About Us

President: James F. Baldacci

James is the President of Castle Management and the CFO of Castle Construction Company and affiliated entities. James earned a B.S. in Physics with a minor in Mathematics from Santa Clara University in California, graduating in 1987. He is a licensed real estate broker and general contractor. James’ leadership has made Castle Management a premier service organization that never loses sight of its clients’ best interests.

Executive Vice President: Joseph Lawton, C.P.M.

Joseph controls the full scope of the property management operation. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration in 1981 from Saint Mary’s College in California. Joseph is a California licensed real estate broker.

He is very active in the California Apartment Association (CAA), and has acted as the local Contra Costa County Division Chairperson and served on the California State Board of Directors. For 2017, he is serving as President of CAA. In addition, he is a member of Institute of Real Estate Managers (IREM). Through IREM he has earned the prestigious Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation.

Joseph maintains the highest standards on behalf of the owners and demands the best from each member of the Castle Management team.

Vice President, Commercial Operations: Jamie Lue

Jamie oversees portfolios consisting of office, retail, and industrial real estate. She helps to develop monthly financial statements, negotiates Lease terms, manages CAM billings, generates yearly budgets and oversees the day-to-day operations of the company’s professionally managed commercial assets.

Jamie also specializes in overseeing and managing tenant-improvement projects and build-outs from permit to completion. She takes pride in being detail-oriented and upholding the company motto of honoring the worth and dignity of each property owner, resident, tenant, employee and vendor. She strives to maximize profitability at each asset, while maintaining steady tenancy.

Jamie has been with Castle Management since 2012 and transitioned from her role in residential management to commercial property management. She earned a B.A in Communications and Public Relations from California State University, Chico in 2011. Jamie was awarded as one of the Top Leaders under 40 through ICSC Centerbuild in 2020 and is currently an active member in several Commercial Real Estate associations such as ICSC, IREM, BOMA Oakland/East Bay and sits on the board for AFE’s NorCal Chapter.

Commercial Portfolio Manager: Miriam Swernoff

Miriam Swernoff brings a wealth of knowledge in commercial and industrial property management to her position as Commercial Portfolio Manager. She oversees a wide range of properties including commercial, industrial, automotive, medical and retail. Miriam excels in managing tenant and vendor relations. She is also well versed in CAM Analysis, budgeting, and leasing.

Miriam has a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers College and a Juris Doctor from George Washington University. Miriam is also a licensed California attorney. In her time away from the office, Miriam enjoys running, TRX, cooking and sewing.

Residential Portfolio Manager: Adam Pitzler

Adam Pitzler had nearly a decade of supervisory experience working at over a dozen different residential management facilities throughout Spokane, Washington and Portland, Oregon before joining the Castle Management team in late 2012. He has extensive training and experience dealing with every aspect of real estate management, including, but not limited to: all vendor relations, supply chain management, move-in/move-out inspections, leasing, budgeting, marketing and tenant relationship management. Adam holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Eastern Washington University, bachelor’s degree in finance, and is a licensed real estate agent in the State of California.

Residential Portfolio Manager: Brett Starczewski, C.P.M.

Brett provides a wealth of knowledge and experience with respect to operations and financial asset management. He has more than 17 years of experience in multi-family property management and has held various positions throughout his career. Brett has extensive knowledge of various markets throughout Northern and Southern California and has managed portfolios ranging from 416 units to just over 2,900 units.

Brett earned a B.S. in Economics and Business Administration from St. Mary’s College in 1994. He is a member of the Institute of Real Estate Managers (IREM), and holds a Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation. He is also a licensed California Real Estate agent.

Residential Portfolio Manager: Tracy Barsell

Tracy is a California native and grew up in the Bay Area. Strong ties to her community have enabled her to develop a network of vendors and contractors across the Bay Area. She has over a decade of leasing and managerial experience and currently manages a portfolio of single family homes.

Tracy has received recognition for increasing revenue, cutting costs, exceptional customer service, and leasing skills. Her accomplishments reflect her determination to go above and beyond in pursuit of surpassing expectations. Tracy believes integrity and building respectful relationships is the cornerstone to success.

Residential Portfolio Manager: Lisa Wood

Lisa Wood joined Castle Management in 2018. Her education in Real Estate started at an early age. She comes from a family of real estate brokers, property managers, owners and investors. Lisa managed her first property in Santa Clara and today manages a wide variety of properties that include Single Family and Multi-Family properties with high satisfaction for both owners and tenants.

Lisa is committed to working together with others in a team relationship and atmosphere. It is important for Lisa to strive for win/win results if at all possible. It is of particular delight to see difficult and challenging circumstances turn into positives for all that she serves.

First and foremost, in her life are her family and Siberian Husky/German Shepherd, Sasha. She enjoys spending time with them and celebrating the events in their lives.

Human Resources: Nancy Ackerman

Nancy has been a stalwart employee of Castle Management since 2008. Her unique and sundry skill-set has seen her position expand over time as the company has evolved.

Nancy currently heads up Human Resources and office administration. Her peers would describe her as the “glue” that holds the Castle team together.

Nancy’s passions are her family and live theatre. She has a strong belief in one’s civic duty and has worked for many years as an Alameda County Election Officer.

Bookkeeper: Michelle Rumsey

Michelle joined the Castle Management accounting team in 2019. As the Full-Charge Bookkeeper, she leads the accounting department with monthly financial reporting and audits of all business accounts.

Michelle brings her knowledge and expertise from a career in public accounting with bookkeeping, accounting and operations management experience.  She has experience working with multiple clients while providing excellent customer service. Michelle is also a QuickBooks Pro Adviser.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, cooking and being outdoors.

Accounts Payable: Lauren Brummett

Lauren comes from a family of accountants and tax preparers, so it was only natural for her to follow in the footsteps of her mother and grandfather and break into the world of Accounts Payable.

The skills that she learned from helping her family have only improved now that she’s been making her own path. She enjoys working with numbers, spreadsheets, and reports as it feels like completing a big jigsaw puzzle, and she loves being able to help out her team in any way that she can.

When she’s not crunching numbers at work, she likes to stay home and play board games, video games, or read books.

Accounts Receivable: Jessica Ngo

Jessica joined Castle Management in 2021. She brings her Construction and Property Management bookkeeping experience to our Accounts Receivable Department. She enjoys working with numbers and problem solving since it makes work more fun.

On her personal time, she likes to explore new areas, spend time with friends & family, and drink coffee!

Administrative Assistant: Stephanie Martinez

Stephanie joined Castle Management in 2021. A Bay Area native, Stephanie was the first in her family to graduate from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from CSU Los Angeles.
Stephanie provides administrative assistance to our bookkeeping staff as Castle Management continues to grow. She is driven, goal -oriented, and committed to reaching greater heights in her career and personal life.

On her off time, she likes to practice a healthy lifestyle through exercising, reading books, meditating, and spending time with family, friends, and her pets.

In-House Maintenance Department

All properties are maintained by our on-site staff and in-house maintenance department. Their education and talent allow us to save time and money by completing maintenance and turnover requests in-house. Issues with plumbing, painting, carpentry, appliance repair, and HVAC can be resolved with our staff in lieu of hiring outside vendors. The In-House Maintenance Department has two fully equipped vans and all maintenance professionals carry cell phones to keep them in touch with our main office, on-site managers, and tenants in the event of an emergency.