James Baumberger

James A. Baumberger is the general manager of Nationwide Property & Appraisal Services’ First Choice Division, which is a leading provider of managed appraisal solutions for mortgage lenders. First Choice provides high quality valuation services – complimented by exceptional service, competitive pricing, and active communications – in a compliant manner to mitigate collateral risk and facilitate sound lending decisions. Delivering an excellent customer service experience for clients is the top priority at First Choice!

Jim has an outstanding record of providing inspirational executive leadership for appraisal organizations serving the financial services industry. His past positions include Collateral Services Manager for Washington Mutual, Regional Chief Appraiser for Bank of America, Division Appraisal Manager for World Savings, Mortgage Group Leader for Wachovia Bank, and President of Synergy Appraisal Services.

As a certified residential appraiser, Jim’s 32 years of professional appraisal practice includes valuation services for eminent domain, lending, litigation, marketing, and relocation purposes. In addition, Jim has authored numerous qualifying and continuing education courses and training seminars for industry professionals. He frequently presents customized training for agents, appraisers, loan originators, loan processors, and mortgage underwriters as chief instructor for FCAM U, the education and training outreach program at First Choice.

Jim served for four years on Oregon’s Appraiser Certification and Licensure Board (ACLB), which is the state’s regulatory agency for appraisers and appraisal management companies, including two years as ACLB Board Chair from 2014 through 2016. He currently serves on the executive board of the Oregon Mortgage Bankers Association (OMBA) and chairs the Oregon Association of Realtors (OAR) Business Issues Committee’s Appraisal Subcommittee. With his compliance knowledge, appraisal and real estate expertise, and lending experience, Jim is a trusted advisor and consultant, who speaks frequently at state, regional, and national conferences for industry professionals.

Education:

Bachelor of Science in Business Management 1995 Concordia University - Magna Cum Laude

Masters Certificate in Applied Information Technology 2000 ITI

Professional Licenses: Certified Residential Appraiser – OR and WA

Mel Black

Mel Black holds the position of Director of Appraisal Innovation at McKissock Learning. Mel was first licensed as an appraiser in 1991 and as a real estate broker in 1988. He is an AQB-Certified USPAP Instructor. He was named the “Educator of the Year” by North Carolina Real Estate Educators Association and was the first recipient of the prestigious “Larry Outlaw Excellence in Education Award” established by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. In addition to his work with McKissock Learning, Mel is an attorney in private practice with a focus on representing real estate appraisers and other professionals before their licensing boards.

Prior to working with McKissock, Mel owned and operated an appraisal and real estate school while practicing law. He has developed appraisal curriculum for countless appraisal and real estate continuing education classes and has represented hundreds of appraisers in legal proceedings. He also was the Executive Director of the North Carolina Appraisal Board and served as the Education and Examination Officer for the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. Mel has served as an appraisal subject matter expert in multiple roles to include: reviewing and revising appraisal examination questions for a national provider and contributing to “APB Valuation Advisory #6: Valuation of Green and High Performance Property: Background and Competency” by the Appraisal Foundation.

Mel has co-authored a book on teaching real estate topics and most recently was acknowledged as a contributor to the Real Estate Commission's "North Carolina Real Estate Manual 2011-2012 Edition" for revising the chapter on Real Estate Valuation

Mel has been elected or appointed to serve in a variety of state and national positions to include: President of the Association of Appraisal Regulatory Officials (AARO;) Board Member of the Council for Licensure Enforcement, and Regulation (CLEAR;) Member of The Appraisal Foundation Advisory Council (TAFAC;) and others. Currently, he serves as the Vice Chair of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. For his service to and representation of North Carolina, Mel has been honored with membership into the Order of the Longleaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest award presented by the Office of the Governor.

Michelle Czekalski Bradley

Michelle Czekalski Bradley is the granddaughter of Betty Czekalski, Czekalski Real Estate, Inc.’s founder, and serves as Chief Appraiser. She joined Czekalski Real Estate, Inc. after graduating from college, however she has been a part of the company for as long as she can remember, working alongside her parents, Janet and Wally Czekalski, for decades.

