Jami Schulman is a visionary leader whose career has been defined by her unwavering dedication to excellence, strategic foresight, and commitment to cultivating inclusive and high-performing business cultures. With more than 30 years of experience spanning law, real estate investment, and executive leadership, she has built a legacy of transformative leadership marked by innovation, operational excellence, and a tireless drive to deliver sustainable results. Jami’s personal motto—“Be the best at whatever challenge you take on”—is more than a guiding principle; it is the force behind every venture she has built, scaled, and successfully exited.
Jami’s journey began with a strong academic foundation: a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis, followed by a Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas. Her early legal career laid the groundwork for what would become an extraordinary trajectory in the real estate sector. Practicing land use, environmental, and water law, she represented developers and homebuilders, helping them navigate complex legal landscapes and pioneering new standards in private sector water rights legislation. These formative experiences shaped her approach to leadership—one grounded in technical acumen, regulatory expertise, and a bold, solutions-oriented mindset.
Her corporate ascent accelerated during her tenure at Del Webb and PulteGroup, where she served as in-house counsel and contributed to the development of master-planned communities across the Southwest. These roles not only expanded her legal repertoire but also introduced her to large-scale strategic planning, development, and operational structuring. Recognizing her innate leadership capabilities, Jami transitioned from law to executive operations, positioning herself at the helm of complex organizations where she could marry her legal insight with operational leadership.
Jami’s first major executive leadership role came at Communities Southwest, a diversified investment and development company. As Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, she managed the entitlement, acquisition, and asset management of $300 million in residential land holdings. Under her leadership, the company not only weathered the financial headwinds of the Great Recession but continued to generate positive cash flow—a testament to her strategic agility and financial discipline. Her innovative thinking and development strategies earned accolades including an American Institute of Architects (AIA) award for a custom home community project, highlighting her rare ability to blend fiscal responsibility with creative excellence.
The next chapter of Jami’s career would see her shape the nascent single-family rental (SFR) industry. At Beazer Pre-Owned Rental Homes, co-sponsored by Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH) and Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts (NYSE: KKR), she built one of the first vertically integrated SFR platforms from the ground up. As COO, she devised a proprietary acquisition strategy, scaled operations, and played a key role in selling the platform to American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH)—marking one of the sector’s most notable early exits. Her success at BPRH demonstrated her capability to lead through uncertainty, shape emerging industries, and deliver high-value outcomes for investors and stakeholders alike.
From there, Jami joined HavenBrook Homes, a PIMCO-sponsored REIT where she once again proved her transformational leadership abilities. Tasked with restructuring the company, she led a sweeping operational turnaround—reducing overhead by 62%, significantly improving occupancy and NOI, and ultimately driving a successful sale to Front Yard Residential (formerly NYSE: RESI). Her ability to restore performance and instill fiscal discipline became a hallmark of her executive approach, earning her industry-wide respect and trust.
The culmination of Jami’s SFR leadership journey came with the founding of Sparrow, a technology-driven owner-operator platform that acquired and managed over 3,000 homes across 10 U.S. markets. As President, COO, and Co-Founder, she led Sparrow to become a recognized industry leader, raising $400 million in equity from Nuveen/TIAA CREF and deploying $1.2 billion in capital. Her vision and architectural oversight resulted in a de novo tech platform integrating Yardi, Salesforce, Power BI, and 20+ cloud technologies, setting a new standard for operational excellence in real estate. The operating contracts of Sparrow were sold to Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH) in 2024, marking another successful exit in Jami’s career. Sparrow was awarded the 2022 IMN SFR National Operator of the Year, while Jami received the prestigious IMN Woman Executive of the Year recognition.
Beyond financial metrics and operational achievements, Jami is deeply committed to building cultures that reflect equity, diversity, and excellence. At Sparrow, she curated a leadership team that was 80% women and minorities, and fostered a workforce that mirrored those values. This inclusive approach wasn’t performative—it was foundational to the company’s success. Her dedication to diversity extends into her industry work, where she co-chaired the National Rental Home Council’s Women in SFR Committee, mentoring future leaders and advocating for equitable representation at the highest levels.
Throughout her journey, Jami has consistently embodied the rare combination of entrepreneurial tenacity, legal precision, and empathetic leadership. Whether building scalable infrastructure, navigating private-to-public transactions, or leading through market cycles, she brings a profound understanding of capital markets, consumer behavior, and strategic execution. Her work has left a lasting imprint not just on the organizations she’s led, but on the real estate industry as a whole.
Today, Jami is poised for her next chapter, focused on board service and advisory roles where she can lend her insight, experience, and strategic counsel. With a career defined by building companies from the ground up, transforming underperforming operations, and driving value at every stage of growth, she brings unmatched expertise to governance and leadership teams seeking transformation and enduring success.
Character:
Jami leads with empathy, inclusivity, and a relentless pursuit of integrity, ensuring that every decision aligns with her deeply held values. She fosters cultures of trust, collaboration, and accountability that empower teams to thrive and exceed expectations.
Knowledge:
With over three decades of experience spanning legal, real estate, and operational leadership, Jami brings a deep and nuanced understanding of complex business ecosystems. Her career has been marked by continuous learning and a commitment to excellence in every domain she enters.
Strategic:
Jami’s ability to synthesize data, vision, and market intelligence enables her to make decisions that consistently drive long-term value. Whether scaling a start-up or restructuring a mature company, she brings a methodical and future-oriented mindset to every initiative.
Communication:
Jami is a compelling communicator whose clarity, confidence, and authenticity inspire trust across investors, employees, and stakeholders. Her public speaking engagements and boardroom presence reflect her skill in articulating vision and aligning teams behind a shared mission.
