Who We Are

Debbie E. Berdy

Founder & Partner

Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Hobbies: Photography, quail hunting, sailing, travel, hiking, biking and horseback riding
Favorite Song: "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra

As Founder and Partner of Contemporary Management, Debbie leads the planning and long-term growth of the firm in the southeastern United States. Through her tenure, she believes the key to success is aligning the goals of the firm with the clients’ needs by combining a full-service experience; consulting on items such as construction and design, interior decorating, marketing, financial expertise and maintenance.

Debbie has over three decades of experience in all aspects of the industry; from developing, management, realty and brokerage. She is a member of the National Multifamily Housing Council, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Apartment Association, Building Owners and Managers Association and Urban Land Institute.

Debbie is a Licensed Real Estate Broker in the state of Florida and serves on the Board of Directors for the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Finance Committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Merchant & Southern Bank and on the Loan Committee and Board of Directors for Gateway Bank. She was also appointed to the Advisory Board for CenterState Bank.

Debbie is also committed to giving back to her community and supports the following charities: Tyler's Hope, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Haven Hospice of Florida and Quigley House of Clay County.

Sonia Fox

CEO & Partner

Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends, preparing great meals and volunteering for local charities and church.
Favorite Song: “The Wind Beneath My Wings”

Sonia Fox is CEO and Partner of Contemporary Management. She is a second-generation property manager who grew up in the business. As a respected business woman in property management since 1990, a Licensed Real Estate Broker and Founder and Co-Owner of Sonia Jo's Interior Designs, Sonia has over twenty-five years of property management experience with a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Valdosta State University.

Sonia is responsible for property operations and the company's strategic initiatives in managing the CMC portfolio. She works closely with the property owners and operational teams to achieve strategic revenue goals and to ensure that clients and residents experience the best customer service.

Sonia started working with the company as an administrative assistant in the 90s and was promoted to Vice President in 1994. She became a partner of the corporation in 2000 and was later promoted to President of Contemporary Management Concepts.

Sonia is a member of the Gainesville Apartment Association, the National Apartment Association and the Urban Land Institute. She sits on the Staff Parish Board of Trinity United Methodist Church and Danscompany of Gainesville Board. She passionately works with philanthropy groups such as Haven Hospice of Florida, Tyler's Hope and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Pat Dailey

President, Chief Financial Officer & Partner

Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Hobbies: Golf, Fishing, Boating, or any other sport you find on “The Outdoor Living Network”
Favorite Song: “The Florida Gator Fight Song”

Pat is responsible for planning and developing the fiscal financial function and performance of Contemporary Management Concepts. He also develops, directs and evaluates the financial performance of properties and associations that are managed by CMC. This includes overseeing all aspects of the financial reporting for both the company and their clients.He provides strategic, financial input and leadership on issues affecting the company and their clients to optimize return. Pat serves as the critical liaison with outside entities such as mortgage lenders, banks and insurance companies. He also oversees correspondence with auditors, insurance adjusters, government officials, tax authorities and appraisers.

Pat has more than 18 years working in the resident multi-family industry, 12 years in financial management as well as extensive experience as comptroller. He earned his BS in Accounting from The University of Florida, a Masters of Accountancy Degree from the University of North Florida and served active duty in the United States Marine Corps. He is a Licensed Real Estate Broker and a licensed CAM in the state of Florida.

Kyle Dampier

Assistant CFO

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Hobbies: Faith, Family, and Fishing
Favorite Song: “Another Brick in the Wall”

Kyle is a real estate industry professional with a multifaceted background that includes wealth management, geomatics and accounting. Kyle holds his Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics from Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia.

Prior to joining Contemporary Management Concepts, Kyle served as Assistant Vice-President and Trust Officer for SunTrust Wealth Management Team of Central Florida. A lifetime learner, he continually strives to stay abreast of current industry trends through self-directed study, professional memberships and development programs.

Katie Castelli

Human Resources Manager

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Hobbies: Hiking, Running, Entertaining Friends & Cooking
Favorite Singer: Michael Jackson & Queen

Katie Castelli, CMC’s Human Resources Manager is an accomplished HR professional with six years in hotel operations experience including human resources, event and recreation management. Katie is responsible for implementing human resource management strategies that enable CMC to recruit, train and retain a high performing and motivated team. Katie specializes in performance management, employee relations, orientation, talent management and legal compliance. Katie has a vast background implementing policies and procedures, managing employee conflict resolution and performance management, employee retention and benefits management. She holds a BS with a concentration in Psychology and Sociology from Flagler College in St. Augustine.

Shannon Claunch

Marketing Director

Hometown: Craig, CO
Hobbies: Cooking, running, writing, spending time with family and friends
Favorite Song: “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by Sting

Originally from rural Colorado, Shannon enlisted in the Air Force at age 18 and served throughout the U.S. for eight years in Logistics Management. She is a graduate of the University of Phoenix and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing in 2009. Her experience includes marketing, insurance, several editorial roles and B2B sales for several national brands. Through her diverse skill set in publishing, sales and marketing Shannon has gained a far-reaching and contemporary knowledge of customer service, business development principles, website management, content curation, marketing, advertising and social media. Shannon has been with CMC since 2017 and appreciates the opportunity to give back to the Gainesville community as Director of Marketing at CMC.

