Our Team

Tami’s career in real estate has included representation of both tenants and landlords in the office and retail arena. She has represented local entrepreneurs, regional & national retailers and corporate clients such as law firms, oil & gas companies, and healthcare providers. Tami’s focus & expertise remains in Texas where she has worked extensively in both the primary and secondary markets.

Tami’s clients include and have included companies such as Thompson Knight, Carrizo Oil, Healix, Washington Mutual, Citi Bank, HEB, CompUSA/Tiger Direct, Sherwin Williams, Ace Hardware, Tasting Room, Max’s Wine Dive, Fitness Evolution, Hertz and YES Prep Public Schools.

In addition to traditional real estate services, Tami has provided her client’s strategic planning for a multi-market expansion with in-depth demographic analysis, marketing & disposition of REO property for large portfolios and project management for retail and corporate clients.

Prior to entering real estate Tami owned and operated Pearson English Architectural Design for over 10 years. The firm was recognized as the largest women-owned architectural firm in the state of Texas and 6th largest in the nation. The skills she developed as a business owner and commercial architectural designer bring additional value to the real estate process for her clients.

Tami earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas in Austin. She is a licensed broker in the State of Texas.

Lance has spent most of his career focused on retail user transactions, including tenant representation and project development. He has represented national, regional and local restaurateurs and retailers throughout a broad market area including Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and most of the southeastern and western United States.

CURRENT & FORMER TENANT REPRESENTATION CLIENTS

Lance’s clients include and have included local | regional | national firms such as ALDI, Amegy Bank, Bally’s Total Fitness, Cabela’s, Circuit City, Food Lion, Frost Bank, The Grocers Supply Co., H-E-B, iPic Entertainment, the J.C. Penney Co., Kroger Co., Macy’s, Michaels, Office Depot, PetsMart, Price Club, Regal Entertainment | Edwards Theatres, Sun & Ski Sports, The Sports Authority and Washington Mutual.

He has also represents or has represented national and Houston local restaurateurs including The Besh Restaurant Group (New Orleans’ Borgne, Domenica and Restaurant August), Charles Clark & Grant Cooper (Ibiza, Coppa, Brasserie 19) Jason Gould & Scott Tycer (Aries, Gravitas), Rebecca Masson (Fluff Bake Bar), Monica Pope (t’afia and Beavers) and Philippe Schmit (philippe).

PROJECT LEASING EXPERIENCE

Lance has shared responsibility for leasing numerous significant retail projects in Houston, Texas. Successes include Town & Country Village, one of the country’s first lifestyle shopping centers, Washington Heights, a transformative urban infill redevelopment, and Copperwood Village, The Shops at Bella Terra, The Shops at Riverstone and Silverlake Village—all community shopping centers closely associated with master planned communities. Lance has played an active role in the redevelopment and/or disposition of the former Pin Oak Stables, Town & Country Square, a former Incredible Universe, a former Garden Ridge Pottery and retail developments at the intersections of Harrisburg at Wayside and Montrose at Westheimer.

Having shared responsibility for the opening of more than seventy grocery stores in the Houston metropolitan area, Lance has advised the City of Houston as it has created and implemented successful economic development programs to incentive grocers to construct stores in so-called food deserts where lower-income families often times have limited access to fresh foods. He has shared Houston’s successes and his knowledge at the invitation of The Food Trust with The Pew Charitable Trust, The Clinton Foundation and, in hearings hosted by the State of Texas’ House of Representatives, the American Heart Association.

Lance is a partner in Waterman Steele Real Estate Advisors, a member of The Waterman Steele Group and, until 2013, was the managing partner and shareholder in UCR Houston and its predecessors Moody Rambin Interests’ Retail Properties Division which he co-founded in 1993. He was also a shareholder in Moody Rambin Interests.

