
Jennifer McElyea, Senior Managing Partner, Watt Investment Partners
Jennifer is a Senior Managing Partner and co-head of Watt Investment Partners, and is responsible for sourcing and executing real estate investment opportunities. Jennifer has nearly 20 years of experience in real estate investing with an emphasis on development, land use and the entitlement process. As such, she has spent considerable time at the intersection of finance, public policy, community engagement and law. More recently, Jennifer has focused on public-private-partnership opportunities and the use of innovative financial structures to address the affordable housing crisis.
Prior to joining Watt, Jennifer was a Vice President at OneWest Bank where she managed a portfolio of distressed commercial real estate debt. From 2006 through 2009, Jennifer was a Vice President at Apollo Real Estate Advisors where she was responsible for West Coast acquisitions and completed the entitlement of a 1.0mm square foot development in Hollywood. Previously, Jennifer held positions at Arch Street Capital Advisors, an international real estate investment advisory firm, and at Deutsche Bank Securities in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group.