Safe Harbor Title Company Team
At Safe Harbor Title Company, our team is the heart of everything we do. With decades of combined experience in title insurance, settlement services, and real estate transactions, we are committed to guiding our clients safely and confidently through every step of the closing process.
Melissa A. McPherson
President
Safe Harbor Title Company President Melissa A. McPherson is known for her ability to find solutions when commercial real estate transactions get complicated. Her very wise mentor taught her right from the beginning: “there’s no such thing as un-insurable title.” She strives to find business oriented solutions that satisfy and protect her clients.
A licensed title insurance agent, Melissa served on the Board of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Richmond for six years and was elected board president in 2013. She was honored by CREW Richmond as one of the “Top 25 Women to Watch in Richmond Commercial Real Estate,” and is a member of the VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) School of Business Real Estate Circle of Excellence. Melissa is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute of Virginia, the Virginia Land Title Association and the American Land Title Association. Melissa graduated from George Mason University with a B.A. in Government & Politics. She lives in Henrico, Virginia with her two children.
Tommy Bishop
Residential Settlement Attorney
Tommy earned his Juris Doctor degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law after receiving his Master’s Degree from University of Richmond and Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a member in good standing with the Virginia State Bar.
At Safe Harbor Title, Tommy will represent residential real estate sellers in all aspects of their transaction to include drafting deeds and other necessary documents or affidavits, explaining the rights and responsibilities set forth in the purchase contract, offering legal expertise as to questions or concerns that may arise, obtaining resolutions to outstanding matters effecting title and, finally, review and explain all of the documents that must be executed by sellers for closing.
Tommy is a lifelong resident of Richmond Virginia. He lives in Lakeside with his wife and two sons.
Cindy Keyser Balsly
Director of Commercial Underwriting
Cindy Balsly is our Senior Underwriter and Director of Commercial Underwriting. With more than 30 years combined experience in both underwriting and settlement, she brings her vast knowledge, attention to detail and genuine love for the real estate industry to every transaction. Cindy holds a B.A. in English from Christopher Newport University. Outside of work, you will find her gardening, enjoying the beach with her husband, and spending time with her three adult sons.
Rachel Bender
Commercial Title Coordinator
As Commercial Title Coordinator, Rachel opens commercial files, orders and sorts searches, sends out various correspondence to customers, and works closely with the underwriters. When not at work, she is actively involved in the community theater community, whether it’s going to shows, working backstage as part of the crew, or being onstage as part of the cast. She also enjoys lots of time with her family.
Anita Brown
Commercial Underwriter Training Specialist
Anita Brown is an Underwriter in the Commercial Department of Safe Harbor Title. She has worked at Safe Harbor Title since 2017. She works remotely from Union Grove, Alabama after her husband’s retirement from the U.S. Army. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of Maryland University College which was obtained while stationed overseas in Ansbach, Germany. The family fosters dogs and puppies for a local rescue on their little farm. Anita also enjoys the top down and the wind in her hair as she drives around in her vintage Volkswagen.
Virginia Duley
Commercial Settlement Officer & Underwriter
Virginia Duley started with us in July of 2021, and currently works as the Commercial Settlement Officer and Licensed Underwriter helping all our Commercial customers.
Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, she received her B.S. in Psychology from James Madison University in 2019, and finished her Masters of Forensic Psychology in 2021 from Purdue University. When she is not working, she loves spending time with her family, friends, and three dogs, Mikey, Chief, and Gizmo, who all keep her on her toes.
Janie Elliot
Commercial Title Review Specialist
Janie Elliott started her career working in a law office in 1972 where she handled residential and commercial real estate closings. She then left the law office for a short period of time and became a member of the sales management team for a local real estate company where her main duty was to assist the agents with getting their contracts to closing. However, Janie’s love for the law office brought her back to a larger office where she again handled both residential and commercial closings. Janie was then offered the opportunity to become an executive assistant to a Hampton Circuit Court Judge. She enjoys gardening, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Maria Greco
Quality Assurance Officer
Maria Greco began her career in the banking industry after graduating from VCU and transitioned into title insurance in 1999. She worked as a national account manager for a major underwriter before moving into the audit department to gain a change of pace and the opportunity to travel. After her children were born, she focused on reconciling escrow accounts, a role she dedicated 16 years to, assisting title agents and remotely supporting underwriters with audits and resolving escrow account issues. In January 2021, she joined Safe Harbor as the Quality Assurance Officer.
Outside of work, Maria enjoys spending time with her husband, children, extended family, and friends, as well as gardening and visiting the gym or beach whenever possible.
Mary Brown Broughton Leachman
Director of Business Development
As Director of Business Development, Mary Brown Broughton Leachman builds lasting relationships with top real estate professionals in Virginia and beyond. She previously held positions as Real Estate Manager/Vice President in the Corporate Real Estate Group of SunTrust Bank, as well as an Executive Recruiter for staffing firm Durrill & Associates. Mary Brown is also a graduate of Mary Baldwin College with a B.A. in Marketing Communications.
Jaimee Maddox
New Construction Specialist
Jaimee Maddox is a new construction specialist who started with us in 2012 . She is a born and raised Richmond native and received her credentials form Radford University. Jaimee has worked in residential Real Estate since 2006 and prides herself on ensuring that her customers are happy by doing whatever is needed to keep them satisfied.