Michelle is an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor, and a real estate educator on a variety of real estate topics. She has authored continuing education courses which she has instructed for both appraisal and real estate licensees in many states. She also completes appraisal review assignments for a variety of clients.

She has recently been appointed as Chair of the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) by the Board of Trustees of the Appraisal Foundation. This national-based board is responsible for developing and amending the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), the generally accepted standards of the appraisal profession.

She has served as Pennsylvania's representative to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Real Property Valuation Committee and has also served on the Federal Financing and Housing Policy Committee, and actively lobbies for needed changes to the real estate profession. NAR has appointed Michelle as their representative to The Appraisal Foundation Advisory Council (TAFAC) where she was appointed to chair the Appraisal Standards Board Issues Committee in her first year. Through her involvement in NAR, she was selected to testify in the United States Congress, Veterans Affairs Committee, on behalf of NAR regarding appraisal issues.

Michelle has over 35 years’ experience in performing professional appraisal services for her clients. She works to build long-lasting relationships with every client through her willingness to answer questions and provide attention to detail.

Michelle achieved her Appraisal Certification and Associate Broker's license in her early 20's, and at the time, was one of the youngest in the state to do so. She currently holds a SRA Designation with the Appraisal Institute. Through the National Association of REALTORS® she holds multiple designations including the General Accredited Appraiser (GAA), Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI), Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA), At Home with Diversity (AHWD) and Commitment to Excellence C2EX. She holds a Certified Distance Education Instructor (CDEI) designation from the International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC).

An alumnus of Clarion University, Michelle graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, with a Real Estate major. She is also a graduate of Dale Carnegie Human Relations and Sales Advantage courses and has served as a Graduate Assistant multiple times. She is a graduate of Leadership Alle-Kiski Valley, where she was elected to the Board of Directors.

She has been named REALTOR® of the Year twice by the Greater Allegheny Kiski Area Board of REALTORS®, in 1999 and 2019, and she is also a member of the Butler Area Association of REALTORS®.

An active member of the region's civic and philanthropic communities, she has served as President, Secretary/Treasurer and State Director of the Greater Allegheny Kiski Area Board of REALTORS®, where she has also served on the Board of Directors multiple times. She has been elected to the Allegheny Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and has also served as President of the Chamber and on the Executive Committee. She is also a past President of the Allegheny Valley Business and Professional Women's Club.

Married for over 33 years to Dan Bradley, who is also a certified general appraiser, she enjoys spending her leisure time with her husband and their three “tuxedo” cats, Tony, Vinny and Louie, as well as her many nieces and nephews.

FUN FACT:

In 1984, while in high school, Michelle was a foreign exchange student to Bogota, Colombia, South America. From that time, she has had a deep sense of national pride that continues to guide her in her daily life. In 2019, she traveled back to Bogota to visit her host family. The cultural experience at such an early age sparked a desire to travel and experience other cultures. She has traveled to many places with her best friend, who was also a foreign exchange student.

John S. Brenan

John Brenan, FRICS, MNAA, REALTOR®, Chief Appraiser, Clear Capital joined Clear Capital as Chief Appraiser in April 2020. In this role, John serves as a primary source to guide the vision of valuation policy for the company, leveraging his many years of experience and reputation in the profession. John also serves as a primary contact for public relations and media opportunities.

Prior to joining Clear Capital, John served as Vice President, Appraisal Issues for The Appraisal Foundation from 2003 to 2020. John was the Foundation’s senior staff contact regarding the work of the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) and Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB). Additionally, John had primary responsibility for writing articles, conducting webinars, and public speaking events.

