Our Leadership
Joslyn Berndt Dobson
Joslyn Berndt Dobson is Managing Partner of JDSD Investments LTD, a Texas-based family office. Founder of Palladium Capital Management, she has served on investment teams at Criterion Asset Management, Transamerica Fund Management, and John Hancock Investments. A founding investor in The Amherst Group, she now sits on its CEO Advisory Board and Board of Directors.
For over 25 years, Mrs. Dobson has launched impactful programs for homeless children and underserved minorities. She serves on the University of Texas Presidential Development Board and the Advisory Council for UT's Steve Hicks School of Social Work, where she previously chaired and raised scholarships and funding for autism research in Latino communities.
Her philanthropic investments extend to healthcare, where she co-founded ONCOPEP and serves on the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Visiting Committee for Discovery Science, investing in therapies for cancer and chronic disease. Mrs. Dobson is also a co-founder and board member of Amherst's non-profit, CapCityKids, which supports homeless and disadvantaged youth.
A Houston native and former competitive junior tennis player, Mrs. Dobson now resides between Austin and New York City with her husband and two college-aged children.
Sean Dobson
Sean Dobson is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Amherst Holdings, an investment services company dedicated to U.S. real estate finance. Amherst is widely known for their data and analytics and one of the few residential mortgage specialist to anticipate the 2008 mortgage crisis.
Mr. Dobson has over 25 years of experience in the mortgage industry, has served as a Board Member of the American Securitization Forum (ASF) and has counseled various branches of the federal government including the Department of Treasury, the Senate, The House of Representatives, The Federal Housing Finance Agency, The Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Council of Economic Advisors, and the National Economic Advisor on housing and mortgage related issues.
Mr. Dobson is a co-founder of CapCityKids and also currently serves as a Governing Trustee for the Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston. He lives with his wife, Joslyn, and their two children, Sean-Karl and Gracie, in Austin, Texas.
Amy Kinkade
Amy Kinkade has 36 years experience in education and currently is a lecturer and Cohort Coordinator in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The University of Texas and is a field support specialist for Education Service Center, Region 13.
She retired from AISD in 2013 and previously was the principal at Mathews Elementary School. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. Mrs. Kinkade taught students who had special needs in both El Paso and Austin. She started her administrative career first as a Special Education Instructional Coordinator for the Austin I.S.D. and then as a campus administrator. Campus administrator jobs have been: Casis Elementary School principal, 12 years; Mills Elementary School, 3 years; Austin Jewish Academy (Head of School—4 years); Mathews Elementary School, 9 years. Mrs. Kinkade has had the opportunity to work with students, teachers, and parents in each of these communities.
Her passion for meeting the unique learning style of each student and supporting the teaching style of each teacher make her an administrator who is able to build relationships with students, teachers, and the community.
Steve Gorman
Steve Gorman retired from Amherst Holdings in 2014, where he previously directed the development of Amherst’s proprietary analytical and systems technology and remains a partner and serves on the Board of Directors. Steve, originally from Houston, was a founding partner of Spires Financial, LP and previously worked with Bear, Stearns & Co. in New York City. He has over 30 years of experience in information technology and software engineering in the securities industry.
Steve is President of The Jerry Alexander Gorman Foundation, President of the Amherst Foundation, and serves as the Treasurer of CapCityKids.
Steve also volunteers as a tax preparer for low-income individuals and families and members of the military.
Drew Flahive
Drew Flahive is President of Amherst. As President, Drew has overseen the growth of Amherst’s single-family rental business, Amherst Residential. Under his leadership, Amherst has invested more than $10 billion dollars of capital in U.S. single-family housing. Currently, Drew is responsible for the Amherst Residential development business which oversees acquisitions, construction, and leasing as well as capital raising activities across the entire Amherst platform.
Drew joined Amherst in 2015 from Goldman Sachs, where he served as Managing Director and Head of the Real Estate Capital Markets Group for the Americas.
Drew graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas Christian University and is a CFA Charterholder.
Chris Avallone
Chris Avallone is Head of Merchant Banking at Amherst. Chris is responsible for Amherst’s third-party capital partnerships, equity partnerships, financing, and portfolio management.
Chris joined Amherst in 2018 and has used his 12-plus years of capital markets expertise to grow Amherst’s single-family rental platform and investment management business into one of the largest operators of single-family assets. Prior to Amherst, Chris was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs.
Chris graduated from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is a CFA Charterholder.
Spencer Lindahl
In Memoriam 1980 - 2024
In November 2024, the CapCityKids community mourned the loss of Spencer James Lindahl, a cherished member of the Amherst executive team. Known for his integrity, humor, and selflessness, Spencer left an indelible mark on everyone he touched.
As a devoted supporter of CapCityKids, he generously gave his time, resources, and heart to the mission, always leading with compassion and joy. Alongside his wife, Melinda, and their four children, Spencer's dedication to uplifting others exemplified a life of service and kindness. We honor his extraordinary legacy and unwavering commitment to making a difference.