VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS - Key Persons
Ann Li recently joined Village Settlements after having worked as a Processor for more than 15 years with another company. Ann is a licensed title producer with the State of Maryland. Ann speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese. Ann processes settlement files in our Gaithersburg office where she has quickly developed a following of Realtors who enjoy working with her. Ann is living in Clarksburg with her husband and her loving teenage daughter. Ann Loves cooking and gardening and she spends most her spare time in the kitchen and her small vegetable garden.
Ann Smith is the Settlement Manager in our Frederick County, Maryland office. She started working at Village Settlements Inc. in 1991, and has worked her way up from part time receptionist when she was just out of High School, to Settlement Manager today. Ann worked in the Gaithersburg office of Village Settlements until the opening of the Frederick office in 2006.
As a processor, Ann is fully responsible for assembling all information necessary for settlement, including interfacing with lenders, surveyors, buyers, sellers, Realtors, and all others necessary to ensure an accurate and professional settlement. Ann's proximity to the Frederick office and consuming work ethic make her an extremely valuable member of the Village Settlements Team.
Annie Litchka is a real estate attorney in our Frederick office. Originally from Carroll County, she joins our firm after ten years of operating a real estate law practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Litchka has conducted numerous settlements and is well-versed in any potential issues or questions that may arise during the process. She has also practiced in the areas of family law, contract drafting, and zoning, authoring an appellate brief on the amendments to the Critical Area Program. In our Frederick office, she will concentrate on solving title problems, contract drafting and review, Deeds, Powers of Attorneys and, of course, conducting settlements.
Ms. Litchka received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgia Southern University and her Juris Doctor from Atlanta's John Marshall Law School. She is currently licensed to practice law in both Maryland and Georgia.
Job Titles:
- Title Clearing Administrator
Barbara Blum has been in the title industry for over 30 years, during which time she has handled every aspect of the process with the sole exception of actually conducting the closings. Barbara became an integral member of the Village Settlements, Inc., team at the beginning of the company, and has been here ever since.
Barbara is in charge of clearing up problem or unreleased loans and liens from the land records. As such, she has a network of contacts all around the country that enable her to locate long missing documents and clear up problems that have been unsolved often for many years. Due to the closing of some financial institutions and the merger or acquisition of others, her explicit knowledge of the route taken by most loans is irreplaceable (as is her antique rolodex).
Ms. Blum is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Chris DeLisi joined our firm in 1998 as an attorney after several years serving as our law clerk. Mr. DeLisi is a principal with Village Settlements, Inc., and manages our Frederick office. Mr. DeLisi received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from St. Mary's College of Maryland, where he was a member of both the President's and Dean's Lists, and the International Economic Honor Society. In addition to his academic achievements, he is the third all-time leading scorer in the College's basketball team history and was twice named to the First Team All-Capital Athletic Conference.
Mr. DeLisi is a Cum Laude graduate of The Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University. While at Penn State, he was the Comments Editor of The Dickinson Journal of Environmental Law and Policy. His articles entitled, "The Incineration of Chemical Warfare Agents by the United States Army: Is it the Best Method for Disposal?" and "The Endangered Species Act of 1973-Habitat Modification is a ‘Harm' that Constitutes a ‘Taking'" were published in the Law Journal. These articles can be found in WestLaw and Lexis at 6 Dick. J. Envtl. L. & Pol'y 139 (1997); and 7 Dick. J. Envtl. L. & Pol'y 75 (1998).
Mr. DeLisi concentrates his practice in the areas of Real Estate Law and Contracts. He has served on the Board of Directors and Legal Counsel to the Gaithersburg/Germantown Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Housing Charities, Inc. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Maryland. He is a member of the American Bar Association.
David Hahn joined our firm after providing legal services to the real estate and business communities in the Olney area for three years. Mr. Hahn is a principal with Village Settlements, Inc., and manages our Greenbelt office. Mr. Hahn has extensive experience and training in all aspects of residential real estate transactions from contract drafting and negotiation to settlement, as well as landlord/tenant law, foreclosure, business law, bankruptcy, and will drafting. Mr. Hahn has also represented local banks in the preparation and negotiation of complex commercial real estate transactions. Mr. Hahn continues to serve the Olney community, where he lives with his wife and daughter, as an active member of the Lions Club of Olney.
Mr. Hahn received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland in 1984, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore in 1992. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Hahn worked for a local engineering company building heat exchange equipment for space flight on board rockets, satellites and the space shuttle.
His technical background is the basis for Mr. Hahn's additional interests in intellectual property law, such as patent, trademark and copyright law. While in law school, Mr. Hahn competed in the Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court Competition, a special competition for those interested in intellectual property law. Mr. Hahn placed first in the Regional round and runner up in the National round of this prestigious competition.