Amanda Nester
Residential Settlement Officer
Amanda Nester joined Safe Harbor in 2016 as a Residential Settlement Officer, helping make the process of buying a home as stress-free as possible.
Amanda holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.
She and her husband live in King William with their 3 sons and countless chickens. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time outside – either at the pool, on a beach, or at the sports fields watching her boys play soccer and baseball.
Brielle Robertson
Administrative Assistant
Brielle Robertson joined Safe Harbor in May of 2021 for the Richmond office as the Front Office Administrator. She assists the closers with client correspondence and files. Outside of work she spends her free time hanging out with family and friends and enjoying photography.
Karla L. Smith
Residential Transaction Coordinator
After more than 12 years in the banking industry, Karla Smith decided to step out on faith and try something new. She now handles the disbursing of residential and commercial files after closing for Safe Harbor Title, and is responsible for getting all payments and monies out in a timely manner, ensuring a smooth and successful closing for the clients.
Karla attended Virginia Commonwealth University and has one son, Kamron. She enjoys spending time with her family and is a dedicated member at her church.
Candace M. Winston
Commercial Settlement Director
Candace Winston joined Safe Harbor in 2013, starting as a receptionist/assistant before being promoted to residential transaction coordinator. She now serves as the Director of National Transactions & Commercial Settlement Officer, overseeing multimillion-dollar deals both in the Richmond region and nationwide.
Candace holds a B.S. in Business Management and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and specializes in disbursing commercial files, coordinating recordings, and preparing settlement statements for commercial transactions.
Outside of work, Candace enjoys traveling, supporting her son at his games and her daughter at band competitions, and spending time with her husband, Kavon, and their two children, Kiyah and Manny.
Susanne Borrelli
Residential Seller Settlement Coordinator
Susanne has been assisting sellers with their closings for over 5 years, 3 years with Safe Harbor Title Company. She works personally with her clients, agents, lenders, attorneys and closing agents. Susanne looks at clearing the Title as a “challenge” and searches for missing heirs, researching judgments or tracking down unreleased liens to assure the transaction is clear to close for her clients. Her favorite part of her role, as Seller Closing Coordinator, is working directly with the sellers and truly enjoys meeting
them when they can come to our office and sign with her. Clearing any obstacles, client personal service and preparing for closing is what Susanne does for her clients daily.
Susanne is originally from the Pittsburgh, PA area and has been a Richmond resident for over 20 years. When she is not at Safe Harbor Title, Susanne enjoys spending time with family and friends. She enjoys weekend get-aways. Her husband recently retired and they are both adjusting to that. Their 2 daughters attended college in Richmond and now work and live in Richmond, however, they all still call Pennsylvania “home”.
Kristin Campbell
Residential & Commercial Underwriter
Kristin joined the Safe Harbor team in September 2022. Kristin has always loved the real estate industry. She has worked as a real estate agent, a real estate paralegal and now as an underwriter for Safe Harbor. Kristin and her husband live in Chesterfield with their three children. When she is not working, Kristin loves gardening, cooking, and the beach!
Elizabeth Mauck
Commercial Transactions Representative
Elizabeth Mauck recently joined Safe Harbor as a Commercial Transactions Representative. She also assists in Business development, working to build relationships with real estate professionals in Virginia. She is an active member of both the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) of Richmond and Coastal Virginia, as well as the Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate (GRACRE) where she serves on committees.
She was born and raised in Richmond, but received her B.A. in Psychology from Clemson University in 2022. She then moved to Charlotte post-graduation where she worked in IT recruiting for two years before joining the world of commercial real estate with Safe Harbor. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys traveling and spending time in the sunshine.
Kathy McCann
Residential Settlement Processor
After being a dedicated stay-at-home mom for 20 years, Kathy joined us in 2024 as a residential settlement processor. She holds a B.S. from Miami University of Ohio and previously worked in insurance and investing. Kathy brings valuable life experience, organizational expertise, and a fresh perspective to our team. Known for her meticulous attention to detail, she excels in navigating complex settlement processes.
In her spare time, Kathy enjoys cooking and reading, indulging in these passions to relax and unwind. Her love for culinary arts and literature reflects her creative and inquisitive nature, making her a well-rounded and dynamic member of our team.
Taylor Terrell
Taylor Terrell started with us in 2024 and works with our new construction team. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, she received her degree from James Madison University (Go Dukes!). As part of the new build team, she really enjoys being able to see clients close on dream homes they helped create from the ground up.
Taylor and her husband Stafford have two daughters, a Labrador and a Portuguese Water Dog that keep them busy. You can find them trying new local restaurants, spending weekends at the beach and taking on home improvement projects.
Donna
Commercial Settlement Coordinator
Donna recently joined Safe Harbor as a commercial settlement coordinator. She earned a B.A. in Economics and Psychology from Duke University, graduating cum laude. After working 20 years in public relations and marketing, Donna took time off to raise a family in Richmond, Virginia. Now that her son and daughter are grown, she is excited to pursue new challenges as part of the team of Safe Harbor.
Elaine
Front Office Administrator
Elaine joined Safe Harbor Title Company in February 2025 as the Front Office Administrator after relocating to Richmond from NYC. She supports the closers with client correspondence and file management. Outside of work, Elaine is a full-time student at ASU, pursuing a B.S. in Public Service and Public Policy. She’s also an avid reader, writer, and loving cat mom to Mushu.