Bob McFall Joins Johnson Financial Group

Todd Cegelski , Commercial Real Estate Group Manager at Johnson Financial Group announced that Bob McFall has joined the company as Senior Vice President, Commercial Real Estate.

McFall has 38 years of experience in financial services with 20 years specializing in commercial real estate and construction lending. McFall is experienced in serving clients in the Phoenix market including commercial real estate investors and developers, providing construction, permanent, redevelopment and mini-perm financing. He has a strong background working with entrepreneurs, including builders, developers, and investors.

McFall earned a Finance and Economics major from the Kelly School of Business, Indiana University. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Butler University. A resident of Anthem, Arizona, McFall is active in his community, serving numerous organizations and charities including serving as board member of the local Boys and Girls Club, board member and officer to the HOA, Ronald McDonald House volunteer, and as a church district board member and officer. Additionally, he has served as a U.S. Masters swimming volunteer and committee member.

Michael Mason rejoins Greenberg Traurig

Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP further expanded its Global Labor & Employment Practice with the strategic addition of Michael Mason as shareholder. Mason rejoins the firm’s Phoenix office from Pinnacle West Capital Corporation and its subsidiary, Arizona Public Service Company (APS), where he held executive leadership roles in Human Resources and as Senior Legal Counsel. 

“Mike is a widely-respected attorney with impressive depth and breadth of experience in labor and employment law, both as senior-level outside and inside counsel. We welcome him back to Greenberg Traurig and value the perspectives and experience he brings,” said Nicole M. Goodwin, managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Phoenix office.

Mason, a former Greenberg Traurig shareholder who worked at the firm from 2005 to 2012, focuses his practice primarily on labor and employment matters. He has represented and advised employers in a wide range of labor and employment law, including Title VII, ADA, FLSA, FMLA, NLRA, trade secrets, and other state, federal, and international employment laws, as well as developing and conducting high-impact management training programs in areas ranging from ADA and wage and hour compliance to union avoidance.

Officers chosen for Arizona State Land Department Board of Appeals

Travis Bard
Keri Silvyn

Travis Bard and Keri Silvyn have been elected as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Board of Appeals of the Arizona State Land Department. They will begin serving in these positions starting May 1 for a one-year term.

Bard, a Chino Valley real estate broker who has represented Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo and Yavapai counties on the board since 2016, served as board vice chair during the 2017-2018 term. Silvyn, a Tucson land use attorney, has represented Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima and Santa Cruz counties on the board since 2017.

The panel’s other three members are Norman “Ned” Chappell, a real estate appraiser for the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office; Sandra Kelley, a retired Scottsdale real estate consultant; and Richard Cole, a Phoenix attorney and real estate investor. Chappell has represented Gila, La Paz, Gila, Maricopa and Yuma counties on the board since 2013. Kelley has been an at-large member since 2012 and Cole has been an at-large member since 2016. 

The Board of Appeals consists of five board members selected by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate for six-year terms. Board members elect officers annually from among themselves. 

State law requires all land sales and commercial leases to be approved by the Board of Appeals, which also serves as an administrative review board. Applicants and lessees may appeal to the Board a final decision of the state land commissioner that relates to appraisals and classifications. 

The Board of Appeals usually meets on the second Thursday of each month, unless special circumstances warrant additional sessions. Meetings are usually held in Phoenix. More information about the board is at https://land.az.gov/divisions/board-appeals. 

Public education is by far the largest beneficiary of Trust land managed by the Arizona State Land Department, whose mission since 1915 is to manage the assets of a multi-generational perpetual trust in alignment with the interests of the Trust’s 13 beneficiaries and Arizona’s future

All uses of the land and resources held in the Trust must benefit the Trust, a­­­­ fact that distinguishes it from the way public land, such as parks or national forests, may be used or managed. While public use of Trust land is not prohibited, it is regulated to ensure protection of the land and compensation to the beneficiaries for its use. Today the Arizona State Land Department pro-actively manages more than 9.2 million acres of Trust land, which is 13 percent of the land within the State of Arizona.