Current Responsibilities
As Development Director, Stephen is responsible for executing existing projects and sourcing new development opportunities. Stephen manages the investment process from initial feasibility through construction, lease-up, stabilization, and exit. Stephen is responsible for capitalizing projects in conjunction with the capital markets team and brokerage firms, as applicable, and collaborates with consultants, contractors, and partners on every project to create optimal outcomes for end-users and investors. Stephen is actively engaged with the City of Austin and is working with Staff, councilmembers, and key stakeholders to optimize development processes and density bonus programs for infill development. In 2025, Stephen led a re-zoning in Central Austin that resulted in approximately 1,500 units of entitlements, which required heavy community engagement.
Past Experience
Prior to joining United Properties, Stephen worked at Cypress Real Estate Advisors as Acquisition & Development Associate and then Development Manager, whereby Stephen executed and oversaw commercial office and multi-family development projects in Austin, TX, Nashville, TN, and Denver, CO. In 2022, Stephen secured entitlements for 1,150 rental units in Nashville, TN for a multi-phase master plan, which involved eighteen months of heavy community engagement, design feasibility, and coordination with public officials.
Professional and Community Involvement
Stephen is a member of the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA) and is currently serving in the Leadership Development Program for calendar year 2026. Stephen was invited by the City of Austin to sit on its Technical Advisory Review Panel for a term of two years, helping streamline and modernize the City’s development processes. Stephen is a member of the Urban Land Institute and has served on multiple committees within the organization, including the Young Leaders Steering Committee from 2020 to 2023, and served as the Chairperson of the Young Leaders’ Mentorship Forum for a two-year period from 2021 to 2023. Stephen was named ULI Austin’s Young Leader of the Year in 2022. Stephen has also served as Member and Chairperson of The Trail Conversancy’s Redbud Steering committee from 2020 to 2022 and again starting in 2026. Stephen is also an Associate Member in the University of Texas Real Estate and Finance Council.
Education
Stephen received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin after transferring from Auburn University.