Our People

As Chairman and CEO, Jack oversees strategic planning and major investment decisions, and is responsible for the company’s overall financial performance.

Jack began his career at Halpern as in-house counsel in 1978, working alongside his father, company founder, Bernard Halpern.

Jack has served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Epstein School and of The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, as co-chair of the Board of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, and on the boards of the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and numerous other non-profit organizations. Jack received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Westminster Schools in 2019 and has been named one of Atlanta’s most influential leaders by Atlanta Magazine for the past three years.

Jack received a Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

As President, Matthew implements strategies to enhance the value of the company’s existing portfolio, achieve growth goals through acquisitions and new development, and maintain a strong financial and organizational foundation.

Matthew is a member of Halpern’s third generation of family employees. He joined the company in 2012 as a regional property manager before serving as an analyst and associate on the development team. In 2019, he was named Director of Acquisitions, responsible for sourcing, underwriting, performing due diligence on all new acquisitions, and collaborating on ground-up development pursuits.

Before joining Halpern, Matthew was a leasing agent with Glenwood Development and an analyst with Rosenberg Capital Advisors, focusing on retail property acquisitions. He earned a master’s degree in real estate from Georgia State University and a bachelor’s degree in real estate finance from Indiana University.

Matthew serves as secretary and treasurer for the Chamblee Doraville Community Improvement District, and holds board and committee positions with The Epstein School, Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, Hillels of Georgia, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Birthright Israel Foundation. He also participated in the ADL Glass Leadership Institute, the AJC Black/Jewish Coalition retreat and the ULI mini-Technical Assistance Panel studying Buford Highway.

Carolyn Halpern Oppenheimer serves as Executive Vice President of Halpern Enterprises, where she has been employed since 1983. In this role, she oversees office operations, maintenance, construction, capital expenditures and marketing.

Carolyn has served on the boards of the Jewish Educational Loan Fund, The Weber School, The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, The Trust for Public Land and The Epstein School, where she served as President of the Board of Trustees.

Carolyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Georgia. She is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

As Vice President of Development, Steve is responsible for growing the company portfolio through new ground up development, acquisitions and redevelopment of existing retail centers.

Steve began his career in the shopping center industry in 1989 as an assistant property manager at Halpern. Over the years, he has served as property manager, regional director, and director of acquisitions and development.

Steve is a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Jonesboro, GA, where he has served in a variety of capacities, including chairman of deacons, and as a member of the personnel, finance, and search committees. He is presently teaching financial peace discipleship for adults.

Steve received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mercer University. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

As Director of Construction, Cary supervises the company’s construction projects, ensuring plans and activities comply with codes, lease agreements, budgets and schedules throughout the construction process. He also manages bidding and entitlements, and makes value engineering recommendations.

Cary began his career at Halpern as regional property manager before transitioning to the development team where he was responsible for site selection, entitlements and budget development.

Cary received a bachelor’s degree in publication management from the University of Georgia. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and a Certified Shopping Center Manager.

As Development Director, Brad specializes in site acquisitions and tenant relationships for net-lease development projects. He underwrites potential build-to-suit opportunities, collaborating with the development team from concept to store opening, to deliver successful and punctual execution of each project.

Brad joined Halpern as a regional property manager. Prior to that, he was an associate at Salomon Real Estate Group, where he focused on-site identification and acquisitions, and a tenant’s agent at Skilken Real Estate.

Brad received a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate and Urban Analysis from Ohio State University. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

As Development Director, Caleb specializes in site acquisitions, transaction negotiations and cultivating relationships with tenants. He identifies potential build-to-suit opportunities, collaborates with the development team and works closely with tenants.

Prior to joining Halpern, Caleb provided site selection and tenant representation services at Westbrook Real Estate before forming his own firm, C.A.R.E. Consulting.

Caleb received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and government from the University of West Georgia.

As Regional Leasing Director, John markets and leases Halpern’s shopping centers throughout Georgia and Tennessee. In this role, John works with local, regional and national retailers to ensure a smooth process from negotiations to grand opening. Prior to this role, he served as regional property manager.

With extensive experience leasing all types of retail developments from ground-up, grocery-anchored centers to unanchored neighborhood strip centers, John has leased more than 2.5 million square feet.

He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

As Regional Leasing Director, Dan is responsible for marketing and leasing Halpern’s shopping centers throughout the southeast. In this role, Dan builds and maintains relationships with local, regional and national retailers, and participates in all facets of the leasing cycle to ensure a smooth transaction from negotiation to grand opening.

Dan has more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience. Since joining Halpern in 1994, he has leased nearly two million square feet across the company’s portfolio.

Dan received a Bachelor of Science in Management from Bentley University. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and holds the designations of Certified Retail Property Executive, Certified Leasing Specialist and Certified Shopping Center Manager.

As Regional Leasing Director, Benjamin is responsible for establishing relationships with prospective tenants and retail brokers, negotiating leases on the company’s behalf, and increasing occupancy and rental income at various Halpern-owned properties. Prior to this role, Benjamin served as regional property manager.

Before joining Halpern, Benjamin was a leasing agent at The Shopping Center Group, where he also conducted market analyses.

Benjamin received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Colorado. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

As Vice President of Operations, Chris is responsible for the overall performance of all Halpern-owned and managed properties, including overseeing and assisting property management, maintenance, lease administration and accounts receivable.

Before joining Halpern as a regional property manager in 2017, Chris was an office broker associate at Colliers.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder.

In her capacity as Chief Financial Officer, Lisa directs the overall financial plans and accounting practices of Halpern Enterprises and its related entities with primary responsibility for treasury, accounting, budget, finance, tax and audit/review activities of the organization and subsidiaries. In addition, Lisa oversees financial and accounting system controls and standards, and ensures timely financial reporting for management and/or board use.

Prior to joining Halpern in 1999, Lisa was controller for Regency Realty/Branch Properties and an accountant at Arthur Anderson & Co.

Lisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Auburn University and holds both CPA and CCIM certifications. She is a 2011 graduate of Leadership DeKalb and a member of The Georgia Society of CPAs and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

In his role as General Counsel, Rick leads the legal team for Halpern Enterprises and its related entities, focusing on transactional work for acquisitions, sales, financing, property management and leasing. For legal matters outside of Georgia, the legal team associates with local counsel throughout the southeast.

Prior to joining Halpern as in-house counsel, Rick represented the company’s legal interests as outside counsel for nearly 20 years.

Rick received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida. He has been a member of the Georgia bar since 1983.

As Associate Attorney, Lauren is responsible for contract negotiations, coordinating closings and risk management.

Prior to joining Halpern, Lauren served as senior attorney for the State of Florida’s Department of Children and Family Services. She also served as in-house counsel for NuPoint Funding, LLC.

Lauren earned a Bachelor of Science in International Relations and Affairs from Florida State University and a J.D. from the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University. She holds bar licenses in Georgia and Florida. Lauren is a member of Leadership Sandy Springs class of 2020 and PGIM Inclusion & Leadership Network.