The team at Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. is comprised of a diverse group of professionals that offer a broad range of skills, in-depth knowledge, and years of experience in acquiring and managing housing projects.
Our Team
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Erich Schwenker
President
Erich Schwenker
Erich Schwenker is president of Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. and has 40 years of real estate development and management experience.
Erich leads the development team and oversees business operations, including asset and property management. Under Erich’s leadership, Cardinal Capital and its affiliates have acquired, developed, financed, and manage 10,000 plus units of affordable housing on behalf of various non-profits.
In partnership with its various non-profit clients, Cardinal Capital has developed housing with features and amenities that address the needs of Veterans, Homeless, Deaf and Deaf-Blind, Vision Loss and Impairment, Substance Abuse, and Persons Recovering from Mental Illness.
Erich has a particular interest in Special Needs and Supportive Housing and has recently expanded Cardinal Capital’s diverse housing portfolio to include market rate housing.
Dan O’ Connell
Executive Vice President
Dan O’ Connell
Dan O’Connell is vice president of Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. and has 40 years of real estate development and management experience.
Dan leads the acquisition and finance team, identifying appropriate apartment communities in need of preservation, performing the feasibility work, negotiating and handling complex financial transactions, and identifying a sponsor or owner for the real estate.
Prior to his time at Cardinal Capital, Dan worked in the construction and development side of the industry for 10 years overseeing the development, construction, and management of several commercial projects, as well as approximately 1,000 units of affordable housing.
Dan spent the earliest part of his career working for Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) in the development and asset management areas of multifamily housing and spent a few years involved in the disposition of WHEDA’s single family portfolio.
Chris Geiger
Vice President of Asset Management
Chris Geiger
Chris has been involved in real estate for over 35 years. A career that started as a licensed real estate broker evolved into property management. Chris joined Astar Capital Management in February, 2006 as an asset manager for approximately 1,000 affordable housing units held by a local non-profit owner. This grew to a portfolio of 2800+ units covering 70+ sites in Wisconsin. As Vice President of Asset Management, his duties include overseeing annual and capital improvement budgets, soliciting grants for project improvements, reviewing property tax assessments, soliciting property insurance bids and maintaining property manager contacts.
He has recently joined the Development Team at Cardinal with a move to develop Workforce and Market Rate projects in several states including Wisconsin, Georgia and New Jersey. Chris holds a BS degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has earned the designations of Certified Occupancy Specialist, Blended Occupancy Specialist and Certified Property Manager. Chris has served on the Board of Directors for IREM Milwaukee – Chapter 13 and is a current board member for Community Projects for Seniors.
Jack Reichl
Vice President of Construction
Jack Reichl
Jack has been involved in commercial, institutional, and residential multi-family work for over 30 years. As owner of Reichl Construction Inc., Jack has completed numerous multi-family residential apartment projects including Highland Homes, Cherry Court, United House, Highland Gardens, Empowerment Village – National Avenue, Veterans Manor – Milwaukee, Green Bay Veterans Manor, Capuchin Apartments, Maskini Place and Thurgood Marshall. Many of the listed multi-family apartment projects were successfully completed for Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. Jack has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, served as the 2011 President of the Association of General Contractors – Greater Milwaukee and has served on various bank, church and pension fund boards.
Jack joined Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. in July of 2018 and has managed the successful completion of the Clarke Square, 7 Penn, AJAX II, Tannery Falls, Aviary Apartments and is currently working with the Cardinal Development team on developing over 4,000 apartment units in multiple states.
Thomas Harris
Vice President of Development
Thomas Harris
As VP of Development, Thomas generates interest in developments and initiates company growth by networking and partnering with officials on local and state levels, and developers. He also works closely with elected officials to create innovative solutions to redevelop difficult sites and to help address housing needs in rural & urban areas throughout Arkansas, Wisconsin, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, North/South Carolina, Arizona, and Colorado.
Thomas spent more than a decade working in local, county, state and federal government including serving as Chief of Staff in the Wisconsin State Senate, Director of Community Relations for the Milwaukee County Executive, and Special Assistant to Milwaukee’s Mayor. He also worked as an associate in Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Government Affairs Department, lobbying in Wisconsin, Chicago and Washington D.C. During his years in government service.
