HKS Capital Partners has appointed Carolyn Payne to senior vice president. She will focus on business development and structuring complex commercial real estate transactions. Her breadth of industries includes multifamily, retail, office, mixed-use, hospitality, non-profit and urban development. She applies her real estate and finance background and successfully advises clients on first mortgage refinancing, acquisition financing, bridge and construction financing, mezzanine/subordinate and equity financing for public and private companies. Payne began her career in site selection for the multi-national corporate chain, Burger King, before moving to asset management and liquidity financing for a national life and health insurance company. In this capacity, she was responsible for CRE financial analysis and due diligence leading to sales leaseback agreements, acquisitions, dispositions and leasing transactions. She later moved to international commercial real estate brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield where she analyzed transactions to maximize returns on her client's investments. Most recently Payne served as an advisor to public and private companies strategizing on issues such as equity raising and capital structuring. She has a BS from the State University at Buffalo and an MBA, Real Estate Program from New York University's Shack Institute. Her professional affiliations include: the Association of Real Estate Women, AREW, Commercial Real Estate Women, CREW and 100 Women in Hedge Funds. She is also active at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Central Park Conservancy and in raising funds for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.