Power Women LA

Clare De Briere is a native Angeleno and has spent her career creating special places for the citizens and visitors of Los Angeles. Clare joined The Ratkovich Company as a summer intern in 1991 after graduating from UCLA and worked her way through property management, leasing, construction, financing and development management while earning her graduate degree at USC's prestigious Lusk Center for Real Estate. In her career with the company she has overseen the acquisition, entitlement, planning, development and/or disposition of millions of square feet from The Wiltern Theatre, 5900 Wilshire, 800 Wilshire, The Alhambra, The Hercules Campus in Playa Vista and, most recently, The Bloc in downtown Los Angeles. Clare retired from the Company after 26 years, the last decade of which she spent as its Chief Operating Office and Executive Vice President. She remains affiliated with the Company through its Advisory Board. Clare and her husband, Chef Christopher Barnett, have started a new company, C+C Ventures, a Los Angeles based experience company to develop places that inspire creativity, curiosity and delight whether through a wonderful neighborhood restaurant or a fantastic renovated work or living space. Clare is an active member of the Urban Land Institute serving on the National Advisory Committee for Building Healthy Places and Building Healthy Corridors, and on the Los Angeles District Council'€™s Executive Committee and Advisory Board. She has served on a ULI Advisory Panel in the City of Denver and on a local Technical Assistance Panel for the Huntington Hospital and Cal Poly Pomona. She has been named on the Los Angeles Business Journal's Women Making a Difference list and has been on the Real Estate - Southern California's Women of Influence list every year since 2003. Clare is also on the Advisory Board of the UCLA History Department; and served on the Executive Committee of the Board of the Los Angeles Conservancy.

Randy Fifield blazed a trail many women chose not to pursue. With a design-forward, yet practical approach for creating spaces that felt and worked better for people, Randy set herself apart from competition in the industry. She partnered with her husband Steve in 1999, and together they completed multiple successful development projects including an $80 million renovation of the Chicago Civic Opera House, and the $800 million K Station development with 2,145 units in five apartment towers in Chicago’s up-and-coming West Loop. Randy now oversees the design, marketing, and execution of development projects across key markets. She has been honored by the LA Lakers and Comerica Bank as Business Woman of the Year in Los Angeles. In Chicago, Randy was Connect Media’s 2017 Women in Real Estate Honoree, was the recipient of the 2017 Women in Construction Woman of the Year Award and has been honored by Chicago Business Journal and Crain’s as a notable female executive. Randy attended Northwestern University. She serves as a board member of Northwestern Prentice Hospital and Children’s Memorial Hospital. Randy and family have donated The Fifield Family Labor and Delivery at Northwestern Prentice Hospital and the Fifield Family Bridge at Lurie Children’s Hospital.

Jaime Lee is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jamison group of companies, a privately-held, family-run real estate business, which controls over 18 million square feet of commercial office, retail, medical, and multifamily properties throughout Southern California.  Jamison has been one of the largest commercial landlords in Los Angeles for the past twenty-five years. Since 2014, it has quickly become one of the city’s most active multifamily developers as well, bringing to market 5,000 units with an additional 2,500 units currently under construction and 7,500 more in development. Earning both BA and JD degrees from the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles native currently sits on the USC Board of Trustees where she co-chairs the Alumni Affairs and University Development committee and sits on the Executive, Audit Compliance Risk & Privacy, Nominating & Governance, and Academic Affairs committees. She is also a member of the Board of Councilors for the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and an Executive Committee member of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. A longtime university volunteer, Jaime previously served as President of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors and President of the USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association Board of Directors. Jaime is active with her high school alma mater, where she is a member of the Harvard-Westlake Board of Trustees and a founding member of its inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Jaime is also involved in a number of civic and non-profit organizations at the city, state, and community levels. She has served the City of Los Angeles as an appointed commissioner under three different mayoral administrations. Appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, she was elected President of the Board of Harbor Commissioners for the Port of Los Angeles in April 2018, the largest container port by trade volume in the western hemisphere. She also serves on the Mayor’s International Advisory Council and as co- chair of the public-private partnership non-profit Global LA. She previously served for four years as President of the Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System Board of Administration, which oversees the City’s $22 billion employee pension fund, and on the boards for the Industrial Development Authority and the Quality and Productivity Commission. She currently serves the State of California as Vice Chair of the California Film Commission and previously spent seven years as a commissioner on the Speech Language Pathology, Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensers Board. Jaime is active in the community as a board member of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2028 where she sits on the Executive, Compensation, and Conflicts committees, the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall, and the Korean American Foundation Advisory Board. Recognized for her professional and civic contributions, Jaime has been named one of the 500 most influential people in Los Angeles by the LA Business Journal every year since 2018. She was honored by Asia Society Southern California as their 2020 Urban Visionary, by the USC School of Architecture with their 2021 Distinguished Business Leadership Award, and in 2022 with the LA Parks Foundation’s Rose Award and a Los Angeles Times Woman of Influence Award. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their three children.

Even before earning her master's degree in architecture at Yale, I-Fei Chang had found the real estate industry alluring, with its ability to stimulate the economy and promote employment. The former Greenland CEO, who now works as a consultant, says the most rewarding part of her career is the opportunity to cooperate with other professionals around the world to invest in the development and reshaping of cities. Seeing projects she has initiated as she walks down the streets of Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, St. Petersburg, Los Angeles and Brooklyn makes the hard work worthwhile. She makes a point to explore the cities where she travels for work. I-Fei tells us a welcome challenge is continually finding new opportunities for urban development and growth.

