Leadership

Executive Bios

  • John J. Carona

    President and Chief Executive Officer, Chairman Close

    As founder of the firm, John Carona's experience and expertise encompass all aspects of residential real estate, from development and construction... Learn more of single-family homes, to the leasing, management, and maintenance of multi-family communities. Under his direction and leadership Associa has endured enormous industry changes throughout its history and is today recognized as the industry leader.

    Carona's primary focus with the firm lies in the area of business development and growth. A Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM), Carona also holds the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) designation and is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the state of Texas.

    In addition to his professional career, Carona served three terms as a member of the Texas House of Representatives and currently holds the office of Texas State Senator, to which he was elected in 1996. He is a former president pro Tempore of the Texas Senate and recipient of over 400 public service awards, including repeated recognition as a Top 10 Legislator and numerous Legislator of the Year citations. He has also served the community as a bank director and as the personal advisor for the real estate departments of several area financial institutions.

    Carona is married, the father of five children, and the grandfather of three. He enjoys travelling with his family, ranching and hunting, and is an avid collector of art and antiquities.

    He can be reached at ceo@associaonline.com.

    Favorite Quote – “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

  • Patrick Brensinger

    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Close

    At Associa, Patrick is responsible for the financial and accounting affairs of the company including mergers and acquisitions, financing and... Learn more debt restructuring, cash flow management, strategic planning and forecasting, financial reporting and consolidations, project management, and process re-engineering and expense reduction initiatives.

    Prior to joining Associa, he served large and mid-size companies on various performance improvement and transformation initiatives at Alvarez & Marsal Business Consulting, LLC. In his capacity as a Director in the Dallas office Finance and Accounting practice, Patrick lead multiple merger and acquisition integration, complex accounting issue remediation, external audit coordination, shared services/ centralized operation consolidation and back office improvement projects.

    Before Alvarez & Marsal, he worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the Washington Federal and Dispute Analysis & Forensics practices. Of note, Patrick served the 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund, Executive Office of the President, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security during his tenure.

    Patrick received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Master of Management Information Systems from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He is involved in numerous affiliations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA).

    Favorite quote – “Thoughts become actions, actions become habits, habits become our character, and our character becomes our destiny.” (James C. Hunter)

  • Joey Carona

    Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Director Close

    As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Associa, Joey Carona brings a unique blend of proven successful contribution to the... Learn more business, combined with the experience of witnessing firsthand its growth and maturity through the decades as eldest son of the company’s President and CEO, John Carona. Today Joey is responsible for overseeing Associa’s community management operations, its sales and ancillary services organizations, and its maintenance divisions.



    Based in Dallas, Joey supports Associa’s corporate operations as an executive sponsor of many of its strategic initiatives and as a member of its global mergers and acquisitions team. Additionally, he holds a seat on Associa’s Investment Committee, which governs the organizations near and long term investment focus.

    Born, raised, and educated in Texas, Joey has also spent time living and working in Mexico in a variety of business capacities. He is fluent in Spanish and holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Baylor University. Further, he earned a Masters in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University

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    Beyond the core business, Joey serves as President of the company’s 501(c)3 charitable organization, Associa Cares. He was also recently elected to the industry’s national Association of Professional Community Managers (APCM) board through its trade organization, the Community Associations Institute (CAI). With CAI, Joey holds credentials as a Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA), an Association Management Specialist (AMS), and a Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM).



    Married to his high school sweetheart, Joey and his wife are the proud parents of four children, two boys and two girls. They live in East Dallas and are active volunteers within their political party and faithful members of their local church.

    Favorite Quote: “Those who stay true to these fundamentals and maintain their balance, even in times of great change and disruption, will accumulate the momentum that creates breakthrough momentum” – Jim Collins

  • Helen Eden Carona

    Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer, Director Close

    A member of the Associa staff since 1988, Helen Eden brings a broad historical perspective of the company to its Executive Board. Having served... Learn more the firm in management, accounting, and administrative roles, she has a comprehensive understanding of operations, human resources, and financial matters, both on the corporate and client levels. In her role as Executive Vice President, Eden is responsible for the administrative affairs of the company as well as the firm’s corporate governance.

    Based in Dallas, Texas, Eden is also the President of Associa’s subsidiary insurance agency, which specializes in the provision of commercial property and casualty insurance coverages for community associations across the U.S..

    Eden is married and a devoted mother and grandmother. She is an avid reader, a passionate chef and enjoys entertaining with her husband.

    Favorite Quote – “A great man is always willing to be little.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • Juan Fontanes

    Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Close

    At Associa, Fontanes is responsible for all information technology, software development and advanced technology group operations.

