Bisnow Annual Student Housing West

Peter Angelis

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Housing & Hospitality
UCLA

Pete Angelis is Assistant Vice Chancellor of UCLA Housing & Hospitality Services and has served in his current position since 2007. In his current capacity at UCLA, he oversees a service driven auxiliary enterprise that generates over $330M in annual revenues and employs approximately 2700 team members. The operation houses more than 17,000 students, faculty and staff and serves roughly 30,000 meals daily. The hospitality division includes the 4 star Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center, UCLA Guest House and Lake Arrowhead Conference Center; Bruinwoods Resort. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Vice Chancellor, Pete worked in the hospitality industry for more than 20 years with industry leaders working with industry leaders such as Hyatt Corporation and Hilton Worldwide Hotels. Pete received his B.A. in Economics at the University of California, Berkeley and completed the Executive Program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Pete and the UCLA Housing & Hospitality Services team are focused on continuing a tradition of excellence in providing premier residential housing, dining, and other hospitality services for students, visiting conference guests, and UCLA faculty and staff. Under Pete’s leadership, the H&HS team has consistently achieved top customer and team member satisfaction scores, while funding well over $1 billion dollars in housing developments and renovations that are either underway or in the early planning stages.

Mark Weinstein

Founder & President
MJW Investments

Mark is the President and Founder of MJW Investments. After beginning his career as an attorney, Los Angeles native Mark J. Weinstein founded MJW Investments in 1983 when he discovered the potential of real estate investment and development through several successful ventures. Under his leadership MJW has acquired approximately 1 billion dollars of real estate holdings in all asset types. He also spearheaded the adaptive reuse of Santee Village, one of Los Angeles’ largest adaptive reuse projects of over 800,000 sqft. of mixed-use in the Fashion District of Downtown Los Angeles. Mr. Weinstein’s passion for, and expertise in property repositioning has been a guiding factor in the company’s growth and success. Mark is the majority owner of the firm’s $800MM diversified real estate holdings. More recently, Mark has led the firm’s strategic growth into student housing and has amassed a portfolio of student housing properties at Michigan State, Washington State, Brigham Young University, UC Santa Barbara, Texas Tech, University of Illinois and University of Oregon. The firm continues to expand its Southern California multifamily portfolio. Throughout his career, Mr. Weinstein has maintained active associations and leadership with numerous civic and philanthropic groups. These include a three year term as Chair of the Jewish Federation’s Real Estate Construction Division; and active associations with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Guardians, an agency dedicated to serving the elderly, and the Jewish Venture Philanthropy fund. Mr. Weinstein holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara (summa cum laude), and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School (dean’s list).

Josh Vasbinder

West Coast Partner
The Dinerstein Companies

Based in Solana Beach, Mr. Vasbinder’s primary responsibilities include identifying, negotiating and acquiring development opportunities throughout the Western US. Since joining the company in 2008, he has been responsible for the acquisition and development of over 3,200 residential units with a valuation over $1.2B. He is currently active in a number of markets, including Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Diego and Austin. He is a member of the San Diego Building Industry Association and the Mission Valley Planning Group.

John Wieker

Chief Investment Officer
Core Spaces

As Chief Investment Officer, John oversees Core Spaces’ capital relationships and capital raising efforts. His role includes developing the firm’s investments strategy, and managing and developing various investor relationships. Prior to joining Core Spaces, John spent over 15 years as a real estate investment banker at Merrill Lynch, Citi and, most recently, Macquarie Capital. In these roles he has been involved in over $100 billion of real estate transactions across a variety of real estate sectors, and including public and private capital raises and advisory assignments. John has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