Tina Arambulo started her career in commercial real estate as an analyst in the San Fernando Valley. During her interview, she was drawn to the real estate brokerage’s fast-paced, laser-focused environment, never looking back once she found her niche in real estate research. She says she has been fortunate to be able to work with an incredible group of people every day and to become a valued resource for them and their clients. One of Tina’s greatest achievements was building Trammell Crow’s SoCal research department from the ground up. A talent shortage, she says, is one of the biggest challenges facing the future of the industry; there won’t be enough well-trained young professionals to replace senior leaders. Keeping up with the latest and greatest technology is essential to maintaining a competitive edge, she tells us. Tina and her husband, George, are avid world travelers, discovering new places and trying new restaurants at every opportunity.

NAI Capital president and CFO Rachel Howitt has been working in commercial real estate for more than 25 years. She says the most rewarding aspect of her career is "inspiring other women to break the glass ceiling." When Rachel first began working for NAI Capital, there were only two women brokers. There are now 41, including an executive managing director who runs the Palm Desert office. Rachel is proud of the women at the firm and her own ascent as president. She is happy to have the opportunity to represent NAI Capital, the largest independently owned full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered in SoCal, she says. She sees consolidation in the industry as one of the challenges, since many firms have merged into "large, impersonal firms where company culture is supplanted by a 'Wall Street' mentality." Competition for talent also is challenging, and barriers for new brokers in the business are high, particularly for women, Rachel says. Her advice for women looking to enter the industry is to find mentors, take advantage of training opportunities, be prepared and "most importantly, be yourself." Rachel enjoys going to the Thermal Club racetrack with her sports car for a rush of adrenaline. She also supports the Navy Seal Foundation and is a member of the board of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate.

Aliza Karney Guren is the Chief Executive Officer and co-owner of Karney Properties. She assumed her position in 2003 and sets the overall strategy for the company. She is also directly involved in all key areas of the company’s activities, including development, finance, acquisitions and dispositions and asset management.She has spent more than 20 years in the real estate industry, including related experience in law and mediation. Prior to joining the company in 1991, she was a practicing attorney and mediator, and founded and directed an independent nonprofit arts organization. Aliza Guren, a California-licensed general contractor, is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks. She is also a board member of the Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s largest and most active theater companies. In 2014, she was named one of Bisnow’s top 60 women in Los Angeles commercial real estate. She is a member of ULI, RPO, POWRE, and Land Ladies. Aliza Guren earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Harvard University, where she also earned a law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School. She is a member of the State Bar of California.

Avison Young principal and Automotive Properties Group national director Jodi Meade's mother inspired her to choose her career path and learn the business. Jodi says her mother, Norma J. Meade, was a trailblazer who founded a commercial real estate company in Beverly Hills in the 1980s that developed regional shopping centers across the US. Since then, Jodi has forged her own path, creating the only nationally recognized, woman-led automotive properties group within the world’s largest commercial real estate company, CBRE, in 2004. When she joined Avison Young two years ago, Jodi launched the firm's Automotive Properties Group. Recruiting professionals that “reflect our diversity of clients” is an ongoing challenge, she says. “It is also important to create work environments that accommodate the different generations represented in the workforce today. Jodi says “finding the key to bridging the talents each generation possesses is the difference between a good company and a great one.” Women, in particular, should not give up on pursuing what they really want; you must to see it to be it, Jodi says. In her spare time, she enjoys snow-skiing, continual advancement of her second degree black belt in TaeKwon Do, surfing, golf and wine collecting.

Stepp Commercial multifamily investments principal Kimberly Stepp was working in the entertainment industry when she decided to make a change. After obtaining her real estate license, she landed at Charles Dunn Co. The company president introduced her to her mentor, who taught her the business, which she says made a big impact on her career success. One of the things she most enjoys about her job is “helping improve someone’s overall investment position." Kimberly was especially pleased when she worked with an 80-year-old retired broker "who sold her portfolio with me at a 3% cap rate and we exchanged her and her heir’s equity into an 7.5% cap NNN investment." Some key challenges in her business today include the lack of available inventory and current strict 1031 exchange guidelines that make exchange situations difficult for investors. She is hopeful more women will choose to enter the commercial brokerage industry and believes now is a great time, because "the opportunities are endless, and advantages are plenty for women." Finding a great mentor is a must, she says. In her personal life, she says she enjoys spending time with her husband and three young children and "traveling as often as possible."

Robin Hughes joined the Housing Partnership Network as its President and Chief Executive Officer in 2022. She brings over 35 years of experience in the affordable housing and community development sector. As HPN’s chief executive, Hughes leads a collective network of the nation’s leading affordable housing and community development nonprofits and oversees the vision, strategy, and sustainability of practitioner-driven peer exchange, policy, and innovation/R&D to spark systems change and social enterprises that solve for closing the gaps in the sector. Hughes also manages a portfolio of businesses co-designed and/or launched with network members, which currently include Housing Partnership Fund (CDFI), Housing Partnership Insurance Exchange, Framework Homeownership®, and the Charter School Financing Partnership. Prior to joining HPN, Hughes served as the President and CEO of Abode Communities for 26 years. Abode Communities is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit architect, developer, manager, and operator of service- enhanced affordable housing. Under her leadership, Hughes transformed the organization into one of the nation’s top developers and the premier provider of environmentally sustainable affordable housing in California. During Hughes’ tenure, Abode Communities developed more than 50 residential and mixed-use communities; created new affordable homes for over 12,000 California residents and provided a social safety net for its residents through Beyond Homes, the organization’s substantive resident services program. Early in her career, Hughes held positions in the private and public sectors including The Richmond Group of Companies, Citibank, the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles, and the Office of the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles. Hughes received her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in public administration from the University of Southern California and certification from the executive program in Community Development at Harvard Kennedy School.

