Our Mission

Our mission is to provide each of our clients with the capital, knowledge, and outstanding service that investors need to grow their portfolios. We treat our clients like valued business partners in order to develop successful relationships that extend well beyond the completion of their projects. While hard money lending is our business platform, relationships are the real catalyst for our success.

About Us

Senior Leadership

Daniel Huertas

CEO

Daniel came to the United States from Ecuador to attend college while simultaneously working as a traditional mortgage originator for a well-known and highly reputable multinational financial services company. During that time, he solidified his technical knowledge in real estate financing while growing his network of local real estate professionals. Throughout the 2008 real estate crisis, Daniel began fixing and flipping homes, carving out a new and exciting pathway within the real estate investor sphere. After having had nothing but bad experiences with the existing hard money lenders, Daniel decided to partner with his best friend and co-founded Washington Capital Partners on the premise of rewriting the rules and removing the stigma of hard money lending. He has grown WCP since 2012 into a business with thousands of transactions and over 40 employees while contributing to the transformation of our local communities. Today, he serves as the CEO, and under his leadership WCP has become the largest hard money lending company in the Mid-Atlantic region, earning industry recognition from prestigious sources such as The Financial Times, Inc. 5000, and Washington Business Journal. Daniel strongly believes in giving back to the community and he does so through a variety of initiatives including his work at The WCP Foundation. When he’s not at WCP, Daniel can be found playing with his son and traveling the world with his wife.

Giselle Bonzi

President

Giselle Bonzi is President of Washington Capital Partners, working with our CEO on overall company growth strategy as well as running daily operations and overseeing company-wide performance. While Giselle does not enjoy being referred to as an entrepreneur, she has started and exited companies while also providing strategic advice and seed funding to domestic and international start-up ventures across several industries. Before joining WCP, Giselle has worked extensively in private equity and international portfolio management across the United States, Africa, and Latin America. Her passion and commitment to making an impact in the world have her involved in multiple philanthropic causes including her founding and leading role at The WCP Foundation. Giselle’s personal and professional international background carries over to her life outside of work, as she loves traveling the world with her family and friends.

Giselle holds a Master of Public Health from Northeastern University and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jenise Brown-Taylor

Director of Operations

Jenise Taylor proudly serves as the Director of Operations at Washington Capital Partners. After spending over a decade in financial services within top-ranking organizations such as Finance of America Commercial, Jenise knows the importance of fair, ethical, and responsible lending. Possessing a wealth of knowledge in financial services, risk, credit, operations, and real estate, Jenise has a proven track record that allows her business commitments to thrive. This understanding has produced an unwavering commitment to balance the best interest of all stakeholders.

Jenise received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She went on to expand her education by acquiring a Master of Science in Public Administration from Central Michigan University. Outside of work, public outreach makes up her most important endeavors; with a passion for helping underserved communities, Jenise invests her leadership capabilities through partnerships such as: sitting on the Board of Directors for Carolina Housing Economic Development Corporation and volunteering with the local Urban League. Through charitable endeavors, Jenise impacts a diverse group of individuals with vast needs.

Jared Fausnaught

Director of Sales

Jared Fausnaught, Director of Sales at Washington Capital Partners is an operator at heart, having been a part of the acquisition, construction, sale, and origination of over $250 million in commercial and residential real estate transactions. Prior to joining WCP, Jared acted in the senior acquisition and legal roles for a boutique DC-based development company. In his current role, he is responsible for managing and driving sales growth, and overall portfolio strategy. As part of WCP’s executive team, Jared plays additional supporting roles in marketing, operations, fund management, and capital markets. Each day after work you can find Jared playing a game of “who’s walking who?” with his Great Dane, Jewel. Learn More About Working with Jared…

Christina Araujo

Director of Finance

Christina Araujo has been an integral part of the WCP team from day one. Today she is the Director of Finance and all-around master of capital. Born and raised in nearby Reston, VA, Christina has a passion for traveling beyond the Northern VA boundaries. In fact, she’s been to Europe over 20 times! When she’s not meticulously quarterbacking our finances or jet-setting across the Atlantic, you can find Christina enjoying time with her son, Mason.

Sales

Conor Reilly

Sales Manager

Conor Reilly is a Connecticut native who graduated from Salisbury University before finding a new home in the DMV. After studying advertising during college he decided to instead focus on the real estate industry, specifically building relationships with clients. This led him to join the WCP sales team as a Sales Associate. After proving to be a highly effective and organized member of the sales team, Conor was promoted to Sales Manager so that he could help other members of the team hone their skills and expertise. He is always willing to be the first to try new foods and loves to cook. Conor stays busy hiking, playing soccer, baseball, or taking a weekend road trip somewhere on a whim. Learn More About Working with Conor…

David Huertas

Sales Associate

David is a Sales Associate at WCP, and if the last name looks familiar it’s because he is our CEO’s brother. David began his real estate career straight out of high school, working as a licensed agent. From there he attended George Mason University’s School of Business, where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Accounting (MSA). Using his accounting and financial education, David co-founded and grew his business to over 10,000 clients. In order to combine his passion for working with numbers and building client relationships, David analyses and originates loans for local real estate investors. When he’s not working with clients, you can find David playing guitar in his band, Ocho de Bastos, at local music venues.

John Viscuso

Sales Associate

John Viscuso has over 25 years of business experience spanning industries such as banking, financial services, and was a realtor in NY for over 6 years. A graduate of Hofstra University with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing John has a passion for real estate and helping people attain their dreams. His motto is “Live the life you always wanted”. John is extremely detailed oriented and an excellent fact finder. He always puts clients’ interests first above all others. He originally hails from Long Island, NY, and relocated to Northern Virginia in 2011 to be closer to family. He enjoys anything to do with the outdoors, especially golfing and skiing. He is also an Assistant Golf Coach with First Tee DC.

Kevin McGaughey

Senior Sales Associate

Kevin McGaughey is a Northern Virginia native and graduate of JMU where he studied biology and human science. After coming to work part-time at WCP, he quickly realized that real estate was the right path for him, leading him to his current position as Senior Sales Associate. In his free time, you can find him on the court, playing in one of the many local basketball leagues. Some of his likes include traveling, Indian food, and awful reality television. Learn More About Working With Kevin…

Max Van Vleet

Sales Associate

Max Van Vleet is a Northern Virginia native from Loudoun County. Prior to WCP, he worked as a project engineer for Clark Construction, managing subcontractor’s scopes of work and processing all change orders at the $500+ million renewal of the Cannon House Office Building. He graduated from the University of Virginia where he majored in Systems and Information Engineering and minored in Economics. His passion for real estate investing led him to WCP, where he works directly with the Director of Sales. Outside of the office he enjoys playing soccer, hiking, biking, and traveling. Learn More About Working With Max…

Michael Carpio

Sales Associate

Mike is originally a New York native from Westchester County. After graduating high school Mike moved to the DMV area and began his career in sales and client relationship building. While working as a specialty lender in the traditional mortgage market, Mike began exploring his interest in real estate investing, leading him to join the WCP team. Outside of the office Mike enjoys watching sports, working on his car, and loves to cook.

Soone Salih

Sales Associate

Soone graduated from Elon University with a Marketing degree in 2015. Upon graduating, she entered an advertising consultant position at the Costar Group to pursue her passion for real estate. She pivoted into private lending when she saw the opportunity in the DC market combining both valuable skills in real estate and finance. Soone enjoys helping investors scale by providing creative financing and the most competitive rates with Washington Capital Partners. In her free time, she focuses on spending time with her loved ones, health and wellness, new experiences, travel, and music.