AFFILIATIONS

Lance is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) having served both as a faculty member and as the Dean of the ICSC University’s School of Open-Air Center Development. He is accredited by ICSC as a Certified Retail Property Executive (CRX), Senior Certified Shopping Center Manager (SCSM), Senior Certified Leasing Specialist (SCLS) and Certified Design Professional (CDP). He is a full member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). For the ULI Houston District Council, Lance has served as a member of its board, co-chair of its Advisory Services Committee, retail market expert, panelist, speaker and mentor to and for various committees and sponsored projects.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Lance was formerly Executive Vice President of Grubb & Ellis Retail Properties Division in Houston, Texas. He was the company’s top-producing retail broker nationally for the four years preceding his departing with Ed James to form Moody Rambin Interests’ Retail Properties Division. He was also a member of Grubb & Ellis’ National Retail Tenant Services Group. During his tenure at Grubb & Ellis, Lance earned the Senior Marketing Consultant (SMC) designation and was named to the Henry S. Miller / Grubb & Ellis Chairman’s Council.

A past president of The Children’s Museum of Houston’s board of directors, Lance continues to serve on the museum’s advisory board of directors. Lance co-chaired the museum’s building committee. Together, they lead the museum’s doubling in size. This expansion was part of a $35 million capital campaign that allowed the museum to better serve almost 1,000,000 visitors—children, their parents, their caretakers and their teachers—each year. Toward fulfilling his commitment to the education of our community’s children, he serves on the Greater Houston Partnership’s Early Matters Committee and as an advisory committee member to The Collaborative for Children. Until August 2016, he also served as a member of the Houston Housing Authority’s (HHA) board of commissioners for more than six years. For more than four years, he was chairman of the Authority’s board. Serving more than 25,000 families throughout the city of Houston, HHA’s mission is to improve the lives of its constituents by providing quality, affordable housing options and promoting education and economic self-sufficiency.

Lance has previously served as a member of the vestry and building committee member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church where he and his family are parishioners. He also has served as a board member of the Urban League of Houston.

EDUCATION

In 1977, Lance earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Real Estate with Honors from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He also attended Southern Methodist’s graduate program in Real Estate and Regional Science.

Lance is a native Texan. He and his family have lived in Houston for more than fifty years. He is married, has two sons, a daughter, and granddaughter.

As a Partner with Waterman Steele Real Estate Advisors, Licia provides strategic input and direction for the firm’s Government Relations, Community Engagement, and public/Private Partnership practice. Licia also serves as President and CEO of the Waterman Steele Group. Since founding the firm, Licia has represented a broad range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to emerging businesses, nonprofits, governmental agencies, and high-level individuals.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

With almost 30 years’ experience in the political arena, Licia has served as the Chief of Staff or District Director for three former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and has served at the national level for several organizations. In her many capacities, Licia has also served as the chief political operative and as a liaison with federal, state, city, county and school district governmental entities. Licia’s vast network allows her to successfully navigate on behalf of our clients the ever-changing environment in which we work and live.

Prior to the inception of WSG, Licia was Managing Director for Apex Advisors, a strategic planning consulting firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. Licia also previously served as the President & CEO for Cherish Our Children International, an international children’s non-profit that develops and funds programs for vulnerable children and their communities around the world.

AFFILIATIONS

Licia is highly active in volunteer efforts nationally, as well as the state of Texas and the greater Houston community, serving on numerous boards and committees.

• Chairman of the Houston Public Library Foundation

Shima Beni joined Waterman Steele in 2021 as Director of Mapping and Research. She is responsible for producing our high-quality geographic and demographic materials for marketing and market analysis work. In addition, Shima advises brokers and clients about GIS capabilities and resources available through Waterman Steele.

With expertise in GIS data curation, analysis, market optimization, and presentation, Shima is focused on efficiency and producing high-quality products. This ensures Waterman Steele is equipped with the right visual tools to serve clients and bring in new business.

Angela provides administrative support to the Waterman Steele team. Angela handles day-to-day accounting, operations, human resources, and oversees real estate and business licensing processes to ensure full compliance with state and local licensing requirements.

A native Houstonian, Angela is our office yogi, winner of the 1986 GooGoo Bar Championship, and will beat you at tennis anytime. When away from the office, Angela enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Mike Easely is a native Houstonian who began his career in commercial real estate in 1984. Prior to joining Waterman Steele Real Estate Advisors, he was the sole proprietor of a Houston based real estate brokerage firm. Mike and his firm supported both small businesses and national corporations including Chase Bank (formerly Texas Commerce Bank), Camden Property Trust, The Houston Area Urban League, Mid-Town Redevelopment Authority, Frenchy’s Creole Chicken and McDonald’s. He is a CCIM candidate and a member of CCIM Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter.

