Crafting communities that matter.

Dave Gale is Co-Managing Member and Principal of GreenWillow Communities (formerly GaleHart Communities). Dave has helped shape some of the Midwest’s most successful planned neighborhoods. With over three decades of leadership in real estate development, community design, and long-range planning, Dave brings both vision and precision to the art of building places that endure.

Under his direction, projects such as Winterset, New Longview, and Arborwalk, and the upcoming Aviara Liberty—spanning more than 5,000 acres and delivering over 2,800 single-family homes, 960 multi-family units, and 300,000 square feet of commercial space and numerous parks, schools, and civic assets—representing more than $1.6 billion in total investment. Under his direction, these award-winning neighborhoods have received national recognition for environmental stewardship and quality of life, including the Global ReLeaf Designation from the National Association of Home Builders and American Forests.

Dave’s work also includes leading master-planning initiatives for municipalities in Gladstone, Missouri, and Mission, Kansas.

A longtime Lee’s Summit resident and active Rotarian, Dave continues to invest his time and expertise in civic leadership, local boards, and community-building efforts across the region, including the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, and is the current Chair of Deep Roots.

FUN FACT about Dave: he is an experienced open-water sailor.

Tom Hart is Co-Managing Member and Principal of GreenWillow Communities (formerly GaleHart Communities), where he leads the vision, planning, and execution of master-planned communities that integrate natural landscapes, walkable design, and community experiences that foster social interaction and well-being with natural beauty and purposeful design.

With decades of executive experience in both commercial and residential development, Tom has extensive experience leading large-scale developments. Known for his strategic vision and collaborative leadership style, he has dedicated his career to creating sustainable, connected, and vibrant developments that reflect community values and enhanced quality of life. Tom has worked nationally in California, Colorado, and Missouri, including the trendsetting 5,000-acre Stapleton community in Denver (now rebranded to “Central Park”), one of the nation’s most dynamic master-planned communities, emphasizing a visionary approach to urban planning.

Over his career, Tom has planned and developed over 4 million sq. ft. of commercial space and 15,000 acres of mixed-use, residential and master-planned communities. Known for orchestrating highly complex projects, Tom specializes in balancing all elements of these long-term developments through the inevitable market cycles while delivering on the vision and responsibly managing each partner’s investment.

Tom holds a BBA in Management and Strategic Planning from California State University and serves on national and regional boards and committees, including the Urban Land Institute, NAIOP, Home Builders Association and the Oaktree Foundation. Tom is also a speaker and success strategist, presenting workshops and consulting on leadership and success topics.

FUN FACT about Tom: he is a nutty cyclist and an avid golfer.

Heather McCray’s diverse experience stems from her twenty-plus years’ development and asset management background, orchestrating the interplay between finance, leasing, and construction, as well as spearheading entitlements and government relations processes. Additionally, Heather has vast experience with economic development incentive programs and public financing certifications, and the imperative reporting back to the associated public entities.

Heather has experience in securing permanent and construction project loan financing. As developments mature, she undertakes the role of asset manager, working with lenders and municipal counterparts, and ultimately orchestrating the exit analysis and disposition of assets. She has an exceptional understanding of the overall development process with having developed over 3 million square feet of retail and mixed-use properties in Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida and Iowa.

She holds a BS in Accounting, is an active member of ICSC and CCIM, and is ARGUS certified.

Outside of real estate, Heather enjoys traveling with her husband.

Richard (Rick) Katz is a seasoned attorney and real estate counsel with extensive experience representing developers, lenders, and investors in large-scale commercial and residential transactions. Over his career, he has advised on projects totaling more than 20 million square feet of commercial development and over $1 billion in public bonding, conventional, and construction financing.

As founder of The Katz Law Firm, Rick has served as lead counsel on high-value acquisitions, land purchases, sales, and leases, including single transactions exceeding $300 million. A trusted advisor to some of the nation’s largest real estate owners and tenants for more than 25 years, Rick brings deep expertise in development law, commercial lending, government incentives, and complex real estate structures.

Rick holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Kansas and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Houston and the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

Michael E. Roark is an accomplished engineering executive and program manager with more than 35 years of global experience delivering complex, large-scale projects. As Principal-in-Charge and Engineer of Record, Roark led a multinational construction, architecture, and engineering firm, ranked a top 100 design firm by ENR. Roark has led many multidisciplinary teams for projects located in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia—including landmark developments, mixed-use planned communities and signature iconic individual facilities.

Mr. Roark’s leadership blends deep technical expertise with business development acumen, having managed engineering and construction support teams in Doha and Dubai and directed programs exceeding hundreds of millions of dollars in value.

Holding a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri, Mike is also a licensed Professional Engineer and LEED Accredited Professional. Mike is also an accomplished author published in multiple professional publications, also holding patents within his area of technical expertise.