Lawry has been with SJDC since 1990, during which time she has developed or redeveloped nineteen projects for the company. She is also President of Creative Office Properties, a real estate development company she founded in 2012. Lawry has a B.A. from Wellesley College and an MBA from Harvard University. She is an independent trustee for Causeway Capital, an investment management firm specializing in international mutual funds. Lawry is involved in a number of not-for-profit organizations, such as Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, and is a Trustee of Wellesley College.

Marianne Lowenthal directs all acquisition and development activity for both mixed-use and retail projects on the West Coast for Combined Properties. She joined the company in 2005 and has been responsible for developing and/or redeveloping: Lincoln & Rose, Commons at La Verne, Turnpike Shopping Center, Foothill Ranch Towne Centre, 990 Palm, Santa Monica and La Brea, Shops at Bear Creek, and the Terraces. Acquisitions during her tenure include: Brentwood Place, Studio City Place, Courthouse Shopping Center, land for Sunset Time, Kings Road, Parcel B in Culver City, and the Terraces. Current development projects are: Sunset Time, The Crown, and Culver City. Ms. Lowenthal has been in the development business for 28 years and has worked through complicated entitlements and design issues. In her previous position as Executive Vice President for Bond Companies in Los Angeles, she specialized in mixed-use development and was responsible for the first major mixed-use development in Hollywood CA which contained 300 residential units and 100,000 SF of retail. Prior to holding that position, she had equity investment and management positions as principal of her own business, Lowenthal & Company. There she completed the sale of 3.2 million square feet of office buildings in two high-rise mixed-use projects in Los Angeles, in addition to being project manager for the development of a 500,000 square foot mixed-use project in Burbank, CA. Ms. Lowenthal began her career at The Prudential Realty Group where she started in the development division and rose to become manager of the Western Region portfolio, totaling over 6 million square feet with a combined value in excess of $1.5 billion. Marianne Lowenthal received a B.A. in Political Science and an M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate, from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Sonnet currently serves as Vice President and General Manager for Project Management Advisors, Inc. (PMA), a national real estate advisory firm specializing in Development Management, Project Management, Investor Representation and Program Management services. She has spent the bulk of her 30-plus year career as an architect, developer, business strategist and planner working for both national and international firms. As general manager, Sonnet oversees projects across multiple sectors, including high-rise and multifamily residential, entertainment, healthcare, educational, and commercial. Prior to joining PMA, Sonnet was Vice President, Design and Construction at NBC Universal, where she was responsible for developing and leading design, construction and related capital planning services for NBCUniversal and DreamWork’s West Coast Studio Operations. In this role, she managed the planning and execution of construction projects at the iconic 400 + acre Universal Lot in Studio City. She was honored in 2016 and 2017 by Bisnow as one of “Los Angeles’ Power Women.” In the past year, Sonnet has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as part of their Women’s Leadership Series, the 2020 class of Thriving in Their 40s, and as a Women of Influence in Construction and Design. Sonnet Hui is a Trustee of the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU).

As a college student, Tricia Esser went to work for an architecture firm that connected her to several of the founders of KTGY Architecture + Planning, where she later served as controller when the firm was founded in 1991. KTGY is celebrating 25 years in 2016, and Tricia is now CEO. Tricia works with KTGY’s leaders to continually move the discourse of architecture forward. She is most proud when she visits KTGY’s completed projects—she says it is rewarding to imagine how people will enjoy the spaces KTGY has designed. Tricia cites some examples of the firm’s work in Southern California: KB Home’s LEED Platinum Skylar in Playa Vista, which turned the traditional three-story townhome design on its side to appeal to the large Boomer market and multi-generational families that want spacious single-level living at townhouse densities; and Toll Brothers’ Capri Collection at Hidden Ranch in Irvine, a luxury collection of single-family homes that won the SoCal Home of the Year Award in 2015. When real estate development becomes very active, she tells us, the challenge is attracting and retaining the best and brightest talent architecture has to offer. Tricia has found the key to her success has been creating formidable teams by gathering great talent around her.

