Joe Yaron
Director of Field Operations

Joe Yaron, Director of Field Operations joined WAA as a Field Inspector for both national and international markets. His responsibilities include: site inspections, BPO’s, feasibility studies and market analyses. He has a profound understanding of the intricacies in the commodities industry through working with industry leaders of precious metals, diamonds, petroleum, scrap metals, etc. Joe was an Associate for a large private equity group based in New York City where he assisted in analyzing client packages, such as: executive summaries, appraisals, proforma’s, etc., as well as developing new commercial loan relationships by interviewing loan applicants, that were in need of financing, private equity, or joint ventures. Previous to this, Joe held a position as an Account Specialist at David Lerner & Associates working with financial advisors to help introduce the concepts of REITS, Bonds, and CMO’s. He finished as one of the top three producers two consecutive years.

Jacob Steelman
Australia-Asia Region

Jacob Steelman, International Representative of WAA’s Australia-Asia Region, has over 40 years’ experience in analysing, evaluating, founding, developing and operating real estate projects and businesses as well as infrastructure and natural resource projects in Asia, Australia, North America, South America and Eastern Europe. As founder and VP/Managing Director of Williams International Company, a private global investment company, he was responsible for originating, analysing, developing and managing investments in energy, natural resources and infrastructure businesses. Prior to founding Williams International Mr Steelman worked with several Fortune 500 companies in which he had responsibility for due diligence review for large corporate acquisitions. Mr Steelman also served in various advisory capacities in international private equity funds. He is a Director and Partner of Fortun8-IVG Capital Partners, a company specialising in commercial real estate analysis, assessment and financing in Australia and Asia. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is licensed in finance by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. He is a member of the Mortgage Finance Association of Australia and holds a Diploma in Finance from the International Institute of Technology. Mr Steelman graduated from Grove City College with a BA in pre-law and economics and holds a JD degree from Baylor University as well as an Executive MBA from Duke University.

Prefessor Necati Sozuoz
Turkey – Europe Region

Prof. Necati Sozuoz, International Representative of WAA’s  Turkey-Europe Region was born and educated in Turkey and taught for 20 years at the University of Houston Texas; University of Nebraska in Lincoln; and various Turkish Universities. As a Professor of International Relations, he has over 25 years of expertise in the fields of international real estate and financing in Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Latvia. As in the past, Professor Sozuoz continues to serve as a consultant for Turkish, European and Middle Eastern Construction Companies for Real Estate Development and Financing while maintaining working relationshipsin Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia), Azerbaijan. Belarus, Poland, Albania, Romania. Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Hungary, Georgia, Slovakia, Sweden, Norway, Slovenia, Germany, Denmark and Holland. Professor Sozuoz has a Ph.D in International Relations from the University of Istanbul, Turkey.

Arvind Khanna
India Region

Arvind Khanna, International Representative of WAA’s India Region has over 25 years of experience in manufacturing, consulting and real estate finance and asset management in India. He currently heads Arkan ProIndia Pvt. Ltd., a company that provides Development & Asset Management Consulting Services for Facilitation and Management of Foreign Direct Investments into India to institutional investors, developers and owners in the Indian real estate market. Arvind was formerly CIO & Executive Director of Beekman Helix India Consulting. Prior to Beekman Helix he was the Chief Executive Officer of DLF Ltd., the largest Real Estate Development Company in India. At DLF he was responsible was for all commercial office projects overseeing design, development and marketing. Arvind led DLF’s expansion out of Gurgaon and successfully started developments in Chandigarh, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Noida and Bangalore. Prior to joining DLF, Arvind was CEO of Mahindra Knowledge Park (Mohali) Ltd., a group company of Mahindra & Mahindra. He also served as the Director of Cushman & Wakefield’s Northern & Eastern India regions as well as head of their Consulting Division. As the founding member of CB Richard Ellis in India, he was Director of Consulting and Valuation Services. He was also responsible for all aspects of CB Richard Ellis in South East Asia. Arvind has an under graduate degree in Economics from Delhi University and holds an MBA from Ohio University.

John B. Swift
Chief Appraiser

Jack serves as Chief Appraiser of WAA.  Mr. Swift is a principal member of Swift Professional Appraisals in Plainfield NJ. Mr. Swift further refined his appraisal skills and knowledge at New York University and the Appraisal Institute. He is a senior member of the Columbia Society of Appraisers, the New York State and National Association of Realtors and past President, Vice President, Trustee and Secretary of the 2000 member Brooklyn Board of Realtors. Swift Professional Appraisers, Ltd. He has appraised almost every type of real property imaginable including, but not limited to hotels; single family; multi-family; mixed use; hospitals; food markets; casinos; marinas; shopping malls; churches; nursing homes; factories; and, of course, vacant land and land for development. He has appraised properties in over 50% of the continental United States as well as many of the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Italy, Dominican Republic, Portugal, Canada, Costa Rica and Argentina. His services have extended to hundreds of recognizable financial institutions such as G.E. Capital, American Express, Citicorp, Chase Manhattan, New York Life, Merrill Lynch and many more. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Trinity College, Hartford CT in 1959.