    Prior... Learn more to joining Associa, he worked for PepsiCo, Inc., where he served as Information Technology Officer (ITO) of Global Data and Vice President of Application Development of Frito-Lay Systems, Vice President and Information Technology Office (ITO) of Global Data, and Director of Enterprise Logistics Systems.

    Before that he served as Director of Global Supply Chain Systems and Worldwide Operations IT at Dell Computer Corporation in Austin, Texas. He was responsible for organizing global manufacturing and fulfillment systems for large sales, overseeing global software and peripherals fulfillment systems for large sales, and defining and implementing flexible fulfillment strategy operations.

    Previous to his time at Dell, Fontanes was Vice President of Customer Engagement Programs, Solutions Operations and Product Planning at i2 Technologies.

    Fontanes has additional experience serving in senior leadership capacities at Campbell Soup in Information Technology as well as Mergers and Acquisitions and the Quaker Oats Company in Supply Chain Operations.

    He is a chemistry graduate from Purdue University, Indiana.

    Fontanes is married and has one son and enjoys golf, outdoor sports, hunting and wood working.

    Favorite quote – “Don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt.”

  • Paul Reyes

    Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Close

    Paul Reyes is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Associa attorneys responsible for all aspects of Associa’s legal affairs across the... Learn more country. In addition to his leadership role with Associa, he also serves as President and Secretary of AssociaTitle.

    Prior to joining Associa, Reyes served as Legislative Committee Director and Staff Attorney for Associa’s founder and CEO, John Carona, in his position as Texas State Senator. Reyes earned his Bachelor of Science from Tampa University, his Juris Doctorate from Tulane University and his Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.

    He serves on the board of directors of the White Rock YMCA, and Town Creek Homeowners Association, and is a member of the Serra Club of Dallas. In addition, Mr. Reyes is a board member of Associa Cares, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting families and communities in crisis as a result of natural and man-made disasters.

    Reyes is married with two children and is a member of the USAB Amateur boxing organization.

    Favorite Quote – “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." Harry S. Truman

  • Brett Carr

    Senior Vice President, Real Estate Close

    Brett Carr is the Senior Vice President of Associa and director of the Corporate Real Estate Department. He is responsible for handling the... Learn more company’s lease negotiations, property acquisitions/dispositions and asset management. In addition, he is in charge of managing the real estate portfolio for all 110+ office locations throughout the Unites States and Hawaii.

    Carr graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington and previously ran his own brokerage company before joining Associa in 2006. His vast experience in the industry includes the negotiation of over 230 sales and lease transactions totaling over two million square feet of space.

    Carr holds broker’s licenses in the states of Texas, Georgia, New Mexico and Colorado and is member of CoreNet Global and the National Association of Realtors.

    Favorite Quote – “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” Winston Churchill

  • Ron Duprey

    Senior Vice President - Branch Operations, Associa Direct Connect Close

    Ron Duprey is Senior Vice President - Branch Operations and Associa Direct Connect. He is responsible for developing and managing national relationships... Learn more with high tech service providers to help bring the latest technologies in entertainment and broadband services to Associa homeowners. Duprey also is in charge of the implementation of Associerge, the exclusive concierge service provided to Associa clients, homeowners and employees.

    He serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the national Board of Commissioners of Community Association Management (NBC-CAM) representing the world’s only certified credential for community association managers. Duprey is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Associa PAC and Treasurer for the Associa PAC of Florida. He has earned his CMCA certification from the NBC-CAM and holds the AMS and PCAM professional designations from CAI.

    Duprey has previously served in leadership capacities at two Associa member companies. He was President and CEO of Kramer-Triad Management Group for 25 years in Michigan, before taking over as President at Community Management Professionals in Orlando, Fla. He founded and served as president of the Michigan Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and served six years on the national Board of Trustees for CAI.

    Winner of the Rising Star Award from CAI, Duprey has served 15 years on the CMCA Test Development Committee for NBC-CAM and is a 16-year member on the National Faculty of CAI.

    Ron and his wife Kathie have three children, two grandchildren a grand-dog and a grand-cat. He enjoys spending his free time with his family at the beach in Michigan and in Florida.

    Favorite Quote – “Find the best people you can, help them find the path to the goal, and then stay out of their way!

  • Chris Harrison

    Senior Vice President, Sales Close

    As senior vice president of sales at Associa, Harrison is a member of the executive branch operations team and oversees the international corporate... Learn more sales team, Associa Services and Associa Advantage.

    Harrison has served Associa in several capacities, including director of national sales, vice president of marketing and national sales and his current position as senior vice president of sales.

