Executives & Board Members

Chief Executive Officer

David Villarreal has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Safe and Green Development Corporation (SGDevCo) since February 3, 2023. Mr. Villarreal was appointed as a director effective April 11, 2023, and has served as a director of SGDevCo since May 28, 2021.

Mr. Villarreal’s career spans more than 40 years in various management, business, and leadership roles. His public service began in 1977, when he served as Deputy Mayor and Senior Deputy Economic Development Advisor under Mayor Tom Bradley in the City of Los Angeles.

From August 2014 until March 2023, Mr. Villarreal served as the Chief Administrative Officer of Affinity Partnerships, LLC, a Costco national mortgage services platform provider, supporting annual closed loan production of more than $8 billion through a network of ten national mortgage lenders. From March 2011 to August 2014, he served as President of Corporate Business Development at Prime Source Mortgage, Inc. From September 2008 to September 2012, he served as a consultant to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Mr. Villarreal’s career spans more than 40 years in various management, business, and leadership roles. His public service began in 1977, when he served as Deputy Mayor and Senior Deputy Economic Development Advisor under Mayor Tom Bradley in the City of Los Angeles.

From August 2014 until March 2023, Mr. Villarreal served as the Chief Administrative Officer of Affinity Partnerships, LLC, a Costco national mortgage services platform provider, supporting annual closed loan production of more than $8 billion through a network of ten national mortgage lenders. From March 2011 to August 2014, he served as President of Corporate Business Development at Prime Source Mortgage, Inc. From September 2008 to September 2012, he served as a consultant to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Chief Financial Officer

Nicolai Brune has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Safe and Green Development Corporation (SGDevCo) since February 14, 2023. Since March 2022, Mr. Brune has served as Director of Acquisition for Safe & Green Holdings Corp., where he was responsible for financial evaluation and modeling of potential acquisitions, investments, and divestitures.

Prior to joining Safe & Green Holdings Corp., Mr. Brune served as a Treasury Analyst at GL Homes, a private real estate developer and home builder in the state of Florida, from June 2020 to March 2022. In that role, he reviewed financial transactions, examined cash flows, and prepared monthly performance reports.

From June 2017 to June 2020, Mr. Brune founded and operated Generation Nine, a company in the clothing industry.

Lead Independent Director

Christopher Melton was appointed as a director of Safe and Green Development Corporation (SGDevCo) effective April 11, 2023, and has served as a director of Safe & Green Holdings Corp. since November 4, 2011.

Mr. Melton is a licensed real estate salesperson in the State of South Carolina. Until June 2019, he was a principal of Callegro Investments, LLC, a specialist land investment firm focused on the southeastern United States, which he founded in 2012. Since June 2019, he has served as a specialist Land Advisor with SVN.

Mr. Melton serves on several public and private boards, including Jupiter Wellness, Inc., where he has been a director since August 2019. Since February 2018, he has also served as Chief Investment Officer and analyst at TNT Capital Advisors, a capital advisory firm based in Florida. He previously served as a sales agent with MSK Commercial Services, a commercial real estate company, from February 2018 to June 2019.

From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Melton was a Portfolio Manager for Kingdon Capital Management in New York City, where he managed an $800 million portfolio focused on media, telecommunications, and Japanese investments. During that time, he opened Kingdon’s office in Japan and established a Japanese research operation.

From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Melton served as a Vice President and equity research analyst at JPMorgan Investment Management, where he contributed to the management of approximately $500 million in REIT funds. From 1995 to 1997, he was a Senior Real Estate Equity Analyst at RREEF Funds in Chicago, the real estate investment management arm of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management division.

Mr. Melton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995, and received a certification from the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson Director Education Program in 2014.

President & CEO of RSG

Anthony currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Resource Group US, LLC, a position he has held since January 2019. Mr. Cialone brings over 30 years of executive leadership experience, with a strong track record in corporate operations, risk management, and strategic planning. At Resource Group, he has led key initiatives in biomass-to-industrial energy conversion and composting, developed investor-focused funding strategies and financial models, optimized transportation logistics and closed-loop supply chains, and advanced the company’s growth through targeted acquisitions.  Since May 2020, Mr. Cialone has also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Microtec Development & Holdings LLC, where he directs financial planning, capital structuring, and the commercialization of Microtec’s proprietary waste-to-value technologies.  In addition, since March 2022, Mr. Cialone has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of AggrePlex, LLC, where he leads corporate strategy, operations, and market development for the company’s production of environmentally sustainable pozzolans used as supplementary cementitious materials.  Mr. Cialone holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance and a Master of Business Administration in Corporate Finance, both from Fordham University. In addition, he has completed advanced coursework and executive education programs at Harvard Business School Online, MIT Professional Education, New York University, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, earning certificates in Business Strategy, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Finance & Accounting, Leadership & Management, Life Cycle Assessment, Sustainable Infrastructure Systems, and Chief Sustainability Officer Training, among others.  He also holds multiple professional certifications (inactive), including Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Financial Manager (CFM), Certified Treasury Professional (CTP), Accredited Valuation Analyst (AVA), and is Certified in Mergers & Acquisitions (CM&AA). Mr. Cialone previously held securities licenses, including Series 6, 27, and 63. 