Fred Pierce

President & CEO
Pierce Education Properties

Fred Pierce (“Pierce”) is CEO of Pierce Education Properties (“PEP”), a leading national student housing investment, development and operating company that was listed amongst the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America (2018 & 2019). Mr. Pierce was selected a “Student Housing Pioneer” by Real Estate Forum Magazine (2013), received Ernst & Young’s San Diego Region “Entrepreneur of the Year®” Award for the Real Estate & Construction Industry (2012), named one of “50 Influential Leaders in San Diego” by the San Diego Daily Transcript (2017–2019), included in “San Diego 500 Influential Business Leaders” by the San Diego Business Journal (“SDBJ”) (2018–2023), named finalist for the “Most Admired CEO” by SDBJ (2018- 2019) and received the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s “Moving San Diego Forward Award” (2019) on behalf of “Friends of SDSU”, for his work on the successful SDSU West Ballot Initiative (Nov. 2018) that has become San Diego State’s (“SDSU”) Mission Valley Campus and Snapdragon Stadium (opened Fall 2022). Fred was twice awarded SDSU’s “Distinguished Alumni Award” by the Alumni Association (2022) and Fowler College of Business (1999), he being one of six alumni to have won that award twice in the last 25+ years. Since 2007, PEP has completed $1.3 billion in student housing acquisitions and operated more than 34,000 beds serving 34 universities in 19 states, ranking it among the leading buyers and managers of student apartments in the country during that period. PEP was ranked by Student Housing Business Magazine (“SHB”) in 2023 amongst the “Top 25 Owners” of student housing in the U.S. and has been listed by SHB as an “Industry Titan” every year since 2016. PEP has ranked #6 nationally amongst student housing companies in J. Turner’s “Online Reputation Assessment (ORA) Power Rankings”. For 10+ years, the firm served as master developer of the award-winning, 131-acre, multi-billion-dollar College Community Redevelopment Project at SDSU together with SDSU Foundation (now known as SDSU Research Foundation). PEP has earned numerous national and international awards for its development projects including three “Gold Nugget Awards of Merit” from the Pacific Coast Builders Conference and the “Award of Excellence” as The Outstanding University Real Estate Project in the country from the Association of University Real Estate Officials. Previously, Fred was a principal and CFO of Los Angeles-based Platt Companies where he directed the acquisition and financing of $400 million in real estate assets. Prior to that, Fred was West Region Director of Real Estate Consulting for Price Waterhouse (now known as PwC), and Director of Real Estate Investment Consulting for KPMG Peat Marwick/Goodkin Group (now known as KPMG). Fred is Chairman of the NMHC Student Housing Research Fund Board, Chairman-Elect of The Campanile Foundation Board (SDSU’s Endowment), Vice Chairman of Beta Theta Pi Foundation Board, and Executive Committee Member of SDSU’s Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate Board. He is a Member of the Franklin Pierce University Board of Trustees (immediate past Chairman), SDSU Fowler College of Business Board (immediate past Chairman), SDSU Mission Valley Campus’ Residential Advisory Board and Public Art Advisory Board, Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute Board and University of Georgia Residential Property Management Board. Mr. Pierce is a Trustee Emeritus of the 460,000-student, 23-campus California State University (CSU) System Board and Past Board President of the City of San Diego’s Pension Fund (SDCERS, $10.6 Billion AUM), where he also chaired its Real Estate Investment Committee. Fred is a former Board Member of INVESCO’s $350 million Real Estate Fund I, and Past President of the CSU Alumni Council, SDSU Alumni Association and Poway Unified School District Foundation Board. Fred completed real estate finance studies in the MBA program at SDSU, and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, cum laude, from SDSU. Prior to founding PEP, Fred was a principal and chief financial officer of Los Angeles-based Platt Companies where he directed the acquisition and financing of $400 million in real estate assets. Prior to that, Fred was Western Regional Director of Real Estate Consulting for Price Waterhouse, as well as Director of Real Estate Investment Consulting for KPMG Peat Marwick/Goodkin Group. For six years (1999-2004), Fred served as a Trustee of the 23-campus, 460,000-student California State University (CSU) System, where he chaired the Institutional Advancement, Audit, and University and Faculty Personnel committees. Fred is also Past President of the Board of Trustees of the City of San Diego’s Pension Fund ($4+ Billion), where he also chaired its Real Estate Investment Committee. He is currently Chairman of SDSU’s Fowler College of Business Board and Executive Committee Member of SDSU’s Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate. Mr. Pierce is also a board member of Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute and The Aztec Club at SDSU. Fred is a former board member of INVESCO’s $350 million Real Estate Fund I, and Past President of the CSU Alumni Council, SDSU Alumni Association and Poway Unified School District Foundation. Fred completed real estate finance studies in the MBA program at SDSU, and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, cum laude, from SDSU.

