Austin University Development and Student Housing

Mr. Johnson has vast experience in government affairs, legislative strategy, government procurement and contracting, real estate development and the management of building design and construction. Johnson began his career in state government working through several legislative sessions for the Texas Speaker of the House, helping the Speaker and members of the Texas House and Senate from both political parties move significant legislation through the intricate legislative process.

Mr. Thompson is the Director of Acquisitions for Core Spaces, responsible for sourcing, analyzing, and closing investments across North America. In his 16+ years of experience in the student housing segment, Mr. Thompson has been involved in nearly $7.0 billion in education-related real estate transactions including the development and acquisition of nearly 110,000 student housing beds.

Kevin White, Acquisitions Director – Alternative Multifamily, is responsible for the firm’s multifamily investing efforts including student housing and workforce housing. He is responsible for developing investment strategy, sourcing joint venture partners and investment opportunities, and overseeing all aspects of underwriting, due diligence, investment structuring, closing and disposition. Since joining Virtus in 2011, Kevin has acquired more than $860 million of projects. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance from the Ohio State University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining Virtus, Kevin was the Director of Acquisitions for a privately held real estate investment company. He was responsible for leading an acquisitions team that successfully closed $150 million of commercial real estate in 2 years. He has experience with numerous property types in sourcing, underwriting, due diligence, lender management, closing process, asset management and dispositions. Kevin is the President and one of the founding members of Club Blue of the Austin Area, which is a non-profit that supports the Boys and Girls Club of the Austin Area.

As Vice President of Development for Aspen Heights, Ryan Fetgatter oversees and manages all aspects of student housing and multifamily development, including market research and selection, site acquisition, entitlement, design, and preconstruction.  Since joining Aspen Heights in 2010, Ryan has led the development of 29 different projects which include 16,000+ student housing beds and 900+ multi-family units totaling over $1.5 billion in cost. Notable projects include RISE, The Independent, and Aspen West Campus, all high-rise residential towers in Austin, Texas. Prior to joining Aspen Heights, Ryan was with The Opus Group in Washington, DC, working on over 750,000 square feet of urban and suburban office development.  Ryan graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2006.

Dr. Troy Behrens has 18 years of career development experience in both higher education and private industry. With a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from UCLA and a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Arizona, he is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), a Certified Career Counselor (NCCC), and a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Illinois. After serving as a career counselor with the University of Arizona’s Career Center, Troy became the Director of Career Services for Roosevelt University in Chicago. Currently, he is Executive Director of Career Services for SMU, in Dallas.

Talmadge Smith has overseen the design of Page’s largest Student Housing development projects including 2400 Nueces at the University of Texas at Austin and currently, the Student Housing for the 2020 Campus Expansion project at The University of California, Merced. Talmadge and our Student Life team are nationally recognized as experts in the design of state-of-the-art facilities such as student recreation centers, student unions, dining halls and conference and event/venue facilities. Since 2002, our team has programmed, master planned and designed over 15,000 beds of student housing in residence hall living/learning communities. Our facilities have proven records of positively influencing students’ experiences through improved academic performance and relationships.

Ryan Lang, vice chairman and head of Newmark Knight Frank’s Student Housing division, spearheads best-in-class investment sales, capital markets and advisory services on behalf of the firm’s clients. He has represented many of the largest global institutional, public and private real estate companies and has completed approximately $10 billion in real estate transactions. Prior to joining Newmark Knight Frank, Ryan was vice president with CBRE’s National Student Housing Group, where he helped lead their team to number one market share position in the country. Before that, Ryan worked as director of multifamily investments for New Orleans-based Stirling Properties, where he specialized in the sale of conventional and student housing assets. While there, he was recognized as the top investment sales broker at Stirling Properties for both 2011 and 2012. Ryan began his real estate career in New York City at Marcus & Millichap, where he gained experience in seller representation, acquisitions and investment underwriting. During his first year there, his investment team was recognized as the number one top-earning team in the office. He was also awarded the Pace Setter award for 2008. Ryan was named to the NKF Chairman’s Circle in recognition of being one of the top producing brokers in the entire company and he regularly speaks at acclaimed student housing events throughout North America and Europe. Ryan has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and on National Public Radio for his expertise and leadership within the sector. Ryan serves on the board of directors of the National Brain Tumor Society, the largest non-profit brain cancer organization in the world. Professional Achievements NKF Chairman’s Circle, 2017-Present Top Five Producer, Newmark Knight Frank Top Producer, Stirling Properties, 2011-2012 Connect Media Top Broker Award, 2019 Co-Star Power Broker Award Pace Setter Award, Marcus & Millichap, 2008