CFO of RSG

James has served as the President of JDB Consulting Services, Inc. since October 2003. He has over 30 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions and project development, having commenced his career at Browning-Ferris Industries, Inc. At JDB Consulting Services, Mr. Burnham has principally served as a consultant to various clients interested in acquisition and project development related services (primarily within the solid waste and related industries). Services include business valuation, business brokerage, business planning and modeling, environmental and financial due diligence, loan request packages, operational analysis, transportation analysis, market research, negotiation of legal agreements, project development management on solid waste projects seeking permits, expert witness landfill and transfer station permit valuation and predatory pricing analysis. In addition, since 2014 Mr. Burnham has served as the CEO and Managing Member of Encell Composites of which he was a co-founder. Encell developed and was granted U.S. and other patents on an alternative railroad crosstie produced from recycled material - principally crumb rubber from scrap tires. Mr. Burnham earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

Director

Bjarne Borg serves as the Executive Chairman of Index Investment Group, which he co-founded in 1998. Index Investment Group, through a collection of related companies, develops business projects in real estate and renewable energy and provides private equity to invest in complementary businesses. With over 35 years of experience in managing start-ups and multinational corporations, Mr. Borg focuses on real estate, renewable energy, and disruptive equity investments. Mr. Borg’s expertise extends to public markets, having listed bonds on NASDAQ, and serving on advisory boards for banking institutions. He has served on the South Florida advisory boards for SunTrust Bank and Truist Bank and is currently serving as a director of JFB Construction Holdings and on the advisory/ambassador boards for ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida. Mr. Borg began his career in IT consulting before transitioning to accounting and eventually focused on investments and developments across Sweden, the USA, and Canada.

Director

Peter G. DeMaria, CFA, was appointed as a director of Safe and Green Development Corporation (SGDevCo) effective April 11, 2023. Mr. DeMaria is a senior banking and finance professional with more than 38 years of experience serving middle-market, mid-corporate, financial sponsor, and real estate clients in domestic and international markets.

From December 2018 through May 2022, Mr. DeMaria served as a Senior Managing Director and Group Manager for the middle-market and corporate banking group at PNC Bank, where he and his team advised middle-market and large corporate clients in the New Jersey and New York City regions.

Prior to joining PNC Bank, Mr. DeMaria spent nearly 34 years at JPMorgan, serving as Managing Director from December 1984 through November 2018. During his tenure, he specialized in cash flow and asset-based lending, capital markets, and investment banking products.

Mr. DeMaria received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Lehigh University in 1984. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 1991 and completed an Executive Management Certificate at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in 1998.

Director

Jeffrey Tweedy was appointed as a director of Safe and Green Development Corporation (SGDevCo) effective April 11, 2023. Mr. Tweedy is an executive with approximately thirty years of experience in the fashion and retail industries.

Since March 2021, Mr. Tweedy has served as a Brand Advisor to Sean John Clothing, an award-winning clothing and lifestyle brand founded by Sean Combs. From November 2007 to March 2021, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sean John, having previously served as Executive Vice President from February 1998 to March 2005. During his tenure, he oversaw brand development, sales growth, international expansion, and the creation of a nationally recognized menswear business.

Mr. Tweedy has served on the Advisory Board of the Fashion Institute of Technology since January 2020.

Director

John Scott Magrane, Jr. was appointed as a director of Safe and Green Development Corporation (SGDevCo) effective April 11, 2023. From November 2011 until July 2016, Mr. Magrane served as a director of SG Blocks, a predecessor company to Safe and Green Holdings Corp.

Mr. Magrane is an investment banking professional with more than forty years of experience advising power-related enterprises, including energy technology companies, independent power producers, utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and governmental entities. He currently serves as Senior Advisor at Coady Diemar Partners, LLC, a registered broker-dealer and boutique investment bank that provides mergers and acquisitions, strategic advisory, and private capital market services. From March 2018 to July 2020, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the firm, which he co-founded.

Prior to founding Coady Diemar Partners, LLC, Mr. Magrane spent 15 years with Goldman Sachs & Co., where his responsibilities included corporate finance and strategic advisory work. During his tenure, he initiated the firm’s Energy Technology practice. Earlier in his career, he spent ten years with Blyth Eastman Dillon & Co. and Paine Webber, specializing in energy and power project finance.

Mr. Magrane earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The College of Wooster in 1970 and a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1973.