Prior to his role at the Foundation, John spent 8½ years as the Chief of Licensing and Enforcement for the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers (now BREA). In that role, John administered the largest real estate appraiser licensing program in the United States, evaluating applicants for compliance with both federal and state requirements. John was also responsible for California’s enforcement program; educating and/or disciplining licensees who violated law, regulations or USPAP. John worked with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies regarding cases involving fraud.

John has been in the appraisal profession since the early 1980s. Prior to joining OREA in February 1995, he worked as a staff appraiser and fee appraiser for several large financial institutions, appraising both residential and non-residential real estate covering a wide variety of property types. He also previously managed an appraisal department for a major financial institution. John is a Certified General appraiser, AQB Certified USPAP Instructor, REALTOR®, Member of the National Association of Appraisers, and Fellow with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. John holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach.

Craig Capilla

Craig Capilla is a trial lawyer, defending individuals and businesses in a wide range of civil matters, including professional liability and commercial litigation. He has effectively defended numerous residential and commercial appraisers and appraisal firms accused of negligence or improper activity in their valuation services, a chiropractic group accused of malpractice, and successfully litigated employment disputes related to discrimination claims, restrictive covenants, and unemployment hearings. Craig has also represented numerous licensed professionals in state licensing matters, including real estate brokers, real estate appraisers, appraisal management companies, mortgage brokers, nursing home administrators, and medical doctors.

Craig developed his skills as a trial lawyer while working as a staff prosecutor for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, where he learned and effectively applied the rules of evidence where he tried more than 60 cases while also bringing a high volume of cases to settlement prior to trial. Additionally, Craig has drafted contracts, business agreements, and advised on corporate governance and formation for various small and medium-sized businesses while also consulting for both companies and individuals on regulatory and compliance matters.

Craig has advocated for his clients in various state and federal civil litigation matters and administrative hearings before regulatory agencies including: Qui tam defense, civil RICO matters, professional malpractice, construction defect litigation, breach of contract, breach of warranty, mechanics' liens, general tort liability, homeowners' association and landlord/tenant disputes, and professional licensing. He is authorized to practice in the states of Illinois and Wisconsin, The United States District Courts, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Wisconsin, Northern District of Indiana, Western District of Michigan, and before the United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.

John Dingeman, MNAA

John is the Chief Appraiser for Class Valuation. A Certified Residential Appraiser in 11 states, a Registered Property Tax Agent in Arizona, and a Qualifying and Continuing Education Instructor for multiple course providers. Dingeman is the Past President of the National Association of Appraisers and the Coalition of Arizona Appraisers. He has also served on several boards, including the Arizona Board of Manufactured Housing, Phoenix Village Planning Committee, Homeowners Association and a charitable organization supporting foster children in Arizona called Arizona Helping Hands.

Laurie Egan

Laurie is a third generation appraiser having begun her appraisal career working with her father and grandfather in the Pacific Northwest. She founded her Portland-based appraisal firm, Team Appraisals, in 1988. In 2011, she entered the collateral risk/regulatory compliance world and currently serves as Director of Compliance for Oregon-based Pacific Residential Mortgage.

Laurie presently serves on the Board of Directors as Association Manager of the National Association of Appraisers and Chair of the Government Affairs Committee. As an avid supporter of the appraisal profession and her appraiser peers, she serves on multiple industry committees and has been an active speaker and participant in the legislative/rule making process for appraisal topics across the country.

Jeff Hogan

Jeff Hogan has over 30 years of experience as a state-certified real estate appraiser. Jeff is the principal expert for all matters related to residential property appraisals and valuation solutions at Veros. This includes the development and enhancement of automated appraisal-scoring tools and analytic products. His responsibilities also include reviewing and analyzing real estate property valuation data and evaluating product performance, including rules modifications.

Jeff was a panel speaker at the National Mortgage Bankers Conference in Nashville, as well as, a guest speaker at the National Appraisal Roundtable discussing how technology can be used to help limit potential appraisal bias and the need to add diversity to the profession. Jeff is also a member of the Appraisal Foundation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee and the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) taskforce.

