Riley is an attorney who handles real estate transactions. He helps people transition from one home to another and makes every effort to see that this process is as smooth and efficient as possible. Riley graduated from the Florida State University College of Law in 1997. Right out of law school, Riley worked in a large law firm environment. Ultimately, however, he elected to start his firm in 2004 (the same year his twins were born).
Outside of work, Riley is active, raising three boys with his great wife. He also enjoys tennis, yoga, running, Amelia Island, teaching marathoners how to do a pull-up, and a cold beer.
Leah Miller
Leah graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism. She’s been with the firm since the beginning, joining the team shortly after the practice opened in 2004. Leah has worked in every aspect of the company, from processing files and handling closings to guiding our marketing team to her current role as our CEO.
Leah and her husband Matt have lived in Jacksonville since their marriage in 2007 and have two young sons. Between coaching their soccer teams and volunteering at little league, she finds time to bake and cheer on her alma mater (Go Dawgs!). Leah is also a certified CrossFit instructor; she’s coached weekly classes at First Coast CrossFit since its inception in 2014.
Rose Shabo Alberre
Rose is our managing attorney. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of South Florida. She later obtained her juris doctor degree (cum laude) and M.B.A. degree (summa cum laude) from Stetson University College of Law. She began her legal career as a federal judicial law clerk in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. Rose later joined several other law firms before moving to Jacksonville, FL. She practiced in various areas, including complex business and real estate litigation, family law, estate planning, and general civil practice.
Rose is an active member of the Jacksonville community. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, boating, and camping.
Katie Maveety
Katie started as a mobile closer for J.Riley, handling refinance and purchase and sale transactions before transitioning into a full time closer position. She holds the Notary Signing Agent certification through the National Notary Association.
Katie studied exercise physiology at UF and previously worked as a personal trainer, coach, and teacher. In her free time, she enjoys working out, spending time outside, and enjoying time with family and friends.
Allison Deppe
Allison is a closer at J. Riley who earned her B.S. in Psychology at the University of North Florida (swoop!). She has worked with our firm since 2013.
Recently married, she lives with her husband, beautiful daughter, chihuahua, and tabby cat in their Murray Hill bungalow. In her free time on the weekends, Allison can be found playing with her daughter, working in the garden, or enjoying live music with a craft beer in hand.
Jennifer Podelco
Jen was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and attended The Ohio State University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in business administration. Jen later graduated magna cum laude from Elon University School of Law, where she received a juris doctor degree. She is a member of the Florida Bar and practiced tax law prior to joining the firm.
Jen enjoys traveling, watching Ohio State football, and exploring Northeast Florida with her husband, Bryant, and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Kona.
Jessica Broughton
Jessica graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Sociology. She went on to law school here in Jacksonville at Florida Coastal School of Law where she obtained her Juris Doctorate Degree. She is a member of the Florida Bar.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their dog, a German Shorthair named Bear.
Lauren Angulo
Lauren is a recent addition to J. Riley Williams. With both parents born in Cuba prior to emigrating to the States, Ms. Angulo is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Ms. Angulo graduated from Florida State University with bachelor’s degrees in International Affairs and Political Science. She graduated from Florida State University College of Law with her Juris Doctorate, earning the Business Law Certificate. She also studied international law abroad at the University of Oxford in England. At FSU College of Law, she served as Article Selection Editor for the Journal of Transnational Law and Policy, and as a member of the Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, and Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity.
Ms. Angulo enjoys spending time with her Pomsky, Cornelius, who frequents J. Riley’s offices during business hours. Ms. Angulo is a avid sports enthusiast. She enjoys playing tennis and golf, and watching various sporting events such as college and professional football, baseball, Formula 1, and horse racing. Ms. Angulo has been known to describe herself as “biblical and boujie.”
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Angulo worked for a national title insurance underwriter in Jacksonville, Florida. Ms. Angulo is a member in good standing of the Florida Bar.
Lauren Hunt
Lauren studied at the University of Florida and received her B.A. in sociology before obtaining her juris doctor at Florida Coastal School of Law. She’s a member of the Florida Bar and has worked for the firm since 2016.
In her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband, daughter, and English Bulldog, Finley.
Sarah Puente
Sarah studied at the University of North Florida and received her B.A. in criminal justice before obtaining her juris doctor at Florida Coastal School of Law. She’s a member of the Florida Bar.
In her free time, she enjoys offshore fishing, traveling, and spending time with her husband and family.
Rachel Howell
Rachel studied at Florida State University and received her B.S. in political science before obtaining her juris doctor at Florida Coastal School of Law. She is a member of the Florida Bar and has worked with the firm since 2014.
In her free time, she enjoys watching Florida State football and spending time with her son, husband, and French Bulldog, Riggins.
Samantha Ghanayem
Samantha is a life-long Jacksonville resident. She was exposed to business from a young age while growing up in her family diner. Samantha graduated from the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After college, she was an investment analyst and equity trader with Merrill Lynch. She then continued her education at Florida Coastal School of Law, earning her juris doctorate in 2015.
In her free time, you can find Sam helping out in her family’s 50s diner or walking her four pups: Maximus, Oliver, Bella, and Stella.
Ayla Cornelius
Ayla is currently processing for Allison Deppe at our beloved Park Street location. She transitioned from hospitality management and bookkeeping to our firm in November of 2018.
In her free time, she enjoys her garden and being around friends, family, and her cat-dog.
Ally McGowan
Ally was brought onto the team in February of 2019 as a processor and is excited to grow with the company. She is currently pursuing her degree in paralegal studies at FSCJ.
In her free time, she likes to visit theme parks with her daughter and spend time with her two adopted cats, Elvira and Hook.
