Our Team

Tradition Welcomes George Johnson as General Manager of The Village

Gerald Blessey,  President / Corporate Counsel

Gerald Blessey is President of Tradition Properties, Inc. He received a B.A. and J.D. from the University of Mississippi and an L.L.M. from Harvard Law School. He is a decorated Vietnam Veteran (Bronze Star, 1st Lt., U.S. Army). He was Mayor of Biloxi from 1981-1989, when he led the Biloxi Waterfront Master Plan of 1985, resulting in the creation of dockside gaming that revived tourism on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1971-1981, where he authored the Mississippi Open Meetings Act, the Wetlands Protection Act and the Mississippi Coastal Program for coordination of all agencies to preserve the coastal ecosystem. (more)

Nathan Watson, Senior Vice President of Development

Nathan joined the Tradition team in 2008 and oversees residential, commercial, amenity and infrastructure development. He has been active in real estate development in New Orleans and South Louisiana for more than 20 years. His recent projects included an environmentally-sensitive residential development in New Orleans, a planned unit development on the New Orleans’ north shore, a 205-acre Traditional Neighborhood Development in St. Francisville, Louisiana and a 74-acre mixed-use development in downtown New Orleans. Nathan is member of the Urban Land Institute. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Auburn University and a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University.  Nathan and his family reside at Tradition.

Brynn Joachim, Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Broker, Tradition Properties Inc.

Brynn has led Tradition’s sales and marketing efforts since the first neighborhood was announced in August 2004.  During this time, she has watched the community grow from a vision on paper to a reality.  In March 2010, she became the Broker for Tradition Properties Inc. and oversees all residential real estate sales.  Brynn and her sales team work closely to make sure that each visitor to Tradition receives a first-class welcome and has personalized service from home plan selection to move-in.  A Biloxi native, Brynn has over 20 years of experience in advertising, public relations and sales.  She is a graduate of Louisiana State University and is a Certified Economic Developer (CED).  She and her family reside in Biloxi and are planning their Tradition home.

Susan Gregory Harris, Realtor & Salesperson
Tradition Properties Inc.

Part of the sales team since 2007, Susan is often the first face and voice that greets guests at Tradition.  She is known for her personalized tours of the community and the relationships she forms with future residents as they select their home plan, homesite, builder and ultimately become part of the Tradition family.  Prior to joining Tradition, Susan worked in both front-line and management positions in the retail, banking and insurance industries.  A native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, she and her family reside in Ocean Springs.

Rhonda Waits, Director & Resident Liaison
Village at Tradition Homeowners’ Association

Rhonda joined the Tradition team in 2006 and currently serves as Founder Joseph C. Canizaro’s liaison to the community’s residents and Director of the Village at Tradition Homeowner’s Association.  Before being promoted to this position and Chief Administrative Officer,  Rhonda worked with the project management team during the important period of infrastructure development and served as the assistant to the company’s in-house counsel. She has over 12 years of paralegal experience, specializing in real estate transactions. Rhonda is a Gulf Coast native and is married with two children.