Nadine Watt is CEO of Watt Capital Partners. Nadine brings over 25 years of real estate expertise and an entrepreneurial drive to her position, where she oversees day-to-day activities and strategic planning for all commercial investment activities including acquisitions, development, and asset management for the company’s 6 million- square-foot portfolio. Previously, Nadine served as President of Watt Companies. In 2011, she led a strategic reorganization of the company that moved the firm beyond traditional property management and leasing to a focus on acquisitions and real estate development, as well as joint venture opportunities. Nadine played a key role in launching Watt Companies’ acquisition division – Watt Investment Partners – that now actively invests $60 million in a variety of property types across the Western United States. Throughout her 20-year tenure at Watt Companies, Nadine has touched all facets of the company’s operations, including the development of thousands of apartment units and numerous shopping centers. Nadine was also responsible for a widely celebrated multi-million-dollar renovation program at Watt Plaza, a 920,000 square foot, Class-A office building in Century City. The building was certified Platinum LEED and was recognized by BOMA International with an award for Outstanding Building of the Year. Nadine was recently inducted as the President of the University of Southern California Board of Governors and serves as Vice-Chair of the Lusk Center for Real Estate, as well as on the USC Associates Board of Directors. She was the first woman to be named Chair of the Los Angeles Business Council, a position she held for 7 years and is now the immediate past chair. She is a Board Member of Fisker Inc. (FSR) chairing the Compensation Committee, Visionary Women, and the City of Hope Los Angeles Real Estate & Construction Industries Council. Nadine received the Century City Citizen of the Year award in 2017 and the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2018. Nadine has also been the subject of a spotlight piece in the Los Angeles Times highlighting her career path and business success. She has also previously held Board Positions on two other publicly traded companies, The New Home Company (NWHM) and 1 st Century Bank. A graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Nadine also holds a Master of Arts degree from the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. Nadine currently resides in Beverly Hills with her husband Andrew Jameson and their two daughters, Keira and Reese Jameson.

Sara Neff is a Partner and General Manager of Sustainability for Microsoft's Cloud Operations + Innovation team. Prior to joining Microsoft, she was Head of Sustainability, Lendlease Americas, where she provided leadership and management oversight in developing, implementing and driving Lendlease's corporate sustainability framework in the Americas region. Prior to that role, she served as Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation. Under her leadership, Kilroy was recognized as a leader among publicly traded real estate companies on sustainability in the Americas by GRESB for seven of the last eight years as well as being recognized by NAREIT, and achieved carbon neutral operations at the end of 2020. She is a LEED Fellow and holds a BS from Stanford and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

NewMark Merrill COO Susan Rorison began her career at what was then known as Prudential Realty Group. She fell in love with retail real estate after she became the firm’s Western Region retail specialist. Susan enjoyed having “an interesting portfolio of regional malls,” ranging from The Crocker Galleria in San Francisco to Sherman Oaks Galleria. She also had great partners and mentors, she says. One of the things she values most about her job is giving back to her colleagues and the communities in which NewMark Merrill operates. Susan also appreciates being part of “an environment where we do the right thing for our people, our tenants and our communities,” she says. She acknowledges there are challenges, including making sure “our product stays relevant” in an industry that is changing so rapidly. “Constant vigilance is necessary to understand and take advantage” of the impact of shifting demographics and technology, Susan says. For women just getting started in the industry, she says to nurture relationships, be your authentic self and look for opportunities to get out of your comfort zone. In her personal life, Susan loves to spend time with her family and friends. She and her husband are part of a gourmet cooking group and enjoy concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, where they have a box. Her love of the outdoors includes taking the time to swim and bike.

Carol Schatz, president and CEO of the Downtown Center BID, is known as DTLA’s biggest champion. Before she landed in DTLA, she was an SVP at the California League of Savings Institutions and then deputy regional director for the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corp, where she oversaw the liquidation of billions of dollars in assets of failed savings institutions in the 12 western states. The most rewarding part of her job these days is touting the success of DTLA’s transformation. “Being a pivotal player in Downtown’s complete transformation has given me the greatest satisfaction,” she says. The possibilities are endless in DTLA, according to Carol. She sees construction costs and land prices as challenges developers face as a result of the progress that has been made. “We’ve become a victim of our own success,” she says. Carol also has concerns about the “misguided” anti-development legislation now being tossed around. She advises women and others getting started in the industry to “trust your instincts, and don’t take no for an answer." Away from the office, she enjoys the opera and theater as well as traveling, hiking and swimming.

RealtyMogul.com CEO Jilliene Helman grew up discussing real estate around the dinner table with her family and always knew she wanted to do it as a profession. Her greatest rewards come from watching and helping her team grow. She says she likes to hire people who can “punch above their weight class” and watch them excel in ways they didn’t think they were capable of. Jilliene sees education as a challenge when it comes to crowdfunding for the real estate industry, since it has only been in existence for three years. “People are still questioning if it’s a viable place to invest in real estate and a viable place to finance real estate,” she says. But as far as Jilliene is concerned, “this industry is here to stay." For women getting into the industry, she says the key is to hustle. When she’s not hustling, Jilliene enjoys traveling and SoulCycle.

Allison Lynch joined Watt in 2004. As Vice President of Asset Management for Watt Properties, Allison is responsible for all aspects of asset and property management on a portfolio of 60 properties comprised of retail, office, industrial and multi family. Prior to joining Watt, Allison was Vice President of Asset Management for CNA Enterprises where she managed a portfolio of 30 assets throughout the Southwestern United States. She has worked in various Asset Management and Property Management positions overseeing all types of commercial real estate for real estate firms such as Burnham Pacific, CB Richard Ellis, MBK Northwest, and Terranomics Retail Services. Some of her key accomplishments include implementing policies and procedures and Y2K compliance for over 100 properties throughout the Western United States for Burnham Pacific and working on the team that managed the $52 million Jantzen Beach SuperCenter redevelopment project for MBK Northwest. Allison obtained a B.A. in liberal studies from Mount St. Mary’s College and is a Certified Retail Property Executive (CRX). She serves as a Regent of Mount St. Mary’s College.

