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Katie Ward, President, Texas Region
Katie Ward
President, Texas -
President of FirstService Residential DFW Texas Jennifer Huerta
Jennifer Huerta
President, Dallas-Fort Worth -
Kristie Rose-Zapp, President, Central Texas (Austin & San Antonio)
Kristie Rose-Zapp
President, Central Texas (Austin & San Antonio) -
Craig Phillips, President, Houston
Craig Phillips
President, Houston -
Veronica Sandoval, VP, Sales
Veronica Sandoval
Regional Vice President, Sales -
Lisa Cunningham, SVP, Finance
Lisa Cunningham
Senior Vice President, Finance -
Kristin Nowak, VP, Human Resources
Kristin Nowak
Vice President, Human Resources -
Susan Ward-Freeman, President, High-Rise Management
Susan Ward-Freeman
President, High-Rise Management -
Vice President, Developer Services
Tanya Mendenhall
Vice President, Developer Services
Katie Ward, President, Texas Region
Katie Ward
President, Texas
With a vibrant career spanning over 20 years, Katie Ward stands at the forefront of the property management industry as President of the Texas region at FirstService Residential. Her dynamic leadership and strategic vision are instrumental in fostering the region's expansion and reinforcing a culture dedicated to service excellence and associate empowerment.
Prior to her role in Texas, Katie honed her expertise in California, fulfilling pivotal positions that shaped her comprehensive understanding of the industry. As the Executive Vice President of Community Management, she demonstrated an unwavering commitment to client satisfaction and operational excellence. Her tenure as President of FirstService Association Consulting drove proficiency in forward planning and budget consultancy, further solidifying her status as a thought leader in the field.
Katie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of California, Irvine and is a longtime member of the Urban Land Institute, equipping her with skills essential for navigating the complexities of modern real estate and community development.
In 2019, Katie began her role as President of FirstService Residential, Texas, where her leadership has shaped an effective, client-first collaborative team of professionals that serve our customers every day.
President of FirstService Residential DFW Texas Jennifer Huerta
Jennifer Huerta
President, Dallas-Fort Worth
As President of FirstService Residential Dallas-Fort Worth, Jennifer Huerta oversees the operations of homeowners associations (HOAs) we proudly serve, ensuring excellence in community management across the market.
With over 20 years of experience in HOA management, Jennifer brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role, consistently striving to enhance service quality and people leadership.
Jennifer is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified, a testament to her commitment to process improvement and operational efficiency. Her background is marked by a strong focus on service excellence, making her a respected leader in the industry.
Before her current position in Dallas, Jennifer was the Vice President of HOA Management Operations in Nevada, where she successfully led teams and initiatives, contributing to the overall growth and success of the organization. Her leadership style is defined by her ability to inspire teams, drive performance, and foster a culture of collaboration and innovation.
Outside of her professional life, Jennifer enjoys spending quality time with her family and has a passion for cooking. She finds joy in creating delicious meals that bring people together.
With over 20 years of experience in HOA management, Jennifer brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role, consistently striving to enhance service quality and people leadership.
Jennifer is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified, a testament to her commitment to process improvement and operational efficiency. Her background is marked by a strong focus on service excellence, making her a respected leader in the industry.
Before her current position in Dallas, Jennifer was the Vice President of HOA Management Operations in Nevada, where she successfully led teams and initiatives, contributing to the overall growth and success of the organization. Her leadership style is defined by her ability to inspire teams, drive performance, and foster a culture of collaboration and innovation.
Outside of her professional life, Jennifer enjoys spending quality time with her family and has a passion for cooking. She finds joy in creating delicious meals that bring people together.
Kristie Rose-Zapp, President, Central Texas (Austin & San Antonio)
Kristie Rose-Zapp
President, Central Texas (Austin & San Antonio)
As President of FirstService Residential Central Texas (Austin and San Antonio), Kristie Rose-Zapp leads market operations and is responsible for overall community association management growth and development of local industry partnerships. Her responsibilities include facilitating new contracts, maintaining client relations and spearheading continued growth throughout the division. In addition, she plays an integral role in talent recruitment, establishing new accounts, and developing and implementing company procedures.
Kristie brings seventeen years of community management experience with portfolio and master-planned communities, including 23 years of strategic planning and financial analysis expertise. Her extensive project management, relationship building and strategic planning experience has resulted in successful partnerships in her previous FirstService Residential role throughout California with large master-planned communities and developers.
