our team

Nadine Ezzie | Founder + President

Nadine is an innovation strategist and practicing attorney with almost 20 years of unique experience at the intersection of commercial real estate, law, and technology. Her past roles as General Counsel for an industrial developer and head of customer success for a PropTech company make for a career marked by a unique blend of in-house and entrepreneurial experience, making her a sought-after advisor in the real estate sector.

Nadine combined these unique experiences to found ezzie + co. - a full-service legal and advisory firm founded on her philosophy that commercial real estate is at its core a human business and as such, must always be ready to pivot with the needs of those it serves. Recognizing that the ability to be nimble and creative is the key to sustainable success in today's industry, she works with teams to design and execute plans that harness innovation, data, and technology - resulting in operational efficiency, reduced costs, increased productivity and most importantly, enhanced human potential. Companies are able to enhance their decision-making and customer experience, providing a true competitive edge.

Nadine serves as an advisor to a number of emerging PropTech and LegalTech companies and is a sought after speaker and author on the topics of AI, legal tech, and operational ecosystems within commercial real estate.

The daughter of Lebanese immigrants, and native Clevelander, Nadine currently calls Boston home with her rescue dog, Leo. An avid traveler, she also enjoys hiking, rowing, and cooking and is passionate about art + design, the study of psychology and the power of comedy. Speaking of comedy, you may even catch her on Boston stages working on her stand-up comedy routine.

Licensed in: Ohio & Massachusetts

our partners

Jackie Hazan, M.S. | Human Resource Specialist

As an experienced C-Suite executive, Jackie is a commercial driven people leader that marries the best-in-class training from her big company experience  with the agility, flexibility and nimbleness required in a smaller organization. She has deep expertise in coaching executives to superior outcomes for themselves and their businesses. Jackie additionally leads strategic planning, transformation initiatives, M&A activity and change management. She has special expertise in ensuring companies global  functions are aligned, have clarity and are executing against the most important strategic goals. All while creating an engaging employee experience. Jackie creates people strategies that help businesses to scale profitably. She also builds best-in-class talent strategies that attract, develop and retain talent, ensuring that organizations have the best people to contribute to creating the best products and best company.  As a trusted coach at all organizational levels, including to the CEO and C Team, Jackie is adept at helping leaders navigate highly complex and changing environments.

With 16+ years of experience, Jackie has served as a member of executive teams in PE backed, global organizations for the past five years. In those roles she both managed high growth periods and transformation to profitable scale. Prior to that Jackie served in progressively senior roles at NBC, BBC and NYU. She additionally serves as a board member on two non-profit boards.

Credentials

  • M.S. in Human Resources Management

  • SHRM - SCP Certified

  • Wharton Global CxO

Gary Stevens | Retail Real Estate Specialist

Having enjoyed diverse success in two progressive careers, Gary Stevens has developed a unique perspective working as a VP-Level dealmaker/executive in the retail real estate industry, with early experience and business sense taking root as a performer and leader in the music business.  

Gary has held national leadership positions with notable, publicly traded companies such as LifeTime Fitness (VP of Real Estate), Sears Holdings (RVP of Real Estate, Northeast), Staples, Inc. (VP of Real Estate), and Ahold, nv (Director of Leasing and Development) working as both landlord and tenant. Most recently, Gary has served as SVP of Leasing for Waterstone Properties, Inc., a leading Boston-area mixed-use developer.  From 2015-2018, He was VP of Leasing for Detroit-based Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust (NYSE: RPT), in charge of the income side of the REIT’s portfolio.  He is a frequent speaker at industry events on the topics of technology in real estate as well as the fundamentals of negotiation, where he calls from his voluminous experience working “both sides of the table” to demonstrate successful negotiation strategies.

Leaving corporate life after over 35 years of service, Gary has enjoyed a role on the Board of Advisors for Retailsphere, a technology platform serving the needs of landlords and brokers, as well as general consulting work in the retail real estate world for national and internationally based clients.  He is a Governing Member of the Cleveland Institute of Music, a Member of the Board of Directors for The Cuban American Youth Orchestra (CAYO), the Minneapolis-based cultural exchange, and The Ascent International Music Festival based in Cincinnati, OH.