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Company Page

A close-knit team of the greatest
human beings.

Strategy
Partners
Company
Updates
Contact
818-483-1060
info@whitmanpeterson.com
3075 Townsgate Rd, Suite 210
Westlake Village, CA 91361

OUR CORE VALUES

From Indonesia and Australia to Italy, Canada, and Mexico, and almost everywhere in between, our team expands the globe and crosses borders. Each year we come together to climb as a group to form deeper connections and friendships.

Each member comes with extensive experience at top real estate investment firms and other institutions across the world. We have pulled talent from companies like Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, and Marriott International and top educational institutions like USC, Cornell, and Harvard. Get to know our team of great human beings.

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Authenticity

Be great
Human beings

Impact

Be a game
Changer

Discipline

Be righter
And tighter

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Trust

Be trustworthy
And trusting

Better we raise our skill than lower the climb.

Royal Robbins

Meet the Team

All

Corporate Finance

Deal Team

Leadership

Wes Whitman

Co-Founding Partner

Wes Whitman

Co-Founding Partner

Wes is a Co-Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Whitman Peterson. Since the firm’s inception in late 2010, Wes and Bob have overseen the firm’s investment in more than 100 transactions involving 150+ assets, representing more than $20 billion of total capitalization. They have sourced and structured highly strategic partnerships with some of nation’s prominent companies in their target sectors. Prior to the formation of Whitman Peterson, Wes was a Managing Director and Principal at Greystar, the largest multifamily investment, development and management company globally (with $35B+ of assets and more than 600,000+ apartments under management), where his responsibilities included acquisitions of assets and operating companies, asset management, land entitlements, and leading a 200+ member operating team on the West Coast. Wes graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.S. in Finance and received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2005.

Prior Firms

Greystar

Personal Interests

Anything in the mountains, Anything on the water, Everything with family

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Steven Provezano

Sr Analyst

Steven Provezano

Sr Analyst

Steve is a Senior Analyst at Whitman Peterson. Steve joined the Investment team in June 2022 after receiving master’s degrees from Yale University and HEC Paris. Steve has interned in JLL’s Strategy Consulting practice and has worked full-time in EY’s Real Estate & Hospitality Assurance practice. Steve has a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego and grew up in Orange County, California.

Personal Interests

Pickleball, Golf, and Running

Vaib Vijayakumar

Managing Director

Vaib Vijayakumar

Managing Director

Vaib is a Principal at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the investment team in 2013, Vaib was an Associate at Stanford University, helping manage the endowment’s multi-billion dollar commercial real estate portfolio consisting of office, hotel, agricultural, multifamily, and single-family assets. At Stanford, he prepared financial analysis, supported due diligence, and participated in negotiations for acquisition, disposition, and development efforts. Prior to Stanford, Vaib was an Analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he worked on the structuring and origination of equity investments for transactions involving historic, low income, and new markets tax credits across various property types. Vaib holds a BSc. with concentrations in Real Estate Finance and Information Systems from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Steve Nunez

Managing Director

Steve Nunez

Managing Director

Steve is a Principal at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the team, Steven spent over five years at Barings Real Estate Advisers where he worked alongside senior management in the acquisition of new investments in the Western U.S. During his time at Barings, he was involved in the acquisition, underwriting, due diligence, and closing of over $2.0 billion in new investments. Prior to Barings, Steven was an analyst at Center Square Investment Management where he worked in acquisitions and was involved in the oversight of a $430 million portfolio. Steven earned his MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and has a B.S. in Public Policy, Management, and Planning from the University of Southern California where he graduated Magna Cum Laude

Prior Firms

Barings Real Estate Advisors, CenterSquare Investment Management

Personal Interests

spending time with my wife and children, backpacking, deep sea fishing, sport cars

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Sofia Viteillo

Analyst

Sofia Viteillo

Analyst

Sofia is an Analyst at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the Corporate Finance Team in 2021, Sofia was a Senior Audit Associate at KPMG where she worked in the Asset Management practice primarily on private equity and hedge fund clients in the Los Angeles area. Sofia graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2018 with a BS in Economics and Accounting

Prior Firms

KPMG

Personal Interests

Skiing, Golfing, Hiking

Seth Nickolaisen

Associate

Seth Nickolaisen

Associate

Seth is an analyst at Whitman Peterson. Seth joined Whitman Peterson after graduating magna cum laude from Brigham Young University with both a Master of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science degree of Accountancy. During his time at Brigham Young University, Seth completed an internship with Deloitte (New York City) in their Financial Services Industry group.

