About Us

About Us

Greenfield Communities is a privately held real estate development company based in Raleigh, NC with a primary focus on single-family residential, townhomes, mixed-use and multi-family communities in select North Carolina markets. As a trusted partner for local, regional and national homebuilders, Greenfield seeks to acquire and develop land through creative and sound development practices – from small twenty-lot neighborhoods to large, mixed-use master-planned communities with full amenity packages.

Our Visionary Team

Yang Song

Founder and Managing Principal

Yang Song is the founder and Managing Principal of Greenfield Communities. His responsibilities include setting the business model, determining the investment strategy, and overseeing the deployment of equity investment capital.

Yang came to the United States for his studies, where he earned a Master of Business Administration and a Ph.D. in data science. Over the past 25 years, he has immersed himself in various fields through study, work, and investment across the country. The promising opportunities in North Carolina ultimately led him to settle in the area. He currently resides with his family in Wake County.

Ben Taylor

Vice President of Development

As Vice President of Development, Ben Taylor brings 15 years of engineering and project management experience to Greenfield Management. In this role, Ben performs due diligence investigations on potential acquisitions to verify the nature of development that may be permissible. Once under contract, he then coordinates all behind-the-scene efforts with consultants and governing jurisdictions to secure zoning approvals, permitting, and completion of construction document preparations. Due to his extensive construction management background, Ben also oversees the infrastructure completion for Greenfield’s projects.

Prior to joining Greenfield, Ben provided two years of consultant engineering services as a Sr. Design Engineer with Bohler Engineering after relocating to Raleigh from his home state of Maryland to keep up with their territorial expansion in the southeast. Prior to Bohler, Ben spent thirteen years at Davis, Bowen & Friedel, Inc. (DBF), where he learned the importance of business ethics as well as costing and resourcing projects of all kinds from one of the industry’s foremost businessman and engineers, the late Jerry Friedel. For his efforts with DBF, Ben was awarded the Young Professional of the Year from the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce and had several projects receive state and local recognition for ingenuity and overall success.

Ben is a registered Engineer-in-Training and Erosion Control Specialist. He is a former board member (4 years) and president (2 years) for the Chamber of Commerce young professionals and was a board member (8 years) at the Shorepine Hunt Club. Ben was a student teacher for surveying while completing his studies at the University of Delaware. After college, he played semi-pro baseball out of Salisbury, MD. Now, as a certified athletics coach, he enjoys the opportunity to share the passion with others. Off the field, he can be found exploring the great outdoors if the Triangle region with his family.

Email Ben

Dawn Forrest

Vice President of Marketing

Dawn Forrest brings to Greenfield 24 years of Real Estate experience, with a specialty in master-planned communities. Dawn is an integral part of new community visions, land planning, marketing, product selection, and community phasing. She works closely with development consultants and builders to ensure the community vision will exceed expectations.

Dawn’s experience consists of Marketing Director for Wakefield Development Company from 2001 until 2010, afterwards becoming an independent marketing consultant. Since then, she has teamed with some of the biggest developers in the Triangle, producing award-winning communities that are top sellers in their markets. She believes that developing communities that center around the homeowner’s dreams and lifestyle will ultimately be successful for both the developer and the residents.

Dawn moved to Raleigh with her daughter in 2000 from Florida where she spent 15 years with the Nestle Company, first in their hotel chain as Tournament Manager for the Nestle Invitational at Bay Hill, then as PR Manager, and ending as Key Account Manager for Alcon Labs. Dawn lives in North Raleigh and enjoys spending time with her 3 grandsons.

Email Dawn

Jason Nazal

Vice President of Finance & Operations

Jason Nazal brings to Greenfield extensive experience in real estate finance, investment strategy, land acquisition, and land planning, with a focus on large-scale residential and master-planned communities. Jason plays a key role in financial planning, land strategy, investment underwriting, development forecasting, and the evaluation and planning of future community growth opportunities. He works closely with executive leadership, consultants, builders, municipalities, and development teams to guide strategic decision-making and support the successful execution of community development projects.

Jason’s experience includes leadership roles with nationally recognized homebuilders and developers including DMB Development, Stanley Martin Homes, Taylor Morrison, and Shea Homes. Throughout his career, he has overseen financial analysis, portfolio management, acquisition strategy, land planning, and entitlement efforts across multiple high-growth markets throughout the United States. He holds a Master of Science in Financial Engineering from University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.

