Terry Ahern co-founded The Townsend Group in 1983. He is the Chairman Emeritus of the firm. Prior to founding Townsend, Mr. Ahern was the Vice President of a real estate investment bank after beginning his career in law private practice.

Mr. Ahern is a well-respected authority on real estate markets. He has been a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has authored numerous articles in academic journals and industry publications. He has served as an expert witness on behalf of institutional investors and has provided assistance and testimony to the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Mr. Ahern was a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) and the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF). He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), the Board of Editors of Institutional Real Estate Securities and of the Board of Editors of The Institutional Real Estate Letter. He is Chairman of the Board of DDR Corp., (NYSE:DDR), a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust. Since 2002, Terry has been a member of Blue Coats, Inc., a non-profit organization devoted to the well-being of families of Cuyahoga County, Ohio safety forces personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Mr. Ahern received a JD, Cum Laude, and BA, Magna Cum Laude, from Cleveland State University.