Ray Haj

SVP & Region Manager
Swinerton

Swinerton Senior Vice President and Region Manager Ray Haj is responsible for the overall vision, financials, and management of all operations totaling over $2.0 billion annually within Swinerton's Southern California and Hawaii Region. Ray manages 1,600 Swinerton employees within this region. Ray is responsible for the oversight and success of the entire region. His focus with his core team in recent years has been developing a Best-in-Class culture, client relationships, establishing a diverse market portfolio, and leading and managing rapid business growth as a master builder. Recently Ray's primary focus has been on building a shared vision and leading succession planning to ensure Swinerton's continuous success in the future years, led by the rise of the next generation of leaders. Ray has nearly 30 years of experience in the construction industry (22 years with Swinerton), with a Master's Degree in Engineering Management from Brigham Young University, a Master's Degree in Project Management from the University Centre of Business Administration in Vicenza, Italy, and a Bachelor's of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Brigham Young University. Ray first worked with a top Italian contractor overseas before joining the Swinerton Los Angeles office in early 2001.

Scott Gale

President
Ventus Group

Determined to find and execute on opportunistic real estate opportunities, Scott Gale formed Ventus Group (“Ventus”) in 2006. From 2007-2013, Scott acquired nine distressed properties from various banks and builders. The acquired assets, located through California and Oregon, included semi-improved single-family lots, subdivisions and master-planned communities, as well as retail, office and industrial buildings. All but one of those properties were sold between 2012-2015. Through 2012, Ventus also entitled, managed and/or consulted on several residential, retail and hotel projects/assets owned by third-parties (national homebuilders, market analysts, and private developers). The company’s consulting activities included entitlements processing, cash flow analysis, market research, and project management. Since 2014, Ventus has dedicated its efforts solely to The Fig. During this period, Scott and his team assembled more than eight contiguous acres in a prime Los Angeles location, all along advancing the design, analysis, and entitlements for The Fig- a 4.42-acre mixed-use development (hotel, residential, retail). Prior to forming Ventus Group, Scott served as Vice President of Land Acquisition at Shea Homes where he acquired 3,146 residential lots (attached and detached) throughout Southern California. Before Shea Homes, Scott was a Project Manager at Woodside Homes, where he was responsible for design team coordination, entitlements processing, horizontal development purchasing, as well as sales/construction support. Scott also served as a Senior Consultant in the Real Estate Capital Markets at Ernst & Young Kenneth Leventhal. There, Scott analyzed and supported large real estate transactions, including asset and company sales, as well as capital procurement and due diligence. Scott earned a Master of Business Administration and Master of Real Estate Development (“MRED”) from the University of Southern California. He also holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. Scott serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Science Center. He also taught several Real Estate Development and Finance courses at University of California-Irvine in the Light Construction & Development Management program.

Nicole Celeste Marquel

Development Director
Wesley House Student Residence

Nicole Celeste Marquel joined Wesley House as the Director of Development in April 2017. As a former educator working in high needs areas, Nicole is a passionate advocate for systemically marginalized students. She also serves as Vice-President of the Board of Directors for Girls Rising, a nonprofit mentorship program focused on empowering at-risk girls. Originally from New York, Nicole moved to San Diego in 2013. She holds a BA in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, an MA in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Adelphi University, and an MA in Education from Pepperdine University. When she’s not working to create parity in the student experience she enjoys long walks at OB Dog Beach with her husband, Dustin, and their not at all spoiled dog, Enzo.

Karri Novak

VP
Suffolk Construction

David Senden

Principal
KTGY

As part of the new generation of leadership at KTGY, David Senden is instrumental to the expansion and increased design profile of the firm. Mr. Senden specializes in urban infill residential and mixed-use developments, with work across the United States and internationally. In addition, he has a substantial portfolio of campus housing and specialty projects including affordable developments and recreation facilities. Since joining KTGY in early 2002, he has led teams in each of KTGY’s offices and often travels where needed to contribute to the firm’s most challenging design opportunities. As member of KTGY’s Board of Directors, Mr. Senden is responsible for setting the big picture, strategic vision for the firm, increasing the firm’s profile and ensuring work at the highest levels. He was named to Building Design + Construction magazine’s list of the industry’s top 40 under 40 and has designed numerous award-winning projects from coast to coast. Mr. Senden is a frequent speaker at various national and regional industry events and has written and contributed to countless articles touching on all aspects of design and the building industry. A lecturer and critic at several universities, Mr. Senden emphasizes the connection between the profession and the academy and values mentorship as key to developing talent and integrating the most current design thinking.

