Team
OUR TEAM
DALLAS OFFICE
W. Pretlow Riddick
President and Principal
W. Pretlow Riddick, President and Principal for Criterion, manages the company’s overall operations from the Dallas office.
Before helping to found Criterion Development Partners in 2004, Pretlow worked for a large national developer managing the development of more than 50 apartment communities and 16,000 units in 14 states.
Pretlow earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Business Administration from George Washington University. In 1999, he established A Better Neighborhood Foundation to invest in faith-based community developments in the inner city, which he continues to support today.
Zoran Arula
Chief Financial Officer
Zoran Arula, Chief Financial Officer for Criterion, is responsible for overseeing and implementing accounting, treasury, risk management, cash management, and employee benefits functions of the company from the Dallas office.
Zoran earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Dillard College of Business Administration at Midwestern State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Treasury Professional.
Todd O. Thomas
Regional Partner
Todd Thomas, Regional Partner for Criterion, manages sourcing, securing, design, development, construction, leasing and disposition of assets in the Texas region. Mr. Thomas has held several senior real estate positions including partner level/director with major development firms JPI, ZOM, Encore Multi-family and GenCap Partners. Throughout his career, Mr. Thomas has overseen and executed projects totaling over $1.3 Billion in multiple states and brings over two decades of multifamily development experience to Criterion.
Todd earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Land Development from Texas A&M University. He was raised in Dallas, Texas, and in his spare time, enjoys cycling, traveling, and various other outdoor activities.
Laura Karls
Development Associate
As a development associate for Criterion, Laura manages the ground up development process for Texas projects, including equity and finance packages, entitlements, budgeting and accounting, oversight of project design and construction, marketing, and property lease-up.
Prior to joining Criterion, Laura worked in sales and contract administration for Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation in Savannah, GA and Dallas.
Laura earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Monica Penn
Office Manager / Accounting
As Office Manager for Criterion’s Dallas office, Monica is an enthusiastic and innovative professional with over 15 years of administrative and human resources experience. She is passionate about her daily duties.
Monica is married and the mother of three beautiful children.
Matt Blake
Development Associate
Matt joined Criterion in November of 2021. Matt grew up in Fort Worth, TX before moving west to Lubbock, TX to study architecture. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Tech University in 2013 and earned his Master of Architecture degree in 2015. Prior to joining Criterion, Matt worked for Dallas based mid-sized commercial architecture firm GFF Architects. During his nearly 7 year tenure with GFF, he designed large multifamily projects while gaining invaluable industry knowledge before making his career shift into development.
Kelsea Riddick
Development Associate
Kelsea joined the Criterion team in February, 2022. Originally from Dallas, Kelsea moved to Nashville, TN where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Entrepreneurship from Belmont University. She remained in Nashville after earning her degree and worked for the past 5 years as an Operations Manager for a small residential renovation company. Her role there laid a wonderful foundation in systems-building, financial reporting, construction management, and learning to balance multiple spinning plates at the same time.
BOSTON OFFICE
John J. Englert
Executive Vice President and Principal
Jack Englert, Executive Vice President and Principal for Criterion, manages land sourcing and acquisition, contract negotiation, design, zoning and permitting in Criterion’s Boston office.
Jack was a founder of Criterion in 2004 after several years of working with Pretlow at a large national development company. He brings years of experience as a permitting attorney specializing in land-use and zoning issues.
Jack earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Psychology from Duke University and a JD degree from the Villanova University School of Law. He is a Trustee of The Roxbury Latin School.
Freerk L. van Aarem
Regional Partner
Erik van Aarem, Regional Partner for Criterion, manages the development team for the Boston office, working closely with the staff through the development cycle to find and develop sites. He leads the team through the permitting approval process, design, procurement negotiations and provides management and financial oversight through construction, project close-out and lease-up.
Before joining Criterion, Erik worked as a project executive developing and constructing senior housing, student housing, and large scale public infrastructure work. Erik brings over two decades of management experience in the New England region working for the developer, general contractor, and for third party management consultants.
Erik earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from Boise State University and a Master of Business Administration, with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship, from Suffolk University.
Scott Nielsen
Senior Development Manager
Creating a better sense of community is the principle driving Scott Nielsen's work in residential real estate. Scott was a consultant for a Criterion equity partner starting in 2016. He became a Quality Control Consultant for Criterion in 2018 and 2019 before joining Criterion's Boston office as a Development Director in 2020.
Previously, Scott operated his own residential real estate development company creating single-family, multifamily rental, and condominium communities in Florida and Massachusetts.
Scott earned his Doctorate in Counseling Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This background has proven to be excellent preparation for residential real estate, which at every level and stage is primarily a people business.
Michael Wynkoop
Development Manager
Michael joined Criterion’s Boston office as a Development Associate in June 2017.
Prior to joining Criterion, Michael worked
for a New Hampshire based home builder and multifamily developer, where he was responsible for permitting and project management for several residential subdivisions throughout New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine.
Michael Earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Project Management at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Liam McDonough
Development Associate
Liam joined Criterion’s Boston office as a Development Associate in June 2022.
Prior to joining Criterion, Liam worked for Suffolk Construction as a member of the Career Start Program, where he gained experience in project management, estimating, and field operations at high-rise residential buildings such as One Dalton and Winthrop Center Tower.
Liam Earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy and Law at Trinity College.
Mary Silveria
Development Director
Mary Silveria, Development Director for Criterion, plays a key role in bridging our design and construction partners with our project’s development. As an architect, she has extensive experience in design and construction of multi-family projects, and supports our development managers as they navigate all phases of a project.
Prior to joining Criterion, she was an Assistant Director of Construction for the City of Boston Public Facilities Department. She’s also held positions with multiple architecture firms in Boston, most notably as project executive for over 3,000 units of housing for two projects in Massachusetts.
Mary received her Bachelor of Architecture from the Boston Architectural College, and is a member of the American Institute of Architects. When not in Boston, she spends most of her time in Vermont dabbling in watercolor, visiting craft shows, and fixing up her cottage by the pond.