Personal Interests

Macroeconomics, Hiking, Volleyball

Ryan Boyd

Sr. Associate

Ryan Boyd

Sr. Associate

Ryan is a Senior Associate at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the investment team in 2017, Ryan was an Associate at Oaktree Capital Management, a leading global alternative investment management firm. At Oaktree, Ryan was primarily focused on developing earnings and profitability projections by forecasting investment fund performance and managing the firm’s corporate model. Prior to Oaktree, Ryan completed the Risk Management Program at GE Capital, a two-year credit-training program where he was focused on underwriting and portfolio management of middle market transactions, primarily in the leveraged finance space. Ryan holds a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Economics from the University of Southern California.

Prior Firms

GE Capital, Oaktree Capital Management

Personal Interests

Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Surfing, Traveling, Poker

Piers Clark

Analyst

Piers Clark

Analyst

Piers is an analyst at Whitman Peterson. Piers joined the Whitman Peterson team in summer 2021 after graduating magna cum laude from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU, where he earned a BA focusing on urban design and geography. While in school, Piers interned at Hines, working on seniors housing developments in New York City.

Personal Interests

Pottery, cooking, surfing, and cycling

Paul Novak

Executive Director - Lodging

Paul Novak

Executive Director - Lodging

Paul is one of the premier development and acquisition executives within the hotel industry. He has acquired or developed over $4 billion in hotel assets over the past 40 years, through his leadership roles at companies such as: Marriott, where he participated in the creation of the Courtyard by Marriott product and oversaw development of the first 225 Courtyard assets and the Hampstead Group, under the entity known as Bedrock Partners, where he led acquisitions and redevelopment efforts for several of Hampstead’s large portfolio investments including a large program with Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, the consolidation of Harvey Hotels and United Inns into Bristol Hotels, and the acquisition of 100+ Holiday Inn assets from Bass PLC, which were ultimately sold to FelCor Lodging Trust. Mr. Novak has a BA degree from one of the country’s premier hotel schools, Michigan State University. He is very active in the real estate development and hospitality industries, having served as Chairman of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and President of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA). He is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and is an original member of ULI’s Hotel Development Council (HDC).

Prior Firms

PKF, Holiday Inns, La Quinta Motor Inns, Marriott International, The Hampstead Group- Bedrock Partners, Patriot American/Wyndham, Burger King, The John Buck Company

Personal Interests

Love boating and sleeping!

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Lucas Liu

Associate

Lucas Liu

Associate

Lucas is an analyst at Whitman Peterson. Lucas joined Whitman Peterson after graduating with distinction from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree with a minor in Real Estate. While studying at Cornell, Lucas completed internships with Intercontinental Hotel Group, Marriott International, and Jones Land Lasalle. At Jones Lang Lasalle (Singapore), Lucas performed hotel valuations, feasibility studies, and actively participated in asset management efforts.

Prior Firms

Internship with JLL and InterContinental Hotel Group

Personal Interests

Sports, Travel, and Outdoor Activities

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Jerome Nonanto

Sr. Director

Jerome Nonanto

Sr. Director

Jerome is a Director at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the team, Jerome was a Vice President at True Investments, an ultra-high net-worth family office based in Newport Beach, CA, where he led the capital markets and business strategy of the real estate group. Prior to True, Jerome spent 10+ years in New York, most recently as an Associate with the with real estate private equity team at Fortress Investment Group, where he focused on real estate investments within the leisure & entertainment and senior housing asset classes. Additionally, Jerome held roles within the accounting and advisory teams at Morgan Stanley and Deloitte.

Jerome holds a B.A. in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Prior Firms

Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, Fortress

Personal Interests

Racing cars, snowboarding/skiing, photography, traveling, being with family and friends

Jason Johnson

Executive Managing Director

Jason Johnson

Executive Managing Director

Jason is a Managing Director at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, Jason worked at Highridge Partners in Los Angeles, CA and Morgan Stanley in New York, NY. At Highridge Partners, Jason analyzed commercial real estate acquisitions & dispositions, secured debt financing, and managed a portfolio of real estate assets. At Morgan Stanley he worked in the Private Equity Real Estate Fund group (MSREF) where he was part of portfolio and asset management. Jason earned his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Business with concentrations in finance and real estate and has both a MAcc and BS in Accountancy from Brigham Young University. Jason Johnson is a CFA® charterholder and is also a licensed CPA.

Jack Jolliffe

Sr Associate

Jack Jolliffe

Sr Associate

Jack is a Senior Associate at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the investment team in 2019, Jack was an Investment Analyst in J.P. Morgan’s Endowments & Foundations, where he focused on multi-asset portfolio construction for nonprofit institutions. Jack is a graduate of Texas Christian University (magna cum laude) and holds a BBA in Finance with minors in Accounting and Mathematics. Jack is a CFA® charterholder.

