Our Team

Cory Johnson serves as Chief Executive Officer of Pender Capital and brings over 20 years of experience in real estate acquisition, development, finance, and asset management. Mr. Johnson co - founded Pend er Capital Management in 201 5 and is responsible for the firm’s strategic vision and financial success. The firm is an SEC - registered investment advisor, specialized in U.S. based real estate credit opportunities. Since inception, the firm has funded over $ 1.13B in loans, secured by commercial real property collateral valued in excess of $1. 87 B * . Prior to Pender Capital, Mr. Johnson founded several opportunistic real estate funds, which deployed value - add strategies through asset repositioning, while mainta ining attractive risk - adjusted returns for investors. In 2012, Mr. Johnson co - founded Latitude Properties, LLC, a vertically integrated real estate investment firm focused on the acquisition, stabilization, and disposition of distressed single - family resid ences throughout Central and Southern California. In 2008, Mr. Johnson served as Managing Partner and Co - Founder of Paladar Capital Investments, L.P., and Montero Capital, LLC, with each fund specializing in the acquisition and repositioning of distressed single - family residential assets. From 2006 to 2008, Mr. Johnson served as land acquisition manager for M.D.C. Holdings, Inc., the nation’s 9th largest homebuilder at the time, where he was responsible for acquiring prospective development sites based on suitability requirements. From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Johnson served as a business development representative for Weyerhaeuser Mortgage Company, a GE Consumer Finance company. During his tenure at GE Consumer Finance, Mr. Johnson’ s team originated more than $5 25 million in residential debt. Mr. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

* The amount funded by the Firm and the collateral value provided herein includes any amount invested by predecessor fun ds of the Fund, or any amounts invested by an outside investor.

Zach Murphy serves as Chief Investment Officer of Pender Capital and brings over 20 years of experience in both commercial real estate finance and capital markets. Mr. Murphy co - founded Pender Capital Management in 201 5 and is responsible for the firm’s investment portfolio and strategic growth. The firm is an SEC - registered investment advis o r, specialized in U.S. based real estate credit oppor tunities. Since inception, the firm has funded over $ 1.13B in loans, secured by commercial real property collateral valued in excess of $1. 87 B * . Prior to Pender Capital Management , Mr. Murphy served as Managing Director and Senior Vice Present for Liberty SBF, a commercial real estate finance company, where he was responsible for establishing the presence of the company on the West Coast, along with overseeing and managing originations and operations in the region. In 2008, Mr. Murphy joined Silver Point Ca pital, L.P., a Goldman Sachs partner fund, where he was responsible for commercial real estate loan originations and insurance - linked securities trading. During his tenure at Silver Point, Mr. Murphy traded more than $500 million in distressed commercial r eal estate debt, insurance - linked securities, and assets in the capital markets. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Murphy served as Senior Vice President & Division Director of Velocity Commercial Capital. During his tenure at Velocity, Mr. Murphy was responsible for more than $300 million in loan originations. Mr. Murphy earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas.

* The amount funded by the Firm and the collateral value provided herein includes any amount invested by predecessor funds of the Fund, o r any amounts invested by an outside investor.

Neil joined Pender Capital in 2018, and currently serves as Senior Vice President, Lending. Neil brings nearly 40 yearsof commercial real estate finance experience, having facilitated transactions totaling over $2.5 billion throughouthiscareer. At Pender, Neil’s responsibilities include the management of all loan lending activities for the firm, from loansubmission to funding. Throughout his career, Neil has held various executive and management roles covering loanoriginations andservicing, loan securitization, and joint venture operations. Neil has held positions at Citigroup, CoastFederal Bank, and Independence Bank of Los Angeles, among others. Neil holds a bachelor’s degree from Long Island University.

Hannah joined Pender Capital in 2018, and currently serves as President of Loan Operations. Hannah brings over 15 years of experience in operations and administration in the real estate and finance industries. Hannah is responsible for managing Pender’s investment-side operations, including transaction management, underwriting, closing, and asset management. Prior to Pender, Hannah has held various roles with Research Affiliates, Howard Hughes Corporation, and Deutsche Bank, among others. Hannah attended the University of Arkansas. 

Tom joined Pender Capital in 2019, and currently serves as the firm’s outsourced Chief Financial Officer through Experienced Advisory Consultants. With over 25 years of industry experience, Tom is skilled at building and scaling financial and operational infrastructure and controls, managing global teams and cultivating strong relationships with clients, regulators and auditors. Tom’s career includes leading teams at recognized industry leaders including Citadel Investment Group, Nantahala Capital Management, and Round Table Investment Management Company. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana, and is a licensed Registered Certified Public Accountant in the State of Illinois. 

Mr. Aro serves as the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Pender Capital Management and brings over 25 years of experience with a focus on real estate, secured finance and capital markets transactions, along with litigation and employment matters. Prior to joining Pender Capital, Mr. Aro served in several key legal and business roles. Most recently, he served as General Counsel for Rama Capital Partners, LLC and Athas Capital Group, Inc., affiliated companies focused on investment banking in the non-QM space. Mr. Aro also served as Assistant General Counsel and Head of Compliance for Wedgewood, LLC, parent of the Wedgewood family of companies, serving as its first compliance executive. During the heart of the financial crisis, Mr. Aro served as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Bank of America, N.A., leading legal teams with responsibility across mortgage, card and deposit matters, focusing on high-profile mortgage regulatory issues. Mr. Aro also served as Associate General Counsel for AIMCO, a publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust and the largest owner and operator of multifamily housing in the United States. Mr. Aro started his legal career at the firms of Allan Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis and Hunton Andrews & Kurth. 