The Yellin Co president Adele Yellin oversees Grand Central Square, including historic Grand Central Market. Adele is committed to her late husband’s deeply rooted belief in the sanctity of rebuilding downtown cities. Restoring vitality to the heart of a great city is the most rewarding part of her job, and Grand Central Market is a key player in downtown LA’s revival. The Market is a gathering place that fosters community, in a city infamous for having no center, she says. Grand Central Market is the gold standard for food halls in the US and people visit from all over the world, according to Adele. The Market remains current by bringing customers today what they will want tomorrow. Adele sees challenges as opportunities to lead and to deviate from conventional industry thinking.

Kacy Keys launched Praxis Development Group (www.praxisdevgroup.com) in 2019 with the express intent of “Building with Purpose.” She comes to the endeavor with 25 years of experience in large and complex development projects, with a track record of success. Kacy has overseen the development of more than $1B in real estate assets (exclusive of land value) with experience in residential, retail, office and mixed-use product types. Praxis partners with institutional and legacy land owners, to help realize vision and value, and is currently building out the Family Life Center for West Angeles Church, as well as partnering with a local family on Crenshaw Blvd. to build multi-family apartments. Specializing in urban infill, Kacy has a passion for projects that result in a positive impact, with an eye towards simultaneous value creation and neighborhood enhancement. With her multi-disciplinary background as a land use/real estate attorney and developer, she looks at opportunity as “what can be” versus “what is.” Understanding the regulatory and entitlement framework, and seeing opportunity in creative solutions, she brings her business savvy and creativity to everything she does. Prior to forming Praxis Development Group, Keys was Senior Vice President for Seritage Growth Properties, overseeing all development for the company in the Western United States. Prior her role at Seritage, Keys was Head of Development and General Counsel for JH Snyder for over a decade. Also having practiced law for several years and worked for the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, Keys brings depth and varied experience to her work.

CBRE vice chairman Darla Longo began working for CBRE right after graduating from UCLA with a degree in economics. She says real estate has allowed her to pursue her interests of working with people and being a problem-solver. Her favorite part of the job is mentoring and helping others. A challenge she currently sees in the industry is keeping deals together despite the fast pace of change in market fundamentals. She also finds being a woman in the industry has more advantages than disadvantages. People will remember you because you are different, and as long as you work hard, you will have a strategic advantage, according to Darla. When she is not working, Darla enjoys spending time with her family and friends and traveling.

Janet’s career spans over thirty-five years of successful business experience in commercial real estate, with sales exceeding $2.5 billion. She specializes in the analysis, marketing, and sale of commercial investment properties, representing both buyers and sellers in multifamily, land, office, retail, and industrial properties. Janet also has significant expertise in the sale of portfolios, and she has consummated several sizable buyer representation transactions, helping her clients acquire some of the largest portfolios in the market. Her vast experience, integrity, and dedication to her clients have led her to create long-term investor relationships. Janet remains a leading multifamily professional and is often quoted as a market expert by the Los Angeles Times and Real Estate Forum. She is frequently featured as a guest speaker at real estate conferences and shares her knowledge on the southern California market. Janet continues to set records within the commercial real estate industry and was inducted into the Real Estate Forum’s Women of Influence Hall of Fame, as well as Southern California’s Most Powerful Women, to name a few. Throughout her career, she has consistently ranked as a Top Producer in her company, and since being at Kidder Mathews, she has received yearly awards for being a top broker in the Southern California region. Prior to becoming Executive Vice President and Shareholder with Kidder Mathews, Janet was Senior Managing Director at the Charles Dunn Company for nearly 25 years. Throughout the course of her career, she has been consistently recognized for her achievements and for her ability to set and exceed performance standards within the commercial real estate industry.

Newmark Grubb Knight Frank senior managing director Lynn Kious knew she wanted to be involved in commercial real estate right out of college, after graduating from California State University, Long Beach, with a bachelor's degree in business focusing on marketing and finance with her real estate license. She became a tenant rep broker and immediately knew she had found her passion. She has had a long career as both a corporate real estate executive and a real estate broker. Lynn says the most rewarding part of her job is being a trusted adviser and being able to improve a company’s bottom line while making an impact on how people work every day. That includes creating a strategic real estate plan, finding the perfect space, negotiating a better deal than expected or solving a real estate problem. Outside of work, Lynn enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, running on the beach and volunteering.

Newmark Grubb Knight Frank managing director Aliya Coher didn’t start out working in real estate. After a career as a buyer in retail, at companies including Gap Inc and Club Monaco, and as a political fundraiser, Aliya was looking for a change. She decided to meet with some successful commercial real estate brokers in different areas of the business and felt that office tenant representation would be the best fit for her. She says she loves to see her clients’ businesses grow and change for the better, knowing NGKF played a part in their success by providing valuable advice. She admits there are challenges in the industry, including bridging the generational divide and creating a real estate strategy and workplace vision that accommodates individuals and multiple generations. Persistence and being “hyper-diligent” are among the characteristics Aliya says help ensure success in the industry, especially for women. When not in the office, Aliya enjoys spending time with her husband and two children (who are 9 and 6) as well as traveling, reading and going to concerts at the Rose Bowl.

