team
meet
our
Monaca S. Onstad
President & CEO
Monaca is a nationally recognized community relations and lifestyle executive with a passion for building community in the residential and commercial real estate markets. She has more than 20 years of sales and operations experience in the real estate industry with the last several years focused on driving new home sales and leasing efforts through placemaking, community relations, and lifestyle programming. During her time with Lakewood Ranch, Monaca helped move the community from the 4th best-selling community in the U.S. to the #1 best-selling community in the U.S. for all ages.
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Recognized as the best lifestyle director in the U.S. in 2018 by the National Association of Home Builders Sales and Marketing Council. Ranked among the top 4 lifestyle directors in the country in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Monaca holds a bachelor's degree in business management and a master's degree in marketing.
Amanda Arnold
Vice President, Lifestyle
Amanda began her career in sales and marketing and quickly realized that there was an opportunity that combined her creativity and her passion for people.
In her role as Vice President, Amanda oversees all lifestyle operations, leads our team of regional directors, heads up client relations, and drives home the unique vision of each community program.
She has an extensive background in community operations and lifestyle, and is on a mission to elevate the lifestyle industry through effective communication and training. Amanda is passionate about creating and fostering community, and is on a mission to elevate the lifestyle industry through effective communication and training.
Mackenzie Straley
Vice President, Marketing
As a seasoned marketing and communications leader, Mackenzie oversees our community experience, marketing, and communication efforts. With a deep understanding of MPCs and how communities operate, she's committed to ensuring the highest community experience for our clients.
Prior to joining the OnPlace team, Mackenzie spent 4 years at Lakewood Ranch Communities as Marketing Coordinator. During her tenure at Lakewood Ranch, she worked alongside Monaca Onstad to help oversee the overall lifestyle program for it's 30,000+ residents. Under the leadership of Monaca, Mackenzie was a key player in the team that facilitated the activation and launch of the newest Lakewood Ranch town center, Waterside Place. Mackenzie holds a bachelor of arts degree in public relations and advertising from the University of Tampa.
Callie Friedman
Vice President, Operations
Callie has a proven track record in all aspects of operations management. As Vice President of Operations, she oversees our welcome center division, and specializes in driving execution and delivery of projects, designing solution-based approaches, educating sales teams on portfolio knowledge, and maintaining relationships with our clients.
Throughout her career, Callie has proven successful in all aspects of operations management within large scale portfolios. She specializes in driving execution and delivery of projects, designing solution-based approaches, educating sales teams on portfolio knowledge across multiple markets, and maintaining client relationships. Outside of work Callie has a passion for dance and fitness. Most recently she completed an Ironman triathlon in November of 2022.
Stacey Kessinger
Director, Marketing & Design Services
Stacey is an experienced real estate marketer with a passion for placemaking, brand building and collaborative team management. Stacey has a 20+ year career history of driving dynamic marketing initiatives across branding, public relations, digital marketing and corporate and community positioning.
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From a corporate perspective Stacey most recently lead a development team as Vice President of Marketing and Sales and managed a diverse portfolio of communities from under 200 to over 2300 homes, executed over 20 different builder programs, and has been responsible for individual community sell-outs in excess of $2B. She equally distinguishes herself as an entrepreneur, using her extensive real estate knowledge and unique talents consulting with builders, developers and start-ups. Her work has received numerous awards of recognition within the industry on both the local and national levels.
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Rising Star Award Winner, Sarasota Chamber Small Business Awards, 2024
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Sunterra, #1 Best-Selling MPC in Texas, #3 in the Nation, Silver Lifestyle Program (NAHB), 2024
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Sunterra Welcome Center, Best Showroom/Sales Center, Teas Association of Home Builders, 2024
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Silver Award, Lifestyle Director of the Year, National Association of Home Builders, 2022
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Silver Award, Lifestyle Director of the Year, National Association of Home Builders, 2021
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Silver Award, Lifestyle Director of the Year, National Association of Home Builders, 2020
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Silver Award, Lifestyle Director of the Year, National Association of Home Builders, 2019
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Bull by the Horns Award, The Sandies, Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, 2018
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National Lifestyle Director of the Year, National Association of Home Builders, 2018
on our accolades
speaking engagements
We understand development. From raw land to HOA turnover, Monaca brings a different perspective to real-estate planning and placemaking. Looking for an addition to your next speaking engagement? Send us a message to learn about Monaca's availability.​
"I love the challenge of attracting people to a new place. I love the connections and traditions that result from what we do. It's important work. It increases ROI for the developers, while creating a meaningful sense of community for the residents."
Monaca Onstad, President & CEO, OnPlace