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers, Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contracts, and FHA-insured multifamily loan programs. Matthew will also assist with MREA’s market-rate multifamily transactions and brings expertise in leveraging municipal relationships and financing to structure mutually beneficial public-private partnerships.

Matthew has more than 18 years of diverse institutional real estate and capital markets transaction experience and most recently was at Enterprise Community Development (ECD), a leading national affordable housing investor. At Enterprise, Matthew built and lead the firm’s workforce housing acquisition platform, acquiring more than $100 million in naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) and LIHTC recapitalization transactions. Earlier in his career, Matthew spent a decade in real estate private equity and investment banking, with roles at firms including JLL and Newmark. During this tenure, he was involved in raising over $1 Billion in capital through debt, equity, and structured finance placements for a diverse range of multifamily and commercial real estate clients.

Matthew holds a master’s degree in real estate from Georgetown University, where he now serves as an adjunct professor and Capstone Advisor. Prior to obtaining his Masters, Matthew Graduated with a BA from UNC-Greensboro.

Josh Peck

Managing Director

Josh Peck has over ten years of experience in multi-family, commercial, and institutional real estate. Prior to joining MREA, Josh led the national investment sales platform at Douglas Elliman and GFI Capital, advising on over $1 billion in transactions. Josh has worked with top-tier clients, including Blackstone, Invesco, and WP Carey, on major multifamily, industrial, and distribution deals nationwide. Based in Miami, FL, Josh also brings a deep understanding of ground-up development and joint ventures.

Susan Annis

Managing Director

Susan Annis joins MREA with a strong background on Wall Street before she transitioned to commercial real estate with experience at Sands Investment Group, GFI Capital, and Douglas Elliman. Susan has built a strong reputation for off-market transactions, institutional investment sales, and debt financing solutions across multifamily, industrial, and retail assets. Susan’s creative deal-making and extensive industry relationships provide her with a national network of clients.

Mitchell Melnick

Director

After completing studies at George Brown College in Toronto, Mitchell Melnick began his real estate career working for Stellar Advisors at an almost 600-unit apartment community in Rockville, Maryland, where he was consistently awarded Leasing Agent of the Month. Mitchell then joined the JBG SMITH property management team at Central Place in Arlington, Virginia, where he specialized in serving the leasing requirements of the local professional sports teams. Immediately prior to joining MREA in 2019, Mitchell was the Director of Client and Member Services for NextMove Realty, a nationwide residential referral network assisting athletes with their relocations and real estate investments. At MREA, Mitchell’s primary role is to help tailor multifamily investments that fit the unique needs of athletes and entertainers. Mitchell is also an active member of the NMHC Emerging Leaders Program.

Amy Mattingly

Vice President

Amy Mattingly graduated in 2019 from the University of South Carolina with a double major in Marketing and Risk Management and a minor in Public Relations and Communications. Shortly after graduation, Amy joined MREA to focus on developing and executing strategies to promote MREA’s brand and services where her marketing role helps the team bring value and maintain strong relationships with their current and future clients. Additionally, Amy assists the team with financial analysis, dispositions, and due diligence as well as directing the production of Offering Memorandums for MREA’s exclusive listings. Amy is also an active member of the NMHC Emerging Leaders Program.

Caitie Mcgrath

Associate

Caitie McGrath attended Southern Methodist University, where she obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Organizational Psychology. Right after she graduated in 2022, Caitie worked in the organizational and talent development sector for a major REIT. Caitie is primarily focused on assisting with MREA’s recent expansion into the sale of affordable housing properties nationwide. Caitie’s role involves comparative market analysis, preparing and managing documentation and internal databases, and ensuring client satisfaction. Caitie is based in Denver, CO.