About Our Company
Overview
Emerge Here Student Housing
Emerge Here was founded to bring a more thoughtful, hands-on perspective to student housing. Our leadership team previously worked together for more than 14 years at Next Chapter Properties, developing and managing communities across 10 states and serving universities ranging from 8,000 to more than 50,000 students.
As Next Chapter expanded into other real estate sectors, we established Emerge to focus exclusively on student housing. Today, we combine national experience with the agility of a focused development firm, pursuing exceptional sites in strong university markets and remaining closely involved from initial underwriting through ongoing operations.
Long-standing relationships are central to how we work. We continue to collaborate with many of the same contractors, architects, lenders, consultants, and local partners who have contributed to our success over the last two decades. We also build early relationships with universities and municipalities so each development responds to the needs of its students and surrounding community. Once a property is stabilized, we continue to work closely with the universities to ensure we are providing a living environment in which their students are able to thrive and feel a sense of community.
Most importantly, we create communities where students feel comfortable, connected, and supported – and where parents feel confident about their student’s home away from home.
Mission
To create thoughtfully designed and personally managed student communities that support residents, reassure parents, and deliver lasting value to our partners.
Values
- Integrity: We communicate openly and do what we say.
- Thoughtfulness: We consider how every decision affects residents and performance.
- Excellence: We hold ourselves and our communities to a higher standard.
- Partnership: We build relationships designed to last.
How We Develop
Focused by Design
Our size allows us to be highly selective about where we invest and deeply involved in every project we undertake. We pursue strong university markets, exceptional locations, and opportunities where thoughtful planning can create meaningful value. By concentrating our resources on fewer developments, we give every project the attention, creativity, and disciplined execution it deserves.
A Culture of Ownership
We believe the people closest to our residents and communities play an essential role in their success. Emerge gives team members clear expectations, regular feedback, recognition, and opportunities to participate in the value they help create. This shared sense of ownership aligns our team around exceptional service and strong property performance.
Training and Growth
We invest in individualized training and professional development so employees can grow with Emerge and build skills that advance their careers. Our goal is to develop confident leaders who understand both the resident experience and the business of operating a successful community.
Thoughtful Hiring
Great communities begin with great onsite teams. Using national recruiting resources and direct leadership involvement, we select people who demonstrate sound judgment, accountability, warmth, and a genuine commitment to residents.
Our Team
Kelly Quinn
CEO, President & Chairwoman of the Board
Kelly Quinn brings a distinctive combination of finance, development and operational experience to Emerge Here. She began her career in banking, advancing to senior portfolio manager before transitioning into healthcare real estate while earning her MBA. There, she worked alongside healthcare systems to develop real estate strategies focused on thoughtful site selection, sustainable ownership structures and long-term financial performance.
Kelly later joined Next Chapter Properties, where she led financial modeling for new developments, expanded the firm’s debt and equity relationships, and oversaw its 548-bed developed-to-core portfolio in Champaign, Illinois.
As CEO of Emerge Here, Kelly leads the company’s overall strategy and day-to-day operations. She sources development opportunities, structures capital partnerships and guides projects from early predevelopment through operations. Her financial background and owner’s perspective inform a disciplined approach centered on long-term value, strong partnerships and communities designed to perform.
Kelly holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, with concentrations in finance, real estate and health industry management.
Audrey Rund
Chief Operating Officer
Audrey Rund brings more than a decade of experience in property management, asset management and strategic marketing to Emerge Here. As Chief Operating Officer, she leads portfolio operations with a focus on team development, resident experience, revenue performance and long-term asset value.
Known for her collaborative, lead-by-example approach, Audrey works closely with onsite teams to translate ownership objectives into thoughtful, effective day-to-day operations. She combines a strong understanding of leasing and marketing with a data-driven approach to budgeting, resource allocation and performance management.
