Our Team

Lisa Bhathal Merage is Co-Founder, Chief Impact Officer, and Managing Partner of Revitate. Lisa serves as Governor of the Portland Thorns (NWSL) and Portland Fire (WNBA). She previously served as CEO of RAJ Swim, the Bhathal family’s 50-year-old women’s swimwear business. During her tenure, the firm successfully sold to private equity in what remains the largest private equity buyout in the swimwear industry. She was honored as the 2012 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim Presents “Designer of the Year,” and 2015 Modern Luxury magazine “Altruist of the Year.” Lisa currently serves as Trustee and Advancement Committee Chair at JSerra Catholic High School and Treasurer of Angel of the Arts at Segerstrom Center. She previously served as Vice Chair of the Board of the Orange County Museum of Art, and previously served as on the Boards of Gen Next, Sage Hill School, and St. Mary’s IB World School. She is a graduate of USC’s Marshall School of Business and holds a Certificate in Social Impact Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ryan is Revitate’s Chief Financial Officer. Ryan was previously a senior vice president at PIMCO, one of the largest investment managers in the world, where he led the private equity financial control team within the alternatives group focused on closed-end funds investing over $20 billion across commercial real estate, private equity, specialty finance, residential, commercial and consumer credit. Prior to that Ryan served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Gapstow Capital Partners , a credit-focused asset manager in New York, where he oversaw all operations and financial reporting for the firm. Ryan also functioned as Fund Controller for UBP Asset Management after beginning his career at Citi Private Equity Services. He has over 18 years of industry experience. Ryan holds a B.S. in Finance from Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal College of Business.

Chris Cox serves on the fiduciary and advisory boards of privately held companies in the real estate, regulatory compliance, financial services, and technology industries, including Revitate. He concluded 21 years in private legal practice in 2020, retiring as president of Morgan Lewis Consulting LLC and as a partner in the international law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. During a 23-year Washington career, he was a White House counsel to President Ronald Reagan, chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the US House of Representatives, and the fifth ranking elected leader in the House. Prior to his Washington service he was a member of the faculty at Harvard Business School and a partner in the international law firm of Latham & Watkins.  

Bill is the former CEO of PIMCO Advisors, parent company to one of the largest investment management companies in the country (PIMCO). Prior to PIMCO Advisors, Bill was the Vice Chairman of Pacific Life Insurance Company. Following the acquisition of PIMCO by Allianz AG, he became the chairman of Packet Video Corporation and chairman of National Retirement Partners. Currently, he serves as trustee of Janus Henderson Funds. 

Jeremi has spent her career in digital media, serving in leading business roles at Monster.com, Variety, Yahoo!, Amazon, Snap Inc., and most recently as President of Worldwide Advertising at Netflix. She is very active in the advertising industry and serves on the boards of The Ad Council, The American Advertising Federation, and MMA Global. In addition to her advertising industry board roles, Jeremi serves on the board of the non-profit, Women for Women International, which invests in women survivors of war and conflict, providing them with social and economic skills to transform their own lives. Jeremi is also a lifelong sports fan, advocate for women’s athletics, and a founding investor in the Los Angeles women’s professional soccer team, Angel City Football Club.

Josh co-founded LandSpire Group to further his personal commitment to community development and expand the investment platform for people of color. While Josh spent 15 years as a professional basketball player in the U.S., Greece, Australia and Japan, he has cultivated over 10 years of experience as a venture capitalist and real estate investor. He was a seed stage investor in Viola, the largest black-owned cannabis company in the U.S., is part owner of the SouthEast Melbourne Phoenix, the only black and minority-owned sports team in Australia and is a published author. In 2010, Josh founded the Josh Childress Foundation (JCF) to provide mentorship and resources to high school and collegiate athletes. He also established and funded the Josh Childress Athletic Scholarship, the first ever Summer Studies scholarship at Stanford University. Josh received his B.A. in Sociology from Stanford University.

Mick Cornett was the mayor of Oklahoma City from 2004-2018. He was the city’s first mayor to be elected to four terms. Named in 2018 to Fortune Magazine’s list of the 50 Greatest Leaders in the World, Cornett left office with Oklahoma City having produced 100,000 new jobs and over 9,600 new businesses. While in office, Cornett also secured Oklahoma City’s first major league sports team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the passage of a $777 million quality-of-life infrastructure program. Mick served as President of The United States Conference of Mayors between 2016-2017 and served as national President of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials (RMLO). Prior to public service, Cornett spent 20 years as a television sportscaster, news anchor, and broadcaster. His latest book The Next American City was published by Penguin/Random House in 2019. He now spends his time traveling to speak on his book, and consulting for a diverse group of businesses. Mick holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, and an MBA from New York University.

