Since 1991, Columbia Residential has developed and managed multifamily affordable housing communities. We search for locations that are underserved by the affordable housing industry and employ experienced vendors to bring our ideas to life with inventive architectural design, landscaping, and construction.

We are a company that takes pride in being a full-service organization. In 1996, we formed Columbia Residential Management Group to handle the long-term, on-site management of our properties. One year later we started Columbia Residential Construction Services to provide construction management for our developments. Columbia Residential has assembled a team of in-house professionals that shares the company's vision and assists us in every aspect of the development process.

Noel Khalil
Chairman / CE0

Noel Khalil, the Chairman and CEO of Columbia Residential, is responsible for strategic planning, overseeing corporate operations, and the formation of strategic alliances with communities, non-profit CDC’s, financial institutions, and governmental and public housing authorities. He has developed more than 5,000 housing units in Metropolitan Atlanta and over 10,000 units throughout the United States.

Noel serves on numerous civic boards and holds a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction from the University of Rochester and a Juris Doctorate from Florida State University.

James S. Grauley
President and COO

James Grauley is a partner in Columbia Residential. In his role as COO, he is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of development, finance, and property management and the overall sustainable growth of Columbia Residential. Mr. Grauley joined Columbia in August 2008, bringing twenty years of real estate development experience in multifamily development and redevelopment as well as master-planned and mixed use projects. Mr. Grauley has led teams or directly developed over 15,000 units of housing throughout the U.S. From 1999 to 2007, Mr. Grauley served as President of Banc of America Community Development Corporation (BACDC), overseeing a team of real estate professionals and leading geographic expansion into major urban markets, while creating annual development of $200MM. Mr. Grauley currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence at UPenn and on the Affordable Housing Council for of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He was a 2001-2002 Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and holds an MBA in real estate and finance from UNC Chapel Hill. He earned undergraduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences from Covenant College.

Lynn Cassell CPM^®
President of Property Management

Lynn D. Cassell CPM^®, President of Property Management, is responsible for the overall operations of a 32 community portfolio, consisting of approximately 4,000 units, in two states, overseeing 100 employees. Her responsibilities include: promoting positive resident experience, developing marketing strategies, asset preservation/overseeing maintenance staff, developing community watch programs, timely processing annual re-certifications, Resident Services, Yardi operations and required management reports. Lynn works with Portfolio Managers to ensure property goals are achieved and assists in the hiring and training of direct reports. Lastly, Lynn serves as the liaison between Columbia Residential property management group and affiliates, to lenders, investors, partners and government agencies. Lynn has over 25 years experience managing apartment communities in the Southeast and achieved the Institute of Real Estate’s CPM^® designation earlier in her career.

Bill Kopec
Vice President of Finance

Bill Kopec, Vice President of Finance, is responsible for the day to day financial operations of the company. Mr. Kopec has over twenty years of middle and senior level accounting experience in both industry and management consulting. As a Certified Public Accountant, Bill holds an Associate’s Degree in Accounting and Bachelor’s Degree in accounting both from Rochester Institute of Technology.


Brad Barnes
Vice President of Asset Management

Brad Barnes, Vice President of Asset Management, is responsible for the strategic direction and financial performance of the housing portfolio. Mr. Barnes has demonstrated asset management experience in housing finance with a strong emphasis on affordability, redevelopment and revitalization. Brad has twenty years of multi-family real estate property management experience with responsibilities in operational management, staff training, budget development, procurement, vendor management, construction management, and implementation of property initiatives. Brad Barnes holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Valdosta State University.

Clara Trejos
Vice President of Tax Credit Development

Clara Trejos, Vice President of Tax Credit Development, is responsible for the preparation of all tax credit applications and Request for Proposals. She coordinates the day-to-day activities. She meets deadlines and stays within the budget for the completion of several apartment communities at different stages of construction. She acts as a liaison between the engineers, architect, landscaping architect, vendors, subcontractors and general contractors. She prepares monthly vendor draw requests and maintains project accounting records as well as inspects the construction site progress on a monthly basis. Clara Trejos has a Master in Business Administration from Georgia State University.

Ray Kuniansky
Vice President of Development Operations

Ray Kuniansky, Vice President of Development Operations, is responsible for coordinating all of the company’s development operations including oversight of the activities of project acquisition, structuring, and project management services including investor and lender relations, resource allocation, department systems and staff development. Mr. Kuniansky has been involved in the real estate finance, affordable housing development and staff management fields for over 20 years. Mr. Kuniansky holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from Georgia State University.

Kareem Slater CPM^®
Vice President, Columbia Residential Management Group

Having practiced supervisory property management of new construction, affordable, and conventional communities for 9 years, Kareem Slater provides the Columbia Residential team with indispensable knowledge and hands-on experience for its numerous multifamily and senior developments. In his role as Vice President of Columbia Residential, LLC, Kareem is responsible for all aspects of portfolio operations. Kareem serves as a leader and mentor for the Portfolio Managers, Community Managers and all on-site management personnel. He has a diverse background in on-site management and property operations. Kareem manages daily operations overseeing personnel, fiscal performance, financial analysis, reporting and budget discipline. Kareem’s professional background has prepared him to handle the leadership role and responsibilities he assumed when he joined Columbia Residential.

Erica Etterling
Director of Compliance

Erica D. Etterling, Compliance Director coordinates and supervises the Compliance Services Department’s day to day operations in order to provide the necessary support to all communities within Columbia Residential, and is responsible for implementing processes to improve efficiencies. Erica holds her Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP) through the National Home Builders Association. She has been in the affordable housing industry for over 10 years and began her career in Development. Her Compliance Team is responsible for conducting internal audits, training and mentoring the community personnel, monitoring reporting requirements in two states and providing community support in responding to State and other 3rd party audit reports.

Jeffrey Boone
Director of Service Support

Jeff Boone, Director of Service Support, is responsible for assisting the management team with asset preservation and overseeing Columbia Residential’s preventative maintenance program. Through his supervision of service engineers and monthly site visits he ensures communities are maintained to standards which exceed industry norms. Jeff also writes and reviews AIA contracts, proposals, and oversees management related capital projects. Through Jeff’s diligence he has been successful ensuring that projects are completed under budget, on schedule, and with the level of quality and workmanship Columbia expects.

Jeff has over 18 years of industry experience in construction and asset preservation.

Carolyn Carr
Director of Human Resources

Carolyn Carr, PHR, Director of Human Resources, is responsible for the full gamut of the strategic Human Resources functions for the organization. This includes: recruiting and hiring, benefits administration, performance management, policies and procedures and employee relations. She is certified as a Professional in Human Resource Management by the Human Resource Certification Institute, and is a member of SHRM, the world’s largest association devoted to Human Resource Management. Carolyn a credible activist and culture steward, has 12 years of successful progressive HR experience partnering with management to foster, develop and implement HR initiatives that support business objectives.