Bisnow 2019 NYC Opportunity Zones Summit

Margaret is head of the Urban Investment Group (UIG), a domestic, multi-asset class investing and lending business within the Merchant Banking Division (MBD) that provides equity and debt to real estate projects and social enterprises, as well as lending facilities to help small businesses grow and create jobs. Established in 2001, UIG has committed over $9 billion to community and economic development investments, serving as a catalyst in the revitalization of underserved, predominantly minority communities. Margaret serves on the MBD Real Estate Investment Committee and is chair of the Urban Investment Group Capital Committee. She is also on the Board of Advisors of Launch With GS, Goldman Sachs’ $500 million commitment to invest in companies and investment managers with diverse leadership. Previously, Margaret worked in Equity Derivatives in the Securities Division. She joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 2003 and was named managing director in 2013 and partner in 2018. Margaret serves on the boards of several community and economic development organizations, including the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, Center for an Urban Future, Core Innovation Capital, Low Income Investment Fund, New York Public Radio and The Africa Center. Margaret earned a BA in Computer Science from Harvard College in 2003.

Craig Bernstein is a Managing Partner of OPZ Bernstein, a subsidiary of The Bernstein Companies, a Washington, DC based real estate investment management firm. Mr. Bernstein has more than 20 years of experience in real estate, including acquisitions, dispositions, construction, development, financing, asset management, property management and leasing. Mr. Bernstein is responsible for establishing OPZ Bernstein’s strategic initiatives and overseeing the Fund’s investor relations. As one of the nation’s leading Opportunity Zone experts, Mr. Bernstein has contributed to stories for The New York Times, Associated Press, Washington Post and CNBC. Mr. Bernstein is a frequent speaker at Opportunity Zone events including the Global Institutional Real Estate Forum, Washington, DC Building Industry Association, Washington, DC Economic Partnership, Bisnow, The ASD Summit and The New York Riverside Experience. Prior to founding OPZ Bernstein, Mr. Bernstein was the Chief Investment Officer of White Star Investments, a prominent single family investment office in Bethesda, MD. During his 10 year career at White Star Investments, Mr. Bernstein oversaw a diversified portfolio of privately held real estate, private equity, alternative investments, and marketable securities. Mr. Bernstein focused extensively on allocating capital to external managers, and leading the firm’s manager selection and due diligence processes. Prior to joining White Star Investments, Mr. Bernstein was a Director at Cushman and Wakefield. One of the youngest Directors in the firm’s history, Mr. Bernstein’s clients included TIAA-CREF, TA Associates, Lerner Enterprises and the B.F. Saul Companies. Named as a member to the Inaugural Bisnow “Top 35 under 35” list, Mr. Bernstein has also served on the Board of the Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors (GWCAR) and the Board of Hillel at the University of Maryland. Mr. Bernstein resides in Potomac, MD.

Pravina, Executive Vice President, Division of Small Business and Technology Development for Empire State Development, has 20+ years of experience in providing advisory services to businesses in the start-up, growth, expansion and maturity phases of development. Prior to joining ESD, Pravina was the Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Deputy Associate Administrator of Investment and Innovation at the U.S. Small Business Administration and District Director for SBA’s New York District Office. Before joining the federal government, Pravina was a Vice President with MTV and BET Networks, owner of a strategic advisory firm and Business Development Director for Misys PLC, one of the world’s largest banking software companies. She also has been an associate at Broadview International, a London investment bank, and worked at AT&T in several roles, including M&A Director for Europe. Pravina has an MBA in Finance from Seton Hall University and a B.S. in Finance from Pennsylvania State University

