We know CRE because
we come from CRE.

Berkeley Davis has spent 22 years in the CRE industry and has learned to be nimble, efficient, and autonomous. She began her career in 2000 at a boutique firm wearing multiple hats in asset and property management, leasing, acquisitions, and construction. Later, at The Irvine Company, Berkeley polished her property management prowess and then moved on to Bixby Land Company to lead the firm’s asset management department, involved in leasing and due diligence, as well as leading internal and external teams. Her experience and leadership from the practitioner side impacts every search she completes at RETS. Since joining the company in 2012, Berkeley has opened offices in Seattle and Denver. Touching multiple markets within the US, she focuses on mid- to senior-level searches in asset management, property management, development, construction, and overall operations. Berkeley focuses on executive retained searches across the commercial real estate space and across the US.  She prides herself on strong client relationships and identifying top talent for their needs.

Personal Passions:  Her husband, their two kids and all their sports! Pilates, being outside and walking their dog, Duke. Cooking, live music and travel!

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Science in Business Economics, U.C. Santa Barbara
• Certified Property Manager (CPM), Institute of Real Estate Management
• National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP)

Andrew Reising joined RETS in 2016 after more than six years in recruitment across several industries, including national sales recruiter for real estate positions for Marcus & Millichap. Andrew loves to hunt for talented individuals and believes that finding the right needle in a stack of needles is both challenging and rewarding. Andrew has more than a decade of recruitment experience and covers all major US markets in the hunt for CRE investment and finance professionals from Analyst to SVP in acquisitions, asset management and development. A native of Los Angeles with deep connections in the So. Cal real estate community, Andrew and family relocated to Phoenix in 2019.  He is an alum and active member of the Loyola High School real estate community along with a graduate of Loyola Marymount University.

Personal Passions: Playing with his son and daughter, cooking a meal or making a cocktail with his wife Ashley and spending time with family and friends.  Andrew loves trying new restaurants and good food and drinks in general.

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Science in Natural Sciences, Loyola Marymount University

CD Wicks has more than 17 years of experience in property management and joined RETS in 2015. She has honed her skills in many facets of the CRE industry at companies ranging from nimble entrepreneurial developers to large corporations, including Bixby Land Company, Equity Office Properties, Davis Partners, and more. CD uses her love of meeting and getting to know new people in the industry to widen her scope and make the best placements possible for RETS. CD lives by the Mandy Hale quote: “You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.” She focuses on positions from associates to mid- and senior-level management.

Personal Passions: Spending time with her husband and kids, enjoying a glass of pinot noir, and visiting Geneva, Switzerland.

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, CSU Long Beach
• Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)

Chase Fryhover joined the RETS team in 2020 after more than eight years polishing his staffing and recruitment skills across several industries, including his most recent position as Senior Corporate Recruiter for CBRE. A skilled professional in executive search, technical recruiting, interview preparation, staffing services, and strategic sourcing, Chase loves the hunt for talented individuals. He believes that in addition to cutting-edge software, listening is still the best way to understand clients’ and candidates’ needs. Chase focuses on positions ranging from entry to mid- and senior-level management and strives to make matches that will transform employers and employees.

Personal Passions: Enjoying time with his wife and sons in Dallas, TX

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Arts, The University of North Texas

Christa Brillhart began her career with Deloitte focused on financial services clients on the audit side.  She then established herself in U.S. real estate asset management at The Carlyle Group, where she served as an Associate/Senior Associate for more than five years. She joined RETS in 2021 and serves as a Director in Los Angeles, bringing over four years of experience in the recruitment field with an emphasis on the real estate and financial industries. Christa is highly skilled in executive search, technical recruiting, interview preparation, business development, and strategic sourcing. Working with a variety of firms with different cultures, investment strategies and approaches to hiring is a favorite part of her role. Christa focuses on investment positions varying from entry- to mid- and senior-level management.

Personal Passions: Staying active, spending time in nature, live music and quality time with her 2 children.

