Invited Speakers
In 1990, the former Society of Real Estate Appraisers awarded him the SRPA designation. In 1997, the Appraisal Institute awarded him the MAI designation. In 2002, he qualified to be a USPAP instructor. He still teaches both the 7-hour update and 15-hour qualifying classes to both real property and personal property appraisers. His formal education consists of a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, as well as a Master of Science degree, specifically in real estate appraisal, from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Tim is a member of the National Association of Appraisers Board of Directors. Teaching, writing, and consulting with his fellow appraisers are what he loves to do. He started teaching the sales persons and brokerage classes in the mid 80s at the local community college, then taught basic appraisal classes when it offered those programs. He has taught for the Appraisal Institute, the National Association of Master Appraisers, the National Association of Appraisers, National Aircraft Appraisers Association, the Association of Texas Appraisers, the State of Arkansas, the State of Oklahoma, the Wisconsin Realtors® Association, the Columbia Institute, as well as numerous proprietary schools. In addition to teaching, he has also written numerous articles on various facets of real estate appraisal, two books (with another in the works), as well as numerous classes and seminars on various real estate appraisal-related topics. Tim and his wife Debbie live in Florida, with their three children and their four grandchildren close by.James Baumberger, MNAA, is CEO and part-owner of First Choice Appraisal Management (FCAM), operating an ethical cost-plus business model in CA, ID, NV, OR, and WA. 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 30 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. 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 Realtor’s Appraisal Subcommittee (OAR). Jim is also President of the Oregon Coalition of Real Estate Appraisers (COREA). With his compliance knowledge, appraisal and real estate expertise, and lending experience, Jim is an experienced instructor and knowledgeable speaker.
As a Continuing Education Provider and author, she has personally developed over 27 continuing education courses for real property appraisers, tax assessors, lenders, underwriters, REALTORS, etc. She has developed, coordinated, and presented course studies that align with current and prospective licensing issues as presented by the Mississippi and Louisiana State Licensing Boards, as well as, the Standards Board. Melissa has served on various Boards and Committees at the local and state levels for REALTOR and appraiser organizations, associations, and coalitions. Through training opportunities, Melissa has been highly successful in opening and maintaining lines of communication between the REALTOR and appraiser professions. Serving as an appraiser advocate for licensees, Melissa has assisted numerous appraisers in successfully defending themselves when faced with a consumer complaint before his/her licensing board. ![]() Jeff Bradford is the founder and CEO of Bradford Technologies, the leader in the new field of Computer-Aided Appraising. He has over 26 years of experience providing appraisers with innovative software solutions and is a nationally recognized expert in computer technology and analytics. His company introduced the industry to statistically supported appraisals and a superior reporting format–the Collateral Valuation Report. Today, he is focused on expanding opportunities for appraisers in the valuation space. His company introduced the industry to Computer-Aided Appraising technology which eliminates many of the manual, tedious tasks traditionally performed by an appraiser. Today, Mr. Bradford is focused on harnessing the power of Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence to expand the appraiser’s opportunities and support their valuations. Prior to founding Bradford Technologies, Mr. Bradford worked at companies such as Apple Computer, Structural Dynamics Research and FMC Central Engineering Labs. He holds three masters degrees. One in Engineering Mechanics, Computer Science and an MBA. The Collateral Risk Network, which is made up of the leading lenders and chief appraisers across the country, awarded Jeff Bradford, CEO of Bradford Technologies the prestigious Valuation Visionary award for 2014. In 2015, he was recognized by the Mortgage Bankers Association as a Tech All Star for his work in introducing appraisers to the concept of Computer-Aided Appraising.
Steve Brenner is a Certified Residential Appraiser and AQB Certified USPAP Instructor in Mississippi. He holds a master’s degree in Business from William Carey College and is a 20-year US Air Force Veteran. Steve began appraising along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in December 1997 and became a Certified Residential Appraiser in December 1999. In 2007 he became an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor and over the years has also been approved to teach the Basic Appraisers Qualification Course as well as developing, writing and teaching several continuing education courses. He is frequently invited to speak at local realty offices as well as his local MLS office to help realtors better understand appraisers and the appraisal process. He is also a founding and current board member of the Mississippi Coalition of Appraisers (MSCAPP) Steve and his wife Lise live in Biloxi; they have one daughter and three fantastic grandchildren.
Additionally, John serves or has served in the community as Board Member to the Arizona Office of Manufactured Housing, Past-President of his homeowner’s association, village planning committee, stakeholder committee for a freeway project, and Past-President of a charitable organization called Arizona Helping Hands. Dingeman has assisted in the development of continuing education course materials approved by the Arizona and California and has instructed appraisal, assessor, mortgage loan origination, and real estate sales classes.
