Meet Our Team

Take a moment to learn more about our experienced team.

The Team

Dr. Daniel Ben-Yochannan

Managing Partner, & Founder

Julian Moore

Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Development

Susan Bond

VP of BluPhoenix Ventures

Brie Osborne

VP of Acquisitions &  Hotel Development

Natoya Wiggins

Senior VP of BluPhoenix Bancorp &

Chief Compliance Officer

Ebony Evans

Acquisition Analyst

Bernelle Diaz

Director of Investor Relations

Xzandria Aviña

Investor Relations

Jeremy Hardy

Investor Relations | Family Offices

Sade Patterson

Investor Relations


DANIEL BEN-YOCHANNAN, MBA, JD, PhD

Managing Partner, & Founder

Dr. Ben-Yochannan is a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of real estate and finance experience. Since 2000, Ben-Yochannan also owned and grew BluPhoenix Bancorp, a Vegas-based private money lender and BluPhoenix Advisors, a private equity management firm with $26,500,000 under management. Prior to founding BluPhoenix Bancorp, Ben-Yochannan spent many years, on an executive level, in commercial banking with companies such as Bank of America, Arbor National Bank, American Express. During his tenure at American Express he gained a great deal of experience in asset protection and specializing asset management. Ben-Yochannan’s many years of industry experience and his ability to motivate and lead have enabled him to build an effective management operation and assemble a strong team of professionals.


Over Ben-Yochannan's time in the business, he has developed, acquired, and sold multifamily properties on the ownership side, primarily in the Midwest, Southeast, West Coast, and the Caribbean. Ben-Yochannan has continued to aggressively and profitably expand BluPhoenix Bancorp's portfolio. He has invested in over 2,500 real estate investment transactions and placed over $300M in private equity. Ben-Yochannan has owned and developed over 400 apartments including LIHTC throughout his investment career and a 1031 Exchange, Qualified Intermediary.


He is also a member of industry organizations such as the International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA)-President, Caribbean Chapter, National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers (NABHOOD), the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), International Association of Hotel Appraisers (IAHA) Business Valuation Institute UK (BVIUK), National Association of Private Lenders (NAPL). 


JULIAN MOORE

Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Development

In his career, Moore has executed approximately $3.5 billion in luxury, full-service, limited-service, and resort lodging acquisitions and dispositions. These 30+ individual transactions spanned across all major markets including Detroit, Boston, Chicago, Nashville, New York, Miami, Austin, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Atlanta, and Dubai. Moore has coupled his investment experience with significant asset management experience. He is a graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Hospitality Business the second-oldest hospitality school in the nation. With a B.A. in Hospitality Business, and a minor in Hospitality Real Estate. He is also a Licensed Commercial Appraiser.


BERNELLE DIAZ

Director of Investor Relations

VP of Acquisitions & Development - Caribbean

Having  a  degree in Mass Communications from the School of Business and Computer Science, currently know as SBCS Global Learning Institute and receiving Certification in Hotel Acquisition  from Monopolizing The Game, Bernelle brings over 13 years of experience and administrator expertise to the team. She is currently an esteemed member of several professional associations including Caribbean Hotel and Tourism - CHTA, International Luxury Hotel Association - ILHA, National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers - NABHOOD, and  Asia American Hotel Owner Association - AAHOA, earning her a global reputation. 


While developing relationships with Investor and Family Offices. She spearheads our sustainability initiatives making both an economic and social improvement between locals and tourists. Her passion for real estate, animal conservation she aspire to an animal sanctuary. Bernelle is a global trotter and appreciates various cultures and is an avid lover of amazing cuisine from all over the world,  but this doesn’t stop her from, youth mentorship in hospitality, and tourism. She has an eye for art and is a coffee connoisseur.




NATOYA WIGGINS

Senior VP of BluPhoenix Bancorp & Chief Compliance Officer

Starting her career in finance at the age of 18, Natoya has developed her knowledge in finance and investing, while becoming a FINRA licensed financial representative and a driving force within the industry. Whether it is managing clients’ multimillion-dollar brokerage accounts at her previous position at Wells Fargo Advisors (Private Client Group), having holistic investment conversations as a consultant at T. Rowe Price or assisting Baltimore City employees with retirement planning, she exceeds expectations by incorporating her experience and knowledge of investing, fund management and retirement planning.


Natoya has taken her skill to the next level entering the real estate space and focusing on assisting investors by finding and securing funds needed to fund their projects. Currently, she utilizes her relationships established with hard and private money lenders, assist with syndications when needed and manage real estate funds for Blu Phoenix. She has successfully closed deals throughout the nation as well as worked on international deals, securing funding for large multi-family, resort and hotel developments.


When Natoya is not connecting investors to financial resources, she is working on her own passion projects with a focal point of creating large scale, affordable, quality housing for low to moderate income families within the Baltimore city and surrounding areas.



Susan Bond

VP of BluPhoenix Ventures


For over 20 years, Susan has aligned herself with some of the most dynamic business and personal development professionals in the country. Highly-awarded graduate of Menlo College, a prominent Silicon Valley business school, Susan holds her specialized degree in Psychology, focusing on the practical arts of business in the entrepreneurial economy. With a decade of experience in the Insurance and Real Estate industries, plus more than a decade in the Direct Sales, Marketing and Leadership industries, Susan has worked with and consulted for several multi-million and billion-dollar corporations, seeking to build leverage and optimize community impact. As an educator, coach, speaker, author, and consultant, Susan is also very passionate about giving back. She currently serves on the Board of Governors for the American Academy of Innovation, and is founder of a new developing charitable organization focused on trauma recovery and rehabilitation.


ANITA BROWN

Investor Relations

Anite is pursuing a Bachelors in Biology, focusing on Marine Biology and Zoology from the University of Southern Maine. Her secondary passion being real estate, Anita collaborates with investors to create access to a risk-averse generation of passive income and wealth through investing in creative multi-family/self storage/development opportunities. Anita has experience in the acquisition and transaction process for existing multi-family assets, underwriting over $100M in value while actively growing with our firm. Anita has raised over $10,000,000 for our multi-family portfolio fund. She has a background working in accounting and hotel operations.




NICOLE HIGGINS

Acquisitions Analyst

Nicole oversees the underwriting and acquisitions process from start to final review from our ownership and board. Nicole has over 10 years of experience in operations, sales, and business development in Corporate Banking and Hospitality Management with IHG where she successfully managed high-performing teams and built high-end strategic partner relationships. Nicole has experience in underwriting over $200M in multi-family real estate transactions.


Ebony Evans

Acquisitions Analyst

Ebony Evans is a graduate of the Art Institute of Cincinnati where she obtained a Bachelors in Fashion Marketing & Management.  While working in the fashion/beauty industry, she developed interest in real estate investing and began the journey with single-family homes and advancing her goals and knowledge with multi-family investments, she is certified as an Underwriting Specialist. She enjoys all aspects of real estate and firmly believes real estate investment is the best for obtaining financial freedom and passing the knowledge on to others. When Ebony is not connecting with brokers and underwriting, she loves vacationing to warm locations and spending time with family.

Join BluPhoenix's Passive Investor's Circle

Fill out the form below if you are interested in investing in one of our upcoming opportunities. We would be happy to schedule a phone call with you to discuss your investment goals.

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