    Harrison began his career in the industry as a community manager for Alliance Association Management. He holds his CMCA and AMS designations from the Community Association Institute (CAI) and served as a board member of the Austin chapter for three years. In 2007, he was recognized as Volunteer of the Year by CAI’s Austin chapter.

    Harrison earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas State University and an MBA from LeTourneau University.

    When not working, he enjoys traveling to new places and spending time with his wife and two sons. Harrison is also an Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable by the Boys Scouts of America.

    Favorite quote - “Always do more than is required of you.” – General George S. Patton, Jr.

  • Craig Koss

    Senior Vice President - Branch Operations Close

    Koss is responsible for the oversight of 13 Associa branch offices throughout the United States. His responsibilities in this capacity include... Learn more serving as a mentor to the branch CEO’s to help them achieve Associa’s core corporate objectives as well as uphold Associa corporate policies. Koss also educates each CEO in a variety of areas including how to improve company performance, business planning and innovation.

    Additionally, Koss serves as the SVP liaison to the corporate accounting department and is the business analyst for the SVP team, as well as participating on the Associa Education Committee. Koss previously served as the CEO of Kramer-Triad Management Group in Michigan and has worked in the community association management industry for nearly 30 years, including 17 years with Kramer-Triad. He was promoted to RVP in 2008.

    Koss holds both the AMS and PCAM designations from the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and previously served on the Education Committee and Managers Networking Committee for CAI. He was also an inaugural board member and served five years on CAI’s Association of Professional Community Managers (APCM). He was appointed to CAI’s board of Trustees and is a current member of the CAI Designation Ethics Committee. Koss received CAI’s Excellence Award in 2006.

    An inaugural member of the Associa Ambassadors Circle, Koss and his wife are the parents of two children. He enjoys boating, hunting, fishing, but has one true passion – Michigan Football.

    Favorite Quote – “What the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve and those who stay will be Champions.” – Bo Schembechler

  • Matt Kraft

    Senior Vice President, Corporate Development Close

    Matt Kraft is Senior Vice President in Associa’s corporate development department and responsible for strategic planning, organizational development,... Learn more and training and education. He is also responsible for systems implementation and acquisition integration.

    Prior to joining Associa, Kraft worked for General Motors Financial, serving as Vice President of Dealer Services Training where he led the originations training and implementation team. Within this role, he launched an internal sales group and developed several training and certification programs as well as high potential and leadership development programs. He initially joined the company in loan operations, focusing on originations, credit risk analysis and collections.

    Previous to that, he worked with Southwest Dealer Services and Centrix Financial, where his focus included program implementation and management, and training and development.

    Kraft earned a bachelor of science in economics from Arizona State University and his MBA from Southern Methodist University.

    Kraft enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons, and is an avid runner.

    Favorite quote: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

    -Winston Churchill

  • Brian Kruppa

    Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel Close

    Kruppa joined Associa in 2007 and assists in overseeing the legal affairs of Associa and its branch offices.

    Prior to joining Associa,... Learn more Kruppa represented clients in the areas of construction defect and professional liability litigation.

    Kruppa earned his bachelor degree in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University and a juris doctorate from The University of Texas School of Law. He is a licensed attorney in the State of Texas and a member of the Dallas Bar Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

    Favorite quote – “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” --Harper Lee

  • Jose Bosco Maldonado

    Senior Vice President - Branch Operations, Associa Equity Partners Close

    Bosco joins Associa with almost 20 years of experience, including private equity and venture capital concentrated in real estate and service-related... Learn more businesses. He also has several years experience working commercial and industrial development projects.

    Prior to joining Associa, Bosco served as the chief executive officer of Servicios Maple in Monterrey, Mexico, a real estate property management and brokerage services firm. During his tenure, he developed a new organization and work structure; implemented new administrative and control measures; expanded the customer base and services portfolio; implemented a new training and development plan; and designed a new communications and operations platform.

    Previous to Servicios Maple, he served in executive-level positions in several of the portfolio companies at two of Northern Mexico’s principal business conglomerates, Grupo Pulsar and Grupo Domos. Bosco served as chief financial officer and chief executive officer for service-oriented businesses placed in the logistics, software development and environmental sectors.

    Bosco received a bachelor of science in marketing from the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, and a master in business administration with a concentration in finance and entrepreneurship from the Babson Graduate School of Business in Boston, Massachusetts.

  • Michael Packard

    Senior Vice President - Branch Operations Close

    Michael Packard has more than 35 years experience in the community association management industry as a Senior Executive. He was one of the first... Learn more 20 recipients of the Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designation from the Community Associations Institute (CAI), and also holds the Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate management (IREM) and the Certified California Association Manager (CCAM) designation. He also holds a Nevada Certified Association Manager (CAM) certificate and a California Brokers license.