Prior Firms

J.P. Morgan

Personal Interests

Skiing, Cycling, Reading, Traveling

Gina Lewis

Sr. Executive Adminstrator

Gina Lewis

Sr. Executive Adminstrator

Gina joined Whitman Peterson as an Executive Assistant/Office Manager in September of 2011. Gina provides administrative support to the investment team. Gina has supported executive staff members for the past 15 years in various fields, including publishing, sales and marketing, and finance.

Prior Firms

THQ, Dole, Entertainment Capital

Personal Interests

Water activities (Boating, Paddleboarding,) cooking, music festivals

Bob Whitman

Co-Founding Partner

Bob Whitman

Co-Founding Partner

Bob is a Co-Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Whitman and Peterson. Bob also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of FranklinCovey. Prior to joining FranklinCovey, Whitman served as President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Hampstead Group, LLC, a private equity investment firm, which made significant investments in companies in the hotel, retirement housing, restaurant, and theme park industries with the goal of helping these companies achieve significant growth. Hampstead helped to build up Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Felcor Lodging Trust, Forum Group Inc., and a number of other public and private companies. Mr. Whitman served on the Board of Directors of these companies and served as Chairman and acting Chief Executive Officer of Forum Group, Inc. Prior to that time, Mr. Whitman was a Managing Partner and member of both the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Trammell Crow Group. He graduated with honors from the University of Utah in 1976 with a B.S. in Finance and received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1978.

Personal Interests

Cycling

Barbara Gasgonia

Analyst

Barbara Gasgonia

Analyst

Barbara is an Analyst at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the Corporate Finance team in 2020, Barbara was an Audit Associate in KPMG’s Los Angeles Asset Management practice, where she focused on the audits of private hedge funds. Barbara is a graduate of Texas A&M University and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Financial Management.

Prior Firms

KPMG

Personal Interests

Golfing, baking and creating travel itineraries for my interests

Austin Saunders

Analyst

Austin Saunders

Analyst

Austin is an Analyst at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the investment team in March 2021, Austin graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics. While studying at UCLA, Austin completed internships at AEW Capital Management, James Capital Advisors, and Maher Commercial Realty, where he performed property valuations, data analytics, and asset management services

Prior Firms

AEW Capital Management, James Capital Advisors (Ascension), Maher Commerical Realty

Personal Interests

Golf, Grilling, Coin Collecting

Andrea DelFanti

Manager

Andrea DelFanti

Manager

Andrea is a Manager at Whitman Peterson, in the Corporate Finance Team. Prior to join the team, Andrea was a Manager in the Asset Management and Real Estate group at PwC in the Los Angeles office. At PwC, Andrea served as lead manager on the audits of various private and public companies in the Southern California market. Andrea was also part of the Real Estate leading group which provided quarterly accounting and auditing real estate updates to the broader market and involved in organizing and teaching various real estate training. Andrea holds a B.S. in Finance (Summa cum Laude) from California State University, Northridge and he is licensed CPA.

Prior Firms

PwC

Personal Interests

Traveling, working out, Formula 1 racing

Arthur Santos

Sr. Associate

Arthur Santos

Sr. Associate

Arthur is an Associate at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the investment team in 2018, Arthur was an Analyst at Duff & Phelps’ Real Estate Advisory Group in New York where he advised institutional clients on asset and portfolio valuations. Arthur holds a BS from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University with Minors in Real Estate and Portuguese and Brazilian Studies.

Prior Firms

Kroll (formerly Duff & Phelps); Madison International Realty

Personal Interests

Volunteering/mentorship; soccer; marathons and triathlons

Alyssa Kennedy

Director

Alyssa Kennedy

Director

Alyssa is a Senior Associate at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the investment team in 2017, Alyssa was a Financial Analyst in Wells Fargo Bank’s Hospitality Finance Group, where she assisted in the underwriting of hotel debt financing’s. Alyssa is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a BS in Hotel Administration with a Minor in Real Estate.

Prior Firms

Wells Fargo

Personal Interests

Snowboarding, paddleboarding, scuba diving, and country music concerts

Ivan Chan

Analyst

Ivan Chan

Analyst

Ivan is an analyst at Whitman Peterson. Prior to joining the Corporate Finance team in 2021, Ivan was an Audit Associate in the Asset Wealth Management practice at PwC’s Los Angeles office, where he focused on the audits of real estate investment firms. Ivan holds a B.S. in Accountancy from Brigham Young University and a Master of Accounting from the University of Southern California.

Prior Firms

PwC

Personal Interests

Tennis, Basketball, and Table Tennis

We Want to Climb with You

Since our foundation in 2010, Whitman Peterson has raised 5 investment vehicles, including 4 opportunity funds and one core-plus side-car fund. We want to give you the same success and help you seize exciting real estate investment opportunities to grow that are available.

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