Kim Brown

Senior Regional Manager, Gainesville

Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Hobbies: Running and Family
Favorite Singer: Luke Bryan

After attending both Santa Fe College and UF, Kim earned her Florida Real Estate License in 2004. She quickly found success in on-site home sales and began her career with CMC two years later. In her tenure with Contemporary Management Concepts Kim has served as Leasing Agent and Property Manager overseeing several of the largest properties in the corporate portfolio. Kim was promoted to Regional Manager in the fall of 2014 and says that the people who report to her make her job rewarding and each day rich with new experiences. Being at the regional level has provided her a broader spectrum view of the industry and she is energized by the opportunity to support her team and continue to learn.

Syd Crosby

Senior Regional Manager, North

Hometown: Daytona Beach, FL
Hobbies: Hanging out with his daughter and namesake Sydney, antiquing, chess, fishing, eBay, SportsCenter, and college football — especially the Florida Gators

Syd began his career in property management with CMC as a leasing agent and has held jobs at every level of property management including Site Manager, Training Manager and Regional Supervisor. He has expertise in employee relations, marketing, resident relations, budgeting, training, leasing and resident retention.

As Regional Manager North Syd works in the Gainesville area, ensuring company policy and procedures are followed on multiple sites. Syd joined CMC in 1989 and uses his 27 years of professional experience to help CMC achieve its annual fiscal and business goals. After spending the 80s in college, he received his Florida's Realtors License in 1991 and has been a licensed agent in the state of Florida ever since. He is currently serving as the Vice President of the North Central Florida Apartment Association.

Syd has been involved with the Florida Youth Challenge Academy working with at-risk youth. He enjoys working with children, he and his wife are registered foster parents in the state of Florida. He is a member of the Legislative Committee, a past State Vice President of the FFA and a licensed CAM.

Regina Dampier

Senior Regional Manager, South

Hometown: Clayton, GA
Hobbies: Hiking, running, spending time with family, volunteering with local missions, and teaching Sunday School

Regina joined Contemporary Management Concepts in 2003. She brings with her over 13 years of professional property management experience. She is a member of the Apartment Association of Greater Orlando and serves on their legislative committee. Regina has been involved in extensive renovations, new development and lease-ups, repositioning of properties and acquisitions. She is experienced in the execution and development of marketing and strategic planning.

As Regional Manager South, Regina is responsible for more than 1,200 units located in the Orlando region. She supervises a team of over 20 employees and four on-site property managers.

Corey Williams

Regional & Acquisition Sales Manager, Gainesville

Hometown: Elizabethtown, KY
Hobbies: Golf and off-shore fishing
Favorite Song: “Try a Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding

Corey started working with CMC in 2005 as a leasing agent. Within six months, he earned Leasing Agent of the Quarter, twice and was soon promoted to Property Manager. He simultaneously owned and operated a multi-family cleaning service for two years.

The properties under Corey's leadership began to show a track record of renewal and retention. His leasing agents also developed their skill set as key sales personnel and went on to further promotions. Corey to became CMC's Director of Training and held this position for four years. In 2017, he was promoted to Regional Manager and now he expertly oversees many of CMC’s Gainesville student housing properties.

Juli Lague

Chief Accounting Officer

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Hobbies: Fishing and being with family
Favorite Singer: Frank Sinatra

Juli is an alumna of Auburn University, she graduated cum laude with a major in accounting. She is a Florida Licensed CPA with over 25 years of experience in accounting - primarily in small business environments. Juli moved to Gainesville in 2007 and joined the Contemporary Management team in 2012. She's also a proud Air Force Mom.

Heather Beattie

Training Director

Hometown: Midland, MI
Hobbies: Photography, creating movies and websites, chasing my three little girls, watching movies, resident events & social media
Favorite Artists: Metallica to Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Enya and even Nelly

Heather's background is in finance, mortgages and banking. She has worked in property management for 12 years and has been with CMC for ten in a myriad of roles. She started as the Assistant Manager of Lakewood Villas before she was quickly promoted to Manager at Woodland Villas. Shortly after, she was promoted to Property Manager at a larger community, Cricket Club II. Within a few months, Heather was promoted to Financial Assistant and moved to the corporate office where she remained for over two years.

After giving birth to beautiful triplets, she returned as interim property manager for Hunters Crossing before landing in Accounts Payables where she remained for four years. In January 2014 she was recommended for the Accounts Receivables position because of her extensive knowledge in Yardi. She was promoted to Training Director in 2016 and enjoys the opportunity to empower all of CMC’s team members in their professional growth and development.

Mary Weber

Administrative Supervisor

Hometown: St. Cloud, MN
Hobbies: Cooking for her large family, sewing, knitting, spending time with her family, playing and watching sports
Favorite Song: “Harvest Moon”

Mary has been with CMC since 1997. Prior to joining she owned a pizza and catering business for 11 years and knows a thing or two about making a great pizza dough. She loves sports and has some interesting stories from her days as a figure skating teacher and swimming instructor. Mary is the in-house solutions expert. She takes on all duties from clerical, administrative, filing and functioning of the corporate office.