Before joining Veros, Jeff was the senior review appraiser for the Banc of California. He has held appraisal leadership roles in various large financial institutions including Bank of America and Citigroup. He holds a bachelor's degree from Cal State Fullerton University and an MBA from the University of Redlands. Jeff also holds the SRA and AI-RRS designation with the Appraisal Institute.

James Heaslet

Serving as the Chief Appraiser for the Veteran’s Administration’s (VA) Loan Guaranty Service since August 2018, he is responsible for developing and overseeing policies and regulations for the VA Construction and Valuation department.

As an owner of his own private appraisal firm, he was an active member of the VA Appraiser panel for over 7 years. He is a full spectrum residential appraiser that ranges from; trophy properties, vacant land, rural locations and expert witness assignments. James is both Level I and II appraisal investigator trained by The Appraisal Foundation along with an Associate member of the Certified Fraud Examiners Association. He was appointed by the Governor of Arizona to serve on the State Board of Appraisals for two terms. Over the six years appointed to the board, he served as Vice chairman of the board, Chairman of application and personnel.

James holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) form the University of Arizona. Has retired from the United States Marine Corps with over 20 years of service. Of the many awards received his highest awarded medal is the Meritorious Service Medal and a combat action award for numerous engagements in Iraq. As a retired Gunnery Sergeant, he is often referred to as “Gunny”.

James is passionate about serving not only his county, but all fellow veterans and his community and has actively volunteered for the past umpteen years as a Scout Master for Boy Scout Troop 99 in Litchfield park Arizona where his wife and two kids still reside for the time being. James is married to Jody Heaslet and has two children.

Kevin Hecht

Kevin is a Certified Real Estate Appraiser in Missouri. He began his appraisal career in 1987 and has appraised various types of residential properties. He has worked as an Independent Fee Appraiser as well as a staff appraiser, District Manager, and Regional Manager for Bank of America and CoreLogic.

Kevin earned his Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Master of Business Administration from Fontbonne University, and Master's in Economics from the University of Detroit Mercy. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy Economics. Kevin is also an AQB Certified USPAP instructor and an IDECC Certified Distance Education Instructor.

In addition to real estate appraisal, Kevin has a passion for Economics and is a faculty member at several Colleges and Universities. He is a member of the American Economic Association and The American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association.

Tinna Morlatt

Tinna Morlatt is an accomplished appraiser regulator with more than 12 years of experience with the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. Tinna’s enthusiasm for professionalism and protection of the public trust in the appraisal industry is evident in the commitment and passion she exhibits in her role with the Bureau. As a Supervising Property Appraiser/Investigator she has comprehensive knowledge of the state and federal regulations of licensed appraisers and appraisal management companies (AMC). Prior to accepting the role of Supervising Property Appraiser/Investigator Tinna was a lead investigator responsible for the timely and accurate initial assessment of all residential complaints. Tinna investigated the most sensitive and complex complaints against licensed appraisers and AMCs by identifying problem areas in appraisal practices and violations of USPAP and California laws and regulations. Tinna has investigated and resolved hundreds of cases for the Bureau.

Prior to joining the Bureau, Tinna worked in both the private and public sector providing residential appraisals and appraisal reviews. Tinna was an appointed member of the Board of Directors of the Real Estate Appraiser’s Association and was a co-creator of the Appraisal Show, a weekly vlog designed and created to educate and motivate professionalism in the industry by informing working appraisers about changes to the industry via legislation, regulation, compliance and industry news.

Ryan Lundquist

Ryan Lundquist is a certified residential appraiser and housing market analyst in the Sacramento area. Ryan runs the Sacramento Appraisal Blog, which is a top-ranking appraisal blog in the United States. He has been quoted in local and national publications and has been involved with local real estate associations for more than a decade. Ryan is a member of the Real Estate Appraisers Association of Sacramento. His clients include homeowners, real estate agents, CPAs, and attorneys. In his spare time, Ryan does woodworking. He also loves to walk.