She is an active member of CAI, previously serving on the CAI Board of Directors in California. Kristie enjoys spending time with family, cooking, sports, and creating the next adventure in her spare time.
Kristie brings seventeen years of community management experience with portfolio and master-planned communities, including 23 years of strategic planning and financial analysis expertise. Her extensive project management, relationship building and strategic planning experience has resulted in successful partnerships in her previous FirstService Residential role throughout California with large master-planned communities and developers.
She is an active member of CAI, previously serving on the CAI Board of Directors in California. Kristie enjoys spending time with family, cooking, sports, and creating the next adventure in her spare time.
Craig Phillips, President, Houston
Craig Phillips
President, Houston
As President for FirstService Residential in Houston, Craig leads all business efforts and has overall executive leadership and strategic direction of the market. He is responsible for the market’s client retention goals, leading new business development efforts and the ongoing development of best practices and company procedures. His oversight and leadership spans three office locations, 350 associates, and over 280 community association consisting of 65,000 homes.
Craig comes to FirstService Residential with 15 years in the hospitality industry holding executive roles with Invited, The Fox Theatre, Levy and Professional Sports Catering.
Craig is originally from Birmingham, AL, where he attended Troy University.
Craig comes to FirstService Residential with 15 years in the hospitality industry holding executive roles with Invited, The Fox Theatre, Levy and Professional Sports Catering.
Craig is originally from Birmingham, AL, where he attended Troy University.
Veronica Sandoval, VP, Sales
Veronica Sandoval
Regional Vice President, Sales
Veronica Sandoval serves as the Regional Vice President of Sales for the Texas Region.
Lisa Cunningham, SVP, Finance
Lisa Cunningham
Senior Vice President, Finance
As the regional finance leader, Lisa oversees financial planning and analysis as well as corporate accounting. She is responsible for the financial management of the Texas markets, which includes delivering actionable insights to accelerate growth, increase efficiencies, and enhance performance.
Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Lisa held several financial leadership roles at McDonald’s Corporation, where she directly supported operations. She is a results-focused, strategic thinker with a passion for service.
Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree from Dillard University in New Orleans and a master’s degree from Columbia University in NY. She lives in DFW with her daughter Lauren and dog Charlie.
Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Lisa held several financial leadership roles at McDonald’s Corporation, where she directly supported operations. She is a results-focused, strategic thinker with a passion for service.
Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree from Dillard University in New Orleans and a master’s degree from Columbia University in NY. She lives in DFW with her daughter Lauren and dog Charlie.
Kristin Nowak, VP, Human Resources
Kristin Nowak
Vice President, Human Resources
As the leader of human resources initiatives, Kristin brings experience in the hospitality, travel and food service industries where she recently served as vice president of human resources for Wingstop. She's also worked for Omni Hotels and Wyndham International, both know for their excellence in service. As a true business partner, Kristin has a strong track record of developing HR teams that fully support core strategies to achieve company goals.
She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Kristin lives in Dallas with her husband, Kevin, two children, Kaitlyn and Kaden, and dog Harper.
She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Kristin lives in Dallas with her husband, Kevin, two children, Kaitlyn and Kaden, and dog Harper.
Susan Ward-Freeman, President, High-Rise Management
Susan Ward-Freeman
President, High-Rise Management
Susan leads high-rise association managers and board members to ensure quality service, meet client expectations and maximize financial performance.
Following a 30-year career in luxury hospitality, Susan joined FirstService Residential in 2011 as general manager of The House at Victory Park. She's worked with the finest names in hospitality, including the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, St. Regis, the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and, most recently, as general manager of a luxury boutique hotel in Houston.
Originally from Upstate New York, Susan attended Endicott College in Massachusetts with a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management and Tourism, cum laude.
Following a 30-year career in luxury hospitality, Susan joined FirstService Residential in 2011 as general manager of The House at Victory Park. She's worked with the finest names in hospitality, including the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, St. Regis, the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and, most recently, as general manager of a luxury boutique hotel in Houston.
Originally from Upstate New York, Susan attended Endicott College in Massachusetts with a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management and Tourism, cum laude.
Vice President, Developer Services
Tanya Mendenhall
Vice President, Developer Services
Well-versed in building and engaging communities, Tanya's extensive lifestyle development and management background serve her well as the consultant for high-rise and single-family developers. Operating with a 'do it right the first time' attitude, Tanya takes each developer's vision and transforms it into a reality that's cherished by all residents. She also oversees the Hillwood division for FirstService Residential.