Before joining Emerge Here, Audrey worked with major national firms, where she led teams, helped establish new departments and provided strategic consulting. Her experience includes overseeing marketing for large-scale portfolio acquisitions, supporting new development projects and contributing to CRM and product-development initiatives designed to improve operational efficiency.
Audrey holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Illinois College.
Nikki Miller
Chief Financial Officer
Nicole Miller brings more than 23 years of real estate accounting and financial-management experience to Emerge Here. She oversees financial reporting, property budgeting, cash management, asset-management support and loan compliance, helping ensure that leadership and ownership have accurate, timely information for decision-making.
Nicole began her career in public accounting, developing expertise in auditing, taxation and financial analysis before transitioning into real estate. As Controller for a private real estate development and management company, she oversaw financial reporting for a $680 million portfolio and supported the organization through its successful acquisition by a publicly traded company.
Throughout her career, Nicole has specialized in multi-property and development accounting, internal cash management and the implementation of stronger financial systems. At Next Chapter Properties, she led the transition to accrual-based financial reporting, formalized budgeting procedures and restructured the company’s chart of accounts.
Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University.
Stacey Poole
Director of Marketing and Customer Service
Stacey Poole brings more than two decades of experience in customer service, marketing, sales and operational leadership to Emerge Here. She began her career at CarleCare HMO, where she was selected by the organization’s new CEO to create its first customer service department.
During her 21-year tenure, Stacey held several leadership positions, including Director of Customer Service, Director of Marketing and Sales, Director of Medicare, and Director of Self-Funded Operations. She helped guide the organization’s growth into what is now Health Alliance, a 450,000-member, multistate insurance company.
Stacey later transitioned into real estate as a consultant for One Main Development and subsequently joined the company as Director of Marketing and Sales. As Director of Marketing and Customer Service at Emerge Here, she draws on her extensive experience to strengthen customer engagement, support leasing and marketing efforts, and help create a consistent, service-focused experience across the company’s communities.
Stacey holds a Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University.
Rodney Poole
Board Member
Rodney Poole brings extensive experience in real estate development, operations, capital markets and asset disposition to Emerge Here. He co-founded Next Chapter Properties in 2010 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Throughout his career, Rodney has raised private capital and secured more than $1 billion in loan financing commitments.
Before founding Next Chapter, Rodney served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and ultimately President of Royal Properties, a national student housing management and development firm. During his tenure, he helped expand the company’s portfolio to 13 properties serving 7,349 residents and generating $26 million in annual revenue. He also managed a team of 100 employees.
In 2005 and 2006, Rodney led the negotiation and $244.3 million sale of 13 student housing properties comprising 5,710 beds across 10 markets through an UpREIT transaction with American Campus Communities.
His broader development experience includes single-family homes, hotels, high-rise buildings and the acquisition, repositioning and sale of The Club at Renaissance Golf and Country Club in Fort Myers.
Rodney holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is an active member of the University’s President’s Council and Loyalty Circle.
Patrick Quinn
Board Member
Patrick Quinn brings extensive experience in multifamily real estate development, finance and operations to Emerge Here. He co-founded Next Chapter Properties in 2010 and serves as its Chief Financial Officer, providing financial and management oversight across the company’s portfolio.
Patrick also leads new development initiatives from inception through stabilization. His responsibilities include market selection, site identification, contract negotiation, zoning and entitlements, capital formation, development oversight and ongoing asset management.
Before co-founding Next Chapter, Patrick founded and served as President of Q181, Inc., a Chicago-based real estate consulting firm specializing in multifamily site selection, entitlements, financing and development. He previously served as Institutional Sales Director at Cabrera Capital Markets, where he worked in corporate and municipal bond underwriting and sales. He later transitioned to the equities desk, where he managed real estate capital requests and covered publicly traded REITs.
In addition to student housing, Patrick has designed, developed, and capitalized single-family homes and assembled multiple land parcels for future development.
Patrick holds an Illinois Real Estate License, a Bachelor of Arts from Dominican University, and an MBA from Roosevelt University’s Walter E. Keller College of Business Administration.