Leadership

J.D. Sitton

Capital Markets & Strategy

Mr. Sitton is the head of capital markets and strategy.  In this capacity he leads Upshot’s client acquisition and retention efforts and collaborates with our CEO in charting a course for our business and discretionary funds.  He is also a member of the firm's investment committee.  Mr. Sitton brings over 30 years of real estate investment management experience that includes accounting and reporting, finance, marketing, product development, capital formation, investments and management.

Mr. Sitton joined Upshot® from Hines where he served as a Senior Managing Director for capital markets in the Americas.  Prior to that he spent 15 years with JPMorgan Asset Management where he led Americas client strategy and served as a member of the U.S. Real Estate Management team and the Global Investment Advisory Committee.  He began his career with Equitable Real Estate/Lend Lease as a property and portfolio accountant and served in various capacities over a 9-year span.  Mr. Sitton holds a B.S. in accounting from George Mason University.  He is a CFA Charterholder, has held the Series 7, 63, 3 and 24 securities licenses and is a member of PREA, the CFA Institute and the NYSSA.

Juan Carlos Gomez

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Juan Carlos Gomez is the Chief Operating Officer for Upshot®, overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations for the firm and the various funds it advises. He serves as an asset manager for the Firm and is actively involved in underwriting, due diligence and asset oversight. He is also a member of Upshot's investment committee. Mr. Gomez is board certified in real estate law by The Florida Bar and has over fourteen years of experience in the areas of commercial real estate, commercial transactions and local government law.

Before joining Upshot®, Mr. Gomez served as the managing shareholder of a real estate focused law firm in Winter Park, Florida, where he first began representing Upshot on various matters. Prior to that, he spent nearly seven years with a full-service, commercial law firm in Orlando, Florida, counseling governmental entities and corporate clients on various, complex real estate and commercial transactions.

Mr. Gomez volunteers as a mentor with Take Stock in Children of Orange County. He has also served as past President of the Citrus Civitan Club of Orlando, President and Chairman of the United Safety Council and Chairman of the Technical Assistance Committee for Prospera (f/k/a the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund).

Mr. Gomez received his Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University and his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Florida International University. He is a native of Orlando, Florida, where he resides with his wife and their two daughters.

Darren Cunningham

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Cunningham is the Chief Financial Officer for Upshot®.  He is responsible for leading all accounting, reporting, finance, information technology, payroll, and treasury operations for the firm.  Mr. Cunningham and his team lend support to investment due diligence and asset oversight.  He is also a member of Upshot's investment committee.  Mr. Cunningham is a CPA with over 25 years of experience that includes ten years as a CFO, construction, real estate and equipment finance, public and private accounting, hospitality, securitizations and the sale of an operating company and related real estate assets.

Prior to Upshot, Mr. Cunningham served as CFO for a large heavy civil site developer.  Prior to that he spent 9 years as CFO for a multi-site heavy commercial truck dealership and 12 years of increasing roles with a private equity sponsored, vertically integrated timeshare developer.  Mr. Cunningham began his career as an auditor for Deloitte.   He is a University of Central Florida graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a member of the AICPA.