Our Team

Mr. Cooley is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of AWH Partners. Mr. Cooley is responsible for overseeing all executive aspects of the firm, including setting the strategic direction and oversight of the company's investment, development, and management divisions. Prior to founding AWH Partners, Mr. Cooley served as Vice President at the New York based Related Companies for nearly 8 years, where he managed numerous investments through all stages of the acquisition and development process, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. With over 20 years of industry experience, Mr. Cooley remains actively involved in AWH's pursuit of value-add, distressed and opportunistic hospitality investment opportunities. Mr. Cooley received his BA in Political Science from Colgate University and currently serves as a Trustee on Colgate's Board of Trustees. He also co-chairs the Colgate Real Estate Council and in 2020 was awarded the Maroon Citation for significant and invaluable personal contributions to Colgate.

Russell Flicker is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of AWH Partners. Mr. Flicker is responsible for overseeing all executive aspects of the firm, including setting the strategic direction and oversight of the company's investment, development, and management divisions. Prior to founding AWH Partners, Mr. Flicker served as Ian Schrager Company's chief investment officer. Prior to Ian Schrager Company, Mr. Flicker managed Blackstone Real Estate Advisors' hospitality development, redevelopment and repositioning team. Before Blackstone, Mr. Flicker was an Executive Vice President at The Trump Organization where he oversaw the development team in all aspects of underwriting, acquisitions, finance, design and construction. With over 22 years of experience working for some of the most successful investors, operators and developers in the world, Mr. Flicker remains actively involved in AWH's pursuit of ground up, value-add and distressed hospitality investment opportunities. Mr. Flicker received his JD from Duke University School of Law where he served as a Member of the Board of Visitors. Mr. Flicker received his BA in Business Administration from Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis where he currently serves as the President of the Olin Alumni Board.

Jon Rosenfeld is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of AWH Partners. Mr. Rosenfeld is responsible for overseeing all executive aspects of the firm, including setting the strategic direction and oversight of the company’s investment, development, and management divisions. Prior to founding AWH Partners, Mr. Rosenfeld was a senior analyst at Wesley Capital Management and Scout Capital Management, long/short equity hedge funds, where he was responsible for investments in public real estate securities across various product types and geographies. From 1998 to 2006, Mr. Rosenfeld was at The Blackstone Group, spending two years in the mergers and acquisitions group, focused on real estate related transactions and six years as a member of Blackstone Real Estate Advisors, investing the firm’s private equity real estate funds. While at Blackstone Real Estate Advisors, Mr. Rosenfeld executed transactions across various product types. With over 22 years of experience in both private transactions as well as public market securities, Mr. Rosenfeld remains actively involved in AWH’s pursuit of ground up, value-add and distressed hospitality investment opportunities. Mr. Rosenfeld received a BS in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated summa cum laude with a dual concentration in Finance and Accounting.

Laura Barlowe is Executive Vice President of Operations for AWH Partners. Her responsibilities include corporate level financial reporting and accounting, oversight of human resource matters, and management of administrative support staff. Ms. Barlowe's career prior to joining AWH included owning and operating an independent bookstore, serving as Supply Analyst at a major oil company, Production Coordinator at a legal publisher and Independent Consultant to a variety of small companies. Ms. Barlowe holds a BA in Geology and Economics from Barnard College and an MBA in Finance from Columbia Graduate School of Business.

Carmine Cozelino is Vice President of Investor Relations and Business Development for AWH Partners. In this role he assumes the responsibility of maintaining transparent communication with investors while spearheading the identification and execution of strategic initiatives to raise capital, drive growth, and create value for the company. Prior to joining AWH, Carmine served as President at American Elm Distribution Partners, where he worked with alternative asset managers on product structuring, strategic marketing, and brand management. While with American Elm, Carmine helped to build and manage multi-channel distribution and investor services for investment management firms. Prior to joining American Elm, Carmine served as Vice President, Head of Internal Sales with ICON Investments and was instrumental in the launch of CION Investment Corp, a non-traded BDC sub advised by Apollo Investment Management. Carmine received his B.A. in Political Science and International Affairs from Hofstra University.

Nicholas Mayer is General Counsel and Vice President of AWH Partners. Mr. Mayer is responsible for overseeing the legal aspects of AWH’s investment, asset management and corporate activities. In this role, he also works closely with AWH’s development and property management teams. Prior to joining AWH, Mr. Mayer practiced at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, where he represented industry-leading property owners, developers and institutional investors in a broad range of commercial real estate transactions. Mr. Mayer received a JD from NYU School of Law and a BA in Political Science and English Literature from the University of Michigan.

