Employee background:

I began with one of the biggest appraisal firms in Connecticut, Italia & Lemp in 2001. I was still with the company when Valbridge Property Advisors was born. After obtaining my MAI designation in 2014, I remained a Senior Appraiser until 2016, at which time I became a Managing Director. In early June 2020, I celebrated my 19-year anniversary with the same company!

What is your title and what do you do at Valbridge?

I am a Managing Director. Our office is one of the only appraisal firms in Connecticut that hires new graduates straight out of college. I train all new employees, including graduates and appraisers, over a 12+/- month period on appraisal basics of all property types and how to properly use our Datappraise software. The Datappraise system can be complex, and I am also in charge of keeping our templates up-to-date and being the ‘go to’ person when something goes wrong. I also oversee a handful of additional appraisers for all our apartment work, affordable housing reports/ market studies as well as subdivision and condominium development.

How did you become a part of Valbridge and VWC?

I am one of seven directors on the Leadership Team for Valbridge Women’s Council. I have been involved in the VWC since its inception in 2018. I remember coming into this profession almost 20 years ago and attending the Connecticut Chapter Appraisal Institute gatherings. It was quite intimidating since I was one of 2 or 3 females in a room of 50 people! Since that time, significant progress has been made in promoting women in the world of commercial real estate. For example, when I received my MAI certificate, I was one of five women receiving the same certificate.

Providing support to women in our industry is important to me, so becoming a member of the Valbridge Women’s Council was a no-brainer.

What are your specialty areas?

I specialize in appraisals completed for United States Housing and Urban Development (HUD) insured mortgage programs for market rate and affordable multi-family housing projects to include new developments and existing properties. I have completed several appraisals and market studies involving funding from the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC).

I have testified as an expert witness in the State of Connecticut court system.

I am a member of the Connecticut Chapter of CREW and have served on multiple executive boards. This organization provides networking and social opportunities for real estate professionals to include finance, design, construction, sales, appraisal, law, property management and development.

What are some of the most interesting projects you've worked on at Valbridge?

As an appraiser, I tend to look backwards for data trends, whereas developers and brokers look forward. I enjoy working on a newly constructed or gut-renovated apartment project, then in a few years, appraising it at a stabilized level – I get to see how good my projections were! These include high-rise office to apartment redevelopments in the Hartford CBD.

What do you like most about working at Valbridge and being a member of the VWC?

Appraising has always appealed to me because I enjoy working on different property types…. Each week brings something new. Our Valbridge Team brings a level of camaraderie that essentially no other national appraisal firm has. I’ve learned several new things and looked at various situations in new ways due to our daily Intranet conversations.