Jennifer McElyea

Founder and Managing Partner
Ethos Real Estate

Jennifer is a Founder and Managing Partner of Ethos Real Estate, an investment firm that is reimagining the relationship between housing, communities and capital. Jennifer’s career includes real estate investment banking, private equity, distressed debt and public-private partnership experience. She also has a deep expertise in California public policy, land use, affordable housing and building political, community and financial stakeholder consensus.

Prior to forming Ethos, Jennifer spent 10 years as Senior Managing Partner of Watt Investment Partners, the commercial real estate acquisition arm of the Watt Companies. Previously, Jennifer was a Vice President at OneWest Bank where she managed a portfolio of distressed commercial real estate debt in partnership with the FDIC, and a Vice President at Apollo Real Estate Advisors where she was responsible for West Coast acquisitions. Jennifer began her career at Deutsche Bank Securities in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group.

Jennifer holds a Master of Real Estate Development from the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and German Literature from the University of Virginia. Jennifer holds a number of leadership positions including Vice Chair of the ULI Public Private Partnership Council,  Co-Chair of the LA Business Council Housing and Transportation Committee and member of the SCAG Global Land Use and Economic Council. Jennifer was also recently re-appointed by the California State Insurance Commissioner to serve as Vice Chair of the California Organized Investment Network (COIN) Advisory Board as an expert practitioner in the affordable housing space.