Brian Melsheimer

Brian Melsheimer is a Certified Residential Appraiser who specializes in appraising properties that were damaged by wildfire. Brian began as an appraisal trainee in 2003, becoming licensed in 2005. His passion and knack for the business grew and he worked his way to a Certified Residential Appraisal License in 2006. He became FHA Certified in 2008 and obtained a coveted position on the VA Appraisal panel in 2016. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, Brian started his own appraisal firm, Sierra Nevada Appraisal Group. Brian returned to his roots to assist clients in the complex areas of the California foothills. His knowledge ranges from complex rural properties to gold rush-era Victorians and everything in between. Brian is a candidate for the SRA designation by the Appraisal Institute. He is also a member of the Real Estate Appraisers Association and the National Association of Appraisers. When he's not appraising, Brian enjoys backpacking, hiking, woodworking, and spending time with his family and golden retriever, Pliny.

Craig Morley, MNAA

Craig Morley is a Certified General appraiser licensed in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. His professional associations include: National Association of Appraisers (NAA), National Association of Realtors (NAR), Coalition of Appraisers of Nevada (CAN), and Utah Association of Appraisers (UAA). With designations from NAA and NAR.

Craig was appointed to the Utah Appraiser Licensing and Appraisal Board by the Governor of Utah in 2004 to 2012, having chaired the board for 4 of those years. Craig is the past president of the Washington County Board of Realtors, past Vice President of the Utah Association of Realtors, he is also a past president of the National Association of Appraisers. He is also currently serving in the NAR Real Property Valuation Committee (Past chair). Craig is a licensed education instructor for Real Estate and Appraisal.

Craig has been a full-time real estate appraiser since 1984, with his appraisal experience in appraising most types of commercial property, residential property, easements, water rights. He also has experience in litigation valuation together with residential and commercial development. Craig has been qualified as an expert witness in district court in Utah and Nevada as well as providing testimony in Georgia, US District court and federal bankruptcy courts.

In 2020, Craig has been appointed by the Board of Trustees of the Appraisal Foundation to serve on the Appraisal Standards Board. This is a 3-year commitment.

Jim Park

Since March 2009, Jim has served as the executive director of the Appraisal Subcommittee. He is the senior staff person responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Agency including: development and implementation of ASC policies, program and budget oversight, and development of recommendations for the ASC members. Jim also represents the ASC before state and federal regulatory and legislative officials, and various appraisal industry groups.

Jim started his appraisal career in 1986 performing both residential and commercial appraisals. Since that time, he has held various senior level positions within the appraisal, mortgage lending and banking industries.

Jim is a Certified General Appraiser in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Isaac Peck

Isaac Peck is the Publisher of Working RE magazine and the President of OREP, a leading provider of E&O insurance for real estate appraisers—trusted by over 10,000 appraisers nationwide. Peck has dedicated his entire career to serving real estate appraisers with the latest news, information, and risk management and liability advice. In his 12th year at OREP, Peck has extensive experience advising appraisers on risk management, liability, state board complaints, and claims. Peck is a licensed insurance broker in 49 states and holds a Master’s Degree in Accounting.

Lyle Radke

Lyle Radke is Senior Director of Fannie Mae’s Collateral Policy team, which establishes and maintains policy standards for appraisals and property eligibility. Shortly after receiving a master’s degree in Geology from Brigham Young University, Lyle began his career in real estate valuation in New Mexico. After nearly nine years of appraisal field work, he joined the Valuation Department of GMAC Mortgage, becoming manager in 2007. In that role, he hired and trained a large valuation review team from the ground up, as well as supervised the creation of one of the first XML appraisal delivery platforms. Looking for a new challenge in 2013, he joined Fannie Mae to work on Collateral Underwriter and other collateral policy initiatives.