Kristin joined Pender Capital in 2018, and currently serves as Senior Vice President, Originations. Kristin brings over 15 years of commercial real estate finance, investment, and marketing experience, and is responsible for the firm’s overall business development platform. Prior to joining Pender, Kristin was Vice President of Originations for Farmers & Merchants Bank and served in various roles at CommerceWest Bank and Strong Capital Management. Kristin holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 

Lance joined Pender Capital in early 2019, and currently serves as Transaction Manager.  Lance brings 17 years of real estate finance experience. At Pender, Lance’s responsibilities include the management of all individual commercial real estate lending transactions from loan submission, underwriting, to closing. Prior to Pender, Lance served in various roles with Bank of America for nearly ten years, where he was involved with loan originations and the underwriting of government sponsored loans. Lance holds a bachelor’s in economics from Texas Tech University.  

Alex joined Pender Capital in 2018, and currently serves as Vice President, Real Estate. Alex brings nearly a decade of experience in real estate acquisition, analysis, and structured finance, and is responsible for the firm’s valuations and underwriting teams. Prior to Pender, Alex served as a Senior Associate within Cushman and Wakefield’s Equity, Debt, and Structured Finance department. Alex holds a bachelor’s degree from the California Polytechnic State University and recently acquired his MBA from the University of Southern California, graduating in May of 2022 with honors.

Cassandra joined Pender Capital in 2022 as Vice President of Asset Management. Cassandra brings over 20 years of expertise in commercial real estate finance, asset management, loan servicing and closing/transaction management. In addition, she has specialized experience in Agency, Debt and Equity Asset Management. Prior to joining Pender, Cassandra served as an Agency Multifamily Asset Manager at Lument. She has held roles at Goldman Sachs, Beal Bank, Santander, and GE Capital Real Estate. Cassandra holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Dallas Baptist University and an associate degree in paralegal studies from El Centro College. Cassandra is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and Vice President of Advertising and Marketing for Bands of Hope, a non-profit 501©(3) based in Dallas, TX 

Mollie Boyce is currently Head of National Accounts for Pender Capital and oversees building relationships for the company. Her responsibilities include the implementation of sales and marketing programs in the Independent Broker and RIA channels. A California native, she has spent over twenty years raising investment capital in the alternative and private equity space, including expanding offerings into the broker-dealer channel and promoting products in the alternative investment arena. Mollie most recently worked with 7e Investments in Annandale, Virginia where she was responsible for building out their selling group and bringing the company successfully into the independent space. Ms. Boyce received her Bachelor’s Degree in 1993 from Westmont College, located in Santa Barbara, California; and is currently licensed series 7, 63, 55 and 24.

Chris has been in the securities and investment industry for the past 30 years. He has worked for such firms as Voya, John Hancock and more recently LoCorr Funds, a well-known alternative fund provider, where he consistently ranked in the top 5 on a team of 22 Regional Vice Presidents. Chris is a registered representative of UMB Distribution Services, LLC. Chris earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Arizona State University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and later served in the U.S. Army Reserve. Spending time with his 3 Adult children and his 14-year-old son are a few of the things Chris enjoys. Reading, exercising, learning new topics, hiking, and occasionally surfing round out his hobbies. Chris splits his time between Arizona and California for both family and work activities. 

Drew has been in the securities and investment industry for the past 30+ years. He has worked for such firms as Claymore (Guggenheim), American Legacy (American Funds Annuity, well-known alternative fund providers KBS and Bluerock, where he consistently ranked in the top 5 on a team of 20 Regional Vice Presidents. In addition, he became a partner at New York Life, a Fortune 70 company, in under three years. Immediately after college, Drew was an institutional block trader for Bridge Trading (Reuters) for 16 years. Drew is a registered representative of UMB Distribution Services, LLC. Drew earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University with degrees in Political Science and Speech Communications. Spending time with his wife, daughters and friends are things Drew enjoys. Exercise, reading, golfing and walking his dogs round out his hobbies. Drew resides in St. Louis and is a native of Pittsburgh. He is an avid sports fan: particularly the Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Cardinals, Indiana University and Clemson University sports teams. Drew has a vast network of family, friends and business associates throughout the United States. 

Holly joined Pender Capital in May 2024 as Director of Capital Markets for the East Coast Region. She brings over 20+ years of experience in capital raising in the RIA and Institutional Channels, including 10 years with TIAA.  More recently she worked at JVM Realty, a boutique multifamily real estate firm.  Holly received her B.A from The Ohio State University and holds her series 24, 7, and 63.

Loyda joined Pender Capital in 2021, and currently serves as its Associate, Investor Relations.  Loyda brings over 9 years of experience in marketing and client services.  Loyda is responsible for facilitating communications with Pender’s investors and is in charge of investor-facing marketing materials.  Prior to Pender, Loyda was an Associate at a globally established fixed-income investment management company. Loyda holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. 

Jay joined Pender Capital in 2021, and currently serves as the firm’s Controller. With over 9 years in commercial and residential real estate, Jay is experienced in running a growing accounting team. Formerly the Corporate Controller at Relevant Group, a fast-growing developer in Los Angeles, Jay oversaw the daily accounting operations of a $350 million asset portfolio. Jay is skilled in managing accounting for multiple subsidiaries, coordinating with fund administrators, scaling accounting systems, improving internal controls and processes, and developing strong relationships with investors and external accountants. Jay holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from University of California, Riverside. 

Melissa joined Pender Capital in 2022, and currently serves as a Staff Accountant. Melissa brings more than 6 years of experience in the accounting field. Prior to Pender, Melissa was an Account Receivables Rep at a freight forwarding company. Melissa holds an Associate degree In Business Accounting and working towards obtaining her bachelor’s degree at California State University of Long Beach.