Board of Directors

  • Larry A. Mizel headshot

    LARRY A. MIZEL

    • Chairman of the Board

    Executive Chairman

    Larry A. Mizel founded the Company in 1972 and has served as a Director and Chairman of the Board since its inception. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Company in 1988, a position he held until he assumed the role of Executive Chairman of the Board in October 2020. In his various roles, Mr. Mizel has provided the Company with leadership and judgment, while advancing the long-term interests of its shareholders. One of the most experienced leaders in the homebuilding industry, his knowledge and foresight provide the Board with invaluable guidance.

  • David D. Mandarich headshot

    DAVID D. MANDARICH

    President and Chief Executive Officer

    David D. Mandarich has been associated with the Company since 1977 and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since October 2020. In 1999, he was elected President and Chief Operating Officer, a title he also held in 1996. Mr. Mandarich was previously elected Co-Chief Operating Officer in 1994 and Executive Vice President of Real Estate in 1993. He was a Director from 1980 until 1989 and has been a Director continuously since 1994. A skilled and experienced leader in the homebuilding industry, Mr. Mandarich provides the Board with the benefit of his judgment and his knowledge and understanding of the Company's homebuilding business and operations. Mr. Mandarich is veteran of the United States Army.

  • Raymond T. Baker headshot

    RAYMOND T. BAKER

    • Independent Director

    Independent Director

    Raymond T. Baker has served as President of Gold Crown Management Company, a real estate asset management company from 1978 to 2013, then as Vice President and Secretary to present. He is the founder and has served as Co-Director of the Gold Crown Foundation since 1986. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of Alpine Banks of Colorado and Land Title Guarantee Company. Mr. Baker is currently serving as Chairman of the Board of the Metropolitan Football Stadium District (Denver). From 2004 until 2007, he served as a director of Central Parking Corporation. He has over thirty-five years experience in the real estate and banking industries. Mr. Baker became a member of the Company's Board of Directors in 2012. His experience and knowledge of the real estate and banking industries directly complement and support the Company's real estate activities and the financing of those activities.

  • Michael A. Berman headshot

    MICHAEL A. BERMAN

    • Independent Director

    Independent Director

    Michael A. Berman has over 35 years’ experience in the financial services industry. He is a member of Applied Capital Management, a private investment management firm located in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has served as its chairman from 2002 to date. From 2005 to 2006, he also served as the CEO of First Ascent Capital, a financial services firm located in New York. From 2006 until 2008, he served as President and CEO of Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc. (Rex & Co.), a financial services firm located in San Francisco, California. From 1990 to 1999, Mr. Berman was employed by The Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) group of companies, where he held several senior executive positions, including that of President and CEO of Nomura Holding America, Inc. and Chairman of Capital America, Nomura's commercial real estate lending subsidiary. In 2006, Mr. Berman became a Director of the Company and, that year, he was appointed a director of HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation, the Company's wholly owned mortgage lending subsidiary. Mr. Berman's experience as a senior executive in corporate finance, in general, and the residential mortgage market, in particular, provide the Company with a valuable resource.

  • David E. Blackford headshot

    DAVID E. BLACKFORD

    • Independent Director

    Independent Director

    David E. Blackford has over 45 years’ experience in the banking industry. He is employed by California Bank & Trust (CB&T), a leading California banking institution and a division of Zions Bancorporation, National Association. Between 1998 and 2001, he was the CB&T’s managing director, serving on the board of directors and the Senior Loan Committee for Real Estate Finance. In 2001, he was appointed chairman, president and chief executive officer of CB&T, and currently serves as executive chairman. He also is an executive vice president of Zions Bancorporation, National Association. Prior to 1998, he served as an executive officer in several financial institutions, including Bank One and Valley National Bank. He joined the Company's Board of Directors in 2001. His experience and knowledge of historic and current institutional real estate lending practices, the regulatory process and the volatility of the credit markets provide a unique perspective to the Board.

  • Herbert T. Buchwald headshot

    HERBERT T. BUCHWALD

    • Independent Director
    • Lead Director

    Lead Independent Director

    Herbert T. Buchwald is a principal in the law firm of Herbert T. Buchwald, P.A. and President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of BPR Management Corporation, a property management company located in Denver, Colorado, positions he has held for more than the past five years. Mr. Buchwald has been engaged in the acquisition, development and management of residential and commercial real estate in Florida, Arizona, New Jersey and Colorado, through both publicly and privately held ventures for more than forty years. As an attorney, he has been admitted to practice before federal and state trial and appellate courts in Florida and Colorado. In addition, he holds an accounting degree and formerly was a practicing Certified Public Accountant. He has been a member of the Company's Board of Directors since 1994. The combination of his knowledge, experience and skills provide the Company with strong oversight of accounting, financial, regulatory and legal matters, as well as the operation of the Company's real estate businesses. Mr. Buchwald is a veteran of the United States Navy.

