President’s Message – Zach T. Bowyer, MAI

January 2024

Reflecting on my first Chapter meeting, I sat near the back of the room in hopes that I would not be called on to speak, when Steve Elliot stood up and announced “we need to hear what these young people have to say” as he pointed to me… I was absolutely petrified, but I was given a voice and made to feel included.  It’s hard to believe that was 20 years ago.

As your 2024 Chapter President, I want to start off by thanking Rob Maloney for his stellar work as our 2023 President, our Board and Committee members. Our profession is demanding enough by itself, our volunteers go above and beyond because we are passionate about our profession, and believe in the critical role that the Appraisal Institute plays and the importance of our designations.

The MARIME chapter is a very special chapter. We set the bar within the Appraisal Institute for our education offerings and the contributions we make on a national level. We have also had very notable appraisers as our membership. At a past instillation dinner, I had an opportunity to sit with Charlie Ackerson, who developed and published methodologies that are still used in our profession today. Steve Elliot who has served The Appraisal Foundation. And now we have Tina O’Connell who has been elected as Region IV Director and will be representing our Chapter at the National Board of Directors meetings. She will then serve Region IV as Vice Chair and eventually Chair of the Region.  I couldn’t think of a more qualified person to represent our chapter and be a voice for our profession on a larger platform.

I also want to recognize Ed Bowler, who’s passion for education is so inspiring, Jon Avery who oversees our meetings as our parliamentarian, and Tom Jensen. Tom has leaned in to develop timely offerings and fund raising that have proven to contribute immensely to our chapter. Last but not least, Lianne Andreucci who is lifeblood of our Chapter. None of this would be possible without her.

The MARIME chapter is a very special chapter. I’m humbled to have an opportunity to give back to an organization that has played a foundational role in my career and serve as the 2024 Chapter President.

Here are the initiatives that I want to focus on in 2024:

• Diversity – our clients look for diverse perspectives and to do that we must have more diversity in our profession. We have formed a Women’s Initiative Committee which all credit goes to Tina O’Connell who formed this committee and will be stepping in as Chair.
• University Outreach – We will be selecting three to four universities that we will form relationships with and set a cadence to present during a course offering and potentially host a social event where they can meet other students interested in real estate while learning more about the great opportunities our profession holds.
• Continue the long-standing commitment to the betterment of our profession that our Chapter holds and instilled by our Chapter presidents before me.

Thank you again for your support and most of all thank you to my beautiful wife for your encouragement and support.

 

Zach Bowyer, MAI, is the 2024 president of the Massachusetts, Rhode Island & Maine Chapter of the Appraisal Institute and Senior Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield in Boston, MA