Mr. Hahn is licensed to practice law in the State of Maryland and is a member of the American and Maryland State Bar Associations.
Mr. Parker is a well-respected attorney in Montgomery County, engaged in the practice of Real Estate Law since 1985. In addition to real estate settlements, his other area of concentration includes complex commercial transactions. He also leads the company in the American Land Title Association Best Practices compliance division. He is highly visible in the industry as an author and lecturer on real estate related issues. He is the President of Village Settlements and the managing owner for the entire company. He works out of the Gaithersburg office.
As an educator, he instructs continuing education courses for real estate agents and brokers. His columns have appeared regularly in local newspapers, magazines and newsletters. He also co-authored the book "Real Estate Practice in DC, Maryland and Virginia." The book can be found in the library of many law firms and law schools throughout the United States. Mr. Parker is active in community endeavors, including fund raising for The Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health and MedStar Hospital. He received his Juris Doctorate from William and Mary School of Law, where he was the winner of the William and Mary Negotiating Competition and runner-up at the United States Eastern Regional Negotiating Competition. He also won the prominent American Jurisprudence Awards in Contracts and Criminal Law. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, with Distinction in Political Science from James Madison University where he was the Student Advocate Coordinator which involved defending the rights of students charged with academic violations, the President of the Pre-Legal Society and the Vice President of the Political Science Honor Society. His professional affiliations include the Maryland State, Montgomery County and the American Bar Associations.
Dawn Fox began her career in the Mortgage Industry and transitioned into the real estate settlement field working for a law firm in their foreclosure department. Dawn then received her paralegal certificate and has been working for Village Settlements as a processor for the past 14 years. With so much experience, Realtors and Lenders know that they can count on Dawn to handle any settlement issue that comes her way. Having previously worked in our Gaithersburg and Frederick offices, Dawn is now located in our Montgomery County office, which she admits makes for a much shorter commute!
Dayton Young happily returns to Village Settlements after working for us throughout college. While in college, she helped with Post Closing and Title Policy Preparation/Lien follow up, and has since received her Maryland Title Insurance Producer's License to become a Settlement Processor. After graduating college and traveling abroad, she worked at a popular local restaurant in Downtown Frederick, first as a server and then ultimately she became a manager for several years. Dayton brings to Village her dedicated work ethic, organizational skills, and expertise in client relations and hospitality. Outside of Village, Dayton enjoys seeing concerts, theatre performances, and spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Post Settlement Paralegal
Eddie Martin is part of our post settlement team and as a former Captain of the Bridgewater College lacrosse team, Eddie likes to think of himself as the goaltender for the Village settlement team. He is the last line of defense before documents are submitted to the Court for recording or returned to the Lender.
Eddie graduated from college and joined Village Settlements, Inc. in May of 2018. The pandemic altered his plans for law school, but he intends to start law school in the near future and has his eye on a spot with the Village Settlements attorney's team. Eddie graduated from Bridgewater College with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences. His hobbies include playing and coaching ice hockey and lacrosse and he also likes to spend his spare time on the golf course. An avid Philadelphia Flyers hockey fan, he is still welcome in an office surrounded by Washington Capital's fans.
Frank Goldenberg joins our firm with seventeen years of settlement experience in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Frank will concentrate on handling settlements in Maryland and the District of Columbia. He will also assist with contract preparation and review, Deeds, title issues and other real estate related matters. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and interestingly, his first jury trial involved the alleged breach of a real estate sales contract.
Mr. Goldenberg graduated with High Honors from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Frank is licensed to practice law in both Maryland and Pennsylvania. He is also licensed to conduct settlements in the District of Columbia.
Frank resides in Gaithersburg with his wife Barbara. Frank and Barbara have 2 children and 5 grandchildren. Frank is an avid snow skier, golfs when there is no snow for skiing, and he faithfully roots for the Maryland TERPS.
Job Titles:
- Controller
- Controller / Gaithersburg and Greenbelt
Jennifer Coulson has served as Controller of Village Settlements, Inc., since 2003, after serving as an Assistant Controller at Hecht's Department Stores. Since obtaining her BSBA from the University of Delaware, Jennifer has also gone on to earn her MBA from the University of Maryland. Ms. Coulson is instrumental in the management of the multitude of financial transactions that are so integrally related to the real estate settlement process. In such capacity, she interfaces on a daily basis with all of the banks and financial institutions with whom we do business. She also serves as the Settlement Manager for the Gaithersburg and Greenbelt offices.