Ronald A. Kaplan, CPA, is a partner with CohnReznick and is the Firm’s Commercial Real Estate Industry Leader. Ron has more than 20 years of experience providing assurance, due diligence, business advisory, and tax services to clients in the commercial, residential, retail, and hospitality sectors throughout the United States and internationally. Ron regularly provides assistance and advisory services to clients as they negotiate agreements with lenders, equity partners, and fund managers. In addition, he advises clients on accounting and tax matters throughout the agreement process, from initial drafting through completion. Ron’s clients are generally private companies with multi-state operations and include real estate opportunity funds, property management firms, partnerships, contractors, institutional lenders, REITs and joint ventures, as well as other corporate and family owners and investors. Ron has a particular focus on real estate opportunity funds, with clients ranging from start-ups to established funds. His clients benefit from his experience in critical areas, such as fair value reporting, compliance monitoring, investor relations, and fund performance. Prior to joining CohnReznick, Ron was in charge of the real estate practice for the New York office of a large national public accounting firm. In this role, he oversaw the practice’s client services, account management, and team development functions. He was also active in the firm’s training activities, leading presentations on the real estate business for professionals both within the firm and at national industry conferences.

Sanjay Mody's is Special Counsel with the law firm of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP. His practice spans the areas of infrastructure, real estate, government and finance. He advises public and private sector clients on a range of matters, focusing on complex transactions with a governmental dimension. Before joining Windels Marx, Mr. Mody was counsel in the Regulatory and Government Affairs practice group at a global law firm. He also served in a prior role as Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, where he advised the Chairman on policy, legal, and financial issues relating to the agency's infrastructure and economic development projects, including the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, airport terminal redevelopment, and a new cross-Hudson rail tunnel, among other significant real estate transactions. Sanjay is a Board Member of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, a member of the New York Committee of the Regional Plan Association, and a David S. Rockefeller Fellow of The Partnership for New York City.

Bryan Woo is an Executive Vice President at Youngwoo & Associates (YWA) a real estate development company based in New York and leads the company's acquisition strategy. The company has developed more than 8 million square feet of property in niche markets and property types. Previously, Bryan lived in Seoul and worked in the Principal Investment Division at Mirae Asset Securities. Earlier in his career he was an analyst in the securities team at Northstar Realty Finance Corporation (NRFC). Bryan received his B.A. in Economics and Psychology from Amherst College.

Margaret Grossman is general counsel of Sugar Hill Capital Partners where she also serves as vice president on the transactions team. Ms. Grossman handles the legal aspects of Sugar Hill’s acquisitions, dispositions, and financings as well as fund level legal and compliance work.

Andrew Berry is a Director in the Capital Markets Group of Cushman & Wakefield, where he specializes in Investment Sales in New York City. Previously, he was an Associate at Massey Knakal Realty Services, which was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield on December 31, 2014. Since joining Cushman, Andrew has handled the sale of over $850 million worth of commercial real estate in New York City. Notable transactions include the $282 million sale of the fee position of 760 Madison Avenue, the $111.5 million portfolio sale of four residential conversion buildings on the Upper West Side at 30 Morningside Heights, and a long-term master lease for the retail at the base of the Carlyle Hotel. Andrew and his team also sold the first ever opportunity zone deal to a QOF in Manhattan when they completed the sale of 48 Clinton Street in December of 2018. Andrew has sold a mixture of multifamily, mixed-use, office, retail and development deals and has worked on behalf of a variety of different clients, including large investment funds, non-for-profits and families. Andrew earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Bates College.

Andrew Barrocas has enjoyed success as a dominant force and respected authority in the New York City real estate industry for many years. In his accomplished career, he has sold over $10-billion worth of property, and managed, trained, recruited and collaborated with the city's top agents and brokers. As CEO and Founder of MNS, Andrew currently oversees more than a billion dollars’ worth of real estate, as well as an exceptional team of talented agents and project managers focused on providing the utmost level of client service. Andrew entered the real estate field after graduating from the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He went on to achieve instant success and recognition as one of the "Top 30 Brokers Under 30", according to The Real Deal. Over the years, Andrew has been a continually sought-after expert on real estate who has been featured in The New York Times' "The 30-Minute Interview", quoted in all major New York publications, and spotlighted on The Stoler Report. Since founding MNS in 2006, Andrew has grown the company substantially in terms of its revenue and its team, which is now over 125 people. He also serves his industry as a licensed teacher through the State of New York, passing on his knowledge and array of professional experience of real estate sales to real estate brokers and salespersons. Andrew is also an active member of The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), The Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), Young Jewish Professionals (YJP) and Young Presidents Organization (YPO). He and his wife Rachel are the proud parents of three beautiful girls – Cayden, Ella and Zoe.

