Maria Stamolis is a Dallas-based real-estate executive who, since 2023, has served as Head of Investment Management and Chief Investment Officer at Lincoln Property Company. In this dual role, Maria Stamolis architects equity- and debt-backed platforms that power the firm’s expansion into high-growth asset classes including industrial, medical office, retail, and multi-family/mixed-use developments. Her mandate spans capital formation, portfolio strategy, and investor relations—disciplines in which she has delivered consistent, above-benchmark returns for more than three decades.
Before joining Lincoln, Maria Stamolis spent 16 years with Canyon Partners Real Estate, ultimately rising to Co-Head of Real Estate Investments and Director of Asset Management. There she guided a 40-person team across multiple states, stewarded billions in transactions, and forged enduring partnerships with institutional investors. Earlier, at Karney Management Company in Los Angeles, she drove full-cycle development efforts—acquisition through lease-up—while engineering creative financing structures that protected yields against interest-rate volatility. Her foundational experience includes leading the asset-management function for 50 high-profile properties at R&B Realty Group/Oakwood Worldwide in the 1990s.
An active contributor to the next generation of real-estate leaders, Maria Stamolis is an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business, where she created the Real Estate Impact Fund practicum and serves on the Folsom Institute Advisory Board. She also sits on the Executive Committee of Ottawa-based Minto Group, bringing strategic insight to the vertically integrated construction and homebuilding company. Committed to community service, she previously helped the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica raise more than $1 million over eight years.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
There is no typical day in my schedule, but that makes things fun & interesting. I make every day productive, but always try to have specific goals and wake up early.
How do you bring ideas to life?
A lot of thinking and planning, and then great execution.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Artificial Intelligence.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Never procrastinate.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Be patient and remember live is a marathon, not a sprint.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
In school, focus on learning and every detail, and not just the grade.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Actively manage your email inbox and always answer emails in a timely manner.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I never feel overwhelmed or unfocused.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Take care of people with whom you have relationships.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I was losing out on an opportunity because I was too confident knowing I was getting the deal. I went back, started asking a lot of questions to figure out what was important to the other party, and got the deal by focusing on what they wanted and needed vs what I wanted or needed.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Excel, it’s amazing for a million uses.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People is a good read. It focuses on how important fostering relationships is every day, which I live every day.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Landman. It’s intense and enjoyable at the same time.
Key learnings
- Stopping to self-reflect is always an interesting & productive exercise.
- Cultivating relationships is the most important and typically the least focused-on activity businesspeople do, yet it is typically the most fulfilling part of one’s career.
- You can never know enough about anything. When you think you know everything, ask a few more questions.