Laurie Lustig-Bower began her career in commercial real estate 29 years ago with CBRE and now holds the title of Executive Vice President. For many years, she ranked as the #1 producer for CBRE’s Private Capital Group nationally and has ranked nationally in the top 2% for CBRE for nearly two decades. As a leading multi-family professional, Ms. Lustig-Bower has handled approximately $9 billion in multi-family property sales in the Los Angeles area within the past ten years. She is the founder and leader of Team Lustig-Bower, a team of nine professionals who specialize in the marketing and sale of multi-family properties in the greater Los Angeles area, specifically focusing on the sale of apartment buildings, condominium conversions/reversions and land for apartment and condominium development. Ms. Lustig-Bower has been rated one of the top brokers in the United States for the past 20 years. As one of the first brokers to focus on marketing Los Angeles properties to the international market, Ms. Lustig-Bower is known for selling the eight acre Robinsons May development site at 9900 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills for $500 million in 2007 to a London based buyer and then again in 2014, to a China based buyer.

Kitty joined Colliers International as Executive Vice President in January 2010. She was named “Los Angeles County's Number One Multifamily Agent” by Pierce-Eislen. For 15 years, Kitty has delivered impactful solutions for her clients, servicing every facet of their multifamily real estate needs – from the sale of apartment buildings and residential land developments to condominium conversions, student housing, affordable housing and special assets. Her transactions have spanned throughout Southern California and the West Coast, with a heavy focus on West Los Angeles. Upon entering the commercial real estate field in 1997, Kitty quickly became an expert in her market and has since consistently set and exceeded performance goals within her organizations and the industry as a whole. During her tenure with Sperry Van Ness, she ranked as the company’s #2 agent in the nation for seven years in a row. Kitty now serves as Executive Vice President for Colliers International, where she has ranked #1 in the Greater Los Angeles region since joining the company 2010.

Christine Deschaine is a Senior Vice President at Kennedy Wilson Brokerage, specializing in the leasing and sale of retail properties. She has more than 30 years of experience in tenant and landlord representation and has worked extensively in urban redevelopment with some of the industry’s most prominent investors and developers. Christine is currently the exclusive agent for more than 210,000 square feet of commercial space. Since 2022, she has completed more than 193,000 square feet of commercial real estate transactions valued at $42 million. Christine has been an integral part of the real estate groups responsible for the resurgence of neighborhoods including Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, Montana Avenue, downtown Burbank, Hollywood Boulevard, Marina del Rey and Culver City. Her expertise and familiarity with city planning officials and processes in the region have allowed her to shepherd projects through these municipalities then identify and secure a successful tenant mix. Recent notable transactions include lease deals with Poppy Bank and Noma Sushi in Santa Monica, AJA Vineyards and BodyROK Pilates in Downtown Santa Monica, Surnright Tea Room in Beverly Hills and Crumbl Cookies at West Hollywood Gateway. In March of 2023, Deschaine completed 100% of the retail leasing (41,000 SF) at The Culver Steps in Culver City. Deals included Erewhon Market, Sephora, CorePower Yoga, Mendocino Farms, Salt & Straw, Philz Coffee, Pop’s Bagels, Afuri Ramen + Dumpling, Yunomi Handroll and Formula Fig. Prior to joining Kennedy Wilson Brokerage, Christine served as a Senior Vice President and partner at Lee & Associates for 20 years.

Maria Stamolis, Co-Head of Real Estate Investments, Director of Asset Management, has been with Canyon for 10 years and has worked in the real estate industry since 1987Ms. Stamolis is responsible for the oversight and management of CPRE’s portfolio of commercial real estate debt and equity investments across all asset classes including multifamily, condominiums, office, retail, hospitality and mixed-use. Ms. Stamolis holds a seat on all real estate investment committees and serves as the Fund Executive for the Canyon Catalyst Fund, the firm’s real estate emerging manager program with CalPERS. Prior to joining Canyon in 2006, Ms. Stamolis was an Executive Vice President at Karney Management Company, a Los Angeles-based developer and owner of industrial properties and before that she was Vice President and Head of Asset Management at the Los Angeles. -based firm R&B Realty Group/Oakwood Worldwide. Ms. Stamolis also has served as a Portfolio Manager at both GE Capital and MBL Life Assurance Corporation and she started her career in New York City as a Project Manager for the developer Center for Housing Partnerships. She is a graduate of Fordham University, having earned both a B.A. in Economics and Business and an MBA in Finance.

The road since Harvard Business School has been a rewarding one for Lisa St. John. She joined Trammell Crow right after graduation, working in the Washington, DC, office before moving to LA. Prior to business school, she worked as a banker for Citibank in Tokyo. She loves her job, especially “putting together complex deals and coordinating the many facets of a successful transaction.” Lisa enjoys going to work every day and negotiating industry challenges, including evolving tenant space needs as buildings aim to be more of a lifestyle location. Landlords now offer tenants more amenities than before, driving the popularity of pet-friendly buildings and interactive outdoor space. Lisa encourages women to continue entering this dynamic and diversifying industry, but cautions them to make sure they love it as “it can still be a challenging career for women.” Outside of the office, Lisa has her hands full with her four children.

