Senior Vice President, Development

Niels is the Senior Vice President of Development at Essence, bringing a track record of over $1.2 billion in commercial real estate transactions, spanning both development projects and existing asset acquisitions. His expertise covers a diverse range of housing types, including market-rate, affordable, workforce, student, and age-restricted housing.

Prior to joining Essence Development, Niels served as Vice President at A. Walker & Co., where he led the origination, structuring, underwriting, and execution of investments through the firm’s preferred and co-general partner equity strategies. Before that, he was a Senior Associate at Greystar Real Estate Partners, focusing on ground-up development of institutional assets across the Mid-Atlantic region, contributing to over $300 million in development projects.

Earlier in his career, Niels worked as an Associate at Gotham Organization, where he specialized in project management and financial analysis for mixed-income and affordable housing developments throughout the New York City metro area.

Niels holds a B.A. in Economics from SUNY Binghamton. Outside of work, he is deeply committed to increasing diverse representation in the commercial real estate industry. He actively supports this mission through his involvement with the Real Estate Executive Council and Project Destined, organizations dedicated to educating and empowering underrepresented individuals. He is also a former mentor with Sponsors for Educational Opportunities (SEO).