As Chief Financial Officer of Black Oak Associates, Inc. Steve is in charge of all accounting and financial functions for the company and its affiliates.  His duties include deal structure, lender and investor relations, project development and financing, budgeting, transaction analysis and supervising the day-to-day financial operations of the shopping centers.  Steve also establishes and monitors the controls necessary to safeguard the assets of all entities involved. Prior to joining Black Oak Associates in 1994, Steve served as a Group Controller for The Rouse Company, responsible for seven major regional shopping centers, including The Mall in Columbia, Harborplace, The Gallery and South Street Seaport (New York). Prior to joining The Rouse Company, Steve was a Senior Accountant in the Real Estate and Construction Group at the regional public accounting firm of Walpert, Smullian and Blumenthal. Steve is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants, and the International Council of Shopping Centers.  He received his M.B.A., with a concentration in finance, from Loyola College in 1995, and is a graduate of the University of Maryland.