P.B. Bell announces 2 new hires and promotion

P.B. Bell, a leader in multifamily development and property management, announced the addition of two new team members and the promotion of another. April Ramsey joins the team as Portfolio Director, with Bert Kempfert as the new Director of Acquisitions. Jennifer Grant, who joined P.B. Bell in 2019, has been promoted from Assistant Controller to Controller.

April Ramsey brings more than 18 years of multifamily management experience to her role as Portfolio Director at P.B. Bell. She will be responsible for managing operations, financials, marketing, and staff at her communities throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. April began her career as a leasing professional with Riverstone Residential Group, where she quickly ascended to the role of Senior Community Manager. April has also managed assets for Avenue 5 and was a Regional Manager with Pillar Properties and Greystar. 

Bert Kempfert joins P.B. Bell as the Director of Acquisitions. In this role, he will be responsible for managing all aspects of acquisitions, including broker relations, underwriting, LOI preparation, contract negotiation, and coordination with property management on due diligence, as well as working with the Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel on loan funding and escrow closing. Bert brings extensive expertise to his role, having previously worked as a multifamily broker at CBRE in the Valley, where he executed over $2B in multifamily transactions.  

“We are thrilled to welcome April and Bert to the P.B. Bell team,” said R. Chapin Bell, CEO of P.B. Bell. “Their extensive experience and expertise will be invaluable as we continue to grow our business and expand our portfolio of properties. We look forward to the contributions they will make to our company and our communities.”

Jennifer Grant joined P.B. Bell in 2019 as an Accounting Manager and was promoted to Assistant Controller in 2021 and to Controller in 2023. In her new role as Controller, Jennifer will be responsible for P.B. Bell’s accounting operations, including overseeing the day-to-day accounting functions for corporate, development and third-party owned assets, managing internal and external property audits, and tax coordination of company owned assets. Prior to P.B. Bell, Jennifer served as a Senior Accountant for real estate companies Van Tuyl Companies and The True Life Companies and was an accountant with Arizona State University and The Phoenix Suns.

“This promotion is well deserved, and we’re excited to have Jennifer take the helm of the accounting department,” said Bell.  

JLL expands Value and Risk Advisory multihousing sector

JLL’s Value and Risk Advisory group announced today that it has expanded its Multi-housing sector practice with five key hires in the Dallas, Denver and Phoenix markets. The new hires will report to Kai Pan, Executive Managing Director and National Head of the Multi-Housing Property sector. The continued growth demonstrates the strength of the Value and Risk Advisory sector-aligned strategy, which launched in April 2023.

In Dallas, the team has added Director Michael Stavinoha, who began his career at JLL as an Analyst in 2017. After four years in that role, he went on to work at two commercial real estate companies in the Dallas area before returning to JLL this month.

Jason Beakley

Senior Director Kelly Hyde, MAI, has joined the Denver team to focus on multi-housing valuations in the Rocky Mountain region. She has more than 10 years of experience in the industry in both the Denver and Houston markets.

The Phoenix team, focusing on the growing Southwest region for the group, consists of Senior Director Jason Beakley and Analysts Micah Brittain and Scott O’Connor. Beakley has more than eight years of experience appraising and analyzing commercial real estate and was most recently a Senior Analyst valuing multifamily and manufactured housing properties in the Phoenix metro area.

“We are really excited to welcome Michael, Kelly, Jason, Micah and Scott to the team,” said Pan. “We are starting to see more green shoots in the market and as a result want to ensure we are ready to address our clients’ needs around value and risk in the coming months.”

“Additionally, feedback from our clients has indicated that they value our service more when we specialize,” Pan added. “They expect appraisers to understand their business, have deep insights into the industry and deliver a consistent level of service and product. We’re laser focused on bringing in talented multi-housing specialists to deliver a world-class experience.”

Western Spirit names new CEO

Todd Bankofier

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, announced the appointment of highly experienced local business and community leader Todd Bankofier as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Director, effective May 12, 2023. Bankofier will be at the forefront of Western Spirit’s crucial next phase of growth and development.

Western Spirit Board’s search committee conducted a national search that spanned over six months for the CEO and Executive Director position. Bankofier stood out among the applicants due to his extensive experience in Arizona-based business leadership roles as well as his inspirational work in local community service. Bankofier brings decades of knowledge in formulating, defining, and executing short- and long-term business strategies and a proven success record in transforming companies and organizations, pivoting on new tactics, and building healthy cultures, all while consistently exceeding overall expectations.

“I am truly honored to have been selected to lead this esteemed organization,” said Bankofier. “Countless talented people have dedicated so much of their time and treasure to bring about this museum and make it what it is today. I am committed to working with the outstanding team at Western Spirit to continue advancing the museum’s mission and vision, ultimately guiding our award-winning institution to even greater heights.”

Here is the 2023 class of Flinn-Brown Fellows

The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation has selected 28 leaders from across the state as the 15th cohort of Flinn-Brown Fellows. Each brings diverse career and political experiences, policy interests, and perspectives to Arizona’s most prestigious leadership program on state-level policy and politics.