Kelly Johnson
Vice President of Management Services
Kelly Johnson
Kelly Johnson has been in the property management industry for over 20 years. During this time, she has earned her Housing Credit Certified Professional designation, as well as her Certified Occupancy Specialist, Tax Credit Specialist and Management Operations Review Specialist. She has been a part of the Cardinal Capital Management team for over 4 years and is the Vice President of Management Services.
Karen Cohen
Vice President of Real Estate Finance
Karen Cohen
Karen brings an extensive background in financial services, project management, and non-profit development and marketing. As Vice President of Real Estate Finance, she joins the team in expanding Cardinal’s mission to provide housing to all economic levels. This includes new construction, acquisition, rehabilitation, and partnership opportunities.
Alaina Beger
Director of Marketing
Alaina Beger
Alaina joined Cardinal as the Marketing & Design Specialist in 2022, bringing over 10 years of experience in marketing and property management. She earned her Associate Degree in Graphic Design from Madison Area Technical College. Her career in property management began in 2010, as a leasing coordinator in Little Rock, Arkansas, assisting with the lease-up of two new apartment communities before moving to the role of assistant manager.
Alaina was born and raised in Wisconsin, loves to craft, and makes jewelry. She also enjoys outdoor activities like camping, biking, and kayaking.
Alfred Denney
Accounts Payable
Alfred Denney
Joining the Cardinal team as an Accountant in 2020, Alfred Denney brings over 13 years of experience in accounts payable, gained from his previous position at Cascio Interstate Music. Alfred earned his Associate Degree in Accounting from MATC. He enjoys the family atmosphere at Cardinal and appreciates their “employee-first” approach.
Alfred enjoys taking walks and spending time with his wife Loryn and their dogs Wyle and Willa. He also enjoys Sim Racing online and playing video games, board games, and poker with friends.
Amy Costilla
Corporate Accountant
Amy Costilla
Ann Scallon
Accounts Payable
Ann Scallon
Ann Scallon values the mission here at Cardinal, as well as the fast-paced and evolving environment of the housing industry. Joining Cardinal in December of 2012, she helps to lead the Accounts Payable team for our Property Management Division. In addition, Ann maintains our national vendor relationships and assists with onboarding new employees. She holds a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a double major in Marketing and Management.
Ann enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, attending the kid’s sporting events, volunteering, gardening, and reading.
Bob Bichler
Information Technology Manager
Bob Bichler
Over the last twenty years, Bob has helped numerous companies with their IT needs. From simple desktop support to strategic planning and everything in between. At his core, he gets great satisfaction in helping people understand and utilize technology in ways that help them excel at achieving their tasks and goals. He enjoys troubleshooting problems, explaining technical concepts to everyone, regardless of their technical expertise, and assessing current environments and creating plans to simplify and improve them.
Chris Retzlaff
Payrol Administrator/HR Generalist
Chris Retzlaff
Chris joined Cardinal in 2020 and brings over 35 years of experience in payroll administration. In addition to payroll administration, Chris plays an important role in overseeing human resources functions, employee benefits and Accounts Receivables. She enjoys the family atmosphere at Cardinal and the everyone’s willingness to help each other.
In her time away from work, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, playing outdoor games and enjoying nature. She loves taking long walks with the love of her life, and especially enjoys going to the gym to swim, and taking kickboxing and crunch classes.
Dana Lemke
Construction Accountant
Dana Lemke
Dana, our Construction Accountant, brings over 25 years of manufacturing/cost accounting experience, as well as an Associate Degree in Accounting from MATC. One of her favorite things about Cardinal is the family-friendly atmosphere and everyone works as a team.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband of over 30 years, her daughters and two grandsons. She also assists with the management of her family’s real estate business.
Dana McMullin
Development Associate
Dana McMullin
Jeff Fox
Corporate Controller
Jeff Fox
Jeff Fox joined Cardinal in 2022 and serves as our Corporate Controller. Jeff holds his CPA license and brings over 13 years of experience in public accounting, as well as over 7 years of accounting experience in the private sector with a publicly traded Fortune 500 manufacturing company. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting. He enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys, attending sporting events, watching movies, and coaching his boys’ sports teams.