Bea Hsu is Senior Vice President at Brookfield Properties Development and oversees a pipeline of urban residential and mixed-use projects throughout California. Brookfield is a developer, owner and operator of real estate with over $190 billion in assets under management globally, including office, retail, residential, industrial and hotel properties.   Prior her career in development, Ms. Hsu served as a senior advisor to LA City Councilmember (now Mayor) Eric Garcetti. In that position she served as staff chair for the City Council’s Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee and staff to the City Council’s Budget & Finance Committee. Ms. Hsu is a member of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, a past member of the Board of Directors for Larchmont Charter Schools, the Planning Program Advisory Board of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, and the Los Angeles Industrial Development Authority. She has been twice recognized by Bisnow as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in LA Commercial Real Estate. Ms. Hsu is a graduate of Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history, and the University of Southern California’s Ross Minority Program in Real Estate.

Cheryl S. Prell is a partner in the Real Estate Department of Allen Matkins, and practices in the Century City office. Her practice has focused on the leasing and ongoing management of office and industrial projects and retail shopping centers, as well as the acquisition, disposition and redevelopment of retail and office building projects. She has worked on several complex lease workout transactions, including workouts with Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, Ameriquest, Thelen LLP, and Heller Ehrman. She has also successfully represented numerous landlords in connection with operating expense audits by their tenants. Cheryl has represented a variety of clients during her more than 30 years of practice, including institutional investors and privately owned companies, such as Kilroy Realty Corporation, Beacon Capital Partners, Macquarie Office Trust, Maguire Partners, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, Sumitomo Life Realty (N.Y.), Inc., Douglas Emmet & Company, Equity Office Properties, and J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Inc. Cheryl is currently involved as one of the founders of REal Women, a group formed in 2009 which includes several women with careers in commercial real estate as members. REal Women is both a networking group that provides support for the members' own career development, and an informal organization that provides mentoring to high school and college age women with respect to education and career opportunities, and preparing for the job market.

Reon Roski serves as CEO of Majestic Realty, a position she was appointed to in May 2022. A Board Member since 1997, Reon joined the company as Senior Counsel and Managing Director in 2007. Reon is responsible for the company’s day-to-day operations and is instrumental in the continued growth of Majestic’s portfolio. Reon is the granddaughter of the company’s late founder, Edward P. Roski, Sr., and daughter of its current President and Chairman of the Board, Edward P. Roski, Jr. Prior to coming in-house, Reon served as a highly-respected real estate attorney for two Los Angeles-based law firms where she managed numerous large, complex and innovative real estate transactions, averaging more than 18 million square feet of transactions per year. A graduate of both the University of Southern California and Loyola Law School, Reon completed extensive studies abroad, including graduate school in China.  Fluent in Mandarin, Reon worked for the Chinese government on real estate matters. Reon has been named one of the “Women at the Top” by Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and one of Bisnow’s LA Power Women.  She is a member of YPO, Chief Executives Organization, The Real Estate Roundtable, and NAIOP. Reon is a Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Exposition Park and the California Science Center, and Chair for the California Science Center Committee. She is a member of the Board of Leaders for the USC Marshall School of Business, the USC President’s Leadership Council, the Board of Directors of the Lusk Center for Real Estate at USC, and the Keck Medicine of USC Board of Councilors. Reon also serves on the Board of Directors at Loyola High School and the Board of Directors for Operation Walk.

Dani Evanson is a Principal and Managing Director of RMA. Together with executive management, Dani leads the firm’s strategic direction. Dani is responsible for capital raising, fund management and accounting, and investor relations. She co-manages RMA’s joint venture partner relationships and serves on RMA’s investment committee. Dani has over 20 years of experience in real estate with a background in acquisitions, dispositions and portfolio management. Prior to joining RMA, Dani was a Real Estate Director at a Los Angeles based family office. In that role, she had primary responsibility for investing and managing a $500 million real estate portfolio consisting of investments in commercial properties, investment funds, joint ventures and real estate operating companies. The portfolio included mixed-use, industrial, office, residential and retail assets. In addition, Dani served on the advisory board for two real estate investment funds. Dani holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Washington. She is a licensed CPA (inactive), CMA (inactive) and California real estate broker. Dani is a current member of the Entrepreneur’s Organization and 2017/18 Finance Co-Chair of the EO Los Angeles Chapter, City of Angeles and 2007 President, 2009 and 2012 Advisor Board Member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) – Los Angeles Chapter.

Saucedo Group founder and principal Silvia Saucedo practiced law for a decade, first in private practice repping big public agencies, including the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority and LAUSD in their eminent domain acquisitions. Her practice then shifted to CEQA and land use, repping real estate developers. She also served as the youngest police commissioner in the City of LA and the first Latina on the LA Department of Water and Power Board of Commissioners. Silvia founded Saucedo Group seven years ago. Its focus is on land use, CEQA and entitlements for private developers and property owners. She takes pride in bringing quality housing and retail to neighborhoods that have traditionally been ignored, while also advising public agencies on how to monetize their land to maximize the public services they provide. The length of the entitlement process can pose a challenge for her clients. For women going into the industry, she says creating mentors and a strong support system is key. Aside from work, she enjoys traveling, volunteering and leading a girls’ camp two weekends a year.