Adam R. Sanders is a Member with the Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. Transactions Department. His practice focuses on representing clients in a wide variety of commercial real estate and business transactions and entertainment matters, including acquisitions and sales, financing, leasing, construction, portfolio structuring, Local Law 97, Opportunity Zones, 1031 transactions and general corporate and contractual representation in the real estate, entertainment, and other entrepreneurial industries. Sanders is the firm’s go-to expert for all matters concerning Opportunity Zones. Investors and real estate developers exclusively rely on him for program updates and comprehensive legal analyses, keeping them on the cutting edge of the program even before regulations are released. Prior to joining Rosenberg & Estis, Sanders was Founder and Principal of Sanders Legal Group, PLLC. Before becoming an attorney, Sanders participated in Agent Training Program at William Morris Agency (Endeavor) and worked at SNL Studios (the feature film division of Saturday Night Live). Sanders received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania

Steve Glickman is the Founder and CEO of Develop LLC, an advisory firm exclusively focused on building and supporting Opportunity Funds and the broader Opportunity Zones (OZ) marketplace. He is also the Co-Founder, and former CEO, of the Economic Innovation Group, the bipartisan organization that was the chief architect of the $6 trillion OZ program. Steve previously served in the Obama Administration as a senior economic advisor at the National Security and National Economic Councils, where he managed international trade, investment, manufacturing and small business issues. He was also Chief of Staff for the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service at the Department of Commerce. Prior to the Administration, Steve served in legal roles on Capitol Hill, the Department of Justice and the Democratic National Committee. Steve received his B.A. and M.A. from Georgetown University, J.D. from Columbia Law School, and LL.M. from the London School of Economics. He is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown, and serves on the Board of The NewDEAL. Steve’s work has been featured in the Atlantic, AP, Bisnow, Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, Crain’s, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Impact Alpha, Inc., LA Times, Marketplace, NY Times, NPR, Politico, San Francisco Chronicle, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Vox, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.

Seth Pinsky serves as Executive Vice President and Investment Manager of the RXR Metropolitan Emerging Market Strategy . In this role, Pinsky is leading RXR’s efforts to invest in “emerging opportunities” in New York City and the surrounding Tri-State region, focusing on asset classes and geographic regions that have historically been characterized by underinvestment, but that have significant growth potential due to planned or in-place infrastructure and other relevant characteristics. Prior to joining RXR, Pinsky served as Director of Mayor Bloomberg’s Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency, which developed a $20 billion plan to help neighborhoods stricken by Hurricane Sandy to rebuild smarter and stronger and to protect critical citywide systems and infrastructure from the likely impacts of climate change in coming decades. Pinsky also served as President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), a position to which he was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2008, after joining the agency in 2003 as a vice president. During his tenure, NYCEDC became an international leader in the field of economic development, focusing both on transforming the city’s underlying economy and investing in its critical infrastructure. While at NYCEDC, Pinsky served as a lead negotiator on behalf of New York City for projects ranging from Yankee Stadium and Citifield, to the World Trade Center, to the acquisition of Hunters Point South in Queens, the largest middle-income housing development in the City since Starrett City. Among the initiatives advanced by NYCEDC under Pinsky’s leadership were the redevelopment of Willets Point in Queens, Coney Island in Brooklyn, the Homeport in Staten Island, and the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx, as well as the creation of a major new bioscience research park on City-owned land, north of Bellevue Hospital. Under Pinsky, NYCEDC also managed the construction of the first two phases of the High Line in Manhattan, launched a new East River Ferry service connecting Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan and announced and advanced plans for the world’s largest observation wheel in St. George in Staten Island. In the area of economic modernization, under Pinsky, NYCEDC created the Center for Economic Transformation (CET), which, in addition to launching a network of business incubators across the City that, at the time of Pinsky’s departure, housed more than 600 companies, developed and oversaw the Bloomberg Administration’s international Applied Sciences NYC competition. The Applied Sciences competition will result in a significant expansion of Columbia University’s engineering school, as well as the creation of a new engineering institute in Downtown Brooklyn led by NYU that will include CUNY, Carnegie Mellon University and others. It will also result in the creation of a $2 billion engineering campus on Roosevelt Island, being developed by Cornell University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Prior to joining the NYCEDC, Pinsky was an associate at the law firm of Cleary Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in the Real Estate practice and a financial analyst at James D. Wolfensohn Inc. He is a graduate of Columbia College, where he majored in Ancient History, and of Harvard Law School, and is an Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. Pinsky lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Angela and their children, Theo and Amelia.

