ABOUT
Stephen Bus Managing Principal

Mr. Bus has 18 years experience in residential and commercial development and acquisitions, with 10+ years experience in student housing and university-related real estate. He was formerly Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Development for CA Ventures (formerly Campus Acquistions, nka CA Student Living) and originated/sourced, acquired, structured, entitled, and/or ran pre-con and construction management for over $500MM in student housing projects. He was also Chief Development Officer for Akara Partners, a boutique market-rate apartment developer in Chicago, where he oversaw transit-oriented developments such as 500 N Milwaukee, 830 N Milwaukee, and 707 N Wells. Prior, Mr. Bus ran Meridian Capital Partners/Meridian Development Partners focused on various suburban land developments. Steve has an MBA in Finance & Real Estate from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management, an MS in Civil-Structural Engineering from University of Illinois, and a BS in Civil Engineering from Cornell University.

Nishant Bakaya Managing Principal

Mr. Bakaya has over 20 years of experience in real estate. Prior to joining Up Campus and forming Thesis Living, Nishant was Chief Investment Officer at CA Ventures – where he oversaw over $10 billion of real estate investments across asset classes partnering with institutional investors including Quadreal, Goldman Sachs, DWS, Mitsubishi and Prudential. Prior to CA Ventures, Nishant was Co-Head of Evercore’s (NYSE:EVR) Real Estate Private Capital Group. Prior to that he had roles at UBS and JPMorgan. Nishant has an MBA(hons) from the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business and a BA in Economics from Franklin & Marshall College.

Christopher McPartlin Asset Management

Mr. McPartlin handles asset management for value-add acquisitions and new development projects for Up Campus. He managed the turn-around efforts for a 400-unit portfolio of affordable multi-family properties, including rebranding, renovations, capital improvements, sub-contract management, GSA refinance, and investor reporting. He has deep experience in modular furniture solutions for both rental apartments and office users through many years with a large office furniture distributor and constructed over $50MM of semi-custom single family homes. Chris has BA in Liberal Arts & Sciences from the University of Illinois.

David Dies EVP of Acquisitions

Mr. Dies leads the acquisition and underwriting for new student housing, multifamily, and mixed-use development opportunities for Up Campus.  Prior to Up Campus, David was Vice President at Newcastle Limited (2012-2018) where he facilitated the acquisition, redevelopment and development of over $350 million in multifamily, retail and mixed-use properties (600+ apartment units and 250,000+ square feet of retail) in downtown Chicago. Prior to Newcastle Limited, David worked at Hometown America (2008 2011) where he facilitated the acquisition and financing of manufactured housing communities ($234 million total investment) in over 20 states. David has a BA in Business Economics from Brown University.

Ryan Garrity Accounting Manager

Mr. Garrity handles accounting, bookkeeping and investor reporting for Up Campus. He had 5 years of experience in a role as accounting manager prior to joining Up Campus. He was formerly accounting Manager of a long-term care pharmacy in Skokie, IL. There he managed a staff while maintaining the integrity of the financials produced by establishing P&Ps that reduced internal control risk and aligned with company goals. Additionally, he assisted in key FP&A projects of the organization. Ryan has a B.A. in Economics from Northeastern Illinois University.