Maki Nakamura Bara, President & Co-Founder of The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC and Chairman of the Board for affiliated management company, Sightline Hospitality, is a leading expert in investing in and repositioning urban hotels and resorts. Since the formation of Chartres Lodging in 2002, she has acquired and repositioned approximately $5 billion of lodging assets in the U.S. and Japan and completed more than $1 billion in the redevelopment of these assets. In recognition of her extensive experience in the lodging sector, particularly in acquisitions, asset management, development management and her role in the growth of the two companies, Ms. Nakamura Bara was recognized as the top "40 Under 40" by M&A Advisor, received the ''Best Executive" Stevie Award for Women in Business, was named a "Woman of Influence” in commercial real estate by Real Estate Southern California magazine, was a three-time honoree of Bisnow’s Power Women LA and recently honored as one of Hotel Management’s 2021 Influential Women in Hospitality. She is also a frequent speaker at various industry conferences. Ms. Nakamura Bara’s previous experience includes participating in the formation and growth of the lodging activities of Lend Lease Real Estate and Strategic Hotel Capital. She has also worked at Oxford Capital Partners, Inc. and PricewaterhouseCoopers in the hospitality consulting division. Ms. Nakamura Bara is a graduate of UCLA and is fluent in spoken Japanese.

Leslie Lundin is co-founder and Managing Partner of LBG Real Estate Companies, LLC. Leslie is primarily responsible for overseeing all aspects of capital raising and reporting, as well as asset management, due diligence and documentation of LBG transactions. Prior to co-founding LBG, Leslie was Senior Vice President for Inland Mortgage Capital Corporation, in charge of their national opportunistic debt investment program which she formed in 1995. Leslie directly oversaw all of Inland’s origination offices, directed all marketing of the program, oversaw the pre-approval process of pending loans, and was engaged in strategic investment decisions to determine the direction of the program. Before joining Inland, from 1990-1995, Leslie was a lender at ITT Real Estate Services, where she originated participating bridge and construction loans. In 2014, Leslie was named as one of Bisnow’s Los Angeles Power Women in CRE and has been nominated as one of East Bay CREW’s Most Influential Women in CRE. She was also named as one of Real Estate Forum’s 2009 Women of Influence and one of Southern California’s Most Influential Women by Real Estate Southern California Magazine in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. She is frequently published and interviewed by industry periodicals and routinely speaks at industry conferences, including ICSC, NAIOP, Crittenden, Realshares, IMN, iGlobal, Trigild, Biznow, CREW, ACRE and Women’s Leadership Counsel. From 2007 to 2009, Leslie was Chair of the ICSC/NAIOP Capital Marketplace Conference held annually in New York and now serves on the committee. She chaired the 2010 and 2011 ICSC/NAIOP/LAMA Capital Marketplace West Conference (one that she started). She is also on the first ever ICSC Recon Committee and the Chair of the ICSC International Capital Markets Committee. Leslie also chairs the Final Frontier Conference: a Seminar on Women as Entrepreneurs in Commercial Real Estate, which she conceived of in 2009. Leslie received a Master of Science degree in Real Estate Appraisal and Investment Analysis and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature and Communication Arts with a Minor in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also a licensed California real estate broker.

As the U.S. leader of Lockton Insurance Brokers’ China Practice, Claudia is at the center of the investment flow from China into U.S. real estate. She and her Lockton teams help large and medium-sized Chinese developers and investors overcome the insurance and risk management challenges of real estate projects here. For example, she has drastically driven down insurance costs for her client SCG America (the U.S. branch of Shanghai Construction Group, one of the world’s largest contractors and developers) on its redevelopment project at Broadway at Fourth, a 400-condo unit revitalizing the historic core of downtown Los Angeles. Claudia advises clients in mitigating risks in real estate development, optimizes risk transfer strategies, develops and implements cutting-edge solutions, and holds carriers accountable for claims resolutions. She has 20 years of insurance industry expertise from life & health to property & casualty insurance, and received her MBA from USC. Claudia’s fierce dedication to client service is one reason why Lockton, the world's largest privately-held global insurance broker, has a 98+% client retention rate in the Pacific Region (over 13% higher than industry average). Driven by market-leading 10% organic growth for the past 50 years, Lockton now has over $1.35 billion in revenue and a stellar reputation for delivering top technical expertise for Mid-Market and Fortune 1000 companies, with particular strength in development, construction, and real estate management. Claudia and her real estate teams maintain a peerless commitment to providing five-star service and value-added consulting from the beginning stages of project planning and throughout the years-long cycles beyond the completed projects. Claudia is passionate about our Southern California communities, and in recognition of that was recently re-appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to a second term as a Commissioner of the L.A. County Arts Commission. She is equally passionate about helping Southern California businesses succeed and serves on various nonprofit and civil boards in the community.

Nicole Mihalka joined Jones Lang LaSalle’s Downtown Los Angeles office in 2012. Previously, she was a Senior Director at Cushman & Wakefield, and brings with her more than eighteen years of experience in tenant and landlord representation, with a focus on creative office and entertainment-industry related real estate. Prior to joining C&W, she was a Vice President at DAUM Commercial Real Estate. Nicole prides herself in her proactive and creative marketing approach, responsiveness, persistence, and her excellent relationship with the brokerage community. A sampling of her client list includes Kilroy Realty Corporation, CIM Group, Clarion Partners and Gaw Capital. Nicole is also committed to non-profit efforts in the communities in which she transacts, and has worked tirelessly on their behalf. Nicole graduated with Honors from the University of Maryland College Park. She served for many years as Chair of the Hollywood Economic Development Committee and is currently the Treasurer of the Board of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. She is a Board Member of the Hollywood YMCA and also Chair of the Hermon Neighborhood Council. She was recently named one of L.A.’s Power Women in Real Estate by Bisnow, and is the lead of JLL’s Women’s Initiative Network (WIN).