Jennifer is a CPA, and a member of AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants), as well as MACPA (Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants). Jennifer and her family reside in the community near our Gaithersburg office, and they are an integral part of and active in our neighborhood.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Marketing
Leslie Childs is the Executive Director of Marketing, overseeing the marketing of all three Village Settlements, Inc. offices. She is based in our Montgomery County office. Leslie has been in the real estate settlement industry since 1991, having worked on virtually all aspects of the process. She has worked with Village or its predecessor for her entire career. Ms. Childs is responsible for the major social and marketing events planned by Village Settlements, Inc. including the Sock Hop, Holiday Parties, Fall Hayride Party, MAR Convention Beach Party and many other events.
An active member of GCAAR and the Women's Council of Realtors, Leslie is also active in the coordination of continuing education programs and classes for real estate license renewal. Leslie was awarded the honor of being named the 2011 Affiliate of the year of the Greater Capital Area Chapter of the Women's Council of Realtors. Leslie attended West Virginia Wesleyan College, and is the mother of three beautiful daughters.
Lindsey Szita has been a member of the Village Settlements team since 2015 when she started out as our Gaithersburg office Receptionist. She is now a pre-settlement processor and she is in charge of the initial stages of case preparation, including opening up contract files for settlement, and coordinating details with purchasers, sellers, agents and lenders. Lindsay received her Associate's degree from Frederick Community College. She is a resident of Frederick County and loves spending time painting, drawing and hanging out with her cats Minnie and Bruce.
Liz Marousek joined Village Settlements in 2009 and has over 15 years of experience in the real estate industry. She is a Maryland licensed title producer, and specializes in complex commercial transactions including settlements on office buildings, apartment buildings, shopping centers, warehouses, office and commercial condominiums and large acreage parcels. She also handles settlements when our builder clients take down lots when they are building entire subdivisions. Her prior experience working in the foreclosure, short sale and bankruptcy area of the law has helped her to become a detail oriented paralegal/processor who has helped Village Settlements, Inc. to become a leader in the commercial settlement field. Outside of the office, Liz enjoys reading, baking, and spending time outdoors with her husband and two children.
Lori is the newest member to join the Village Settlements team. She will be working in our Frederick office, handling post settlement matters. Lori has been working in the title industry since 2012. She has done everything from opening files to processing files to handling post closing matters. With this wide variety of experience, Lori will be well prepared to review all of the closing packages before they are returned to the lender, review and process all documents that get sent to the Courthouse for recordation and disburse files as needed. She will also help with the preparation of the final title insurance policy.
Lori heard about Village Settlements from across State lines, where she lives in Franklin County, Pennsylvania with her two children, together with their 4 Olde English Bulldogges. (That is not a spelling error!) In her spare time, Lori travels with her son during baseball season and makes frequent trips to Morgantown to visit her daughter who attends WVU. We welcome Lori (and her 4 Bulldogges) as the newest member of our team!
Mark Simon joined Village Settlements after serving the real estate community for ten years as a real estate agent and office sales manager. He is located in the Gaithersburg office and is the Vice President and Secretary of Village Settlements. His extensive experience in the real estate industry, together with a stellar record in law school, made Mr. Simon a valuable addition to our real estate practice. He was the first non-founder to become an owner of Village Settlements. As an experienced contract drafter and negotiator, Mr. Simon is available to assist agents and clients with contract drafting and review, complex commercial real estate settlements, and other real estate matters. His experience as an arbitrator on the Professional Standards Committee of the Montgomery County Association of Realtors is invaluable in assisting agents with issues related to procuring cause and interpretation of the rules of ethics.
Mr. Simon received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Denison University. He earned his Juris Doctor from The University of Baltimore, Cum Laude, and won the prestigious American Jurisprudence Awards in Contracts and Real Property Law.
In addition to being admitted to practice law in the State of Maryland, Mr. Simon is also a licensed real estate broker and a member of the National, Maryland, and Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors. He is also a member of the Maryland State and Montgomery County Bar Associations.
Job Titles:
- Receptionist
- Member to Join Our Client
Megan Blum is the newest member to join our client and customer service team. She is responsible for the front office reception area and administration duties, including greeting guests, answering phones, sorting and distributing mail and keeping our lobby and conference rooms clean and safe. It is Megan's friendly voice and outgoing personality that greets our clients in person and on the phone and you can always count on Megan to bring a smile to your face. Megan enjoys reading, antiquing and spending outdoor time with her puppy.
Megan came from an extensive background in the hospitality industry and was a veterinary technician before joining us at Village Settlements. Her willingness to be helpful, her constant source of energy and her positive attitude are exactly what we need to greet our customers and clients.