Scott Reuter

Scott Reuter is the Chief Appraiser and Director of Valuation for the Single-Family Division. His team leads the ongoing development and refinement of property valuation risk management strategies, underwriting products, and establishing and maintaining a credible quality assurance process across multiple lines of business support.

Mr. Reuter and his team also interact with both Sellers/clients and stakeholders across the appraisal industry to reinforce Freddie Mac’s quality standards.

He is a state certified-general appraiser with over 35 years of experience in valuation, appraisal and collateral risk management concerns. Prior to Freddie Mac, he held management positions with Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and GE. He recently was recognized as the CRN (Collateral Risk Network) “2021 Valuation Visionary” and was a recipient of GE’s prestigious “Americas Award” for Outstanding Contribution to the Business.

Mr. Reuter holds a B.A. from The Ohio State University and has completed the executive leadership program at Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business.

Freddie Mac provides liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today, Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. For more information, please visit www.FreddieMac.com and follow us on Twitter @FreddieMac.

Bryan Reynolds, MNAA

Bryan S. Reynolds, MNAA, CDEI is a certified appraiser with thirty years of experience in real property appraising and mortgage banking. He is an investigator, author, instructor and nationally featured speaker in the appraisal field. He is certified as an AQB USPAP Instructor, Registered Agent with the TN State Board of Equalization and FHA Fee Appraiser. Bryan is also recognized as an expert witness qualified by various courts. His articles have been published in the Appraisal Buzz, Working Real Estate Magazine, and USA Lawyer Guide. He has also published several books including Fannie Mae CU & You, Navigating FHA, and Appraiser’s Guide to Covering Your Assets. Bryan is a contributing author to REO Appraising and Appraising in a Depressed Market. Bryan owns Reynolds and Associates, Reynolds Appraisal Service, Fine Point Valuations and he is a founding partner in Appraiser e-Learning. His on-line classes can be located at Appraiser e-Learning.com. Bryan is the President of the National Association of Appraisers.

Craig Steinley

Craig Steinley, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, AI-RRS, is the 2023 President of the Appraisal Institute. Steinley will serve as Immediate Past President and Chair of the National Nominating Committee in 2024. He is the principal of Steinley Real Estate Appraisals and Consulting in Rapid City, SD.

Steinley's previous national service includes six years on the Appraisal Institute Board of Directors as a representative from Region II, both as its vice chair and chair. He served on the Audit Committee, including as chair and vice chair; on the Strategic Planning Committee; on the Professional Liability Insurance Program Committee; on the Governance Structure Project Team; and on the Professional Standards and Guidance Committee. He was the national Vice President in 2021 and President Elect in 2022. He also has served as President of the Wyoming and Western South Dakota Chapter in 2012 and 2013. Steinley is an education developer and instructor for the Appraisal Institute and is also an AQB-Certified USPAP Instructor. He currently serves on AI’s Executive Committee and the policy-setting Board of Directors.

In addition, Craig has long been active nationally in the Association of Appraiser Regulatory Officials (AARO) and has served on its Education, Investigator, Program, Policy and Planning, and Executive Committees. He was elected as an AARO officer in 2015, leading to service as the organization’s national President in 2018. Craig continues to serve on AARO’s Education Committee and on the Regulator Training Course and the Case Studies for Investigators development teams.

Heather Sullivan, MNAA

Heather Sullivan is a Certified Residential Appraiser and serves as Head of Operations Training Programs at Aloft. In this role, she leads various educational programs committed to developing the next generation of appraisers and upskilling the current appraiser workforce. Heather is also an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor.

Martin J. Wagar, MNAA

From 1974 through present, Martin J. Wagar has been actively engaged in appraising Real Property. Mr. Wagar holds State Certified Residential appraisal licenses in the states of Michigan and Florida along with a Michigan real estate broker's license.

