OREANDA-NEWS. June 06, 2016. Cushman & Wakefield announced today that Leah Dauer Murphy has joined the firm as Senior Director and will lead the firm’s Hospitality & Gaming Practice, within Valuation & Advisory, in the greater Chicago region.

“We could not be happier having Leah join the Hospitality & Gaming Group. She is a proven leader in the industry and fully invested in the hospitality world,” said Eric Lewis, Executive Managing Director of Valuation & Advisory. “Having Leah on the team will allow us to expand our reach in the market and will be a huge value add for our clients.”

Ms. Dauer Murphy has been a real estate Appraiser since her graduation from Washington State University in 2007 and brings over nine years of experience in commercial real estate. She has spent the majority of her tenure focused on the valuation of hospitality assets and land and has appraised properties valued at more than \\$11 billion throughout her career. 

“Cushman & Wakefield is a distinguished firm with a strong history within the hospitality valuation and advisory arena and I am honored and excited to be joining a team of such respected professionals,” Dauer Murphy said. “I'm also eager for the opportunity to grow the firm's hospitality practice in the Midwest and provide additional services to firm’s valued clients."

Dauer Murphy received both a Masters in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Business Management from Washington State University. She is a Candidate for Designation from The Appraisal Institute and is a State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser. With hotel appraisal experience in Mexico and across the U.S. in over 25 states, Dauer Murphy is an active speaker and guest lecturer. She’s written several articles focused on the hospitality industry and is a member of both CREW and the Urban Land Institute.

The Hospitality & Gaming Practice Group has 30+ team members strategically located throughout the country, and in 2015 completed 3,000+ assignments with properties valued at over \\$95 billion dollars.