IPE 1031 Team

IPE 1031’s team offers high expertise.

  • All exchanges, including delayed, reverse, and improvement exchanges, are accommodated in-house (rather than outsourced) by full service, highly qualified personnel.
  • IPE 1031 staff includes three  Certified Exchange Specialists ®.

David A. Brown

President, CES®

A graduate of the University of Iowa College of Business and Drake University Law School, Dave is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and served as a past Chair of its Tax Committee; and the Realtor’s Land Institute. Dave also serves as Co-Chair of the Federation of Exchange Accommodators Government Affairs Committee, and previously served on its Board of Directors, as chair of its Ethics Committee, and as its 2013 President. He holds the designation of Certified Exchange Specialist (“CES®”) and lectures on the subject of Section 1031 for events sponsored by the Iowa State Bar Association, Drake University Law School, the University of Iowa College of Law, University of Nebraska, the Realtors Land Institute, the Iowa Association of Realtors, and various other accounting, legal and real estate associations. Dave is a contributing editor to the Iowa State Bar Association Income Tax Manual.

M. Kathleen Brown

Vice President, CES®

Katie received her undergraduate degree from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, and her law degree, with honors, from Drake University Law School in 1999, where she was a Note Editor for the Drake Law Review. She is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, the Iowa commercial Real Estate Association, and the Federation of Exchange Accommodators. Prior to joining IPE 1031 in 2007, she practiced law as a partner with a private law firm. Katie holds the designation of Certified Exchange Specialist (“CES®”).

Becky J. Petersen

Assistant Vice President, CES®

Also the President of IPE Closing & Escrow, Becky received her law degree, with honors, from Creighton University and served on the Creighton Law Review. Becky holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Northern Iowa. Prior to joining IPE in 2011, she served as Field Operations Director and Commercial Underwriting Counsel for Iowa’s Title Guaranty program and managed escrow operations for Title Guaranty’s Commercial Services Department. Becky is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, where she previously served on its Real Estate Section Council, the Iowa Commercial Real Estate Association, the Realtors Land Institute, and the Federation of Exchange Accommodators. She holds the designation of Certified Exchange Specialist (“CES®”) and regularly lectures on the subject of Section 1031 for accounting, legal and real estate associations.

Chet Mellema

Exchange Officer, CES®

With a juris doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law, where he served as a student writer and Note & Comment Editor for the Journal of Corporation Law, Chet also holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Drake University, and a Business Leadership Certificate from Drake’s College of Business and Public Administration. Chet is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, serving several terms on the Real Estate & Title Section Council, the American Bar Association, Iowa Commercial Real Estate Association, and the Federation of Exchange Accommodators. He brings over 16 years of private practice and corporate legal experience to IPE 1031, with concentrations in real estate, business and debtor/creditor law. Chet is a contributing editor to the Iowa State Bar Association Income Tax Manual, holds the designation of Certified Exchange Specialist (“CES®”), and regularly speaks on the topic of 1031 for realtors, accountants, attorneys and similar professionals.

Lisa L. Rosenmeyer

Exchange Coordinator

With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Lisa has 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, including property management, tax credit compliance and mortgage lending.

Alli Goodwin

Exchange Coordinator

Alli received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Iowa State University and has 8 years of experience in the real estate industry.  Alli’s prior experience includes serving as a paralegal and real estate closer for a private law firm, as well as closing and loan servicing experience for a mortgage lender.

Rebecca S. Eslinger

Exchange Assistant

With a Bachelor of Arts degree from Grandview College in Des Moines, Iowa, Becky has nearly ten years of experience serving as an exchange assistant with IPE 1031. Becky’s previous experience includes working for an insurance company in its legal department.

Anne M. Birdsell

Exchange Assistant

With a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa, Anne’s experience includes working for an abstract and title company and as a legal assistant for a private law firm.

John H. Witt

Business Development Representative

With a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Northern Iowa, John worked with the Maytag Corporation for over 34 years in various sales and marketing management positions. John was the Director of Sales Promotion and Manager of Merchandising Programs for Maytag, Jen-Air and Amana brands. He also served as a Regional Sales Manager for Maytag Appliances in various major markets throughout the United States.

Mike Murley

Business Development Representative

A U.S. Army veteran, Mike graduated from the University of South Dakota with degrees in political science and business. With more than 35 years of retail experience, he ran and supervised stores in South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. For the last seven years, Mike was the head of Pamida’s real estate and property division. In this capacity, he was responsible for 250 leases in 17 Midwestern states. During this period, the company developed 25 new locations in the Midwest. Mike oversaw the site selection, development and construction of these facilities and worked with 120 different landlords to negotiate leases on more than six million square feet of retail space.

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