    Packard is a former National President of CAI and its Research Foundation. He is also a former President of San Diego's CAI and IREM Chapters. He is a recipient of CAI's national Distinguished Service award, IREM's Presidential Achievement award and San Diego Manager of the Year award.

    After receiving a BA from New Mexico State University, where he served as senior class President, Packard earned an MBA from Pepperdine University. He served in the US Air Force, rising to the rank of Captain, and received the Bronze Star Medal for service as an Air Commando during the Viet Nam conflict.

    Packard is a nationally published author and is an instructor for CAI, IREM and CACM. Additionally, he has taught property management internationally in Russia, Poland, Japan, Australia and Canada.

    He is father to two step sons with his wife Jeri and has been an active “Make A Wish” volunteer for many years.

    Favorite Quote – “When you live by the sword you have to be prepared to die by the sword”

  • Carol Piering

    Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications Close

    At Associa, Piering oversees all marketing and communications efforts for the company. In this role, she has put into place a strategic, integrated... Learn more approach to promote Associa and its branches by leveraging digital and print marketing, advertising, public and media relations, change management, social media, corporate citizenship and employee communications. In addition, she is a board member of Associa Cares, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting families and communities in crisis as a result of natural and man-made disasters.

    Prior to joining Associa, she worked for Home Interiors & Gifts, Inc., where she served as Director of Corporate Communications.

    Before that she served as a manager in Arthur Andersen Business Consulting’s change management practice, where she was responsible for managing clients from sales to deliverables, including the internal and external communications on projects ranging from mergers and acquisitions to large-scale technology implementations.

    Piering arrived at Andersen after working for Southwest Airlines as a PR Specialist in charge of public and media relations, event planning and crisis communications in the airline’s West and Southwest regions. She began her career writing for the Irving News and Las Colinas Business News.

    A business and journalism graduate from Baylor, Piering has garnered numerous awards, including Arthur Andersen’s “Sequoia Mentoring” Award and the Association of Women in Communications “Volunteer” Award. Most recently, she was awarded Associa’s “Individual Contributor” Award. Piering is married to husband, Jason, and together they raise daughter, Emerson, and son, Harrison.

    Favorite quote - “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not.” (Dr. Seuss in The Lorax)

  • George Skrbin

    Senior Vice President - Branch Operations Close

    George Skrbin oversees a portfolio of 11 Associa branch offices throughout the United States in his role as Senior Vice President. His responsibilities... Learn more in this capacity include serving as a mentor to the branch CEO’s to help them achieve Associa’s core corporate objectives as well as uphold Associa corporate policies.

    Skrbin also serves as President and Chief Executive Officer Association Services of Florida. In that capacity, he sets strategy and directs operations for ASF. Additionally, he leads the senior management team as they drive business results to create value for ASF.

    Previously, Skrbin served as Chief Operating officer for a large California community management company with eight offices throughout the state. He has more than 18 years of experience in the community management industry. Skrbin began his career in 1990 as a community manager in San Diego. He held positions within the same company with increasing responsibility across several regions before being promoted to COO.

    Mr. Skrbin was responsible for the development and execution of the company’s strategic growth goals, along with guiding the management infrastructure and its support systems. He was also active in client relations, business development, contract management, strategic planning and training for regional expansion teams. This focused on business development activities in the Inland Empire, Valencia, Central Valley, the Desert and Northern California establishing regional offices in these areas.

    Mr. Skrbin earned his bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Denver. Skrbin was also active with the California Association of Community Managers where he held his designation of Certified Community Association Manager.

  • Matt Steele

    Senior Vice President - Branch Operations Close

    As Senior Vice President, Matt Steele oversees a portfolio of 12 Associa branch management offices throughout the United States as well as 2... Learn more of our ancillary services companies. His responsibilities in this capacity include serving as a mentor to the branch CEOs to help them achieve Associa’s core corporate objectives as well as uphold Associa corporate policies. Steele also educates each CEO in a variety of areas including how to improve company performance, business planning and innovation.

    Steele was formerly the Vice President of Associa’s National Field Services, where he was responsible for the oversight of the maintenance operations in Associa branches to further develop service and product offerings.

    Prior to his position with the corporate office, Steele was President of Associa company Real Property Management, Inc., in Columbus, Ohio. He holds his AMS, CMCA, and PCAM designations from the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and is also a licensed real estate agent in the state of Ohio with more than 20 years in the community association management industry.

    Steele has been married for 12 years and has a son and two young daughters. He and his family relocated to Arizona in 2010 after spending his entire life in Ohio. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys attending Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games and Phoenix Suns basketball games. He’s also active with his children's various sports including soccer and swimming.