Mike’s involvement in the Houston community is essential and he is a board member of the Hermann Park Conversancy. He is a founding member of the 5th Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation and remains actively involved in the revitalization of the community in which he was raised.

In 1979, Mike earned a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Houston. He was previously employed as an Assistant District Executive in charge of recruitment for the Boy Scouts of America (Sam Houston Area Council) and a Sales Representative for the Xerox Corporation.

Mike has been married to Janyce for 38 years and they have three children, Megan, Jansen, and Mykel.

In her role as Managing Director, Angele brings more than 25 years of experience in creating and implementing strategic public relations and marketing campaigns on national, state, and local levels for WSG clients.

Before joining WSG, Angele worked as a Public Affairs Specialist for the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, initiating the first ever public relations campaign promoting the National Economic Censuses. She also served as a Community Affairs Manager overseeing a diverse staff to promote the Decennial Censuses and annual surveys to media and the community in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Atlanta regions. In a similar capacity, Angele managed community events for the Chicago Park District.

Angele has also worked as a writer/editor for The Bureau of National Affairs publications Energy Users Report and International Environment Reporter, and as a Public Relations specialist for Johnson Publishing Company. Additionally, Angele was a field producer for WJLA-ABC news affiliate in Washington, D.C. Angele is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, National Communications Association, and the Atlanta Writers Club.

Lindsay Pearson joined Waterman Steele in 2015. As a member of the firm’s retail team, Lindsay is responsible for strategic market planning, demographic analysis, and identifying opportunities for the firm’s clients.

Previously, Lindsay was the marketing director for First Community Bank, and worked as a Policy Analyst for The State of Texas House of Representatives.

A native Houstonian, Lindsay holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from the University of Texas. She is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Texas and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

When not in the office, Lindsay enjoys traveling, spending time with her animals, and exploring new Houston restaurants. She is actively involved with the alumni association of her alma mater, The St. John’s School. Lindsay is also a part of the gala committee for PACE Youth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to at risk youth.

Melissa drives the internal and external marketing initiatives for Waterman Steele Real Estate Advisors. She creates a wide variety of marketing materials, and crafts customized presentations tailored to each client’s needs, as well as illustrate a true representation of Waterman Steele’s services and expert abilities.

Prior to joining Waterman Steele, Melissa was a marketing director for United Commercial Realty. She oversaw the design and creation of marketing materials for the Houston office. There, she produced quality design work for property brochures, proposals, presentations, email campaigns, and retail property marketing pieces to aid brokers in client retention and in gaining new business.

​Melissa earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Houston. Her creativity is fueled by her love of art and attention to detail.

Professional Affiliations

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), Houston Center of Photography, International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

David has over 25 years of commercial real estate experience. As a commercial real estate lender for 15 years upon graduating from Texas A&M, he has financed many real estate projects in the Houston area and in Texas. In 2007, David stepped away from the real estate finance side and into the commercial real estate sales side of the business. He joined Waterman Steele in 2016 as the land brokerage specialist. Since then, he has successfully marketed commercial and retail properties, residential development tracts and has gained some additional expertise working with national fast-food franchises.

David is a member of the Greater Houston Partner, Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he has served as the Finance Committee Chairman for Bellaire United Methodist Church.

Matt Zeis joined Waterman Steele in 2022 as Vice President, supporting the firm’s clients’ socially equitable investments including, mixed-income and affordable housing.

Prior to joining WSREA, Matt served as Director of Finance for a US-based international distribution services company with customers ranging from corporations to governments and law enforcement agencies. Matt’s previous experience is in finance for crude oil trading, non-profit finance, and fundraising and ethics compliance.

Matt earned an MBA from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business with a concentration in finance and real estate in 2017. He also holds a degree in political science and history from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Matt has served on the board of the Houston Land Bank as a mayoral appointee since December 2015. He served as board treasurer before being appointed chair in March 2020. He is also a mayoral appointee and chair of the City of Houston’s Board of Public Trusts (Houston Foundation).

In his free time, Matt spends time with his wife Lindsay and their two dogs Charlie and Teddy. They enjoy mountain climbing, traveling, and motorcycling.