Hawkins is the co-founder and president of the Opportunity Funds Association, an advocacy, education, and communications organization established to enable Opportunity Fund managers and investors in Opportunity Funds to participate in public policy, share best practices and communicate the industry’s contributions to distressed rural and urban communities across the country. He also has served as staff director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure and as senior tax and economic policy advisor to Senator Tim Scott (R-SC). Shay earned his undergraduate degree in economics from The Ohio State University (OSU), his MBA from Columbia Business School as a Credit Suisse First Boston Fellow, and his JD from the Moritz College of Law at OSU.

Derrick Morgan is a former NFL linebacker who enjoyed an amazing nine year career with the Tennessee Titans. Derrick has a passion to change the narrative of a traditional athlete. He is a champion of empowerment for the underserved as well as an advocate for financial literacy. Derrick has been involved in commercial and residential development in Nashville and Austin over the last several years. He is a Co-founder of NexLegacy construction company, and engages with FEMA to deliver construction services to areas hit by natural disasters. Derrick is also an angel investor, investing in dozens of companies over his professional career. More recently, aligning his private finances with his values, Derrick has started KNGDM Group, an Opportunity Zone initiative focused on investing in projects and companies that generate a double bottom line return (financial + social/environmental). He is an early investor in food sustainable company Beyond meat, as well as Bitwise, a tech startup that administers technology training for minorities. Derrick believes that private investment has a critical role in revitalizing marginalized communities and continues to leverage his platform for positive change. Derrick is married with 2 children and his faith is the centerpiece of his life. He studied Business Management at Georgia Tech and received his MBA from the University of Miami.

Stephanie leads and founded SRB & Associates, which provides consulting and advocacy services to cities, businesses and elected officials. She previously served as Baltimore’s 49th mayor from 2010 to 2016. During her tenure, she passed significant legislation surrounding Baltimore financial planning and reform and helped make the city more immigrant friendly. She also served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCOM) and Secretary of the Democratic National Committee following the reelection of President Obama. She currently serves on the USCM Board of Trustees.

Rachel Reilly is Founder of Aces and Archers, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in impact investing and economic development. She recently departed her role as EIG’s Director of Impact Strategy, where she led the organization’s work to support communities, policymakers and investors in their efforts to catalyze sustainable economic growth across the country through Opportunity Zones and other forward-thinking initiatives. Previously, Rachel was the Director of Impact Investing at Enterprise Community Partners where she expanded community investment opportunities for people and businesses. Rachel was at the helm of Enterprise’s engagement with Opportunity Zones, and her portfolio of work included leading Enterprise’s $100 million debt offering – the Impact Note – in addition to policy and advocacy activities related to impact investing. She has a Master’s in Real Estate Development from the University of Maryland, and served two terms as an elected representative in Washington, D.C.

Brett Theodos is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Community Economic Development Hub at the Urban Institute. He is currently leading several efforts to study and inform the implementation of Opportunity Zones. His other work includes studies of the Economic Development Administration, the New Markets Tax Credit program, SBA and other small business loan and investment programs, and HUD’s Community Development Block Grant, Section 108, Strong Cities Strong Communities, and Choice Neighborhoods programs. He is studying how capital flows (or fails to flow) into communities, and the roles of mission finance actors like CDFIs. He is investigating the effects of several large placebased initiatives. Brett also directs Measure4Change, which provides technical assistance and facilitates a community of practice for nonprofits. Brett serves on the boards of the Center for Community Progress, the Douglass Community Land Trust, and the Housing Authority of Prince George’s County. He received his BA from Northwestern University, MPP from Georgetown University, and PhD in Public Policy from George Washington University.

Anthony Vu serves as Senior Vice President, Commercial Real Estate for Revitate and brings over 16 years of commercial real estate and finance experience. Prior to joining the Revitate team, Anthony was Senior Director of Investments and Operations at RealtyShares, an investment and crowdfunding platform for commercial real estate. Prior to that, Anthony was Director of Acquisitions at Thor Equities, an institutional real estate private equity fund, principal developer, and vertically-integrated operator headquartered in New York City. At Thor, he closed over 40 acquisitions totaling over $4.0 billion via a variety of structures, investors, and lenders, with a focus on value-add properties in North America, Europe, and Latin America. Anthony managed acquisitions teams in Thor’s New York and London offices and worked directly in global asset management, where he contributed to the successful execution of business plans, capital raising, and portfolio transactions. Prior to Thor, he worked in Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) for KLA-Tencor. Anthony holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from University of California, San Diego, and a M.S. in Real Estate Finance and Investment from New York University.

Doug Melland serves as Controller for Revitate and brings over 14 years of experience in finance and accounting roles. Prior to joining Revitate, Doug held positions in corporate accounting and financial planning and analysis in the Mortgage and Real Estate industries. He is highly skilled in leading audits, implementing controls to mitigate risk, preparing financial statements and budgeting. He served as the Corporate Accounting Manager at loanDepot during their initial public offering. Doug worked in public accounting at Moss Adams serving clients as an auditor and is licensed Certified Public Account (inactive). Doug graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

Eric Kanegaye serves as the Senior Financial Analyst for Revitate, evaluating real estate investment opportunities related to the firm’s various strategies. Eric was previously in New York City at Pacific Urban Investors (PUI), an institutional multifamily owner, operator, and investment manager, where he worked on programmatic joint venture capital raises and evaluated New York City Metro multifamily investment opportunities. Prior to PUI, Eric was a part of KeyBank Real Estate Capital’s Rotational Program, gaining exposure to CMBS underwriting, affordable lending and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), and ultimately worked on their New York City Commercial Mortgage Production team. Eric holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The George Washington University. 

