Becoming Crown Community Development

Teri Frankiewicz serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Crown Community Development.  Teri has worked in the real estate development industry for over 35 years, with primary professional experience in developing large-scale master plan communities.  She specializes in land acquisition, market analysis and entitlement, and overall project development and asset management. Teri is a former District Council Chair for the Urban Land Institute (“ULI”) in Chicago and is past Chair of the national Community Development Council.  She also remains a national Governing Trustee for ULI. Additional Board commitments include Trustee and Governance Chair responsibilities for PBS WTTW, Chicago, Board Member YWCA Chicago, and service on the Corporate Advisory Board for The Darden School, University of Virginia. Teri Co-Chairs the ULI/LISC initiative, YIELD 2020, striving to bring committed, emerging developers of color and experienced developers to the South and near-west side of Chicago. Teri received her B.A. in Economics and Communications from the University of Virginia, as well as her M.B.A. from the University’s Darden School of Business.

Craig Weber brings thirty years’ illustrious experience in all aspects of land development to his longstanding role as General Manager. He’s consistently moved mountains, taking critical projects to the highest levels of success for Crown Community Development. With decades of direct successes in zoning, entitlement, construction projects, planning, engineering, acquisition, sales, CDD/HOA management, and all aspects of land development under his belt, Craig is truly a multi-faceted expert in his field.
 A graduate of George Washington University, Craig hailed from Ohio before moving to D.C. and finally Florida. He has served as Builders Association member for twenty-five years and has achieved Life Director and 1996 Associate Member of the Year status.
 In his career, Craig has managed four DRI projects and three sub-DRI projects totaling over 10,350 acres. He has developed over 15,000 residential lots and four million square feet of commercial/office property. Craig is particularly proud of his work as staffer for trailblazing astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn — including work on Senator Glenn’s 1984 presidential campaign. 

Daniel Olsem is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois with over 31 years of experience in Engineering, Construction, and Land Development. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Iowa. He is experienced in entitlement, engineering, land development, and general contracting across multiple U.S. markets. He is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Kane County Stormwater Technical Advisory Committee, Kane County Impact Fee Advisory Committee, Elgin Area Chamber President’s Council, and Elgin Development Group Transportation Committee.

Chris Naatz has a passion for the new home and development industry that has spanned more than 25 years. Chris’ unique, cross-functional career experience includes operations, sales, marketing, land acquisition, asset underwriting, land planning, entitlements and product development. He has been a strategic leader in the start-up and ongoing operations of communities that serve everything from first time buyers to large scale active adult communities. He earned a MA in Integrated Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University and a BA in Journalism and Spanish from Indiana University. Chris is a member of the Home Builders Association of Illinois, Urban Land Institute and past president of the Sales & Marketing Council of the Chicago Home Builders Association. Chris is also a member of the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors and has served on dozens of developer HOA boards.

Jennifer Cowan is a licensed Professional Engineer with over 20 years industry experience. She earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Michigan State University. She is experienced in operations management, asset underwriting and investment management across multiple U.S. markets, is an expert in public finance, and has a strong background in Civil engineering, zoning, entitlements, permitting and construction. She’s an active member of Urban Land Institute and currently serves on a ULI Community Development Council. She’s also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and serves on multiple HOA boards.

James Wilson oversees and manages all CCD development activities and operations in Texas as the General Manager.  He has over 15 years’ experience working in construction, land development and the real estate industry.  James graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Building Construction Management with a specialization in residential and land development.  His career has allowed him the opportunity to work as both a developer and as a contractor, giving him unique insights from both perspectives on what is needed to manage and achieve a successful project from inception to completion. James is a 10-year native Texan and joined the CCD team in 2020. He has an expansive understanding of entitlements, acquisitions, engineering, land development, construction and HOA’s.  He is responsible for identifying future land opportunities in Central Texas, where he’s proven himself an asset within the CCD organization, and works directly with the CCD acquisition team to perform necessary project evaluation and financial analysis to make recommendations to invest.  He is also a member of Urban Land Institute and currently serves on multiple HOA boards.