Valerie Velotta
Vice President of Escrow Operations
Valerie’s 30 years of successfully closing escrows is just the beginning. Since 1980 our business has dealt with 3 major real estate and mortgage slumps. She is one of the true “possibility thinkers” who can bring everyone involved in a real estate transaction together and facilitate a successful closing under the most difficult circumstances. Valerie is skilled and knowledgeable in all aspects of escrow including commercial, residential, income, and in structuring and coordinating 1031 exchanges.
Known in the industry as a wonderful trainer, Valerie has a knack for teaching good escrow practice to anyone willing to learn. Her instincts as a mother to six children have served her well as a supervisor, office manager, and now owner. Her grace and mercy shine through every day whether she is helping one of her employees or a client dealing with the natural stress of buying or selling a home.
Knowledge, experience, and service are great words to describe an escrow officer, but along with possessing all three of those, Valerie combines an attitude of gratitude that comes from her heart and soul.
Bob Fox
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
As the VP of Sales and Marketing, Bob draws on a lifetime of experience, including his years living in St. Andrews, Scotland where he served as Director of Marketing for Slotline Golf Europe. Bob brings a different perspective to the escrow industry.
Understanding the needs and desires of a client and customer is where it all begins. With 24 years in the escrow business, Bob understands that insight and the ability to help a customer realize what he or she needs is very important. As an agent looking to grow their business, Bob brings a wealth of experience to the table and loves to study, observe, and share techniques that work.
Bob’s frank approach and ability to get to the heart of the matter is refreshing. His ability to see solutions combined with an attitude of gratitude ring through in the motto of the company brought to life by Robert Greenleaf, “Good Leaders must first become Good Servants!”
Tawnia Klaus
Branch Manager
Tawnia serves as Assistant Manager for Escrow Leaders. She has a true passion for serving others and brings two decades of experience to her role. Her experience includes running a successful escrow desk, supporting her team’s needs, and effectively navigating the industry with grace and kindness.
Tawnia pulls from her previous experience to bring positive engagement, ensuring her team feels supported on every level, each day. Her appreciation for clear and concise communication has proved to be extremely useful in her role. She prides herself on building and maintaining long-lasting relationships which she attributes to her strong work ethic, attention to detail, and always going above and beyond what is expected. She is the mom of three beautiful adult children who are her pride and joy.
In her free time, you’ll find her enjoying the great outdoors, both near and far, hiking, at the gym, relaxing at the beach, traveling, and making memories with her family at her home in Lake Havasu, Arizona.
Lisa McKeown
Escrow Officer
Lisa prides herself in being proactive, not reactive. She stays in constant communication with her clients and strives to keep her files one step ahead. Lisa’s natural desire to be very detailed and extremely thorough has proven invaluable. Lisa takes ownership of her transactions and communicates very well with all parties to the escrow every step of the way.
Lisa has lived in Southern Orange County for 40 years and has worked in the escrow industry for over 20 years. She began her escrow career working as an assistant for Valerie Velotta and believes that she was trained by the best.
Prior to entering the world of escrow, Lisa worked in the title insurance industry for 7 years. Understanding the inner workings of the title business gives her an upper hand in quickly and effectively solving title issues which may arise during a transaction.
Tami Wyrick
Escrow Officer
Tami Wyrick is determined to close escrows! From the time the escrow opens, Tami is focused on closing, constantly working to meet all conditions. Her goal is to be prepared to close the escrow as early as possible, giving the agents and their clients the freedom to close early or on time.
Born in the City of Mission Viejo, Tami began her escrow career in 1989. Tami has an impressive resume which includes handling escrows for new home tracts, split parcels, standard sales and refinances. Tami’s #1 asset is her enthusiasm and willingness to get the job done. Her knowledge combined with a joyful heart makes working with Tami a genuine pleasure!
Karin Nielson
Escrow Officer
“I’ve found my escrow officer!” This is truly a common response Karin’s customers give after using her to do their escrows for the first time.