Ian Ross founded SomeraRoad Inc. in 2014 to take an entrepreneurial and creative approach to value-add, opportunistic real estate in non-core markets. Previously, Ian was a Managing Director at Triangle Capital Group, a firm he helped develop shortly after its inception. At Triangle, Ian managed the Acquisitions and Asset Management units, focusing on the purchase of hard asset real estate, non-performing loans, and securitized mortgage products, as well as the conception and execution of value-add business plans. Ian sourced, underwrote and structured investments, in both the CMBS and CRE arenas, and focused on the development of strategic relationships, firm oversight, and risk management. Prior to joining Triangle, Ian spent two years working as an analyst for Jefferies & Company in its Investment Banking Division where he focused on raising both debt and equity, as well as providing advisory services for companies in the financial services and real estate sectors. Ian initially began his professional career working on Morgan Stanley’s CMBS origination and securitization platform. Ian received an MBA from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and graduated with honors from Emory University with a Bachelors in Business Administration. Ian serves on Manhattan’s Community Board 5 and sits on the Public Safety & Quality of Life, and Transportation & Environment committees. Additionally, Ian is the Founder and Chairman of The Asperger’s Awareness Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 that strives to raise awareness and funding for high-functioning forms of Autism.

Mr. Upton founded Upton+Partners in 2009 to pursue unique real estate opportunities. Since inception the firm has developed over $700 million of projects, including the award winning Arlington360 mixed-use project, the expansion of LogMeIn’s world headquarters, the development of Ocean 650, a 230 units residential development, as well as the expansion/renovation of the America’s Wing of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Currently the firm has over $300 million of mixed-use projects in its pipeline and approximately $170 million are located in in Opportunity Zones. Mr. Upton is an accomplished real estate executive with over 25-year years of experience in all facets of real estate development and investment. He has been associated with over $1.8 billion of investment and real estate development across a variety of asset classes, including the development of over 700 multifamily residential units in metropolitan Boston.

Laurie, an accomplished deal maker, is partner and co-chair of the firm’s global real estate practice. She takes a client-focused approach to her real estate practice, often acting as in-house counsel for her clients and becoming a trusted member of their businesses. She has a long list of clients who have been with her since the beginning of her practice and appreciate her ability to adeptly and efficiently handle any type of real estate deal. She is recognized as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA 2021, noting that she is “a strong negotiator” and “she has a great business sense combined with legal knowledge.” Most recently, for the second year in a row, Commercial Observer included her in their elite “Power 100” list, which recognizes the most powerful players in real estate. Laurie represents real estate private equity funds, companies, institutional REITs, investors and other property owners in structuring and closing real estate transactions such as acquisitions and dispositions, developments, financings, portfolio transactions, preferred equity investments, leasing and real estate joint ventures. Her work touches all asset classes, including office, multifamily, affordable housing, workforce housing, mixed-use, life sciences, hospitality, retail and condominium. She also maintains an active capital markets and fund practice, representing investors in joint venture transactions and sophisticated fund and tax structures. Laurie is also well-versed in the Opportunity Zone program and helps clients through the process of structuring and investing in qualified properties and vehicles. Laurie is involved in a number of non-profit and charitable organizations focusing on increasing diversity in real estate. She serves on the Advisory Board and spearheads the firm’s legal partnership with Project Destined, an organization dedicated to transforming minority youth into owners in the communities in which they live, work and play. She also serves as co-chair for Rebuilding New York’s “She Builds” program, where she organizes an annual renovation day, rehabilitating a New York City community center in need.