The NRP Group names first two female principals

Jennifer Baus and Rachel Johnson

The NRP Group, a vertically integrated, best-in-class developer, builder and manager of multifamily housing, has named Jennifer Baus and Rachel Johnson as principals in the firm.

Baus, who currently serves as executive vice president of design and entitlements, directs all activities related to horizontal and vertical design and entitlements and oversees all project management for NRP’s development team. 

Johnson, who currently serves as chief information officer, leads all aspects of technology, including infrastructure, networking, IT operations and security, software business solutions, building technology and innovation.

Johnson joined The NRP Group as an asset manager in 2010 and was quickly promoted to chief information officer, a role she has held for the last decade. Baus joined NRP in 2005 as a project manager for affordable housing development, and after continuous growth in scope and responsibility she was promoted to executive vice president of design and entitlements in 2020.

Both Baus and Johnson are passionate about creating pathways for career development and mentorship across the organization, as well as advancing the values of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in every aspect of business operations. In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Baus founded the Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN) in 2018 with the mission to hire, develop and promote women at NRP through education, awareness and programming. 

Additionally, Johnson has led NRP through many technology focused transformational initiatives: digital transformation of the construction and property management businesses; network innovation of both property leasing offices and satellite office solutions; development of a robust hybrid on-premise and cloud-based infrastructure; enterprise-wide implementation of Microsoft Teams Voice for NRP’s corporate offices and property portfolio; and a continued prioritization of cyber security program execution. 

Prior to joining The NRP Group, Johnson served as vice president of operations for the Commercial Construction Real Estate Lending Division at AmTrust Bank. Johnson began her career at Ernst & Young as a tax accountant, but soon transitioned to a software consultant role developing custom applications for the financial and accounting divisions of companies across several industry verticals.

In 2014, Crain’s Cleveland Business named Johnson CIO of the Year for mid-sized companies in Northeast Ohio. Johnson received a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a minor in management information systems from Miami University.

In 2017, Baus was the inaugural recipient of NRP’s Alan F. Scott Development award. Baus received a Bachelor of Science in civil and environmental engineering from Cornell University and a master of engineering degree from Case Western Reserve University. 

Baus and Johnson have both been appointed to GlobeSt.’s Women of Influence list in recent years – Johnson in 2020 and Baus in 2021, for their leadership and commitment to The NRP Group.