The Flinn-Brown experience begins for the newest Fellows in August with the Flinn-Brown Academy, a rigorous 11-session policy institute offering unparalleled opportunities for professional connections and learning about Arizona policy and politics, facilitated by top state leaders and subject-matter experts. In November, the 2023 Fellows will participate in the Flinn-Brown Convention, an annual day of professional development for the full Flinn-Brown Network.

“The learning and network-building the 2023 Flinn-Brown Fellows will experience this fall will guide their futures as impactful Arizona civic leaders,” said Dawn Wallace, Flinn Foundation vice president, civic leadership. “Each new Fellow is a welcome addition to the powerful Flinn-Brown Network, and we look forward to their contributions as leaders in their communities and as impact-makers addressing the state’s most pressing issues.

The 2023 Fellows represent eight Arizona counties, with half of the new cohort from beyond Maricopa County, including Flagstaff, Hereford, Lake Havasu City, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Queen Creek, San Luis, and Tucson.

Fifteen of the newest Fellows work in the public sector, with the remaining in private business, nonprofit institutions, and other organizations. They include CEOs and elected officials, school district and university leaders, attorneys, economic developers, and more.

The 2023 Flinn-Brown Fellows, including positions, plus cities and counties of residence, are:

  • Jose Arias: Vice President-Business Banker, First Citizens Bank, Tucson, Pima County
  • Teresa Aseret-Manygoats: Bureau Chief, Arizona Department of Health Services, Chandler, Maricopa County
  • Vanessa Barchfield: Senior Communications Specialist, Center for Biological Diversity, Tucson, Pima County
  • Elaine Becherer: Director, Special Projects, Office of Enterprise Planning, Arizona State University, Tucson, Pima County
  • Teresa Bravo: Government Relations Representative for Local Affairs, Tucson Electric Power/UniSource Energy Services, Tucson, Pima County
  • Evelyn Burrell, Psy.D.: Clinical Psychologist and Owner, Arise Consultation and Training Services, LLC, Phoenix, Maricopa County
  • Melanie Colavito: Director of Policy and Communications, Ecological Restoration Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Coconino County
  • The Honorable Eddie Cook: County Assessor, Maricopa County Assessor’s Office, Gilbert, Maricopa County
  • Jaime Festa-Daigle, Ed.D.: Director of Student Achievement, Lake Havasu Unified School District, Lake Havasu City, Mohave County
  • Vincent “Vinny” Gallegos: Executive Director, Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization, Prescott, Yavapai County
  • Jesse Galvez: Major, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Gilbert, Maricopa County
  • Buna George: Executive Director, Greater Yuma Port Authority, San Luis, Yuma County
  • Tim Gomez: Director, Government and Community Engagement, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Maricopa County
  • Adam Goodman: Chief Executive Officer, Goodmans Interior Structures, Paradise Valley, Maricopa County
  • The Honorable April Hepperle: Realtor, USA Real Estate and Property Management; Councilmember, Prescott Valley Town Council, Prescott Valley, Yavapai County
  • Gail Jackson: President and Chief Executive Officer, Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, Coconino County
  • Aron Ketchel, J.D.: Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Paradise Valley, Maricopa County
  • Pete Kim: Co-Founder, Media.Monks, Scottsdale, Maricopa County
  • Melissa Kotrys: Chief Executive Officer, Contexture, Phoenix, Maricopa County
  • Adam Leckie, Ed.D.: Superintendent, Casa Grande Elementary School District, Queen Creek, Pinal County
  • Shamia Lodge: Director of Community Engagement, Aventiv Technologies, Surprise, Maricopa County
  • Claire Louge: Executive Director, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, Phoenix, Maricopa County
  • Judy Lynn: Owner/Principal Emergency Management Consultant, Descansa Group, Hereford, Cochise County
  • Noah Mundt: President & Chief Operating Officer, Nexus Integrated Solutions, Gilbert, Maricopa County
  • The Honorable Julie Spilsbury: Councilmember, District 2, City of Mesa, Mesa, Maricopa County
  • Beya Thayer: Executive Director, Yavapai Justice & Mental Health Coalition; Director, Behavioral Health Services, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff, Coconino County
  • Gillian Vanasse: Chief Operations Officer, Arizona Department of Child Safety, Phoenix, Maricopa County
  • Heath Vescovi-Chiordi: Director, Economic Development, Pima County, Tucson, Pima County

Launched by the Flinn Foundation in 2011, the Flinn-Brown Fellowship was created to cultivate civic leaders from throughout Arizona by building knowledge, skills, and a flourishing network to find solutions for Arizona’s long-term issues. The Flinn-Brown Network now totals 437 Fellows.

The new cohort of Fellows interviewed with a Selection Committee of Arizona leaders that included:

  • Lisa Atkins: Former Arizona State Land Commissioner
  • Luis Heredia: State Director, Office of Senator Mark Kelly, Flinn-Brown Fellow
  • Stephen Richer, J.D.: County Recorder, Maricopa County
  • Karrin Taylor Robson, J.D.: Founder & President, Arizona Strategies
  • Bobbie Schorr: Grants Director, Thomas R. Brown Foundations Board of Directors
  • Ginger Sykes Torres: State Executive Director, USDA Farm Service Agency
  • Steven M. Wheeler, J.D.: Board of Directors Member, Flinn Foundation

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