The Appraisal Foundation (TAF) President David Bunton said that Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) member Lisa Desmarais has joined the organization as vice president of appraisal issues replacing John Brenan, who is departing TAF after 16 years, according to a TAF press release. Brenan will conclude his duties with the appraisal organization April 7.
“Lisa brings a unique combination of experience in real estate appraisal, expertise in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), and state compliance background to the position. She has also served on publicly accountable boards,” Bunton said in the release. “This role is difficult to fill because of the unique combination of skills required in the position. Fortunately, the Foundation is surrounded by top-level appraisers who have a passion for the appraisal profession and Lisa definitely stands out.
“John has been a trusted and hard-working member of our staff for 16 years,” Bunton added. “His unwavering dedication to the Foundation was evident in his exemplary day-to-day work. He will be missed.”
Brenan has taken a senior position closer to his home in Sacramento, Calif., at a real estate valuation and technology firm.
“I wish I could adequately express how grateful I am to have spent the last 16½ years of my life in this role at The Appraisal Foundation,” Brenan told Valuation Review. “It has afforded me numerous opportunities to positively impact the profession I have been a part of for over 35 years, and I have always tried to make the most of those opportunities. Whether it involved educating or clarifying USPAP requirements, or helping understand what was needed to obtain an appraiser license or certification, my interactions with appraisers, educators and regulators were always intended to serve one purpose…to make our profession better. If I accomplished that, even in the smallest way, I consider my efforts to have been successful.
“I want to express my most sincere appreciation to Dave Bunton and The Appraisal Foundation for giving me the opportunity, placing trust in me, and allowing me to maximize my reach during my tenure,” Brenan added. “While a career is extremely important and we all want to feel a sense of worth in the contributions we make, we often learn over time that real value lies in the relationships we make. If that is true, and I believe it is, based on the friendships I’ve made over the years I feel like I’m worth a fortune.”
Desmarais has been the owner of Peak to Peak Appraising, a real estate appraisal firm in Broomfield, Colo., for the past 20 years. From 2011 to 2019, she was an assessment hearing officer for the city and county of Denver.
She began her assistance to the state of Colorado in 2011 as a USPAP compliance investigator. She served as member and vice chair of the Appraisal Practices Board from 2015 to 2017 and was appointed to the ASB in 2018. Desmarais has resigned from the ASB to join the staff at TAF.
Brenan concluded his comments by looking into the future.
“Although my new role as chief appraiser for a valuation and technology firm will be different from my role at the Foundation, I will continue to strive to be a positive influence in our rapidly-changing world,” he said. “I am anxiously looking forward to my new opportunity and rising to meet that new challenge.”