Brooklyn's Hottest Projects & Neighborhoods Event

Mr. Zegen co-founded Madison Realty Capital in 2004 and is responsible for overseeing the origination and structuring of all of MRC's investment activities, as well as raising institutional capital and portfolio management. Since MRC's inception, Mr. Zegen has closed real estate transactions totaling in excess of $11 billion. At the firm, Mr. Zegen serves on several investment committees related to both the debt and equity platforms. Prior to founding MRC, he founded and was president of Alpine Commercial Capital, a mortgage advisory firm that successfully closed over $500 million in real estate financings. Prior to forming Alpine, Mr. Zegen was an investment banker in Salomon Smith Barney's financial sponsors/private equity group where he focused on leveraged buyouts, equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions and private placement transactions. He is a co-founder and board member of The New York Private Equity Network ("NYPEN"). Mr. Zegen graduated cum laude from Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.

David Lombino is the Managing Director of External Affairs for Two Trees Management. Dave was previously the Executive Vice President at the NYC Economic Development Corporation. Additionally, he was a reporter and an editor for The New York Sun. Dave attended Williams college, and earned a graduate degree at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

David J. Pfeffer is a partner, chair of Tarter Krinsky & Drogin’s Construction Practice, and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Mr. Pfeffer serves as a business partner to his clients – including real estate owners and developers, educational institutions, high-net-worth individuals, healthcare organizations, and cultural centers – and advises on all aspects of their construction, development, real estate, and business needs. His work has helped reshape skylines through some of the most significant construction and development projects in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Long Island City. Mr. Pfeffer leverages his keen insight into the business climate to provide clients with sophisticated guidance in order to mitigate risks and manage their complex issues. Combining his understanding of business-focused solutions with a legal perspective, Mr. Pfeffer focuses his practice on project delivery strategies and the preparation and negotiation of design, construction, and related contracts for private and public real estate development projects. He handles matters such as contract preparation, development, continuing operation, leasing and dispute resolution, and also maintains an active practice in business negotiation. David is a frequent speaker, published author, and quoted source who has been featured in Law360, The Real Deal, Crain’s New York Business, The New York Post, and Real Estate Weekly, among others. He has been ranked in Chambers as a leading construction lawyer in New York (2006–2021) and recognized as a 2020 New York Trailblazer by the New York Law Journal. Mr. Pfeffer serves on various boards including John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

John Liang, Executive Vice President, Managing Director of U.S. Operations, Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. Mr. John Liang is Executive Vice President of Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. (NYSE: XIN), the only China-based real estate development company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, which has residential development projects in 10 Chinese provinces with annual sales of about $1.5 billion. He is responsible for Xinyuan's corporate strategic planning and international business development, and also serves as Managing Director of Xinyuan's Overseas Operations, including North America and Southeast Asia. Among projects Xinyuan is undertaking in the U.S., he is currently leading a 500,000 square-foot, $270 million condo development project in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which is the first major ground-up development project in NYC by a Chinese developer without a JV partner. Prior to Xinyuan, Mr. Liang was Chief Financial Officer with a Chinese real estate development company backed by U.S. private equity investors. He has broad experience in real estate finance, investment and development in both China and the U.S. From 2008 to 2010, he served as Senior Director of Real Estate Development at the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. (“A&P”, NYSE: GAP), where he oversaw the development, construction, financing and management of over 450 supermarket stores and 40 company owned shopping centers nationwide. Prior to A&P, Mr. Liang served as Senior Asset Manager at General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP), managing the development and re-development of some of the largest shopping malls in the country. Mr. Liang earned his MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from the University of Arkansas; he is also a U.S. licensed architect, having spent 8 years of his early career designing and managing large-scale residential, office and hospitality projects.

Mr. Levine joined Douglaston Development as a Project Manager in 2008 and quickly rose through the ranks to oversee several projects throughout the boroughs. As Executive Vice President of Finance and Acquisitions, he is responsible for all acquisition and development underwriting and feasibility. To date, he has secured over $2 billion in project underwriting since joining the company. Before joining Douglaston Development, Mr. Levine worked as an analyst at Credit Suisse in both New York City and London for their real estate finance and securitization group. Community and Industry Involvement: Board member of Haymakers for Hope Member and former Chair of the Jewish National Fund Future in New York. Mr. Levine graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and a minor in Urban Real Estate and Development.

Mr. Tapper joined Eastern Consolidated in 2004 and was welcomed into Eastern’s principal group in 2015. Over his career he has negotiated over $800 million in real estate transactions in every asset class from multifamily and mixed use buildings, to development sites, and single-tenant net leased retail and medical office. Mr. Tapper is a widely known and respected broker in the Brooklyn marketplace, with sales of almost 1,000,000 sq. ft. of property. Among his most recent notable transactions is the $90 million sale of 37 Flatbush Avenue, a 230,000 sq. ft. property in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, and the 18 building portfolio of mixed use buildings. Mr. Tapper exclusively represented the Lee Estate, achieving benchmark pricing of $107 million. Mr. Tapper works with the complete range of investors; from the institutional and Non-Profit, to publicly traded and private family investors. He was selected to exclusively represent the Ackerman Institute for the Family, and led his team to achieve record pricing on this development site. His team also identified and negotiated the acquisition of Ackerman’s new location with more space in Madison Square Park, all while helping them significantly increase their endowment in the arbitrage. Mr. Tapper is a graduate of Cornell University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern Studies. He is an active member of the Cornell University Real Estate Council and The Real Estate Board of NY. Mr. Tapper has served as treasurer of Co-op Boards in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and is active philanthropically in The ALS Association. He currently resides in Westchester County.

Michael Rudin is the Co-CEO at Rudin Management Company. He has been with the firm since 2008, and together with his sister Samantha represents the fourth generation to work at the family business. Michael focuses on multiple areas within the company including new developments, capital markets, commercial and retail leasing, sustainability, and technology. Michael also helps lead the family’s venture capital business, Rudin Ventures, which focuses on early-stage startups in the real estate technology sector. Michael holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Design and Planning with an emphasis in Real Estate from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master’s of Science in Sustainable Real Estate Development from New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate. Michael is also Managing Partner of Rudin West Development, based in Aspen, Colorado. Rudin West Development has built two mixed-use projects totaling 50,000 square feet. Recent projects in New York include The Greenwich Lane and Dock72, a 675,000-square foot class A office building in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Michael is a member of a number of industry-related organizations that include The Real Estate Board of New York Real Estate Technology Committee, The Real Estate Round Table Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee, the WiredScore Advisory Board, the NYU Furman Center Advisory Board, and the Urban Land Institute. Michael serves on the board of the three Rudin Family foundations as well as The First Tee of Metropolitan New York, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Friends of the BQX, and the Aspen Art Museum. Michael lives in Manhattan with his wife Sabrina, their sons Lukas and Dylan, and their dog Hoppy.