Mr. Hollman has been practicing law in the areas of real estate and bankruptcy since 1986. Early in his career, Mr. Hollman was a well-known attorney in the bankruptcy and consumer credit fields. He is available to resolve any settlement related issues that arise in these highly technical areas of law. He is also capable of handling complex real estate transactions, including bankruptcy, foreclosure and short sale issues that intersect with real estate settlements. Active in the community, he speaks at seminars and educational programs for many area organizations. He will be handling settlements in our Montgomery County and District of Columbia offices.
Mr. Hollman received his Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School and his undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University. His professional affiliations include the American and Maryland Trial Lawyers Associations, the Maryland Bar Association, the Montgomery County Bar Association, the American Mortgage Bankers Association, and the U.S. District Court Bankruptcy Bar.
Nancy Salaets is in charge of the preparation and distribution of final policies of title insurance following settlement. After title deeds have been recorded in the land records, the originals are returned to Village Settlements, Inc., and the recording information on the deed is used to prepare a final policy of title insurance. Nancy prepares and then distributes these policies for our Gaithersburg and Greenbelt Offices.
Additionally, as she reviews files for the preparation of the title insurance policies, she also ensures that the prior loans that were recorded against the property that were resolved at closing have been "officially" released from the appropriate land records. This helps avoid long term title issues for sellers or those refinancing their mortgages.
Ms. Salaets has been with Village Settlements since 1994, and has worked in the title industry since 1986. She is a licensed title producer for the State of Maryland. To enhance her knowledge of the law and title insurance, Nancy earned her Paralegal Certificate from Montgomery College. She also completed a nutrition degree at the University of Maryland, and is a Registered Dietitian. Her leisure time activities include family game dates, quilting and baking.
Nicholas Anselmi is our newest attorney in the Gaithersburg office and he concentrates his practice in real estate transactional law. Originally from New York, he worked in the residential lending practice group of his previous law firm, where he conducted settlements as the bank attorney for purchasers acquiring homes, condominiums, and co-ops throughout NYC, Westchester, and Long Island. In addition to conducting settlements, he also assists with the review of title abstracts, surveys, easements, and will also assist with the preparation of Deeds, Powers of Attorney & Contracts.
Mr. Anselmi received his Juris Doctorate from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Competition Honor Society. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Colgate University. He is currently admitted to the New York State Bar and is finalizing his admission to both the District of Columbia Bar and the Maryland State Bar.
Pamela Sanchez grew up in scenic Western Maryland and graduated from Allegany College of Maryland. Since 2001 she continues to serve her community as a Crossing Guard with the Montgomery County Police Department. She loves the outdoors: whether it's hiking the woods or strolling a sandy ocean beach appreciating all the gifts in nature. Indoors she spends time reading, crafting, or being entertained by her feline companions. Time is best spent with her two sons and close family.
Joining Village Settlements in 2012, she brought over 30 years of diverse experience in executive administrative careers including international finance, import/export, and office management. Her work ethic stems from a ‘can do' attitude and her eagerness to grow personally and professionally. She strives to make a difference in the lives of others.
Her responsibilities include facilitating wire transfers, disbursement of escrow funds, research and resolution of outstanding financial issues related to case files, supply procurement, and assisting the post-closing department as needed.
Job Titles:
- Information Technology Director
Todd Bauer is in charge of our Information Technology Department. He supports, maintains, develops, engineers and designs all of our computer and communication technology including all of our hardware and software. Todd is originally from Maryland, and he attended the University of Maryland, prior to moving to Hawaii.
Mr. Bauer finished his education with a BFA in Photography from Hawaii. Being a photographer, Todd felt compelled to move to Lake Tahoe, CA and worked hard at being a ski bum for a season. Somehow developing a sense of responsibility, Todd returned to Maryland and school for Network Engineering. He graduated at the top of his class and earned his MCSE and CNA in 2000.
Todd Bauer has been with Village Settlements since 2002. An avid Mountain bike racer, Todd has participated in numerous long distance charity rides, including the MS150 to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis, and the Ride Allegheny which is a 300 mile ride to raise money for soldiers being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
William Young has been in the real estate industry for approximately 16 years, and has been a member of the Village Settlements team for most of that time. Bill was in charge of Post Settlement matters for all of Village for a number of years. Currently, he is a settlement processor as well as serving as the post closing coordinator for the Frederick County, MD office. Mr. Young is our company's specialist in government recording fees and related post closing matters as well.
An additional function served by Bill is as our expert in the settlement software program we use, as well as serving as our local computer technician in Frederick. In addition to his extensive practical experience, Bill Young has his BS in Information Technology from UMBC.