His professional designations include a Senior Designation (IFA-S) through the National Association of Independent Fee Appraisers (a member of the Appraisal Foundation); MNAA through the National Association of Appraisers; ASA, through the American Society of Appraisers and RAA designation through the National Association of REALTORS along with Realtor Emeritus status through NAR as well. His real estate appraisal experience began in 1975 and has devoted his career exclusively to real estate appraisal, consulting and participation in oversight and regulation committees on a national level.

In 1999, Mr. Wagar created and operated Midwest Appraisal Management Group building a compliant distribution system within an Appraisal Management team operating in 14 States. The Michigan Association of Realtors partnered with Midwest Appraisal Management Group appointing Mr. Wagar as Chief Operating Officer from 2010 through 2013.

In 2014, he was instrumental in bringing the appraisal division for AmeriFirst Financial "in-house" while remaining compliant with Dodd Frank. He was past director of appraisal distribution and delivery (Chief Appraiser) for AmeriFirst Financial Corporation and was responsible for the appraisal department's appraisal operation in 14 States in 2013 and 2015. Duties included: creating and carrying out policies that were compliant with Dodd Frank and GSE regulations as they apply to real estate valuation and collateral assessments for all mortgaged properties as well as overseeing compliant and credible values and operations.

Mr. Wagar remains active in national committees and sub-committees through the National Association of Realtors AND THE National Association of Appraisers. They include Federal Housing Finance, Conventional Housing Finance and Real Property Valuation and Professional Conduct (NAA). Through these committees, Mr. Wagar has met directly with the governing bodies of Dodd Frank and all GSE's aiding in forming their policies. In 2017 he was appointed to the State Appraisal Board of Michigan for a 3-year term ending 2019.

Affiliations include the Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors; the Michigan Association of Realtors; National Association of Realtors; American Society of Appraisers and the National Association of Appraisers. He was voted Greater Kalamazoo Association's Realtor of the Year in 1999/2000; was elected to the Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors Board of Directors for a total of 9 terms and president in 2004.

In 2021/2022 he was honored with Appraiser of the year by the National Association of Appraisers

Mr. Wagar is also active in providing State approved real estate and appraisal continuing education and licensing classes for both Real Estate appraisers and Real Estate sales agents/brokers. He is an active instructor through Northern Michigan University, the National Association of Realtors, and the Wisconsin Association of Realtors; on the advisory board for a McKissock Schools, a national institution providing continuing education for real estate appraisers.

Joshua Walitt, MNAA

Joshua Walitt, MNAA is the principal consultant for Walitt Solutions. He provides short- and long-term consulting services related to compliance, valuation, education, review, and investigations. Clients include lending institutions, appraisers, appraisal management companies, attorneys, accountants, education providers, regulators, and others.

With over 20 years of experience, Walitt’s skillset includes appraisal, banking, regulations, policy, training, licensing, audit, and enforcement. His core goal is to foster clients’ efficiency, accuracy, compliance, and growth through appropriate methodology and technology, sound reasoning and communication skills, and proper oversight.

He writes for industry publications and speaks at events such as the Appraisal Institute’s Annual Conference, Appraisal Summit, Valuation Expo, Appraiser’s Conference and Trade Show, Association of Appraiser Regulatory Officials, and other client and industry conferences. Walitt designs seminars and continuing education courses for online and classroom delivery.

In 2013, he was the appraiser member of Colorado’s AMC Rulemaking Taskforce. In 2015, Walitt designed the Market Machine, a market analysis and modeling tool used by appraisers throughout the U.S. He has also provided valuation consulting for international applications. Walitt has been recognized as an expert witness in local and federal court.

Walitt holds the SRA & AI-RRS designations with the Appraisal Institute, is the Vice President of the National Association of Appraisers (MNAA), holds a Certified Distance Education Instructor (CDEI) certificate, is an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor, is an Appraisal Institute approved instructor, and served on the Colorado Board of Real Estate Appraisers.

Craig Morley, MNAA

In 2020, Craig has been appointed by the Board of Trustees of the Appraisal Foundation to serve on the Appraisal Standards Board. This is a 3-year commitment.