Garrett Champion

Partner
Champion Development

Jared Everett

CEO
Pinnacle Development

Sam Jung

Vice President
Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions

Sam Jung is Vice President for Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions. He is responsible for ensuring a streamlined project development process from bid stage to financial close. Before joining the company, Mr. Jung was a leader within Brailsford & Dunlavey’s Public Sector Advisory Group. He has supported the procurement and financial close to more than $500 million in public-private transactions for colleges and universities. His national experience positioned him to serve as an advisor for his clients in determining economic drivers for facility demand, analyzing funding mechanisms, and advocating on the owner’s behalf through development. Mr. Jung is an active participant in professional organizations including National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and the Association of College and University Housing Officers, International (ACUHO-I)

Braulio Baptista

Partner
ZGF Architects

With over 20 years of experience, Braulio Baptista is a gifted designer who sensitively integrates user values and aspirations with creative, innovative approaches. In his 18 years at ZGF, Braulio’s responsibilities have included planning, conceptual design development, technical and design coordination, and documentation. With an emphasis on advanced technology and high-performance, his designs take into account their impact on environmental, social, and cultural systems. As Design Partner and Senior Designer, Braulio has been involved with a variety of academic projects, ranging from housing and sports facilities to research and classroom buildings, including the recently completed Stanton Hall residence and Cleveland Commons dining hall for Whitman College and the net-zero energy Bechtel Residence for the California Institute of Technology (Caltech); The Grove: Bidwell, Aspen, Sequoia, and Sitka residences for Reed College; the Living-Learning Center student residence for the University of Oregon; the Wasserman Football Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); the Bioscience Research Laboratories at The University of Arizona; the Bioengineering and Sciences Building at The University of Texas at Dallas; and the net-zero energy ready College of Professional and International Education for the California State University, Long Beach. Braulio’s experience also includes a broad range of technologically advanced and programmatically complex public and institutional buildings, such as the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, Family Justice Center Courthouse for the Judicial Council of California; the net-zero energy ready Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Headquarters Phase 1 in Agoura Hills; and the in-progress Department of General Services, Air Resources Board, Southern California Consolidation Project, which will be the world’s largest net-zero energy facility of its kind.

Jeff Larsen

Principal & Regional Director of Student Life
HKS

Jeff has been practicing architecture for more than 35 years, focused on the design of student life projects across California. He currently leads the firm’s pursuit of higher education projects across the firm’s western region, including student residence facilities, live-learn communities, dining halls, recreation facilities, student centers and other student-support projects. Jeff has broad experience in the design of a wide range of both large and small housing typologies, complex retail/mixed-use buildings, resort-oriented housing and commercial office environments. His varied background provides the broad expertise required in designing campus environments that support the diverse needs of students. Jeff’s designs are highly focused around the principles of placemaking and attention to detail that contribute to the unique identity of each project. He enjoys engaging in a collaborative process of synthesizing varied viewpoints and experiences into client-driven solutions. His current project, the UC Davis Emerson Hall, an $83 million student housing community seeking LEED Gold Certification, is scheduled to open for the Fall of 2021. Jeff is involved in SCUP, Irvine Public Schools Foundation Advisory Council and is a guest lecturer at California Polytechnic State University College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

Blake Wettengel

CEO
NB Private Capital

Blake Wettengel is Chief Executive Officer of NB Private Capital, LLC and its related entities. After beginning his career as an attorney, Orange County native Blake Wettengel turned to real estate investment as Chief Operating Officer of Nelson Brothers Professional Real Estate. Under his leadership, the investment company acquired nearly $1 billion of real estate holdings, and the company was ranked in the Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing companies in the country. In his tenure, Mr. Wettengel has overseen the acquisition and management of over 8,000 beds of multi-family properties, securing nearly $1 billion in debt and equity. Today, he manages the acquisition and investment process of the Sponsor, including asset acquisition and due diligence, debt and equity financing, construction and development. Mr. Wettengel has a B.A. from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctorate (JD) from the UCLA School.