Jennifer McElyea

Biography: Jennifer is a Senior Managing Partner with Watt Investment Partners, the commercial real estate acquisition arm of the Watt Companies, a 70 year-old development company based in Los Angeles. Jennifer’s responsibilities include sourcing and executing real estate investment opportunities on behalf of Watt and its equity partners. Within that mandate, she lends her extensive expertise in development, land use and entitlements. More recently, Jennifer has focused on public-private-partnership opportunities, having been selected by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Los Angeles County to develop a major, mixed-use project at the intersection of two light rail stations. Prior to joining Watt, Jennifer was a Vice President at OneWest Bank where she managed a portfolio of distressed commercial real estate debt in partnership with the FDIC. 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. Jennifer holds a Master of Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and German Literature from the University of Virginia. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute Public Private Partnership Council, a graduate of the Coro Southern California Women in Leadership program, and sits on the Board of USC Price Real Estate Affiliates and the BizFed Institute. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.