Executive Leadership
Stephen A. Smith
Managing Director
Stephen A. Smith
Managing Director
Stephen Smith is the founder and Managing Director of Keener Management. Mr. Smith is an experienced entrepreneur and has an extensive background in finance. Prior to founding Keener Management, Mr. Smith co-founded Clean Energy Capital in 2009, a boutique investment bank located in Houston, Texas. At Clean Energy Capital, Mr. Smith has advised clients on high profile projects, with transactions totaling over $17 billion. Prior to co-founding Clean Energy Capital, he was an investment banker at both Citigroup and Lehman Brothers, where he specialized in energy project finance. Mr. Smith holds advanced degrees in finance and economics and started his career as a financial economist for the national practice of Ernst & Young. He holds a master’s degree in finance from LSU, a master’s degree in economics from the University of Oregon, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Oregon.
Jerry D. Smith
Managing Director
Jerry D. Smith
Managing Director
Jerry Smith is a Managing Director of Keener Management and brings a significant background of implementing accounting systems and streamlining back-office processes to the firm. Prior to joining Keener Management, Jerry served as Vice President and Controller of Freeport LNG, a privately held company with over $15 billion in assets. He joined Freeport LNG from his previous role serving as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of Cheniere Energy, a publicly traded company in the LNG business. Mr. Smith began his career in public accounting at Arthur Andersen in 1999, and post-Enron with KPMG. He holds a master’s degree in accountancy from Abilene Christian University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas.
Will Wakefield
Chief Financial Officer
Will Wakefield
Chief Financial Officer
Will Wakefield is a Director who is responsible for constructing financial models, preparing client materials, and compiling quarterly updates for all investors/clients. He has 10 years of commercial real estate experience, most recently working for two global leaders in the industry, CBRE and JLL. Will is heavily involved in all aspects of the transition and management process, including market research, quarterly reporting, and asset management. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with an undergraduate degree in Economics and from Rice University where he earned his MBA.
Julie Tatom
President
Julie Tatom
President
Julie Tatom has more than 25 years of executive property operations leadership experience, which she now brings to her role at Keener Management. She is known for driving performance through people, vision, and disciplined execution, with a proven track record of building strong leadership teams and aligning strategy to strengthen results in challenging markets. Prior to joining Keener, Julie served as Senior Vice President of Operations at Venterra Realty, leading a multi-state portfolio through significant growth and organizational transformation. Before that, she spent over six years in the same role at Kairoi Residential, scaling the platform from 6,000 to 30,000 units across five states and directing 85+ communities with full P&L accountability across four Regional Vice Presidents. Earlier in her career, she held operations leadership roles at Cortland Partners, McKinley, and Campus Living Villages, where she led renovation-driven repositioning strategies, launched new state operations, and managed a 13,000-bed mixed-use portfolio spanning on-campus, off-campus, dining, and retail environments. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Tarleton State University.
Portfolio Leadership Leadership
Katy Myrick
Senior Vice President
Katy Myrick
Senior Vice President
Katy Myrick brings more than 25 years of multifamily operations leadership to her role as Senior Vice President at Keener Management. She is known for strengthening portfolio performance through disciplined leadership and financial rigor — elevating underperforming assets, building high-performing teams, and translating strategy into measurable NOI growth. Prior to joining Keener, Katy served as Vice President at Madera Residential/Greystar, leading a 9,000+ unit portfolio spanning Class A, B, and C communities and reporting directly to the CEO. Previously, she spent nearly a decade with Hawthorne Residential Partners, advancing to Regional Vice President and overseeing 30 assets and more than 7,000 units across four states. During her tenure, she helped expand the company into new markets and repositioned distressed acquisitions for above-market returns. Earlier, she spent eight years with BH Management Services, managing high-performing communities and mentoring emerging talent while consistently ranking among the company's top performers in occupancy, revenue, and resident satisfaction. Katy is an active member of the Houston Apartment Association Board of Directors and remains committed to advancing operational excellence and creating long-term value for residents, teams, and investment partners.
Ricky Skaggs
Vice President of Facilities
Ricky Skaggs
Vice President of Facilities
Ricky Skaggs brings over 30 years of construction supervision and facilities leadership to the role. Throughout his career, he has directed rehab and development teams on projects with scopes exceeding $1.2 billion, managed contract processes from design through final review, and built project management teams on a national level, consulting for organizations including GMAC, Fidelity, UCHMG, and Lowe Enterprises. Ricky's expertise spans due diligence on asset acquisitions, portfolio stabilization, and risk mitigation, with a hands-on approach to walking properties, identifying hazards, and coordinating major-loss repairs after catastrophic events. He holds certifications as a Mold Remediation Supervisor, HVAC technician, and retired Master Electrician, and has built quarterly training programs that develop maintenance teams and strengthen preventive maintenance practices across every property he oversees.
