Joan C. Woodard
President and CEO
2001-Present
Joan Woodard joined Simons & Brecht, Inc. in late 2000 as a result
of a long-standing business friendship with Jim Brecht and his desire
to be relieved of day-to-day management in order to pursue interesting
expansion opportunities for Simons & Brecht, Inc. In July 2006, Joan took an ownership position in the company and it was renamed Simons & Woodard Inc.
Joan's experience with entrepreneurial real estate companies dates
back to the early 70's in Georgia. While working on an undergraduate
degree in Finance at the University of Georgia, Joan's obtained
her Real Estate Salesperson's license, sold residential real estate,
and worked in the office of a construction company as well as an
investment real estate advisory firm. Upon graduation, she signed
on with the development arm of John Portman's architectural firm
in Atlanta. After several years working on far-flung architectural
and development projects with Portman and obtaining her MBA from
Georgia State University, Joan came to the attention of David Rockefeller,
and in 1980 became the manager of an investment entity in Atlanta
for Rockefeller and others. Her most notable project for this group
was the 250-acre Interstate North Office Park, which she managed
and developed until asked to manage its disposition, which she accomplished
in 1985.
From there, Joan moved to California and the west coast real estate
office of The Disney Company. While there, she developed short and
long-term plans for the company's use of real assets, among which
was the planning process that resulted in Disney's corporate headquarters
in Burbank and Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim.
But the lure of a 14-block urban redevelopment project in Oakland
was enough to cause Joan to move north and with the Canadian development
concern Bramalea, she guided the City Center project until its ultimate
sale to The Shorenstein Company in 1997.
With other veteran real estate development professionals, she formed
a private development and consulting firm that kept her occupied
until her move to Simons & Brecht. This group, collectively and
individually, worked with a wide array of clients, including Pacific
Gas and Electric, Pacific Bell, Dermody Properties, Corning Inc.,
and Toronto Dominion Bank.
Throughout her real estate career, Joan has been active in the
National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP),
serving its chapters and in 1994 as its national president. She
has also served on the boards of a variety of arts and education
oriented organizations. Currently, she serves on the Board & Executive Committee of the Community Foundation of Sonoma County.
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Simons & Woodard, Joan
devotes her time to building and nurturing an excellent team of
individuals who carry out the mission of the organization. She is
also the primary contact for the company's development practice
and holds the firms real estate brokerage license.
In the course of her real estate career, Joan's experience has
included all types of real estate and all aspects of
the development/ownership process, from concept to acquisition,
planning, financing, ownership structure, development, leasing,
property and asset management, and disposition.
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