DENNIS O'BRIEN
Founder and President

Dennis O'Brien founded O'Brien Homes (formerly O'Brien & Hicks, Inc.) with his late partner Dan Hicks in 1976. The company has built and sold more than 4,000 homes and lots throughout the nine county Bay Area, from Monterey to Napa. From 1969 to 1976, he was president of the San Francisco division of Kaufman & Broad, where he was responsible for the construction of over 5,000 houses. He began his career in 1963 with the California Highway Department (Caltrans) where he handled property acquisition, appraisal and property management in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dennis is a Past President of the California Building Industry Association (1983); a Past Chairman of the Board of the Building Industry Association of Northern California (1977); and President of the Building Industry Association, Eastern Division (1976). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Bay Area Council, BRIDGE Housing Corporation, the Construction Industry Advancement Fund, First American Title Company, and The University of California, Berkeley Policy Advisory Board of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute.

STEVE ZALES
Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer

Steve Zales has been a member of the O’Brien Homes team since 1990. Steve has been active in the homebuilding industry for 21 years. He has been COO and managing partner since 1999. Prior to joining O’Brien Homes as Director of Land Acquisition and Forward Planning in 1990, Steve held management positions in finance and land acquisition with Southwest Diversified Inc. (now Brookfield Homes). He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Fairfield University, Fairfield CT. Steve is on the Bay Area Homebuilders Association Regional Board of Directors and is a member of the HBA Chairman’s Council. He is on the Bay Area Council Housing Committee.

CHUCK SCHOENBERGER
Partner and Senior Vice President of Operations

Chuck Schoenberger has been a member of the O'Brien Homes team since 1990. Chuck has more than nineteen years experience in residential real estate focusing on operations, customer service and property management. His previous positions were held with Henderson Homes, Broadmoor Homes and The Lusk Company. He joined O'Brien Homes in 1990 as Director of Construction and has overseen the construction of over 2000 homes, including over 200 homes in the over one-million dollar category. Chuck studied construction management at Diablo Valley College and Cal Berkeley extension. Chuck served as Director of the Management Education Committee for the Associated Builders and Contractors Golden Gate Chapter and was Board Member of the Northern California Homebuilder's Association Educational Council.

LARISSA ABELING
Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Larissa Abeling joined O'Brien Homes in November of 2002 and directs all aspects of sales and marketing and community planning. Larissa's outstanding background and industry credentials make her a valuable contributor to the O'Brien Homes management team. Previously part of the founding residential group and head of sales and marketing for widely respected SummerHill Homes, she has also held senior marketing positions at prestigious golf course communities in Sacramento and Orinda. She also headed the sales and marketing division of Dunmore Homes, a large volume Sacramento-based homebuilder.

CARYN KALI
Chief Financial Officer

Caryn Kali has been a member of The O'Brien Homes team since 2000. Caryn is a CPA with over 25 years experience in the real estate industry. Prior to joining O'Brien Homes, she was CFO for Woodmont Real Estate Services, Vice President of Finance for The Innisfree Companies, and Controller for Vintage Properties. She gained her initial experience in accounting and real estate as a member of the Private Business Advisory Services group with KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms. She holds a degree in Business Administration from San Francisco State University.

JIM POLLART
Partner and Vice President of Land Acquisition and Planning

Jim Pollart joined the O'Brien Homes team in October of 2001. He was previously vice president of development for the Castle Group California, where he had responsibility for management of residential and mixed-use development with a focus on higher density housing. Prior to that, as manager of land acquisition and development for Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation, he managed the acquisition and development of more than 1500 home sites in Santa Clara County. Jim holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.