Don Myers

Director of Maintenance

Hometown: Bradenton, FL
Hobbies: Saltwater fishing, boating, woodwork and carpentry, boat work and landscape projects

Don Myers joined the maintenance department at CMC in 2003. He has worked at several CMC properties in his tenure, supervised condo conversions at our Gainesville properties and is responsible for managing on-site maintenance operations and capital improvement projects for our entire portfolio.

He is a Certified Pool Operator, Certified Universal Air Conditioning Technician, Certified Green HVAC Technician, Certified R-410A Air Conditioning Technician, Mold Remediation Certified, Certified Indoor Air Quality Technician and a Certified HVAC/R Preventative Maintenance Technician.

Emilio Echeverria

Asset Superintendent

Hometown: Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Hobbies: Baseball
Favorite Band: The Beatles

Emilio joined the company in 2008 and supervises imports and distribution of our custom furniture received from Mexico and China. He manages the moving crew along with our warehouse inventory and is an integral part of the turns period at our Gainesville and Orlando portfolios. Emilio says the best part about working at CMC is that every day brings new challenges and a chance for him to learn and interact with his teammates and the tenants at the properties he serves.

Chrissy Kellogg

Administrative Specialist

Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Hobbies: Reading non-fiction, spending time with family and friends
Favorite Musician: Arvo Pärt

Chrissy graduated from UMBC in Baltimore with a Bachelor's Degree in Imaging and Digital Art in 2003. After living in Baltimore Maryland for a short time Chrissy moved to Gainesville in 2007 where she grew her skills in the banking industry. She has been with Contemporary Management Concepts since October of 2015 and says the best part about her job is the family atmosphere. She says that her days at CMC are always busy and that her coworkers are kind and hard-working people.

Joanna White

Administrative Services Manager

Hometown: Alachua, FL
Hobbies: Movies and traveling with friends and family
Favorite Song: Anything ’70s

Joanna worked for 13 years at UF IFAS and at the Levin College of Law Alumni Office. Her professional experience also spans the banking industry and 10 years at RTI Surgical in Donor Services.

Since 2011 Joanna has worked for Contemporary Management Concepts. She started as a receptionist and later worked in two separate properties as a leasing agent and later as a property manager. In 2016 she was promoted to the Deposit Accounting department at CMC corporate office. Joanna says she loves working at CMC because of the team environment.

Terry Nelson

Accounts Payable Manager

Hometown: Delmar, DE
Hobbies: Reading romance novels, walking
Favorite Song: “Your Song” by Elton John

Terry graduated from Wor-Wick Tech Community College in Salisbury Maryland with an AA in Accounting. Her career began in the banking industry where she worked in a variety of roles over the span of six years. In 1996 she decided to relocate her family to Florida so her middle son could attend Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. At that time she worked for Tower Hill Insurance and helped the company quadruple in size over a six-year period.

In 2002 Terry started her property management career and had the benefit of working for three separate corporations over a 13 year period. For Terry, the best part about being at the property management level was tenant interaction and getting to know the staff and people in each community. While working in property management, Terry says she learned to what extent that accounting affects the overall function of property management.

Since 2014 Terry has been with Contemporary Management Concepts and enjoys the well-blended family environment she gets to be a part of every day.

Jenny Feigum

Account Receivables Manager

Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Hobbies: Hanging out with family, friends and her dog, Beau
Favorite Artist: Kenny Chesney

Jenny attended Santa Fe College until 2010 and started with CMC in February 2011 as a part time leasing agent at Lake Crossing apartments. Just two years later she was promoted to assistant manager at Hunters Crossing apartments. She most recently was promoted to that home office accounting department in February 2017. Jenny says the best thing about working at CMC is the professional atmosphere and that the company promotes from within. Jenny says she feels she has “really found her niche in real estate,” and hopes to earn her Florida real estate license one day.

Katie Castelli

Human Resources Manager

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Hobbies: Hiking, Running, Entertaining Friends & Cooking
Favorite Singer: Michael Jackson & Queen

Katie Castelli, CMC’s Human Resources Manager is an accomplished HR professional with six years in hotel operations experience including human resources, event and recreation management. Katie is responsible for implementing human resource management strategies that enable CMC to recruit, train and retain a high performing and motivated team. Katie specializes in performance management, employee relations, orientation, talent management and legal compliance. Katie has a vast background implementing policies and procedures, managing employee conflict resolution and performance management, employee retention and benefits management. She holds a BS with a concentration in Psychology and Sociology from Flagler College in St. Augustine.

Chinesa Crane

Financial Analyst

Hometown: Melbourne, FL
Hobbies: Reading, going to Disney, watching movies, spending time with family and friends
Favorite Singer: "Tangled Up in You," Aaron Lewis

Chinesa graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 2013. Though new to property management, Chinesa has experience that includes education, insurance and publishing, where she has grown her skills in finance and data analysis. She has been with Contemporary Management Concepts since June, 2017 and says that the best part of her job is the close-knit atmosphere. The company is truly a wonderful balance of professionalism and family.