Sean Dobson is the Chairman, CEO and CIO of Amherst. In this role, Sean leverages his 30+ years of expertise in U.S. real estate, mortgage and securitized products to lead the firm’s investment strategy and oversee day-to-day strategic direction for the platform.

Sean has been leading Amherst for over 20 years, transforming the regional broker dealer into a market leading real estate investment, management and operating platform. As of 12/31/2023, the firm manages US$18.5 billion and focuses on some of the most fragmented pockets of U.S. real estate, including single-family rentals, mortgage-backed securities and commercial real estate.

Sean was one of the few mortgage specialists to anticipate the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Leveraging Amherst’s proprietary data and technology capabilities, Sean and Amherst had an active role in briefing the White House, Senators, Congressmen, the Federal Reserve Board, and investors as they navigated a historic market.

Post GFC, Sean recognized the securitization markets were dysfunctional, borrower credit was impaired, and tightening loan standards meant that many former or would-be homeowners were unable to purchase a home. In 2012, this led Amherst to establish and develop Amherst Residential, a platform with the resources necessary to acquire, repair, lease and manage single-family rental properties across the country. By 2013, Sean and Amherst’s leadership team launched Main Street Renewal, a vertically-integrated property management company, to directly service the single-family residents on the Amherst Residential platform. Today, Main Street Renewal serves over 100,000 residents in 32 markets across the U.S.

Sean currently serves as a governing trustee for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and is co-founder of CapCityKids, an Austin based organization helping at risk children in their educational endeavors.