Lauren Pease is an Accounting Manager for AWH Partners. In this role, she assists with a broad range of Corporate accounting, banking and operations duties. Prior to joining AWH, Lauren was an office manager and bookkeeper at DiSiena CPAs, LLP where she provided administrative support, monthly bookkeeping, and assisted with tax filings. Lauren graduated from the University of Florida with a BA in Criminology.

Stephanie Hou is the Associate Director of Operations and Investor Relations at AWH Partners. In this role, she oversees investor inquiries, fund administration, and supports the Firm’s HR and IT initiatives. Prior to joining AWH, Stephanie held roles within the Asset & Wealth Management and Global Banking & Markets divisions at Goldman Sachs. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Rochester.

Riven Sprinkle is the Senior Operations Associate for AWH Partners. In this role she is responsible for providing executive support to the managing partners and participating in initiatives related to the overall function of company operations. Prior to joining AWH Partners, she worked as part of the operations team for a New York based Executive Search firm and spent 3+ years working in the service industry. Riven graduated from University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and French and she holds a Certificate of Global Wine Studies from The Institute of American Universities in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Eli Evans is Vice President of Acquisitions for AWH Partners. In this role, he is responsible for origination, analysis, capital raising and managing the closing process for new investment opportunities. Prior to joining AWH, Eli was an Associate in the Hospitality Finance Group at Wells Fargo where he provided debt to institutional investors operating in the lodging and specialty real estate sectors. While at Wells, Eli worked to originate, underwrite, structure, and asset manage debt investments for transactions in both the US and the UK. Eli graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in History.

Erica Ma is an Acquisitions Associate for AWH Partners. In this role, she is responsible for supporting origination, analysis, capital raising and the closing process for new investment opportunities. Prior to joining AWH, Erica was an analyst in the Operational Due Diligence Group at Aksia where she provided fund advisory services to institutional investors in the alternative investment sector. While at Aksia, Erica was responsible for conducting interviews with and producing due diligence reports on real estate and private equity funds across the US. Erica graduated from Brandeis University with an MS in Finance and BA in Business and Psychology.

Paul Dragna is an Acquisitions Analyst for AWH Partners. In this role, he is responsible for supporting origination, analysis, and capital-raising efforts, and assists in the closing process for new investment opportunities. Prior to joining AWH, Paul was an Analyst for Dovetail and Co, a vertically integrated Hospitality Investment Company. At Dovetail, Paul provided support evaluating new opportunities and managing the existing portfolio of hotels. Paul also spent time working as a Tenant Rep Broker with Cresa, focusing on restaurant and bar deals in Austin, Tx. While at Cresa, Paul was responsible for managing deal flow and navigating all levels of the transaction process on behalf of clients. Paul graduated from NYU with a MS in Real Estate Finance and UT Austin with a BS in Communication Studies.

Alissa Mendelsohn is Vice President of Asset Management for AWH Partners. In her role, she is responsible for portfolio performance analysis, capital investment oversight, investor relations and disposition efforts. Prior to joining AWH, Ms. Mendelsohn was the Director of Hotel Asset Management for GFI Hospitality, a subsidiary of GFI Capital Resources Group, Inc. At GFI, Ms. Mendelsohn oversaw all hotels in their portfolio and handled all loan and financial reporting, retail leasing initiatives, and capital projects. Prior to GFI, Ms. Mendelsohn worked as an Asset Management Analyst for Tishman Hotel & Realty. Alissa received her Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a minor in Information Technology. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the University's Hospitality & Tourism Department. She is an active committee member for Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) and is an active member of the UJA Federation of New York Young Hospitality Committee.

Jenna Steele is an Asset Management Associate for AWH Partners. In her role, she is responsible for portfolio performance analysis, capital investment oversight, investor relations and disposition efforts. Prior to joining AWH, Ms. Steele was an Asset Management Associate at HotelAVE, an industry leading third-party hotel asset management firm. At HotelAVE, Ms. Steele asset managed several all-inclusive and luxury hotels in both the United States and Mexico. Prior to HotelAVE, Ms. Steele worked as an Investment Analyst for Peachtree Group. Ms. Steele earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business Nolan School of Hotel Administration with minors in real estate and finance.

