Executive Leadership
Philip Welch, Founder & Chairman
Philip Welch is a founder of Somerset Partners and Director of
Multi-family operations. He has over 20 years of experience in
commercial real estate and is involved in all acquisition, debt +
equity financing and capital market activities for the firm. Prior
to founding SP, Mr. Welch was Vice President in the Princeton (NJ)
office of LCOR and an Associate in real estate finance at
Donaldson, Lufkin + Jenrette. Mr. Welch is a benefactor of numerous
charities including: American Red Cross, YMCA and The Count Basie
Theater in Red Bank, NJ. Mr. Welch holds a B.S. Degree from the
University of Colorado and an MBA from the Wharton School.
Matt Skvarla, President & CEO
Matt Skvarla is President & CEO of Somerset Apartment
Management. Mr. Skvarla has been with SAM since its
inception in 2009. Prior to joining SAM, Mr. Skvarla founded
Magnolia Capital Partners in 2005 to acquire multi-family assets
through a syndication model. Since 2005, Mr. Skvarla has been
involved in the acquisition, rehabilitation and disposition of more
than $650 million of multi-family assets. Matt’s real
estate career dates from 2002 when he served as an Acquisition
Associate of Sovereign Investment Company, LLC – a $750 million
real estate arbitrage fund and the acquisitions arm for Marcus &
Millichap. At Sovereign, Mr. Skvarla participated in the
acquisition and disposition of over $400 million in real estate
assets. Mr. Skvarla started his career with Ernst & Young,
LLC in their New York, NY headquarters where he worked within the
financial services group, focused on providing advisory and
assurance services to banks, insurance companies and hedge
funds. Mr. Skvarla holds a MS in Accountancy from Rhodes
College and a BA in Business Administration from Rhodes College,
where he was a member of the golf team.
Miki Eide, Chief Financial Officer
Kathy Devaney, Senior Vice President
Kathy’s career in the multifamily industry spans over three
decades. During that time she has been a part of several
national companies including Trammell
Crow Residential and
Bell Partners, where
she served as
a Vice President. Kathy also held the position of Senior Vice
President at JMG Realty. Over the course of her career, Kathy
has had portfolios of assets up to 10,000 units spanning 17 states.
She has held broker licenses in numerous
states and holds
a B.S. degree from the University of Kansas.
Jud Towner, Senior Vice President
Jud Towner, joined Somerset Apartment Management in 2009 as Senior
Vice President. Mr. Towner’s responsibilities include the
oversight of the daily operations for the Somerset portfolio.
Prior to joining SAM, Mr. Towner was the CEO of Towner Property
Services, which provided asset management, construction
supervision, condominium conversion and operation oversight to
owners and developers of multi-housing projects. From 1989 to 2004,
Mr. Towner was employed by LEDIC Management Group. Mr. Towner
was LEDIC’s Senior Vice President of Operations. Mr. Towner’s
responsibilities at LEDIC included complete profit and loss
responsibility for a diverse portfolio of fee managed multifamily
apartment communities and Home Owner Associations. This
portfolio included up to 20,000 units ranging from new construction
to distressed properties requiring extensive renovation. Mr.
Towner was the direct supervisor of up to 15 staff members
including District Property Managers, Construction Managers, and
Administrative Staff. From 1986-1989, Mr. Towner was the
Director of Property Management for Cooper Companies based in
Memphis, TN. Mr. Towner holds a BA in Agricultural Business
from the University of Tennessee.
Brennan Trezevant Chapman, Vice President
Brennan Trezevant Chapman oversees daily property operations,
ranging from leasing activities to capital improvements.
Brennan started her career with Trezevant Realty Corporation as an
Affiliate Broker focusing on both property management and leasing
of office and retail properties. Prior to joining SAM, Mrs.
Chapman worked in the multi-family housing industry with Merion
Realty Management prior to joining SAM in 2011. Brennan
earned a BA in Accounting from the University of Alabama and an MBA
from the University of Mississippi. Brennan currently holds
an affiliate broker license in Tennessee and is a CPM
candidate.
Alex Congdon, Vice President
Alex Congdon joined Somerset Apartment Management in 2017 after 12
years with Simpson Property Group, where he managed luxury lease-up
and value-add assets in the Charlotte, North Carolina region.
Currently, he is charged with oversight of day to day operations
and performance of 6 communities as well as their capital
improvements. Alex graduated Appalachian State University in 2004
with a B.S. in Political Science. He holds a North Carolina Real
Estate Brokers License and is CAM certified with the National
Apartment Association.
Jonathan Price, Vice President
Jonathan Price is a Vice President with Somerset Apartment
Management. In addition to the oversight of day-to-day property
operations, Jonathan is responsible for Capital Projects and
acquisition due diligence. Prior to joining SAM, Jonathan Price was
an Associate with The Woodmont Company based in Fort Worth, Texas.
Jonathan was responsible for various aspects of managing the
company’s existing real estate portfolio, ranging from marketing,
capital improvements and leasing. Prior to joining The Woodmont
Company, Jonathan was a marketing executive with Hicks Sports
Marketing group based in Dallas, Texas. HSMG owned and managed The
Texas Rangers MLB team and the NHL’s Dallas Stars hockey team.
Jonathan was responsible for season ticket sales and advertising
sales for the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars. Mr. Price is a
graduate of The University of Oklahoma, with a major in Art’s &
Science where he was a member of the Presidents Leadership Class
and the University of Oklahoma Polo Team.
Nan Westbrook, Vice President
Nan joined Somerset in 2016 with over 29 years of experience in the
multifamily industry. Previously, Nan has been a part of
several national companies including Trammell Crow Residential,
Equity Residential and Bell Partners where she served as a Regional
Manager. Prior to Somerset, Nan was responsible for
management within several states including Arkansas, North
Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. She is actively involved
with the Apartment Association and is currently serving as
President of the St. Louis chapter. Nan earned a B.S. degree
in Education from the University of Kansas.
Brittany Watson, Director of Human Resources
Brittany Watson joined the Somerset team in March of 2017, where
she serves as the Director of Human Resources. Prior to
working for SAM, Mrs. Watson was in the nuclear industry for nearly
10 years supporting Atkins (formerly Nuclear Safety
Associates). There she built the HR department from the
ground up, developing the HR roles and functions for joint
ventures, acquisitions, and mergers. When NSA was purchased
by Atkins in late 2014, she moved into an integration role to
support the ongoing needs of the acquisition. Mrs. Watson
holds a BA in Criminal Justice from East Tennessee State University
and has earned and maintained her Professional in Human Resources
certification and Society of Human Resources Certified Professional
designation.