Meet The Team
Our team is the foundation of our firm. Our team members have worked together for many years and have a complementary set of research skills, investment expertise as well as a deep understanding in real estate and the public markets. We have a collaborative culture and each member has a clear set of responsibilities.
Jonathan LittFounder & Chief Investment Officer
Mr. Litt has over 25 years of experience as a global real estate strategist and an investor in both public real estate securities and direct property.
Mr. Litt founded Land & Buildings in the summer of 2008 to take advantage of the opportunities uncovered by the global property bubble. He has built L&B into a prominent activist hedge fund in the real estate space, successfully affecting change and unlocking shareholder value at numerous public real estate companies, including BRE Properties, Associated Estates, and MGM Resorts.
Prior to founding L&B, he was Managing Director and Senior Property Analyst at Citigroup where he was responsible for Global Property Investment Strategy, coordinating a 44 person team of research analysts located across 25 countries. He was the #1 ranked Institutional Investor real estate analyst for eight years and top five for 13 years.
Mr. Litt was recognized as a leading analyst since 1995, achieving prestigious Institutional Investor Magazine #1 ranking for 8 years and top five ranking throughout the period. Mr. Litt also achieved top ranking from Greenwich Associates since 1995. During his career as a sell-side analyst, he was involved with many mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and other forms of financing. During this time, he developed close relationships with both public and private real estate professionals.
Before moving to the sell-side in 1994, Mr. Litt worked on the buy-side investing in public real estate securities and buying real property during his tenure at European Investors and BrookHill Properties, where his career began in 1988.
Mr. Litt graduated from Columbia University in 1987 with a BA in Economics and NYU’s Stern School of Business in 1990 with an MBA in Finance. Mr. Litt can often be seen on CNBC or quoted in the Wall Street Journal and other industry publications. He is also the President of a not-for-profit, the Children with Dyslexia Scholarship Fund, which provides children with scholarships to secondary schools that specialize in dyslexia.
Craig MelcherPresident / Investments
Mr. Melcher co-founded Land & Buildings and has 16 years of real estate experience.
Mr. Melcher works closely with Mr. Litt managing investments and overseeing firm operations.
Prior to Land & Buildings, Mr. Melcher was Vice President at Citigroup where he covered apartment and specialty REITs. He assisted in overall strategy for global real estate on the consistently top ranked real estate research team. Mr. Melcher helped develop and oversee the management of the various model portfolios managed by the team, including the long-only US REIT portfolio and long/short hedge fund.
Mr. Melcher was a Stern Scholar and graduated with honors from NYU’s Stern School of Business with an MBA. He graduated cum laude with a BS degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in finance and information systems. Mr. Melcher is a CFA charter holder and a member of the CFA Institute.
Corey LorinskyPrincipal / Investments
Corey Lorinsky, Principal & Investments, is responsible for investment idea generation, monitoring of current investments and supporting the global research efforts at the firm. He is responsible for building, maintaining and updating earnings, net asset value and pricing models as well other macroeconomic, industry and company-specific analysis.
Mr. Lorinsky joined Land & Buildings in 2011 from Elliott Associates, a $20 billion multi-strategy hedge fund based in Manhattan, where he was a Research Analyst from 2009 to 2011. Prior to that role, he conducted research on the housing and financial crisis at the Stern School of Business at New York University.
Mr. Lorinsky graduated magna cum laude from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania with a BS in economics and concentrations in finance, entrepreneurship and real estate. He has passed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams.
Jean CoraChief Financial Officer
Jean Marcos Cora is the Chief Financial Officer is responsible for fund and management company operations, accounting, and compliance.
Prior to heading the operations and compliance department Mr. Cora was responsible for supporting the Firm’s research efforts and the Firm’s operations as the Chief Operations Officer
Prior to joining the company, Mr. Cora was an Associate with Albion River a US family office focused on middle-market aerospace and defense investments, where he managed the satellite office of Puerto Rico. Mr. Cora worked as Senior Financial Analyst for OHorizons Global, a management consulting Firm focused on Automotive and Real Estate transactions. While in OHorizons, Mr. Cora was actively involved with the buyout and management of a Tier 1 automotive supplier in Europe.
Mr. Cora holds a BBA from the University of Puerto Rico.
Robert WinklerDirector of Marketing
Mr. Winkler is the Director of Marketing and is responsible for marketing and fundraising.
Before joining the firm in August 2017, Mr. Winkler was Senior Vice President at Schultze Asset Management, a distressed event driven fund where he spearheaded asset raising and marketing for the firm. Prior to Schultze, Mr. Winkler was Vice President of Sales at Alternative Investment Partners, one of the first alternative ‘40 Act funds to use multiple strategies. Throughout his career, Mr. Winkler has worked at large asset management firms including J.P. Morgan and Van Eck Global, raising assets and marketing the firm’s products across various investor channels.
Lorena CristalCorporate Controller
Lorena S. Cristal is the Corporate Controller and is responsible for administration of management companies, vendor management, and taxation.
Before joining Land and Buildings, Ms. Cristal worked as a Retirement Plan Administrator at Retirement Strategies, Inc. She was responsible for managing direct client retirement accounts and preparing and filing tax returns.
Nicole UrbinoDirector of Investor Relations
Nicole Urbino is the Director of Investor Relations and is responsible for assisting marketing and investors relations functions.
Prior to joining L&B, Ms. Urbino was a Fuel Inventory and Logistics Coordinator for Harbor Bunkering Corp. She was responsible for managing tank trucks, barges inventory, sales, and deliveries in Puerto Rico. Ms. Urbino holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Public Relations.
Fernando CainsFund Controller
Fernando Cains is the Fund Controller and is responsible for administration of fund operations, reconciliations, analytical assessments, and risk management for the funds.
Prior to joining Land and Buildings, Mr. Cains worked as a Financial Professional in Equitable Advisors and later as a Producer Assistant at Vertex Financial Strategies, LLC. In both, he retrieved and analyzed financial information to create and implement customized financial strategies for individuals relating to insurance, wealth management and retirement.
Christopher ToledoInvestments
Christopher Toledo, is a financial professional with over 8 years of experience in the private sector working through several FP&A roles through his career.
Prior to joining the investment team, Mr. Toledo was the Operations Controller and was responsible for fund accounting and compliance functions.
Prior to joining L&B, Mr. Toledo worked as a Sr. Financial Analyst at Eaton Corporation, a multinational manufacturer focused on Electrical Components and Power Distribution. He worked in compliance, operations, financial reporting, and accounting cycles for the company.