Leadership Team

Kevin J. Burns - Chief Operating Officer
Joined Buchanan in November, 2004

Mr. Burns oversees asset, property and construction management operations for Buchanan’s portfolio of office, flex and retail projects. Prior to joining Buchanan, Mr. Burns was a Vice President with Prentiss Properties, a national REIT. Mr. Burns has 20 years of experience in commercial property management and holds a BS Degree form Radford University and has a RPA designation.

Russell S. Gestl - Executive Vice President
Joined Buchanan in July, 1988

Mr. Gestl received a Bachelors of Architectural Engineering degree from The Pennsylvania State University in 1979. He was employed by Glen Construction Company from 1979 until 1988 when he joined the Buchanan Companies

Mr. Gestl oversees the design, approval, and development of Buchanan's commercial, industrial, and residential land and building development projects. Completed Building Development projects range in size up to 600,000 square feet, and completed Land Development projects range in size up to 650 acres. Mr. Gestl is also a principal with Hubert Construction LLC.

Mr. Gestl serves on the Board of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, the Route 606 Coalition, the Dulles Loop Implementation Group, the NAIOP Government Affairs Committee, the Loudoun County Housing Advisory Board, the Loudoun County Watershed Steering Committee, and the Loudoun County Economic Development Commission as a representative of the Washington Airports Task Force.

Peter Kenny - Vice President, Tenant Construction 
Joined Buchanan in February, 1990

Mr. Kenny oversees Buchanan Partners' Tenant Construction Division, managing all aspects of a tenant's construction in order to occupy their space in a timely manner. Recently completed projects include: MedAssurant at Bowie Corporate Center (96,000 sq ft), Goodman at Gateway Business Center (27,000 sq ft) and AHC at Heritage Hunt Corporate Park, Building A (18,000 sq ft). Mr. Kenny is also currently involved in our UFAD study at Bowie Corporate Center which will test air quality in our LEED certified projects. Mr. Kenny also provides technical support and management for capital improvement projects as requested by Property Management.

Previously he served as Vice President of Engineering for Buchanan Properties and Buchanan Partners, during which time he was reponsible for all aspects of engineering including the supervision of 13 property engineers in over one million square feet of commercial property. He also provided technical support during the developmental phases of new projects.

Mr. Kenny was educated at the Newport Higher Education College in Newport, Wales.

Theresa Scafate - Chief Financial Officer
Joined Buchanan in January,

Theresa Scafate has served as Controller and Chief Financial Officer of Buchanan Partners since January 2001. Prior to joining Buchanan, Ms. Scafate served as Accounting Manager and Acting Controller/CFO for MPI, a manufacturer based in California of multichip modules supplied to companies through government contracts. As CFO for Buchanan Partners, Ms. Scafate is responsible for securing financing for developed and managed properties. She defines and maintains a comprehensive risk management program, is responsible for all policies and procedures as well as real-time management reporting. Ms. Scafate holds a B.S. in Accountancy from California State University in Northridge, California. She has 18 years of experience including GAAP financial reporting, SEC filings, Income Tax Basis reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and financial modeling.

Charles F. Turner - Vice President, Land Design and Construction
Joined Buchanan in May, 1996

Upon joining Buchanan in 1996, Mr. Turner brought with him over 15 years of experience in the real estate development industry. His background in land development design and project management included six years with a local engineering firm handling a full spectrum of civil design for both residential and commercial projects. In addition, Mr. Turner spent as many years with a nationally ranked home builder, during which time he was responsible for design oversight and project management of development projects throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Since joining Buchanan Partners, Mr. Turner continues to apply those skills developed over his many years in the industry. Today his responsibilities continue to span the full scope of the pre-development process; budgeting, scheduling, land planning, design development and project plan processing. In addition, he is engaged in the successful post-development coordination of site contractors through permits, bond release, and project completion.