Holly serves as Senior Director of Marketing for Revitate. Her expertise stems from 15 years’ experience in brand development, strategy, creative direction, public relations, digital marketing, photoshoot production, event design and execution, graphic and web design. Holly has collaborated with some of the biggest global consumer brands including GUESS?, Tommy Hilfiger, St. John, Hurley, Sports Illustrated, Juicy Couture, Nautica, Reef, Oakley, Portland Thorns and the Sacramento Kings. She was featured in Forbes for her role as Co-founder and Creative Director of VYB Swim, a sustainable concept collection using upcycled materials. Holly earned her degree in management from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles.

Jack serves as Director of Capital Markets-West Coast Region, and joined Revitate in 2023. Jack has over 11 years of experience in the financial sector, with a primary focus on Private Alternatives, Equities and Fixed Income. He has been directly involved in raising over $6B in retail and institutional investor capital. Prior to joining Revitate, Jack was Vice President- Southern California for Nuveen Investments. Before joining Nuveen, Jack was with the Vanguard Group as a Business Development Associate in Scottsdale, AZ. He holds the following Securities Licenses: Series 7, Series 63, and Series 65. Jack earned his B.S. Degree in Finance, with a minor in International Business from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

As Asset Manager of Revitate, John Nolan is directly responsible for the RevOZ Capital portfolio and brings 20+ years of commercial real estate and finance experience to the team. Prior to joining Revitate, John was Vice President of Asset Management for a value-add, private equity investment fund at NAI Partners, where he managed a portfolio of office, industrial, and retail assets across South Central Texas. Before NAI, John was Joint Venture Asset Manager with Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE: WRI), where he established and maintained long-term business relationships with many of Weingarten’s institutional investors. At Weingarten, he was responsible for a portfolio of 30 shopping centers across the US, containing over 3.5 million square feet. Prior to Weingarten, John worked for a boutique commercial real estate advisory firm, where he underwrote over $2.4 billion of institutional-grade investment property nationwide including multifamily, industrial, shopping centers, office, hospitality, and single-tenant net-lease. Earlier in his career, John worked in investment sales and as a regional loan officer at Marcus & Millichap and in corporate finance at Electronic Data Systems (EDS). John earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree cum laude in Finance from Texas Christian University where he also played division 1 soccer.

Julia Trinh Nguyen is the General Counsel of Revitate, responsible for the legal function of the firm. She manages Revitate’s legal and compliance functions, which include oversight of investments and dispositions, tax planning, risk management, and human resources. Julia also serves as the General Counsel of RAJ Capital (the Bhathal’s family investment office), the Portland Thorns (NWSL), and the WNBA Portland expansion team. Prior to her current position, she spent 7 years as the Assistant General Counsel of Foundation Building Materials (NYSE: FBM), where she led over 60 acquisitions, four divestitures, a going private transaction, and a secondary offering, and oversaw SEC reporting and compliance with securities laws. Before joining FBM in 2017, Julia was a corporate lawyer associated with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Buchalter. She earned a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from University of San Diego School of Law.

Lowell Schipper serves as the Director of Operations and Investor Relations for Revitate, managing investments across the various funds within the firm, while also managing investor relations. Lowell was previously at JLL, working on their capital markets team in Portland and Orange County, valuing over $3 billion in multi-family assets and land, as well as over $1.5 billion in acquisition financing, construction financing and joint-venture opportunities. Prior to JLL, Lowell graduated from the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Science concentrated in finance and marketing, where he played division I baseball for four years, while also being the first chair violist in the Richmond Orchestra. Following his undergraduate degree, Lowell received his MBA from Lenoir-Rhyne University, and worked for the Crow Holdings capital markets team in Dallas during the second year of his MBA.

Maya Kurian serves as the Senior Accountant for Revitate, where she assists the Finance department with the overall financial accounting, operations, treasury, tax, and compliance for the Revitate firm. Maya was previously a Senior within the Audit practice at Deloitte in the Costa Mesa office, working primarily on Real Estate clients. She graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and a minor in Marketing.

Rahul is Revitate’s Chief of Staff. Rahul was previously an investment professional at Tensile Capital Management, an investment firm that employs an opportunistic value approach to investing across public and private markets, where he led diligence on and executed investments globally across industries. Prior to that, Rahul was an investment banker at Evercore, a global independent investment banking firm, where he advised clients on private equity and credit transactions. He earned a B.A. in Honors Business Administration with distinction from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.