Leadership Team

Melanie Domres is President of NewTower Trust and Chairperson of the NewTower Board of Directors as of January 2024. Prior to her position as President, Melanie served as NewTower’s Chief Operating Officer.

Melanie has more than 35 years of real estate experience in operations, development, and transactions, as well as organizational leadership at multiple DC area real estate firms. Prior to joining NewTower, Melanie was Managing Director and Sector Lead of U.S. multifamily at BGO for all of its U.S. fund clients. Prior to joining BGO in 2018, Melanie was a Senior Vice President of Cafritz Interests LLC, a full-service DC-area real estate firm. While there, she launched the multifamily development and property management subsidiaries. Prior to her 11 years at Cafritz, Melanie held positions in asset management, development and finance with Kettler, Archon Group (now Goldman Sachs) and Credit Suisse.

Melanie served as Board Chairman for Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia and as a member of the Advisory Board for Canvas Living, an Australian property development company. She is an active member and former board member of CREW DC and also is a ULI Multi-Family Product Council participant. Melanie received her M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University.

Shawn Grosser Principal of Compliance at BentallGreenOak, as well as Chief Compliance Officer of both NewTower Trust Company and BentallGreenOak Real Estate US LLC, a FINRA registered Broker Dealer. In January of 2025, Shawn rejoined NewTower Trust’s board of directors.

Shawn is a member of the Virginia State Bar. He began his Compliance career at Ameritas Investment Corp in 2007, a broker-dealer and registered investment adviser with more than 1700 representatives. He served as a compliance associate, Managing Director of investment advisory compliance, as well as interim Chief Compliance Officer for one year. In 2016, he joined Bentall Kennedy as US Compliance Director. In 2019, Bentall Kennedy merged with GreenOak Real Estate to form BentallGreenOak. At BentallGreenOak, Shawn’s responsibilities include daily compliance oversight for the firm’s three registered investment advisors, FINRA registered Broker Dealer and Maryland Trust Company.

Shawn has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from Bentley University and a Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University School of Law.

Ivy Wafford Duke is a member of the NewTower Board of Directors as of April 2024.

Ivy has real estate experience in legal and compliance operations, having served as the Chief Compliance Officer for National Real Estate Advisors, LLC, a build-to-core real estate investment adviser, for five years from 2018 to 2023.

Ivy is a securities and corporate attorney by training, starting her investment management career as an associate at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and her general corporate law experience as a law clerk during law school at Philadelphia Electric Company. She then joined Calvert Investments, Inc. where she worked for approximately 20 years and last served as vice president and deputy general counsel, also providing legal counsel to the Calvert Foundation. Following this, Ivy served as counsel in the Investment Management Group at Seward & Kissel LLP, prior to her role at National Real Estate Advisors. Ivy is now the General Counsel at ImpactAssets, Inc., a nonprofit financial services firm that facilitates impact investing through donor advised funds and other philanthropic and impact investing options.

Ivy also serves on the Board of Directors for Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Ivy holds an LL.M. in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown University Law Center, and a J.D. and B.A. in English from the University of Virginia.

Kimberly Mann is a member of the NewTower Board of Directors as of April 2024.

Kimberly Mann is an effective and results-driven lawyer, with over 25 years of experience providing advice to a variety of global clients, primarily private funds, investment advisers and private fund investors, on matters of U.S. corporate and securities law. Unflappable and pragmatic, she has served as a trusted confidant and business advisor companies ranging from early-stage start-ups to Fortune 50 companies. As co-leader of the Investment Funds group at Shulman Rogers, Kimberly represents a wide array of clients in sophisticated regulatory and transactional matters. From fund sponsors, general partners and investment advisers to institutional investors, funds-of-funds, family offices and high-net-worth individual investors, clients seek Kimberly’s counsel on issues relating to structuring, restructuring, drafting and negotiating investment terms, managing advisory relationships and other important matters arising during the life cycle of alternative investments. In addition to formation, maintenance and investment engagements for private funds, Kimberly’s transactional representations include co-investments, buy-side and sell-side secondary transactions and direct investments. Kimberly’s regulatory practice includes, among other securities matters, representation of registered and exempt investment advisers. She also provides securities law advice in connection with certain civil litigation and administrative proceedings involving private funds or regulated entities. Prior to joining Shulman Rogers, Kimberly co-led the Investment Funds and Investment Management group at Pillsbury.

Kimberly earned a Juris Doctor degree with honor from the University of Maryland School of Law (now Francis King Carey School of Law) and is a certified public accountant (inactive). She has written several articles and is a former member of the faculty of the American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education – Regulation D and Private Offerings Program.

Kimberly is dedicated to pro bono work and until recently served as pro bono legal counsel to Citrine Angels. For several years, she served as guardian ad litem for abused and neglected children in the District of Columbia. In her spare time, Kimberly enjoys good books, great food with family and friends and day trips.

Jeremy Hochberg is a member of the NewTower Board of Directors as of April 2024.

Jeremy Hochberg is an attorney with more than 20 years of public and private sector financial services experience.  He is currently a senior counsel at Mitchell Sandler PLLC where he represents banks, financial services companies, and third-party service providers on regulatory compliance and enforcement matters.  He specializes in representing clients on fair and responsible banking issues, including matters involving fair lending and the prohibition on unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP).  He has extensive experience handling enforcement matters involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Justice, and federal and state bank regulatory agencies.  During his time in the government, Jeremy gained valuable policy and enforcement experience while serving as the managing counsel for supervisory policy and outreach and as a UDAAP enforcement counsel at the Federal Reserve Board, and as an enforcement attorney at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.