CHICAGO, IL - CRG, the national real estate development and investment firm, today announced the appointment of student housing veteran Carly Shepherd as senior vice president of sales and marketing, strengthening the leasing and marketing capabilities of the firm’s expanding student housing and residential platform. Shepherd brings more than 24 years of student housing operations, leasing and marketing leadership to CRG, where she will direct sales and marketing strategy across the firm’s Chapter portfolio of student housing and multifamily communities nationwide.
Shepherd’s appointment builds on the momentum of Chapter, CRG’s national collection of upscale student housing and multifamily developments located near top-tier university campuses and in high-growth markets across the country. Drawing on the design and engineering capabilities of integrated partner LJC and the construction expertise of parent company Clayco, CRG’s vertically integrated platform delivers high-quality residential communities with speed and certainty, and Shepherd will ensure each project is positioned, priced and leased to match.
“Carly has spent her entire career in student housing, and she understands every dimension of the business, with proven leadership in both operations and leasing,” said JJ Smith, executive vice president and partner for CRG’s residential group. “She has built high-performing leasing teams, launched resident experience programs that drive retention and delivered revenue growth results in some of the most competitive university markets in the country. As we continue to expand the Chapter brand nationally, we are thrilled Carly chose to bring her talents to CRG.”
Shepherd joins CRG from Student Quarters, where she served as vice president of sales and marketing, leading national sales and marketing strategy and overseeing all leasing and brand initiatives across the firm’s portfolio. In that role, she managed cross-functional teams spanning graphic design, digital marketing and traveling leasing specialists; developed pricing strategies and marketing campaigns; and launched the company’s signature resident experience programs, SQ Celebrates and SQ Cares. Her contributions earned her Student Quarters’ Presidential Award in 2023.
Prior to Student Quarters, Shepherd held operations and leasing leadership roles including regional director of operations at Coastal Ridge Real Estate, regional manager and lease-up property manager at Peak Campus Companies, and multi-site property manager at Ambling Student Housing. She is also an ambassador and contributor for Student Housing Insight, a leading industry media platform.
“CRG’s integrated platform allows the firm to design, build and deliver exceptional Chapter communities in record time, and I’m excited to support that with strong leasing and marketing strategies,” said Shepherd. “Student housing is ultimately about the resident experience, and every campaign, pricing decision and training program should ladder up to that. I look forward to building on the strong foundation the CRG team has established.”
CRG has developed, designed and built residential communities nationwide as part of its more than $14 billion portfolio of assets delivered since 1993. The firm continues to target student housing development opportunities near flagship university campuses and multifamily projects in high-growth markets across the United States.
About CRG: CRG is a privately held real estate development and investment firm with deep expertise in industrial, office, student housing, and data center assets. The firm serves clients and investors from seven regional offices, benefiting from local expertise in Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle, Southern California, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Atlanta. CRG has developed more than 12,500 acres of land and delivered over 220 million square feet of assets exceeding $14 billion in value. For more information, visit CRG’s website at www.realcrg.com
About Chapter: Chapter is CRG’s national collection of upscale multifamily and student housing developments designed to provide spaces and experiences that help residents write their life story with greater intention. Each project is designed to offer residents the opportunity to not just live well, but also enjoy a home where experiences work together with the design to fuel one simple idea: help people write their next chapter.