LEADERSHIP

“The two most important days of your life: The day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain

SUSAN DESSELLE

Owner and Principal Broker

Leading and Serving with Impact

Born in Arkansas and raised in Dallas, having spent summers back in Arkansas with her beloved grandparents, Susan had the best of both worlds—a “big city, big ideas” mindset with small town values. With previous chapters of her career focused on sales, marketing, hospitality, and client service, first with The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas and later with a corporate travel agency, Susan continued to grow and hone a skillset that turned out to be absolutely perfect for residential real estate representation and facilitation.

“Life is full of surprises and that is one of my favorite things about it,” said Susan. When a job opportunity for her husband, Michael, led to a relocation from Dallas to Little Rock for their family in 2006, Susan realized immediately that Central Arkansas was a very special place. With her two children almost grown, she took the opportunity to dive headfirst into real estate, and she has never looked back. “I loved what I did with the Fairmont Hotel and with the travel agency, but I can’t even describe what an energizing, rewarding, and gratifying experience it has been for me to build a client base and an agency to serve over the last 14 years. Meeting people from all over the world and facilitating people’s best real estate journeys is a profound joy and privilege. Leading and developing agents while bringing the world’s very best service, marketing, and advertising tools with Sotheby’s International Realty to Central Arkansas’ buyers and sellers is simply incredible,” Susan explains. “Our world is global. Our residents are global. Our experiences are global, and your reach should be global when buying or selling—whether here in Central Arkansas, in your favorite vacation spots, like 30A for beach time, your favorite location for snow skiing, your favorite lake in Arkansas, or your favorite international destination. At Capital Sotheby’s International Realty, we strive to deliver your best real estate experience and outcome, locally, nationally, and globally. Your best life begins with a home that inspires you.”

Susan has been married to the love of her life, Michael, since 1987. They have two grown children and a son-in-law whom they adore. Susan is passionate about making an impact—in the industry, for her treasured clients, for her agents and their families, and for her community. She and Michael are devoted to several local organizations near and dear to their hearts including the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation, The Access School, and Easter Seals of Arkansas, to name a few. For fun they love wake surfing at Greers Ferry Lake and head to the gorgeous waters of NE Florida whenever they can!

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as who you become by achieving your goals.” – Henry David Thoreau

JENNIFER NEWBERN

Director of Operations

Building Processes with Integrity

Born and raised in Little Rock, Jennifer is a lifelong Arkansan with strong family ties in the area. Having graduated from University of Arkansas Little Rock (UALR) in Business Management, Jennifer spent the first 10 years of her career as an office manager with a local law firm. In 2006, her husband had a fantastic opportunity with FedEx, which meant a move for the family to Collierville, Tennessee. While there, Jennifer acquired certifications in Behavior Management and began working with special needs children in the Collierville School District and in sales in the golf industry. Several years later, when she and her family returned to Little Rock to be closer to family, Jennifer embraced her affinity for Business Management through positions as an office manager in the golf industry then later in Construction Management which lead her into residential real estate.

Jennifer’s skill sets are diverse and finely honed. With years of experience with accounting, construction project management, process creation, scheduling, organizing and relationship building, stepping into the role of director of Operations for Capital Sotheby’s International Realty was a natural transition. “I have loved being affiliated with this agency and team. It is exciting and energizing to provide support to our agency and be involved in the building of the very processes that enable the agents to deliver unparalleled experiences and real estate outcomes to their clients with the incredible platforms and tools we are able to utilize inside the Sotheby’s International Realty network,” Jennifer explained. “Our culture is vibrant, collaborative, positive, abundant, growth-minded, and hospitality-focused. And it is just a fun, exciting, and inviting place to be!”

Jennifer and her husband, John, love to spend all their free time with family, especially their 2 college aged children, siblings and nine nieces and nephews. Together, they love scuba diving, travel, snow skiing, and always beach time in Florida.

“I have a vision for living. It’s about elements of style. It’s about all the things that I love, that I believe in.” Ralph Lauren

CHRIS MARSH

Director of Marketing and Development

Connector. Collaborator. Creative.

An Arkansas Delta native, Chris has called Little Rock home for more than 13 years. Chris is a skilled communicator who puts his clients’ interests at the forefront while bringing creative solutions to the table to ensure that their real estate goals are met. His in-depth knowledge of Central Arkansas is underpinned by his 20-year career in economic development at the local, state, and national levels and anchored by his time at Entergy Arkansas and with Boyette Strategic Advisors.

With strong working relationships throughout the Little Rock region and Arkansas, Chris will uncover buyers and market your property to his extensive network. He enjoys combining his business acumen with customized marketing strategies to create “wins” for each client. As the director of Marketing and Development at Capital Sotheby’s International Realty, Chris strives to ensure that every property evokes a story and that every story gets told.

Because of his innate desire to see the region prosper, Chris spearheaded the development of Create Little Rock, the Little Rock Regional Chamber’s initiative to keep, attract, and grow creative talent. Chris is a Class XXV graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock as well as a longstanding member and former Board of Trustees chair of the Little Rock Regional Chamber. Further, he has served in leadership positions for many local, nonprofit boards that serve the community and is the 2020 chair of the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority.

While he may tell you that his education was derived from his family’s legacy in agriculture, Chris is a graduate of Arkansas State University and has a concentrated study in master-level organizational communications from University of Arkansas Little Rock. When he’s not with clients, Chris can be found assisting his husband, Jonathan, at his full-service interior design firm, J. Parkey.

When not working, you can find them traversing the United States and the globe to source furniture or art for Jonathan’s clients ... or for their own home. Always up for some fun, their free time is spent with family, friends, and a glass of wine on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, laughing with their many nieces, nephews, and godchildren, or planning their next adventure.

“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” ~ Mother Teresa

AMANDA GALBRAITH

Managing Executive Broker

Amanda is a long-time educator of all ages with a true passion for learning. Fundamental to her success in real estate, Amanda’s excitement for learning and sharing knowledge is evident in every relationship she builds. With many of her former students as clients and friends, her commitment to educating the public about the benefits of homeownership is one of her top priorities. Amanda is a lifelong resident and lover of all things Arkansas. Her passion for her home state makes her clients feel right at home.

Creating an experience that her clients will appreciate, come to expect, and refer are the pillars for which Amanda has built her real estate career. Gaining special designations to assist our nation’s military heroes, she values creating and ensuring a stress-free experience for veterans. Further, her experiences with young clients allow her to exceed the expectations of first-time buyers, while she draws on her personal experience in real estate investing to give insight to those looking to move on to new homes. Making sure she exceeds expectations of her clients, other associates, and the general public has allowed her to be a multi-million dollar producer in each of her ten plus years in the industry.

When Amanda is not busy serving her clients, she and her husband, Matt, enjoy time outdoors with their daughter, who keeps them busy visiting different places through competitive gymnastics. You can catch them rooting on the Hogs on the football field, baseball diamond, the basketball court, and in the gym! While keeping busy most days, Amanda still finds time to serve her church family and support the Alzheimer's Association, Boys and Girls Club, and the Fraternal Order of Police. Being an Arkansan is one thing she is most proud of and she loves sharing our natural state with others. Just ask her!