Education and Affiliations:

• CPA (inactive)
• Bachelor of Science, Penn State University

Diane Blake has over 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate and recruiting industries. One of the top CRE recruiters focused on the San Francisco Bay Area, Diane has placed over 400 candidates with REITs, third-party service firms, and private equity firms. She grew from an entry level to a director level in the industry with companies including Prometheus, TMG Partners, and Orchard Commercial. Diane’s extensive experience in CRE gives her a unique perspective, which allows her to seek out the best talent in the business. She joined RETS in 2007 and is motivated by interacting with different types of people across all aspects of real estate. Diane’s determined personality won’t allow her to stop searching until she finds the perfect candidate. She is recognized by her tenacious drive and her proven ability to work with clients for all levels of positions. Diane focuses on recruiting and interim staffing, from associates to mid- and senior-level management.

Personal Passions: Spending time with her daughter, traveling, music, and wine tasting. In fact, she pours occasionally on weekends at a local winery and her dream after retiring from CRE, is pouring wine at a boutique winery in Tuscany – her true dream retirement destination.

Education and Affiliations:

• Former president of Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Silicon Valley
• CREW Silicon Valley
• Holds a California Real Estate License
• Certified Real Property Administrator (RPA) through BOMI

Erika Ewart spent four years at Huntington Partners in Charlotte, NC as an Executive Recruiter and Project Manager, overseeing all aspects of the executive search process before joining RETS in 2018. She brings over 17 years of recruiting, project management and sales experience to her role as Director, where she leads the firm’s Charlotte office. In 2017, she was ranked in the top four percent of LinkedIn recruiter users globally by the LinkedIn Recruiter Index. Erika thrives on helping people figure out their next step in life, what they are passionate about, and which opportunities are worth pursuing. Erika focuses on positions from mid-to senior-level management in multifamily and industrial.

Personal Passions: Erika is happiest when she is in nature or reading a thought-provoking book.  She loves the peace and quiet, as living with her husband, three teenage boys, and their three dogs is quite chaotic.

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Dayton

Fred Geisinger brings nearly 15 years of experience in executive recruitment and talent acquisition focused within Commercial Real Estate and Financial Services. Based in southern California, Fred has developed relationships on a national basis with a search focus on investments, asset management, analytical, and development functions. Prior to joining RETS, Fred spent several years as an in-house recruiter partnering with CRE executives to achieve their strategic objectives with effective recruiting solutions. His natural partnership approach and experience leading niche and diverse searches allows him to be a trusted resource for his clients. As a former lefty pitcher, he truly believes you can go further as a team than as an individual.

Personal Passions:  When not enjoying time with his wife and daughters, Fred enjoys playing golf, pick-up basketball, or anything to get outside and moving.

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, University of Tampa

Jessica Vukson joined RETS in 2024 and serves as Director in Newport Beach, CA. She started her real estate career working for a small boutique retail developer in Los Angeles and then moved into property management with Cushman & Wakefield with clients like Bixby Land Company, Salvation Army, Louis Vuitton and other high-end boutique retail ownerships. If she could spend a week anywhere in the world, it would be touring the coast of Italy, eating great food, relaxing on beaches, and wine tasting at fabulous coastal wineries. Jessica focuses on Property Management, Asset Management, and Leasing positions.

Personal Passions: Playing tennis or watching her kids play baseball, flag football, and volleyball. She loves all types of ethnic food including Persian kebabs, curries and Asian foods like Pho, Ramen, Korean BBQ, etc.

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Arts in Law & Society, U.C. Santa Barbara.

Mandy Haines joined RETS in 2023 and serves as Director in Pittsburgh, PA.  She began her real estate recruiting career in 2015 where she worked on senior-level real estate searches, specializing in acquisition, asset management, and development, for privately held real estate companies, family offices, REITs, and investment management firms.  One of her favorite quotes is  ‘A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle’.  She finds placing candidates really rewarding; helping someone achieve a career goal as well as fulfilling a need that existed for a client. Mandy will focus on positions varying from mid- to senior-level management.  She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, daughter and son.

Personal Passions:  Managing the cat program for the local humane rescue, interior decorating, anything with basil and spending time with her family.

