Meet Our Management Team

Executive Chairman

Aliza Karney Guren is the Executive Chairman and co-owner of Karney Properties. Joining the company in 1991, Aliza became CEO in 2003 and transitioned to Executive Chairman in 2025.

In her role, Aliza leads the company’s strategic direction and is actively involved in key areas of the Company’s activities, including development, finance, acquisitions and dispositions, litigation, environmental, and asset management. With over 30 years of experience in the real estate industry, she has consistently been recognized as one of Bisnow’s top 60 women in Los Angeles commercial real estate.

Before her tenure at Karney Properties, Aliza practiced law and worked as a mediator. She also founded and directed an independent nonprofit arts organization and collaborated with the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Film Institute.

Aliza actively participates in the Urban Land Institute and the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks, among other national and local real estate organizations. She serves on the Board of the Center Theatre Group, one of the largest and most influential theater companies in the United States, and mentors women in the real estate industry.

Aliza holds a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in Social Studies from Harvard College and a law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School. She is a member of the State Bar of California, the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, and is a licensed California general contractor.

Chief Executive Officer

Jeff Newman joined Karney Properties as President in 2022 and became CEO in 2025. Jeff is responsible for the company’s overall strategy, management, and operations. He collaborates with internal and external teams to maximize portfolio performance and identify growth opportunities. Under his leadership, the company’s seasoned professionals work together seamlessly across asset management, leasing, acquisitions, finance, accounting, legal, and construction for industrial and creative office investments.

Before joining Karney Properties, Jeff served as CFO and Executive Vice President of Investments at IDS Real Estate Group, where he spent 16 years growing the firm’s real estate investment management business and expanding its institutional footprint. He also worked for more than a decade at Nippon Life Insurance’s U.S. real estate subsidiary.

Jeff earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Lehigh University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also served as an assistant wrestling coach.

Jeff’s industry involvement includes serving on the board of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers and being active in the Urban Land Institute. He is a founding board member of Beat the Streets-Los Angeles, a nonprofit focused on youth development and wrestling in underserved communities. Additionally, Jeff serves on the boards of the John Tracy Center, which supports young children with hearing loss, and the Lehigh University Wrestling Partnership.

Senior Vice President and Head of Asset Management

Michael Downes joined Karney Properties in January 2019. Michael has over 20 years of asset management experience, including development, leasing, property management, dispositions, acquisitions, capital markets, financial operations, and joint venture experience. He is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the Company’s managed portfolio, including the development and execution of asset-level strategies.

Prior to joining Karney Properties, Michael held Managing Director positions at Arc Capital Partners and the Watt Companies, where he was responsible for overseeing asset and property management, leasing, redevelopment, and dispositions for various property types in the Western United States. Michael previously worked at the Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds, a joint venture between Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Canyon Capital Realty Advisors, investing nationwide in urban real estate developments.

Michael began his career as a corps member for Teach for America, where he was an elementary school teacher in Compton, California, and a middle school teacher in Watts in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He continues to be involved in education as a founding board member of Vox Collegiate, a charter school in South Los Angeles that opened in August 2018.

Michael earned a Master in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree from Boston College with a major in accounting and a minor in environmental studies.

General Counsel & Advisor

Marc Guren formally joined Karney Properties in January 2016, having served since 2003 — and still serving — as a strategic and financial advisor to the Company. Marc is responsible for all aspects of legal affairs of the Company and its managed portfolio. He also oversees the Company’s information technology.

Formerly an attorney, Marc was the lead author of an authoritative two-volume legal treatise on software and data development and protection.

Marc has been involved in the investment community since 1984 and in the tech industry since 1981. He has been especially active in providing various services in the information and technology industries – including the Internet, software and hardware – and health care. Marc was formerly a business executive with Shamrock Holdings and with a leading media analyst, participating and directing investments in and management of various private equity and venture capital investments. He is the managing member of Acuity Capital, LLC, providing financing, planning, and assistance in negotiations and operations. Marc was also the Co-Founder and CEO of Simple Matters LLC, a Santa Monica company which developed, produced and marketed a new category of wearable device that communicated with smartphones.

Marc earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in Social Studies from Harvard College. He also earned a law degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. He was a member, officer and board member of Tech Coast Angels (TCA), the country’s largest angel investor network. Marc also supports and has served with various charitable organizations. Marc is a member of the State Bar of California and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Asset Manager

Beau Detchemendy joined Karney Properties in June 2024. Beau has several years of experience within the commercial real estate industry, with direct involvement in asset management, acquisitions, structured finance, development, leasing, and joint venture management. He is responsible for facilitating day-to-day oversight throughout the Karney portfolio and executing longer-term strategies at the asset, joint venture, and portfolio levels, including the sourcing of new acquisitions.

Prior to joining Karney Properties, Beau was a member of the Investment Management team at IDS Real Estate Group, where he supported all aspects of the multi-billion dollar commercial real estate investment platform. During his tenure at the firm, he played a lead role in the underwriting, capital allocation, and business plan execution across over $1B of core, value-add, and development deals. Before IDS, Beau worked as an associate at Curb Capital, a boutique commercial real estate firm in New York City.

Beau earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bucknell University. He is a graduate of Flintridge Preparatory School, where he has also served as a part-time youth football and basketball coach.

Asset Management Associate

Alexander Malmlund joined Karney Properties in 2024. Alex is responsible for supporting the asset management of the company’s existing portfolio, assisting with both day-to-day operations and the implementation of asset and portfolio-level strategies. In addition, Alex actively supports Karney’s acquisitions efforts through surveying market opportunities and vetting acquisition targets.

Before joining Karney, Alex served as a Senior Strategy Analyst at CBRE within the Portfolio Strategy Consulting practice, supporting Fortune 500 clients in optimizing their national portfolios of leased and owned industrial, life science, and office assets. He also contributed to the Location Strategy and Site Selection Consulting practice, advising both domestic and international corporations on their expansions of large-scale manufacturing and data center operations across North America.

Alex began his career at Ernst & Young as an audit associate, where he audited 2 of the top 50 global asset management firms by AUM.

Alex earned a B.A. in Economics-Accounting and a Sequence in Finance from Claremont Mckenna College. He also was a member of the Claremont Mens Club Lacross team all four years at the college.

Principal

Susanna Karney Flaster is Principal and co-owner of Karney Properties. Susanna joined the Company in 1991 and has been actively involved in management oversight, operational strategy and financial planning since 2003.

Active in San Diego civic affairs, Susanna Flaster serves on the boards of directors of the Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, the San Diego Museum of Art, and Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. Susanna earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Harvard College and a master’s degree in Communication Disorders from Northwestern University.