  • Rafay Farooqui Headshot

    RAFAY FAROOQUI

    • Independent Director

    Independent Director

    Rafay Farooqui is the Founder & CEO of Strategic Alternative Funds Group, LLC d/b/a +SUBSCRIBE, a fintech leader providing a unified private markets platform for alternative investment fund investors, fund managers and service providers. Prior to founding +SUBSCRIBE, Mr. Farooqui served as Co-Founder & President of CAIS, another fintech technology company offering a platform of alternative investment funds to the wealth management industry. He also served as Head of the Middle East & North African Equities division for UBS Investment Bank and Head of Global Institutional International Sales-Trading at Goldman Sachs & Co., where he began his career in 1998 as a global equity securities sales-trader. Mr. Farooqui’s focus and experience in technology and finance provide the Company with both cyber and financial expertise.

  • Courtney L. Mizel headshot

    COURTNEY L. MIZEL

    Director

    Courtney L. Mizel is a Principal at Mizel Consulting where she has worked for over 20 years.  In this role, Ms. Mizel advises companies in various industries on matters relating to business management and strategy, including operations, business development, marketing, as well as legal matters. She is also a Founding Director of The Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab, an organization dedicated to preventing terrorism through education, empowerment, and engagement.  Ms. Mizel is involved in a number of non-profit activities, including serving on the Boards of Directors of Zimmer Children's Museum, Sharsheret National, and JQ International. Ms. Mizel received her Bachelor of Science in Economics with honors from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and her Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.  She is the daughter of the Company's Executive Chairman, Larry A. Mizel and joined the Company's Board of Directors in 2017. Her professional and business achievements and diverse experiences provide the Board with enhanced business, governance and legal perspectives.

  • Paris G. Reece III headshot

    PARIS G. REECE III

    • Independent Director

    Independent Director

    Paris G. Reece III was formerly the Company's Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer, and retired in 2008. Since his retirement, Mr. Reece has performed consulting work and served in a volunteer position as the President of the Cancer League of Colorado, a leading non-profit organization that was established over 50 years ago to raise money for cancer research and patient care. Mr. Reece became a member of the Company's Board of Directors in 2013. As a Certified Public Accountant (Texas, non-practicing), a former Chief Financial Officer and a highly respected person within the homebuilding industry, Mr. Reece is uniquely qualified to provide the Company with strong oversight of accounting and financial matters, as well as the operation of the Company's homebuilding and financial services businesses.

  • David Siegel headshot

    DAVID SIEGEL

    • Independent Director

    Independent Director

    David Siegel was a partner in the law firm of Irell & Manella LLP for more than thirty years, where he led that firm's securities litigation practice and was the firm's Managing Partner. He retired from the active practice of law in 2019. Mr. Siegel's law practice, for which he is nationally recognized, was concentrated on securities class actions, corporate governance, risk management, SEC reporting standards and regulatory compliance. Mr. Siegel has chaired and is a frequent speaker at various seminars on securities litigation, class actions, and trial techniques. He has been named by his peers as one of the "Best Lawyers in Commercial Litigation" in The Best Lawyers in America guide. Mr. Siegel has been a member of the Company's Board of Directors since 2009. Mr. Siegel's knowledge and experience in corporate governance and litigation matters provide the Company with significant guidance and oversight.

  • Janice Sinden Headshot

    JANICE SINDEN

    • Independent Director

    Independent Director

    Janice Sinden has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts since 2016. Past positions include Chief of Staff for Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, where she managed 60 appointees and 26 departments. She currently serves on the boards of Citizens for Arts to Zoo, University of Northern Colorado, VISIT Denver, the American Transplant Foundation, Colorado Inclusive Economy and Denver Preschool Program. Ms. Sinden has been recognized by Titan 100 as one of Colorado's Top 100 CEO's, Denver Business Journal as an Outstanding Woman in Business, 5280 Magazine as one of the 50 most influential people in Denver, the Colorado Women’s Foundation as one of the 25 most influential women in Colorado, by the Girl Scouts of Colorado as a Woman of Distinction, and by the University of Northern Colorado Department of Political Science and International Affairs as Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Ms. Sinden has been a member of the Company’s Board of Directors since January 2022. Her operational and business knowledge, rich cultural experiences and community involvement provide the Company with a valuable resource and contribute to the business perspectives of the Board.