Noe Couvat is an Asset Management Analyst for AWH Partners. In his role, Noe is responsible for portfolio performance analysis, asset reporting, capital investment oversight, investor relations, and disposition efforts. Prior to joining AWH, Noe gained valuable experience at Island Hospitality Management, a leading third-party hospitality management company based in Florida with a portfolio of over 90 properties. During his tenure, he held key roles on both the Acquisitions team as an investment analyst and the FP&A team as a financial analyst, contributing to deal underwriting, pro forma modeling, and financial analysis across a wide range of branded assets. Noe holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Aurora University and has earned multiple certifications in data analysis and real estate.

Ron Medina is Director of Special Projects and Development for AWH Partners. In this role, he is responsible for leading high-profile developments and scaling new strategies for the company. Prior to joining AWH, Ron was a Partner at StayMarquis, a hospitality operator in the luxury residential and boutique hotel space where he led acquisition and development efforts as well as new business verticals. Previously, he was an Asset Management and Development Associate at Innovo Property Group, overseeing a portfolio of infill industrial, office, and film studios in NYC. Ron started his career at J.P. Morgan Asset Management overseeing a portfolio of office, industrial, retail, and multi-family assets across the US. Ron graduated from Lehigh University with a B.A. in Architecture and minor in Real Estate.

In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of the firm's analytics strategy by deploying business intelligence tools and leveraging the firm’s data assets to enhance the capabilities of Acquisition, Asset Management, and Corporate functions. Dev has over 13 years of experience across investment banking, real estate financing, hotel acquisition, and hotel asset management roles, with a keen focus on advanced analytics and process optimization. Prior to joining AWH, Dev was the investment manager at SAMHI Hotels, a firm specializing in hotel investments in India. He has also worked with the investment team at Piramal Capital and the M&A investment banking team at KPMG. Dev received his Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH) and MBA from Cornell University, graduating with the highest academic honors. He is also a Chartered Accountant (Indian CPA) and holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Delhi, India.

Tim Osiecki is President of AWH Development and has over 40 years of construction and development experience. Mr. Osiecki previously worked at Concord Hospitality for three decades where he served as the President of Architecture and Construction at Concord Hospitality. In this role, Mr. Osiecki was responsible for overseeing the major renovations, brand conversions and adaptive use projects of over 15,000 hotel rooms. While at Concord, Mr. Osiecki led the design team responsible for the first LEED-certified Courtyard by Marriott prototype hotel and received Marriott’s first Icon Award for creating new innovative ways to enhance brand design. Prior to joining Concord, Osiecki began his career as a custom homebuilder for eight years.

Dan Benda is Vice President of Development and Construction for AWH Partners. Mr. Benda joined Lane Hospitality in 1981 and has since overseen all engineering, construction, and project management for renovation projects. He was promoted to AWH Partners Director of Development upon AWH’s acquisition in 2012. Mr. Benda has completed more than 20 major hotel renovations in the past five years, and is a past President of the Houston Hotels Engineers Association. Mr. Benda is a graduate of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, with postgraduate studies in Business Administration.

Chris Russell was hired as CEO of Spire in May 2018. Prior to joining Spire, Mr. Russell was recruited to start and lead Archon Hospitality, the in-house hotel management company for a Goldman Sachs subsidiary, Archon Group. His mandate was to create a scalable management platform and support Archon’s investment team in acquisitions, dispositions, asset management, due diligence and strategic growth. In 2011, seven years after inception, Mr. Russell had grown the business into an industry leader and Goldman Sachs sold Archon Hospitality. After Archon Hospitality’s sale, the business was rebranded Pillar Hotels & Resorts and Mr. Russell remained as its President/CEO. At peak, Pillar was managing over $2 billion of assets consisting of 260 hotels in 45 states with 8,000 employees. Mr. Russell and his Partners eventually sold Pillar Hotels & Resorts to Aimbridge Hospitality in 2016.

Dawna Comeaux joins Spire Hospitality as its Senior Vice President, bringing a wealth of experience having guided the sales, revenue management and operation teams of one of the largest third-party hospitality management companies. In her most recent position as executive vice president of operations and sales for Pillar Hotels and Resorts, Ms. Comeaux led a team representing all major hotel brands, including 250 hotels across 40 states with more than 8,000 team members. In addition to her time with Pillar Hotels and Resorts, Ms. Comeaux has served as a senior vice president of sales and a senior vice president of operations for Archon Hospitality (a Goldman Sachs company) and as an area director of operations and sales for Prism Hotels. Ms. Comeaux’s history on both the sales and operations side of the industry, coupled with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management from the University of Houston has provided an excellent foundation for her past and future success. With Spire, Ms. Comeaux plays a key leadership role in maximizing value through improved operations, sales, service and overall company objectives