Ashley Bohannon
Ashley is our newest processor and has earned her B.A. in philosophy at the University of Florida (Go Gators!). She has worked in the mortgage industry for three years now and is eager and excited to continue here at J. Riley.
She recently moved to Jacksonville from her hometown of High Springs with her beautiful son, Cash. They love adventures, animals, and all things water-related. Water conservation is dear to Ashley’s heart (she’s really a mermaid) along with her friends and family whom she loves making memories with!
Laura Smith
Laura is assisting Rachel Howell as her processor. She graduated from Flagler College with a degree in mass communications. After teaching kindergarten for the last nine years, she is very excited to be a J. Riley Williams office team member.
In her free time, she enjoys being surrounded by friends and family.
Lauren Hawkins
Lauren is currently processing for Jen, Sam, and Lauren Hunt at our Park Street office. She has been working in real estate since 2016 and joined our firm in July of 2019. She is a Kansas City, Missouri native and moved to Florida in 2013.
In her free time, she loves to travel as much as possible with her husband, watch movies, and spend time at home with their fur babies.
Trevor Rankin
Trevor is currently processing for our Park Street office. He joined our team in late 2020 with an extensive background in customer service as well as insurance, fully transitioning into the world of real estate. As a Jacksonville resident for over 20 years, you can spot Trevor enjoying local craft beer in Riverside. In his free time, he writes, produces, and performs music.
Molly Corley
Molly has been with our firm since 2016. She’s acted in many different roles, from processing, post-closing, accounting, and human resources to supporting our financial department.
Her favorite thing to do in her spare time is go jogging, cook, and spend time with her family at the beach.
Ashley Taylor
Ashley has been with the firm since September 2018 and is currently acting as an Administrative Assistant. After getting a degree in Business Management, she has decided to go back to school for Interior Design.
In her free time, she focuses on school, photography, writing, and spending time with her husband and pitbull, Mowgli.
Kelsey Klauman
Kelsey was born and raised in Jacksonville, but spent the last nine years living in California working in the food and beverage industry. In her free time she loves to travel, hike, play with her dog Truman, and eat her husband’s cooking.
Toni Chadwell
Toni was born and raised in Chicago and graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from Florida State University. She returned to Illinois for a Master’s in mass media communications at Illinois State University. She has over twenty years of experience in marketing, advertising, and event management. Toni has worked with clients in sports, hospitality, aviation, health, fine arts/theatre, and non-profit organizations.
For the past 11 years, Toni has dedicated her time to raising her two young boys, one of which is medically fragile and in palliative care. Through this experience, Toni became a disability and special needs advocate in St. Johns County. She created an organization called Team Hayden to help other families with support services in our community and nationwide. In her free time, she enjoys looking for shark teeth, being with her furry friends, travel, live music, interior design, trying new restaurants, volunteering, and making memories with her family.
Teresa Dawley
Teresa is our amazing receptionist. She was born and raised in Jacksonville, earning the title of a true native.
She enjoys working with children, from volunteering to being a preschool teacher for five years at her local church. She has been in the field of dentistry for most of her career alongside her husband of 27 years! She is a proud parent of three talented children, but resides in a divided household: Gators vs. Seminoles!
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, relaxing at their North Carolina cabin, and watching movies with her Italian Greyhounds, Dexter and Damian.
Lynn Carlson
Lynn was born and raised in Delaware and graduated summa cum laude with an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and dietetics from The University of Delaware Honors Program. She then moved to Florida to complete an internship at the Mayo Clinic and became a practicing Registered Dietitian. Lynn also holds a Florida real estate license and is excited to be a part of the team at J. Riley Williams.
Lynn lives in Nocatee with her husband, their 5 kids, and their mini husky. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, working out, reading, and being on the water (preferably on a paddleboard or kayak).
Taylor Stafford
Taylor graduated from Florida State University in 2009 with a double B.S., in real estate and business management. Taylor has been in the real estate industry since 2000 and has been in the title industry since 2012. Taylor is super passionate about assisting realtors in achieving their goals.
She was born and raised in Florida. She has lived in the Jacksonville area since 2012. In her free time, she enjoys bike rides, watching football, and bowling.
Taylor Cusack
Taylor has been with the firm since August of 2018, beginning as a processor and transitioned into a marketing rep.
When she’s not meeting with our future clients, you will find her at our company events, getting to know our agents, and assisting them in any way she can. Taylor also has a side photography business where she specializes in animals, families, and portraits. She also takes photos for real estate agents to help them grow their business. In her free time away from work, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and two labs. She loves hunting, fishing, and working out.
Kelsey Hendricks
Kelsey graduated from the University of Florida and has worked in the events industry for the past 5 years. As a Jacksonville native, she is passionate about supporting local businesses and welcoming others to the community.
Kelsey loves a good sunset, happy hour with friends, the beach, and cheering on the Gators!
Michelle Baktys
Michelle has extensive experience in all areas of real estate closings and has handled all aspects of processing and post-closing residential and commercial loans for the past 34 years.
In her free time, she enjoys working out, kayaking, the great outdoors, and spending time with family — especially her grandkids.
Lori Brecheen
Lori is a post closer at the Park Street office. She was born and raised in Jacksonville and lives in Arlington with her husband, dog, and cat. They love to travel and spend time with their daughter and son-in-law in MO as often as they can. They were bitten by the cruising bug a few years ago, and now enjoy going on cruises to the Caribbean and other exotic places.
Gloria Simon
Gloria is a Florida native but fairly new to the Jacksonville area. She has experience in customer service and administration in various industries.
In her free time, Gloria enjoys spending time with her family and friends.