Ascend Appraisers
A professional women’s network.
Step into a world of empowerment and camaraderie
Emily Braman, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS created Ascend Appraisers community to be a retreat from the typical way of doing things in the historically male dominated appraisal profession.
Ascend Appraisers is space for women in the appraisal industry to connect, grow, and ascend to new heights in their personal and professional lives.
Founding Members
These are the women that believed in Ascend Appraisers from the very start, joining us for the unforgettable Founder’s Retreat in May of 2023.
"The Founder's Retreat in Miami was a great time with a great, diverse group of women! It was so well organized, and I felt very well cared for through the entire experience. Many thanks to Emily for being the visionary behind Ascend."- Nancy Myers, MAI from Chicago
Get free access to the Ascend Community this summer to see what everyone’s talking about!
Upcoming Events
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Ascend Happy Hour
First Friday of the Month at 3:30 PM ET
A space where women in the appraisal profession can connect. Join us to dive into complex problems, gain insight from experts in the group, and propel your prosperity in the appraisal industry! Free to all women in the industry. Sign up Required.
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Speaker Spotlights
Exclusively for Members & Ambassadors: Join us each month for our Speaker Spotlight Series, where standout appraisers share their expertise across a range of specialties. Our featured speaker leads the conversation and opens the floor for your questions.
Ascend Speaker Spotlights
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Jessica Ballou, MAI, CRE
May Speaker
Jessica serves as a Senior Vice President in NVC’s Denver office and currently co-leads the company’s Aviation and Senior Housing groups. With more than 15 years in the commercial real estate industry, she is experienced in the appraisal of all property types including income producing, owner occupied, vacant land and mixed-use assets. Areas of specialized focus include FBOs and hangars, self-storage and senior housing properties. She has provided value opinions on several thousand commercial real estate properties around the country to a variety of clients including financial institutions, pension funds, and institutional investors.
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Megan Glosser, MAI, ASA
June Speaker
Megan is the Manager of Valuation at GBX Group. GBX Group focuses on acquiring historic real estate in urban markets that have significant tax and other incentives available to them. For more than 15 years, we have specialized in helping taxpayers use their tax liabilities to fund investments in real estate projects with targeted federal, state, and local incentives. Through our directed investments, we stimulate more than $400 million in real estate development annually. GBX Group has completed over 100 projects in 16 states — breathing new life, vitality, and economic growth into neighborhoods and all they serve.
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Joanna Witte, MAI
July Speaker
Joanna is an enthusiastic and driven Valuation Services Director at Colliers. Valuation experience in multi-year tax litigation valuations, cash flow analysis, along with industrial and hospitality specialization throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Midwest. An MAI member of the Appraisal Institute and state certified appraiser in Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
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JoAnn Apostol
August Speaker
With over 20 years of experience as a certified residential appraiser, JoAnn has built a distinguished reputation as an expert in complex residential valuations. She is also deeply committed to educating the next generation of appraisers, a passion that truly sets her apart. We are incredibly fortunate to have JoAnn serve as our Education Chair, where her dedication and leadership continue to elevate our community. -
Chandra Mast
September Speaker
Chandra Mast, CGA BCA, is a Certified General Appraiser in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, and a Business Certified Appraiser. She specializes in using econometrics and trend analysis to assess various property types and going concerns, catering to a wide variety of client needs.
First Friday Happy Hour calls are FREE for all women in the appraisal industry.
Experience
Ascend Appraisers!
Elevate your professional connections and experience the thriving Ascend Appraisers community at our next happy hour.
The virtual Friday happy hour, the first Friday of every month at 3:30 PM ET.
RSVP to get access to the event..
“I was so excited when Emily first shared her vision for Ascend Appraisers with me. I knew it would facilitate deeper connections beyond the typical 5-10 minutes at networking events. I hoped to meet peers and mentors I could strategize with as well as glean from. Ascend Appraisers has exceeded my expectations, especially as it continues to grow and expand. It is a mastermind of female appraisers. ”
- Akia Smith, MAI
“Emily led us through a residential masterclass at the Ascend retreat in Clearwater where we explored multiple opportunities for more complex appraisal work. She walked us through her Residential Template and we discussed upgrading our client base. The next week I got a bid for the city which was eight residential appraisals, perfect for the template. This week I just bid and got an $8,000-$10,000 job with multiple values, easements, and other complexities.
There is no way I could have confidently bid and gotten this job without Emily’s Residential Template. The form just wouldn’t work in this situation. I'm happy to say the client is excited to get started on the project. The knowledge and support from Emily has boosted my confidence and the quality and flexibility of the product I am able to offer clients. I highly recommend it! ”
- Jennifer O’Neill, SRA
We bring women in the appraisal profession together
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MASTERMIND COHORTS
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VIRTUAL COMMUNITY
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DESTINATION RETREATS
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DINNER PARTIES