Adaptive Reuse and Repositioning Revolution

Jacqueline Gonzalez Touzet has a strong interest in tropical modernism, largely influenced by her Cuban heritage and love for modernist design in Cuba. Influenced by her Latin heritage, her approach to design is based on a rigorous understanding of the people, the climate, the culture, and history of a place. She believes that design solutions should strive to be innovative, while also addressing the needs and concerns for how people live today and how they will live into the future. Her work has garnered awards and been published internationally. She was named Young Architect of the Year by AIA Miami in 2006. She was recognized for her excellence in design as AIA Miami’s 2015 Architect of the Year and received the Silver Award in 2017 for excellence in Design. A champion for preparing the community for coastal resilience and creating a livable and sustainable future, she holds many leadership positions locally. She is on the Board of MRED for University of Miami School of Real Estate and has been an Adjunct Professor at Florida International University and University of Miami School of Architecture. Serving as Chair of the sub-committee on resilience for University of Miami and the AIA advisor to the Sea Level Rise committee, she is a leading voice in designing more resilient buildings for our future.  Jackie holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University.

Eugene Lemay has pursued photography for more than 12 years. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1960, he also lived and went to school in Israel for 12 years. Most of his life has focused on art as he was mentored by his father, an internationally-known artist in the U.S., Europe, and Israel. Lemay's work centers on the abstract and the Middle East. Specialties: Fine Arts & Photography.

Ms. Gonzalez is the Senior Principal overseeing Langan's Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Tampa offices and has over 31 years of geotechnical engineering experience within the State of Florida. Ms. Gonzalez has performed numerous geotechnical engineering studies of which most have been high-rise projects along coastal areas of the state or projects with difficult ground conditions. Langan was founded as a geotechnical consulting company in 1970, and geotechnical engineering remains a core discipline at Langan today. We work closely with our clients and the design and construction team to engineer cost- effective geotechnical solutions appropriate for proposed structures and the governing site conditions. Langan provides an integrated mix of engineering and environmental consulting services including geotechnical, site/civil, environmental and traffic engineering in support of land development projects, corporate real estate portfolios, and stadiums. Our clients include developers, property owners, public agencies, schools, corporations, higher-education institutions, and energy companies around the world. Ms. Gonzalez has served as an Adjunct Professor for the University of Miami, and has been a Guest Lecturer for several courses taught at FIU, FAU, and MDC. Ms. Gonzalez received a Master of Engineering degree in Geotechnical Engineering from Cornell University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Miami.

http://meninhospitality.com/about/the-team/keith-menin/

Steven Gretenstein is the Chief Operating Officer of Dacra a prominent real estate development company with a number of creative affiliated brands based in Miami. Along with CEO Craig Robins, Mr. Gretenstein manages the overall direction of the various entities in the Dacra family of companies including overseeing corporate management, brand development, operations, financing and the roll-out of individual initiatives. Dacra, an early promoter and participant in the development of South Beach and Lincoln Road, has developed, managed and sold several million square feet of residential and commercial properties. Currently it has over one million square feet under development in the Miami Design District. Mr. Gretenstein joined Dacra as Chief Financial Officer in 1994 and assumed the responsibilities of Chief Operating Officer in 1997. Mr. Gretenstein has a Bachelor's degree in Urban Affairs from George Washington University and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is a Florida licensed real estate broker and President of Dacra Realty. Mr. Gretenstein is a past Chair of the Board of Directors of Jewish Community Services of South Florida, a major non-profit social service agency. He is currently a Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors ofthe Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

Tony Cho is a real estate pioneer, impact entrepreneur, and founder of the Future of Cities – a mission-driven consortium and multi-pronged platform invested in transforming the built environment by adopting environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies to improve the quality of urban living. Influenced by his work as founder and chairman of Metro 1 – an award-wining, forward-thinking real estate investment, brokerage, management, and development firm that he still leads - Cho’s career has focused on shaping neighborhoods and developing sustainable cities in South Florida and beyond. He has completed over $3 billion in real estate transactions since 2005.

Andrew brings more than 15 years of experience in residential and commercial real estate development, private equity, venture capital investment, and property management. Prior to CityLift, Andrew was a Regional Director for Starwood Waypoint Residential Trust (SWAY) where he acquired over 2,500 single family homes—managing a portfolio with a total value exceeding $400 million. Preceding his tenure at SWAY, Andrew served as CEO of Down East Management Associates and as Regional Vice President for The Lynd Company. He also held project management positions at The Related Group and Toll Brothers, and was the Director of Development for Coscan Homes. Andrew holds a BIS degree in Business Management and Urban Planning/Design from Arizona State University and an MPS in Real Estate Finance from Cornell University.