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stories. I help journalists find facts. I'm a story teller. ![]() Whether the client is an individual in need of personal counsel or an entrepreneur working to ensure sound legal footing for growing or defending their business, each client is looking for experience and wisdom. William offers both.A native of Jackson, Mississippi and alumni of Millsaps College, William earned his J.D. from Georgia State University. He provides counsel for a wide range of clients including regulatory agencies, health professionals and organizations, and numerous corporate entities and labor associations. His practice areas include general civil litigation, regulatory enforcement and compliance, and labor and employment matters for both employers and individuals. William is driven by a deep internal need for justice and is a tireless advocate for the rights of disabled citizens whose needs and interests are often overlooked.When he’s not working, William loves being outdoors. He enjoys fishing with his friends, traveling, and music of all kinds. | ![]()
Amelia originates from Southaven, Mississippi. She holds an Executive MBA and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Memphis with an emphasis in real estate and finance. Having obtained both her broker and appraiser’s licenses in the nineties, she is the principal broker of her firm and a certified appraiser in both Mississippi and Tennessee. In addition, she performs many other functions including expert witness testimony, state board investigatory duties, compliance reviews for a number of entities, and is an investment consultant. Heavily involved in all aspects of real estate, she has served as the local Realtor board president, the president of the Realtor Services Association of the Northwest Mississippi Association of Realtors, as an advisory member to the Memphis Association of Realtors, Appraiser Association of Regulatory Officials board and education team member. She served on the Legislative Affairs Committee for the Mississippi Association of Realtors as well as the National Association of Realtors Appraisal Committee. She also serves as a board member for the Bouchillon Institute of Community Planning. Ms. Lovorn travels throughout the country instructing appraisal/real estate continuing education, pre-licensing courses, bar association court preparation classes, and USPAP consulting for the Justice Department over the past 15+ years. She is an Appraisal Qualification Board Certified USPAP instructor since 2004.
Craig was on the Utah Appraiser Licensing and Certification board for 8 years and is the past present of the Utah Association of Appraisers, Washington County Board of Realtors, Vice President of the Utah Association of Realtors and is currently the Vice President of the National Association of Appraisers and the Vice Chair of the NAR Real Property Valuation Committee and serving on the NAR Commercial committed. During his career Jim has held executive management and leadership roles within the mortgage banking and appraisal industries. Jim holds a B.A. in organizational communications from the University of Colorado and a certified general appraisal license in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Mr. Praytor became licensed as a Real Estate Broker in 1972 and a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser in 1991. He was the President of a real estate brokerage and appraisal firm from 1974 until 1998. He was elected as the first "President-Elect" of the of the Mississippi Association of Realtors® (MAR) in 1984, became President of MAR in 1985, was the "Region 5" Regional Vice-President of the National Association of Realtors® in 1990, Chairman of the National Association of Realtors® Education Committee in 1991, is a past Realtor® of the Year for the MAR, is a member of the MAR Realtor® Hall of Fame and is a member of Omega Tau Rho, a national honorary society for distinguished service to the real estate profession. He served from 1992 until 1998 as a member of the MS Appraisal Board, with two of those years being chairman. He was one of the original directors of the Association of Appraisal Regulatory Officials (AARO) and served as a Regional Vice-President for the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) in both 2010 and 2011. He is married to Lynette Magee-Praytor, a licensed real estate broker and the Vice-President and General Manager for Crye-Leike Realtors® in the state of Mississippi. He has a son, a step-son, a daughter and a son-in-law who are all certified real estate appraisers. Jared Preisler, MNAA has been in the Appraisal Industry for 20+ years as an independent fee appraiser. He joined the DataMaster team in 2016 as their Chief Appraiser and Director of Product Development. Jared maintains a pulse on the appraisal industry by teaching, continuing as an independent fee appraiser and training new appraisers. He earned his SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute in 2011 and in 2014 became a certified instructor for the Appraisal Institute. He serves as the Government Relations Chair for the Utah Chapter. He has served as a board of trustee member and Vice President of the Utah Association of Appraisers since 2010 (UAA). Jared has developed several CE courses for the real estate profession in his capacity with UAA and as a board member of the Utah Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. Prior to becoming an appraiser Jared earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Weber State University. Jared owned a remodeling and construction company and home inspection company. He also owned and managed 64 rental properties, sold plastic injection molding and managed a truck rental company. He and his wife Lisa have 4 children, the oldest Taylor is recently married and attends BYU as a pre-Med student. Ashley is recently returned from serving a fulltime mission for the LDS Church in Seoul Korea and is now a Junior at Southern Virginia University and part of their Women Soccer team, Bostin is a freshman at Southern Virginia University and a Goalie for their Men’s Lacrosse Team. Their youngest MyKenzie is in the 9th grade at North Ogden Jr High. Jared is passionate about real estate; he loves watching his kids play sports, traveling with Lisa, and golfing.
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Mr. Stephens professional credentials include Certified General Appraiser, SRA Designation from the Appraisal Institute, AQB Certified USPAP Instructor through The Appraisal Foundation, CDEI certified distance education instructor through the International Distance Education Certification Center. For over twenty years he has been providing qualifying and continuing education seminars around the country through his seminar company, Appraisal Seminars, the Appraisal Institute and several colleges. For over thirty years, Mr. Stephens has also been involved in national appraisal organization leadership- most recently as the 2013 President of the North Texas Chapter of the Appraisal Institute and prior board and officer positions with the Society of Real Estate Appraisers, the American Society of Appraisers. He is a frequent speaker at national conferences for professional organizations around the country and was voted the Collateral Risk Network 2013 Valuation Visionary for life-long contributions to the industry. In 2014 he developed a 7 Hour on-line review course that was approved by The Appraisal Foundation Appraiser Qualifications Board. Current industry advisory positions include Chair, Government and Legislative Affairs, National Appraisal Congress, Vice Chair, Government Affairs Council, Collateral Risk Network and committee member, National Association of Appraisers, Government Relations Committee and a member of the board of directors. In September 2011 Mr. Stephens joined Metro-West Appraisal Co. LLC as Senior Vice President, Appraisal Operations and Compliance and in December 2013 was promoted to Chief Appraiser, SVP Compliance where his responsibilities include corporate policies and procedures, federal and state appraisal regulatory compliance, national staff.
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 and Expo, 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 a member 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. |