U.S. Management Team

John Talano
Senior Vice President

John is Senior Vice President of Morguard Management Company Inc. responsible for Morguard's U.S. Operations. He oversees Morguard’s residential and commercial holdings, including responsibilities over property management, asset management, operations, acquisitions, development and construction. John began his career at Morguard in 2006 as Vice President Residential of Morguard's U.S. portfolio. He started his career in real estate in 1997, working on his own multi-family residential projects. He formally began his career in the profession in 2001, working with Trammell Crow Residential. John holds a bachelor's degree from Purdue University in industrial engineering/technology and an MBA from Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business. John is a Member of AFIRE, National Multifamily Housing Council, The International Council of Shopping Centers, and The National Apartment Association.

read more
Kevin Paustian
Director of Residential Asset Management

Kevin joined Morguard Management Company in 2014 and is currently the Director of Residential & Asset Management for Morguard Management Company Inc. He is responsible for Morguard's U.S. residential’s portfolio; including property management, asset management, operations, maintenance, lease-ups, marketing, acquisitions & dispositions. He started his career in real estate in 2005, working as a Project Manager for Bay Communities. He also spent eight years with FirstService Residential, where he held several positions including Regional Manager for the Florida portfolio. Kevin holds a bachelor's degree from Florida State University and is a Member of the National Apartment Association.

read more
Dara May
Director of Human Resources

Dara May is the head of Morguard’s Human Resources department. She began her career in the multifamily industry with Morguard 6 years ago, having served in a variety of roles within the HR team. As a seasoned leader and respected authority on employee relations and compliance, she also leads the overall performance management, recruiting, payroll, and benefits strategies for Morguard. Prior to finding her home in the multifamily industry with Morguard, she started her career in Human Resources over 20 years ago, and has worked in a variety of industries including construction, home health care, staffing, and wireless networks. Dara holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Florida International University and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management.

read more
Laura Echar Morris
Senior Regional Manager - Western Residential

Laura is Senior Regional Manager - Western Residential of Morguard Management Company’s western residential portfolio and is responsible for the overall residential operations of over half of the U.S. residential portfolio. Laura started her career in real estate in 1991, working in residential leasing and property management, joining Morguard in 2004 as a Community Manager. Laura understands what drives business forward and is a powerful force in the workplace, using her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to succeed. Laura is a Certified Apartment Manager, holding a CAM designation and has won several awards over the course of her career. She was most recently recognized as a Morguard Keeper of the Flame in 2019, a prestigious award for exceeding performance expectations and delivering superior service.

read more
Patti Jourdin
Regional Manager – South Florida & Tampa Residential

Patti “PJ” serves as Regional Manager of Morguard Management Company’s portfolio of residential and mixed-use communities in the South Florida and Tampa regions. PJ began her career in multi-family in 1991 with a small owner managed group in Baltimore, MD. Since relocating to Florida several years later, she has worked for several Owner/Fee Management Organizations as a District Manager, Regional Manager and National Marketing Director. PJ studied at Maryland Institute of Art and is a Certified Apartment Manager. She served as a committee member for the South East Florida Apartment Association and is a member of the National Apartment Association.

read more
Samantha Heckert
Regional Manager – Chicago & D.C. Residential

Samantha is currently the Regional Manager for Morguard Management Company’s Chicago and DC Metro Area Portfolios. Samantha started her career in real estate in 2003 as a residential leasing consultant. After a cross-country move, she spent 6 years working for Fairfield Residential in the Southern California market in various positions of growth. While in California, Samantha served as the as the Chair for the SDCAA Rental Owner Publication and was nominated for and won several company and industry awards. After returning to Chicago, Samantha spent time working as Regional Manager for IRT Residential, overseeing their Midwest portfolio and as the Director of Leasing and Portfolio Management for Mac Properties. She attended Clarke University in Iowa, is an Illinois Licensed Leasing Agent and a member of the National Apartment Association.

read more
MISH CARUSO-LEICHT
Regional Manager - Texas, Colorado, North Carolina & Georgia Residential

Mish is the Regional Manager of Morguard Management Company for Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, and Atlanta portfolios. Mish started her career in real estate in 1989 as a Leasing Consultant in Las Vegas, NV. Following her Career to Phoenix, AZ and eventually Dallas, TX, Mish served in roles such as Senior Manager, Regional Manager, Director of Operations and Regional Vice President for various Owner/REIT/Fee Management Organizations. She has served as a committee member with Nevada Apartment Association, Arizona Multi-housing Association and is a member with Apartment Association Greater Dallas. Mish joined Morguard in 2018 as District Manager for Texas and Colorado. Mish has won several awards and certifications over the course of her 33-year career and was recently recognized as a Morguard Keeper of the Flame in 2020, and "Culture Queen" in 2021.

read more