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Science in Communication from Pennsylvania Western University, Clarion

Nick Berry joined the RETS team in 2024 and serves as Director in Los Angeles, CA, he brings over six years of experience in recruitment and talent acquisition. He played on the basketball team at Ithaca College and graduated with a BS in Economics from Miami University. His favorite quote is “Real G’s move in silence like Lasagna”. His professional journey is characterized by a commitment to excellence and strategic moves, whether collaborating with clients or identifying top-tier talent. When asked about his favorite thing about his career, Nick expresses a deep appreciation for making connections, building relationships, and hearing people’s stories and achievements.

Personal Passions: 
Outside the office, Nick can most likely be found on a basketball court during the weekends, showcasing his passion for the game. Sushi stands as his undisputed favorite food!

Education and Affiliations:
Bachelor of Science in Economics from Miami University

Vanessa Hamilton joined RETS in 2014 following more than five years in brokerage, acquisitions and development at companies such as CBRE and Xebec Realty Partners. She developed a multifaceted understanding of real estate that she applies to each search at RETS.  She likes the tangibility of real estate as an asset class, enjoys the art of finance, and gets a lot of satisfaction matching people and organizational structures. She delights in helping our clients find great talent – almost as much as she loves peanut butter frozen yogurt.  Vanessa focuses on Asset Management, Acquisitions, Development, Property Management and Real Estate Financial Analysis roles.

Personal Passions: Vanessa, who also goes by “V,” prefers spending her time outdoors: running or playing beach volleyball. Hawaii is her favorite place to travel, but can be found at her home in Newport Beach, CA with her husband and daughters.

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, University of Southern California
• National Association of Industrial & Office Properties (NAIOP)
• NAIOP Young Professionals Group, Class of 2011
• California Department of Real Estate Licensed Broker
• National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer

Tina Mechling joined RETS in 2024 and serves as Director in Pittsburgh, PA. She brings over 20 years of commercial real estate experience to her recruiting role. Throughout her career, she held roles in marketing, property management and business development (construction).  In 2021, she transitioned to real estate recruiting, focusing on executive searches for roles in development, project management and property management. Tina thrives on the opportunity to connect with others, having “walked the walk” in commercial real estate and now getting to “talk the talk” in her recruiting career. Tina lives by the motto, ‘A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.’

Personal Passions:Tina cherishes spending quality time with her family, especially her beloved bernedoodle, Rocky. She is a true coffee lover and currently resides in Pittsburgh, where she can often be found cheering on her sons at their soccer, baseball, or flag football games.

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Franklin University

Nancy Johnson joined RETS in 2011 and has more than 25 years of experience working in the recruiting and executive search industry.  She assists in overseeing the daily operations at RETS.  Her extensive knowledge of the recruiting industry provides keen insight into keeping everything running smoothly for Clients, Directors and candidates.  Nancy likes to get things done right and believes in making the most of any situation.   If she weren’t working in recruiting, she’d be a detective or interior designer.  Nancy strives to live life by Randy Pausch’s quote, “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand,” and she believes it applies to all of life’s circumstances.

Personal Passions: Going to concerts, wine tasting, Cabo San Lucas and all things Mexican food.

Education and Affiliations:

• Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, California State University, Fullerton

Callista Helms joined the RETS team in 2023 upon graduating from San Diego State University. She spent her time at SDSU studying International Business with an emphasis in Western Europe and Spanish. She has an eye for social media, marketing trends and design. Callista currently manages RETS social media and marketing related activities. Callista tries to live life by the Martin Luther King Jr. quote, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step”. She has a call for adventure and takes pride in being kind to everyone around her.  

Personal Passions: Anything to do with traveling, her favorite trip was to Morocco in May where she camped in the Sahara Desert. She’s a foodie (minus the cooking part), loves to take walks and catch the sunset with her older sister and two dogs Rio & Ramsey.   

Education & Affiliations: 

Bachelor of Science in International Business- San Diego State University
Nebrija University, Madrid Spain (Study Abroad) 
Associate of Arts in Business Administration- Irvine Valley College