Lera Living Is A Strategic Operating Partner for Multifamily Owners and Investors

Jason Shinder is a real estate executive with more than 30 years of experience in investment, development, asset management, brokerage, and property management. Since beginning his career in 1993, he has built and led companies focused on creating long-term value through disciplined operations, strategic investments, and exceptional client service.

As Partner and Broker of Record of District Realty, Jason has overseen more than $3 billion in commercial real estate transactions and helped grow the company into one of Ottawa’s leading real estate investment, brokerage, and property management firms. Throughout his career, he has led the repositioning of dozens of multifamily assets, including office-to-residential and hotel-to-residential conversions, large-scale renovation programs, and ground-up development projects.

As Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lera Living Property Management, Jason is leading the company’s expansion across the United States. His vision is to build an institutional-quality property management platform that combines experienced people, innovative technology, data-driven operations, and a resident-first approach to deliver exceptional results for owners, investors, and communities.

Jason believes that successful real estate ownership is built on operational excellence, financial discipline, and long-term relationships. These principles continue to guide both District Realty and Lera Living as they grow and manage residential communities at scale.

Outside of his professional career, Jason has devoted considerable time to philanthropy and community leadership. He has served on the boards of Canadian healthcare and community organizations and has supported numerous charitable and capital fundraising initiatives. Above all, he values family, integrity, and giving back to the communities in which he lives and works.

Richard is the Co-Founder of Arel Capital and the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Lera Living.  At Arel Capital, he oversees the firm’s investment activities. He brings more than 40 years of institutional investment experience, with a career that spans global derivatives markets, large-scale portfolio management and direct real estate investment.

Prior to co-founding Arel, Richard served as chief investment officer, a member of the executive committee and a board member of Gottex Fund Management, a publicly traded fund of hedge funds with peak assets under management exceeding $17 billion. In that role, he was responsible for manager selection, portfolio construction and risk management across a globally diversified portfolio of strategies.

Earlier in his career, Richard served as global head of trading and derivatives at Putnam Investments, where he was also a member of the firm’s executive and management committees. Prior to that, he spent 13 years at J.P. Morgan in a series of senior trading roles — including head of derivatives trading, head of mortgage-backed securities trading and co-head of equity derivatives — building the deep capital markets fluency that continues to inform Arel’s approach to structuring and risk.

In parallel with his institutional career, Richard has personally acquired, renovated and actively managed a significant residential real estate portfolio over more than 30 years, giving him direct operational experience that complements the firm’s broader investment platform.

Richard holds a BA (hons) from McGill University and a Master of Philosophy from Cambridge University.

Gabriel is the Co-Founder of Lera Living and the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Arel Capital, where he oversees the firm’s operational, financial and administrative infrastructure. With over 35 years of experience in investment management, Gabriel brings the operational architecture of an institutional-grade platform.

Prior to co-founding Arel, Gabriel served as chief operating officer and a member of the executive committee at Gottex Fund Management, where he was responsible for the infrastructure, technology, compliance and reporting functions supporting a $17 billion alternatives platform. He also served as executive chairman of LUMA Solutions Services, Gottex’s services division.

Earlier, Gabriel served as president and chief executive officer of PlusFunds, a leading managed account platform for hedge fund strategies — an operationally complex business requiring the design and execution of fund structures, reporting systems and investor servicing at institutional scale.

Prior to that, Gabriel held multiple senior operating and corporate development roles at the Reuters Group, including managing director of business development and chief operating officer of the risk management division. He began his career in 1987 at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets, where he worked in the firm’s global derivatives group.

Gabriel holds an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and is a graduate of École Polytechnique in Paris.

Pamela is President of Lera Living and President of Asset Management at Arel Capital, where she oversees asset management for the firm’s existing multifamily portfolio. She joined Arel in 2016 and brings more than 40 years of multifamily experience to her leadership roles.

Prior to joining Arel, Pamela served as President of Allied Orion Group and The Keener Group. Across these roles, she oversaw operations of more than 20,000 multifamily units across 10 states and managed more than 500 employees. Pamela attended Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, and holds several accreditations in the multifamily industry.

Bryce is chief financial officer at Lera Living, responsible for the firm’s finance, accounting and tax compliance functions across Lera. He has over 10 years of experience in partnership strategy and operational accounting.

He has passed the Uniform CPA Examination, obtaining licensure as a CPA in New York (currently unregistered). He holds a Master of Taxation from Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with dual specializations in accounting and finance from Bowling Green State University.

Jonah Shinder serves as VP, Capital Projects and Business Development of Lera Living, responsible for overseeing capital projects, procurement, and business development.

Prior to joining Lera Living, Jonah worked at The Rose Corporation, a real estate development and investment firm in Toronto, as an Analyst on the finance and asset management team. Before that, he was a Senior Associate on the investment consulting team at Prime Quadrant, one of North America’s leading multi-family office and wealth management firms.

Jonah received a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University, where he completed the Co-op program with a major in Accounting. Jonah also passed the CFA Level I exam in 2024.

Outside of work, Jonah enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, and is a passionate Dallas Cowboys and Ottawa Senators fan.

Jake Gottenberg is the VP, Corporate Operations at Lera Living, where he supports strategic analysis, due diligence, and asset management across the company’s portfolio. He brings a strong background in real estate investment and operations, with experience spanning acquisitions, portfolio oversight, and financial analysis.

Prior to joining Lera, Jake served as an analyst at Arel Capital, where he was responsible for evaluating new asset opportunities and managing existing properties. He previously held analyst roles at Independence Realty Trust, a REIT based in Philadelphia, and at a boutique real estate private equity firm, where he built a strong foundation in real estate finance and investment strategy.

Jake earned his B.A. in Finance, with a focus in real estate, from The University of Alabama.

With over 20 years of customer service experience in the hospitality industry and more than 20 years of IT support experience, Gary brings a unique combination of technical expertise and customer-focused service to the organization. He oversees all Information Technology operations and records management functions at Lera Living, ensuring the company’s technology systems and information assets effectively support the organization’s ongoing success.

Kendrah is the Director of Marketing at Lera Living, bringing nearly a decade of experience in multifamily marketing and a strong foundation in customer service excellence. Since entering the industry in 2016 as a Residential Marketing Coordinator, she has progressed through roles of increasing responsibility, including Marketing Manager, before stepping into her current leadership position.

Kendrah has a proven track record of driving occupancy and enhancing brand visibility across diverse residential portfolios. She combines strategic digital marketing, website and content management, and data-driven decision-making to support leasing performance and long-term asset value. Known for her strong work ethic and commitment to continuous growth, Kendrah plays a key role in shaping and elevating Lera Living’s marketing initiatives.