Executive Team

Benjamin W. Schall

CEO & President

Director since: 2021

Professional background:
Mr. Schall joined the Company as President and a director in January 2021, and became Chief Executive Officer effective January 3, 2022. Before joining the Company, Mr. Schall was the Chief Executive Officer and President and a trustee of Seritage Growth Properties, a publicly traded REIT principally engaged in owning, developing and managing a diversified portfolio of retail and mixed-use properties throughout the United States. Earlier in his career, Mr. Schall served as Chief Operating Officer of Rouse Properties, Inc., a publicly traded mall and retail REIT (since acquired) from 2012 to 2015, and as Senior Vice President of Vornado Realty Trust, a publicly traded REIT that owns, manages and develops office and retail assets, before that.

Other affiliations:
Mr. Schall is a member of the Executive Board of Nareit, an Executive Committee member of the National Multifamily Housing Council (“NMHC”), and a member of The Real Estate Roundtable. He serves as Co-Chair of the Board of University Settlement, a non-profit service provider in New York City.

Education:
B.A., Swarthmore College
Master of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Kevin O'Shea

Chief Financial Officer

Kevin P. O’Shea has been the Company’s Chief Financial Officer since June 2014. Prior to that he was Executive Vice President—Capital Markets from January 2013 to May 2014 and Senior Vice President—Investment Management from the time he joined the Company in July 2003 until January 2013. In addition to overseeing the Company’s Finance, Accounting and Risk Management groups, Mr. O’Shea’s responsibilities include management of the Company’s ESG group.

Prior to joining the Company, Mr. O’Shea was an Executive Director at UBS Investment Bank, where his experience included real estate investment banking. Earlier in his career, Mr. O’Shea practiced commercial real estate and banking law as an attorney.

Mr. O’Shea received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, his J.D. from Southern Methodist University and his undergraduate degree from Boston College.

Mr. O’Shea is a Trustee of Urban Edge Properties, a publicly traded REIT, a position he has held since 2014.

Matthew H. Birenbaum

Chief Investment Officer

Matthew H. Birenbaum has been the Company’s Chief Investment Officer since January 2015. He is responsible for the Company’s investment strategy and oversees the Asset Management, Investments, Operations and Investment Services, Construction Support and Market Research functions as well as development on the West Coast and in the Denver area. Before assuming his current position, he was the Company’s Executive Vice President—Corporate Strategy, a position he held from October 2011 until January 2015.

Prior to re-joining the Company in October 2011, Mr. Birenbaum was the founding principal of Abbey Road Property Group, LLC, a multifamily development and investment firm based in Arlington, Virginia since 2006 and before that a Senior Vice President at EYA. Prior to joining EYA in 2003, Mr. Birenbaum was a Regional Vice President of Development with the Company.

Mr. Birenbaum received his Bachelor of Arts from Brown University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and his Master’s Degree from The Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he graduated with honors. He is a member of ULI, is certified LEED-AP, serves on the Board of the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, and is a Trustee of the Federal City Council.

Sean J. Breslin

Chief Operating Officer

Sean J. Breslin is the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, a position he has held since January 2015, with responsibility for the Company’s operating platform, including Property Operations, Technology, Human Resources, Corporate Innovation, and Marketing and Brand Strategy. He was previously the Company’s Executive Vice President—Investments and Asset Management since April 2012. Mr. Breslin’s other roles with the Company have included Senior Vice President—Redevelopment and Asset Management and Senior Vice President—Investments.

Prior to joining the Company in 2002, Mr. Breslin was the Chief Operating Officer of CWS Capital Partners.

He received his Bachelor’s Degree from California State University, Long Beach and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas. Mr. Breslin is a member of the Executive Committee of NMHC and is past Chair of ULI’s Multifamily Council. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Real Estate Finance & Investment Center at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross.

Joanne M. Lockridge

Executive Vice President – Capital Markets

Joanne M. Lockridge has served as the Company’s Executive Vice President – Capital Markets, since March 2021. Her prior roles included serving as the Company’s Senior Vice President of Finance and Assistant Treasurer since 2003 and, prior to that, various roles within the Company’s financial services group.

Ms. Lockridge has been with the Company and its predecessors since 1989. She received her Master of Finance from Fairfield University and earned her undergraduate degree from St. Anselm College.

Edward M. Schulman

Executive Vice President – General Counsel and Secretary

Edward M. Schulman has served as the Company’s Executive Vice President—General Counsel and Secretary since 2012. Mr. Schulman joined the Company in February 1999 and has served as General Counsel since that time.

Prior to joining the Company, he was a corporate and securities law partner at Goodwin Procter LLP.

Mr. Schulman is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and received his undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton University, where he graduated with high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Pamela Thomas

Executive Vice President - Portfolio and Asset Management

Pamela joined AvalonBay as Executive Vice President, Portfolio and Asset Management, in July 2024. She is responsible for leading AvalonBay’s portfolio and asset management organization; determining and gaining alignment within the organization on key priorities for driving portfolio performance; and setting capital plans across the portfolio to achieve performance objectives.

Prior to joining AvalonBay, Pamela was with CPP Investments (CPP), which oversees and invests funds of the Canada Pension Plan. She joined CPP as a Director in 2017, served as Head of U.S. Real Estate from January 2020, was promoted to Managing Director in June 2021, and served as a member of the Global Real Estate Investment Committee from mid-2021. Prior to joining CPP, Pamela was Executive Director with JP Morgan Asset Management from 2013, where she was responsible for that firm’s New York and Northern New Jersey multifamily portfolio, and previously she was with RREEF/Deutsche Bank, where she was primarily focused on East Coast multifamily investments.

Pamela is a graduate of New York University and is a member of the WX Women Executives in Real Estate, and the Urban Land Institute UDMUC Red Council.

Alaine S. Walsh

Executive Vice President – Human Capital and Administration

Alaine S. Walsh has been the Company’s Executive Vice President—Human Capital and Administration since January 2024. Previously, she served as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Operations and Investment Services from 2018 until 2023.

Ms. Walsh joined AvalonBay in 1998 in the finance group and served in a variety of financial, administrative, and operational positions since then. Prior to joining the Company, her previous roles included providing auditing and accounting services as a licensed CPA at KPMG. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from James Madison University.