Corporate Team
Derek Plaisance
Director of IT
Derek Plaisance
Director of IT
Derek Plaisance is the IT Director responsible for overseeing the technical infrastructure across the Keener portfolio. His main responsibilities include taking care of our on-site personnel, testing new technologies, and consulting on various projects to enrich the tenants we serve. Mr. Plaisance has over 5 years of experience managing the design and implementation of IT infrastructure. Before joining Keener, Derek was a top performer in designing and selling automation systems for residential clients across Louisiana and Texas. Derek has a degree in Computer Science and Cloud based services which he will utilize to add value to each multifamily asset by ensuring residents are provided reliable, high-quality technologies.
Fernando Ceballos
Director of Human Resources
Fernando Ceballos
Director of Human Resources
Mr. Ceballos has over 14 years of Human Resources experience with over half of those years being in the property management industry where he has presided over 25,000 units. In his role at Keener, Fernando is responsible for providing both strategic guidance and leadership for all aspects of the human resources functions along with establishing a vision and direction for Keener’s policies and procedures. Prior to joining the Keener team, Mr. Ceballos was the Senior HR Business Partner at Allied Orion Group where he led a team in providing services and support in talent acquisition, payroll, benefit, and compliance to over 800 employees as well as played an integral role in in the creation and integration of their payroll allocation process and HRIS system implementation.
Jacob Myers
Corporate Controller
Jacob Myers
Corporate Controller
Jacob Myers is the Property Controller for Keener Management with nearly 10 years of property accounting experience. His responsibilities include presiding over all property-level financial reporting, implementing accounting policies and procedures, and providing financial insights to the leadership staff. Prior to joining the team, Jacob worked for the industry leader Allied Orion Group, where he was responsible for an accounting team which oversaw the reporting metrics for over 30 multifamily real estate assets across the United States. Mr. Myers earned his bachelor's degree in both Finance and Accounting from St. Edwards University and the University of Houston, respectively. He has also been a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas since 2020.
Paola Obispo
Asset Manager
Paola Obispo
Asset Manager
Paola Obispo is a results-driven Real Estate Asset Manager with over seven years of experience driving performance across commercial and multifamily portfolios. She specializes in value creation through asset repositioning, strategic capital investments, and operational optimization, and has overseen assets totaling more than $1.5 billion across multifamily, industrial, and hospitality sectors. With experience spanning the full asset lifecycle, from ground-up development to value-add execution, Paola brings a disciplined focus on revenue growth, expense control, and maximizing investor returns. Paola holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business, where she participated in The Honors College and the Undergraduate Real Estate Program.
Romario Amaya Trejo
Senior Property Accountant
Romario Amaya Trejo
Senior Property Accountant
Romario Amaya is a Corporate Property Accountant at Keener Management, where his expertise plays a crucial role in the continued growth and success of the team. Prior to joining Keener, Mr. Amaya gained valuable experience in his role at Winn Companies, where he was responsible for the full cycle accounting of a 17-property portfolio in the affordable housing market, ensuring financial accuracy and compliance. A graduate of Suffolk University, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in accounting.
Jacob Hoaglun
Senior Corporate Accountant
Jacob Hoaglun
Senior Corporate Accountant
Jacob Hoaglun is the Corporate Property Accountant for Keener Management and plays a vital role in the day-to-day accounting for all our properties. Prior to joining Keener, Jacob accumulated over 3 years of accounting experience working with a variety of different software. In his previous roles, Jacob worked extensively on financial statements, budgeting, and forecasting, primarily focusing on property management services from multifamily properties. His attention to detail and financial skills have allowed him to excel in his current role as he continues to work towards his CPA certification.
Evelyn Tijerina
Executive Assistant
Evelyn Tijerina
Executive Assistant
Evelyn Tijerina serves as the Executive Assistant at Keener Management, where she plays a pivotal role in managing the organization’s office operations and ensuring seamless administrative support. With over 25 years of experience as an Executive Assistant, Evelyn brings a wealth of expertise and professionalism to her role. In addition to her operational duties, she is an integral member of the Client Relations team, overseeing key communications and fostering strong personal relationships with various clients. Her responsibilities also include handling asset inquiries and ensuring client needs are met with the utmost care and efficiency.