Karin has extensive resale & refinance escrow expertise which includes: residential properties, 1031 tax-deferred exchanges, commercial properties, and vacant land. She loves to help people through the escrow process and gets a genuine thrill out of closing escrows for the buyer and seller.
She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, especially on family camping expeditions. Karin has a joyful spirit and an attitude of gratitude that you can hear through the phone!
Kristin Kaylor
Escrow Officer
Since 2005, Kristin has been rocking the world of Escrow. She began her career as a receptionist and dedicated herself to learning every aspect of the escrow process from start to finish. Kristin’s attention to detail, self-discipline, and willingness to learn continues to serve her well. As a cognizant professional who prides herself on her responsiveness, Kristin is well respected by her clients and truly has a passion for her work and clientele.
In her current position at Escrow Leaders, Kristin handles all types of escrows inclusive of both Residential and Commercial sales, short sales, REO’s and refinance’s. Kristin strongly believes in providing the best service possible with integrity, enthusiasm, and a positive attitude. From the moment you first speak with her to the “congratulations” at the closing of escrow, you’ll know Kristin was the right choice.
When she isn’t closing escrows, Kristin enjoys reading a great book, spending time outdoors and being with her loved ones.
Rosie Christensen
Escrow Officer
The personal touch is the best way to describe Rosie’s service to her clients. Rosie loves it when her clients come in to have documents personally notarized by her. She enjoys explaining the documents and ensuring that everything is handled and that the customer has a full understanding of the transaction. Her real estate agents know that their customer is in good hands when they refer them to Rosie.
Starting in the escrow business back in 1977 with Bank of America, Rosie handles every type of transaction including Residential Resale, Refinances, REO, Short Sales, Commercial and Manufactured home sales.
She has earned the professional designation of Certified Senior Escrow Officer through the California Escrow Association. Rosie is a wonderful asset to Escrow Leaders and looks forward to handling your next escrow!
Kelly Robinson
Escrow Officer
Kelly started her escrow career as a receptionist in 1999 and moved up to escrow officer within 2 years. With her 22 years of experience, she handles all types of transactions including refinances, REO’s, residential and commercial resales and short sales. Kelly takes pride in being organized and truly enjoys working with all her clients.
On the weekends, Kelly spends time running to and from soccer and softball fields with her husband, 2 teenagers, and their 3 year-old and newborn in tow. Kelly also likes to spend time with her family at their house on the river for fun in the sun on the boat.
Julie Franke
Escrow Officer
Holly Major
Business Development
Being the daughter of a Marine Col has helped Holly develop discipline and the ability to adapt quickly. Holly has spent her life traveling and meeting people from all over the world. With an enthusiasm for life and people, her ability to connect with individuals comes easily and is a driving force for her.
Holly sees herself more as a consultant, rather than a salesperson. She stays abreast of current real estate marketing trends and is always searching for the best and most effective and efficient tools for her agents. Earning a degree in Merchandising and utilizing her trained eye, she is able to pass along her experience with regards to branding and marketing. Her perspectives that she is a team player and her goals of assisting each of her clients grow their business have helped her gain the trust of those clients.
She has spent the last twelve years working in Escrow, Title and Notary aspects of our industry honing and developing her knowledge and skills. Holly looks forward to each day with a positive and open-minded attitude and looks forward to meeting you and assisting you with your business.
Andrea Meredith
Business Development
With 20+ years in the Real Estate industry, Andrea is passionate about building lasting relationships and connecting with people. Her success begins with a genuine joy for helping her clients as she strives to deliver an amazing customer experience!
She goes above and beyond for her clients, but for Andrea, it’s a standard operating procedure. Because of her years as a Real Estate agent in Minnesota, she is clear on what her clients need, and she does everything she can to meet those needs.
Andrea currently resides in San Clemente and enjoys spending her free time at the beach, walking her dog Chloe and spending time with her friends. She also loves the local music scene, enjoys singing karaoke, and is an avid sports fan.
Janel Afjari
Design + Marketing Director