Jennifer Lopez
Property Management Accountant
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez joined the Cardinal team in 2022 and serves as our Property Management Accountant. She is a graduate of Lakeland College, with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Jennifer brings over 30 years of experience in audit and accounting. In her free time, she enjoys baking, traveling, and gardening.
Julie Scardina
Office Manager
Julie Scardina
Julie joined Cardinal in July of 2009. She loves supporting the construction team and other departments in whatever moves the team forward.
She loves to travel and has a passion for cooking, great wine and dogs.
Katie Voss
Housing Consultant
Katie Voss
Katie Voss is a member of our Property Management team for over 17 years, serving as a Housing Consultant and Regional Manager. She loves being a part of Cardinal, because the company believes in providing supportive housing and social services. Katie oversees Apache ASL Trails Apartments in Tempe, Arizona. She earned her Associate degree from Fox Valley Technical College and has continued her education at Cardinal, including, IREM, Fair Housing, and Section 42 training.
In her spare time, she is very involved in advocacy for Wisconsin Association of the Deaf (WAD). She also enjoys traveling with her husband, Dave, and their dog Jasper, as well as spending time with family and friends.
Keith Swetlik
Project Manager/Superintendent
Keith Swetlik
Having owned and operated his own Construction Company for over 10 years, Keith joined Cardinal in 2019 as a Project Manager with the hands-on skill, training, and experience to also transition into the field as a Project Site Superintendent. Keith has managed both rehabilitation and new construction projects. Recent accomplishments include serving as one of Cardinal’s Site Superintendents for a 263 unit – 46-million-dollar new construction project in Middleton Wisconsin, as well as a Site Superintendent for a 1900’s hotel conversion into luxury apartments in Janesville, Wisconsin. He is also a licensed contractor in the State of Wisconsin. Keith enjoys golfing, DIY projects, and spending time with family and friends in his free time. He also loves to be on a cruise ship or the beach as much as possible.
Lennie Mosley
Reception & Front Desk
Lennie Mosley
Max Thompson
Accountant
Max Thompson
Max Thompson joined the Cardinal team in 2022 as an Accountant for our Property Management Division. Max is a 2014 graduate of UW Milwaukee, with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Finance. He brings over seven years of accounting experience in the property management industry.
In his free time, he enjoys cooking, camping, and traveling.
Mick Fabbri
Accountant
Mick Fabbri
Nick Pung
Property Management Accountant
Nick Pung
Nick Pung joined the Cardinal team in 2022 and serves as a Property Management Accountant. Nick is a spring 2022 graduate from UW-Green Bay and holds a Bachelors in Accounting and Finance. His favorite place to travel is Florida, and he enjoys hiking, hanging out with family, and watching sports.
Ricardo Taylor
Project Manager
Ricardo Taylor
Ricardo joined Cardinal’s Construction Division as a Project Manager in 2015. Ricardo manages construction projects, overseeing all aspects of the project from start to finish.
Ryan McRae
Project Manager
Ryan McRae
Ryan joined Cardinal in March of 2008 as a Project Manager. Ryan participates in project pre-development, reviews building plans, solicits and reviews bids, negotiates contracts, manages project budgets and schedules, submits and reviews RFI’s and submittals, submits pay applications and coordinates draw inspections. Ryan recently was the Project Manager for three new construction projects consisting of 400 units and 60 million dollars of construction costs which each finished in 2021. Ryan’s previous projects include various HUD, RD, and tax credit rehabs in both Wisconsin and Iowa and new construction tax credit projects in Wisconsin and Colorado. Ryan is a Certified Green Built Homes Verifier, is 30-hour OSHA certified, holds an Associate’s Degree in Real Estate and is a licensed Real Estate Salesperson.
Tanya Puyleart
Operations Manager
Tanya Puyleart
Tanya Puyleart serves as Cardinal’s Operations Manager in the Property Management Division and brings extensive experience in the real estate industry. Tanya is skilled in Tax Credit and Section 8 housing, both seniors and family. She enjoys mentoring new team members by guiding them through all paperwork required for move-ins and recertifications and required reporting. A few of her focuses are writing and following property budgets, monitoring monthly financial reports, maintaining high occupancy numbers, and assuring high customer satisfaction.
Tara Macpherson
Managed Services Accounts Payable