Jason believes that thoughtful planning, disciplined financial strategy, and strong partnerships are essential to creating successful communities that deliver long-term value for both residents and stakeholders.

Outside of work, Jason values time with his wife and four children, who are the center of his life. As a family, they enjoy riding bikes together and spending time at the beach whenever they can.

Email Jason

Anna Kim

Controller

Anna Kim is a finance and accounting professional with 20 years of experience, including 15 years in the homebuilding and construction industry. She earned her B.S. in Accounting from the University of Central Florida and began her homebuilding career after getting married and moving to Raleigh, North Carolina.

As Controller, Anna is responsible for monthly and quarterly financial reporting, working closely with leadership on cash flow analysis and budgeting, and bringing a practical, solutions-oriented approach to supporting the company’s growth and strategic goals. She especially values being part of the homebuilding industry and the opportunity to support the people and projects that bring communities to life.

Throughout her career, she has helped organizations grow by strengthening financial processes, developing practical reporting tools, and building systems that provide leadership with clear and actionable financial insight. She has led initiatives including ERP implementation, financial reporting improvements, and the development of project forecasting and profitability tools across multiple divisions.

Outside of work, Anna enjoys playing piano and supporting the ministry of her small church, where her father-in-law serves as pastor. She lives in Raleigh with her husband and two children. As a family, they love cooking and watching movies at home while sharing good food.

Email Anna

Christopher Ackerman

Senior Project Manager

As Project Manager, Chris is responsible for the coordination and oversight of due diligence, entitlement and project management for various Greenfield projects. Typically starting with raw land, Chris will assist with determining the viability of a target site and obtaining the numerous regulatory approvals required to develop our communities.

Prior to joining Greenfield, Chris worked as a Senior Field Analyst at KCI Technologies, a utility engineering firm in North Raleigh. In this role, he gained knowledge of the installation of site infrastructure, construction, and utility mapping with software tools such as ArcGIS and AutoCAD.

Prior to joining KCI, Chris was a surveyor at Taylor Land Consultants. During his time there, he became proficient in surveying and project management, overseeing construction, wetland delineation, boundaries, and topography surveys.

Chris grew up in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. He is an alumnus of North Carolina State University and can frequently be found cheering on the Wolfpack at sporting events. While at NC State, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources with a concentration in Ecosystem Assessment. Chris and his wife Alex have a son, Javier, and most recently welcomed twin boys. Together they enjoy hiking and the great outdoors.

Email Chris

Theresa Brabec

Business Manager

Theresa Brabec serves as the Business Manager for Greenfield Communities and brings a wealth of experience in property management, accounts receivable, and client service. A detail-oriented professional, Theresa has a proven track record in enhancing operational efficiency and financial performance, most recently as an Assistant Property Manager at Drucker& Falk in Raleigh, NC. Prior to her role in property management, Theresa coordinated event logistics at Magnolia Hotel in Houston, Texas, handling everything from meeting space allocation to vendor management, contributing significantly to exceeding revenue targets.

Originally from Houston, Theresa holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, Hospitality, and Marketing from Johnson & Wales University in Denver, CO and an Associate of Science in Baking and Pastry Arts from the same university. In her role at Greenfield, Theresa applies her analytical skills and client-focused approach to support and enhance our administrative functions.

Theresa lives in Knightdale and enjoys her free time with her husband, Joel, and their hound mix rescue, Thaddeus.

Email Theresa

David Becker

Development Coordinator

David Becker serves as Development Coordinator at Greenfield Communities and is responsible for the coordination and implementation of development initiatives in the field and ensuring that each community developed by Greenfield is done with excellence.

David’s previous experience in various roles honed his skills in project management, customer service, and construction. As a business development manager at Becker Construction, he was responsible for organizing and managing job sites, operating heavy equipment, and connecting with potential clients. His entrepreneurial spirit is also evident from his role as the owner and operator of BeckerTerra, where he managed all aspects of a lawn maintenance and landscaping business.

David brings to Greenfield a fresh perspective and a strong academic background, having earned his BBA in Trust and Wealth Management with a minor in Financial Planning from Campbell University, where he distinguished himself with multiple scholarships for his academic excellence. His internship with Truist in their estate settlement team, his proficiency in computer software and social media, combined with his hands-on experience and educational background, make him a versatile addition to Greenfield’s team.

Email David