Bisnow National Real Estate Finance Summit

Craig Solomon

CEO
Square Mile Capital

Craig H. Solomon is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Square Mile Capital and serves on its Board of Directors. Mr. Solomon is responsible for managing all aspects of Square Mile’s business and investment activities, and implementing Square Mile’s strategic objectives. Mr. Solomon served as Co-Managing Principal of Square Mile until June 2017. In addition to his role as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member, Mr. Solomon serves on the Investment Committees of all Square Mile funds. Prior to joining Square Mile, and prior to the formation of its first institutional fund, Mr. Solomon was the managing partner of Solomon and Weinberg LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in all areas of commercial real estate and finance which Mr. Solomon cofounded in 1990, and a founding principal of SWH Realty Corp., an active high yield real estate finance firm based in New York, and Platinum Funding Corp., an asset based specialty finance firm also based in New York. He has broad expertise in all facets of the real estate arena with particular expertise in joint ventures and partnerships, structured real estate finance, capital markets, distressed transactions, foreclosures, restructurings and real estate related bankruptcies. Mr. Solomon is a 1979 graduate of Lehigh University and a 1982 graduate of the George Washington University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. He began his career at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Wesley LePatner

Sr. MD, Global Head of Core+ Real Estate
Blackstone

Wesley LePatner is a Senior Managing Director in the Real Estate Group and the Global Head of Core+ Real Estate, based in New York. Ms. LePatner is a member of Blackstone Real Estate’s Investment Committee. She currently serves as a Director and the Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) and has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer as of January 1, 2025. Prior to joining Blackstone in 2014, Ms. LePatner spent over a decade at Goldman Sachs. Ms. LePatner received a BA in History from Yale University, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and serves on the boards of The Abraham Joshua Heschel School and Yale University Library Council.

Chris Lee

Partner, Head of Real Estate Americas
KKR

Chris Lee joined KKR in 2012. He is responsible for KKR's Real Estate business in the Americas, overseeing both equity and credit investing platforms in the region. Mr. Lee serves as Portfolio Manager for KKR Property Partners Americas. He is currently Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE: KREF) where he previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-President since October 2015 and March 2016, respectively, through March 2020. Mr. Lee sits on KKR's Real Estate Equity and Credit Investment Committees in the Americas, KKR's Real Estate Equity and Credit Portfolio Management Committees in the Americas, KKR's ESG Committee, KKR's Global Inclusion and Diversity Council, co-chairs KKR's Americas Inclusion and Diversity Council and chairs KKR's Real Estate Valuation Committee. Prior to joining KKR, he spent three years at Apollo Global Management on their global real estate team where he focused on real estate acquisitions. Mr. Lee also worked at Goldman Sachs in the merchant banking division's real estate principal investment area (REPIA) for over five years after spending two years in the investment banking division. He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Emory University. Mr. Lee is a former trustee of St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas, Texas. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) in New York, New York, as a member of the Board of Directors of the PREA Foundation in Hartford, Connecticut, as a trustee of Collegiate School in New York, New York and as a member of the Dean's Advisory Council for Emory College of Arts and Sciences in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Lee is a member of the CRE Finance Council, Pension Real Estate Association, Real Estate Capital Policy Advisory Committee for the Real Estate Roundtable, Real Estate Executive Council, Manhattan Chapter of YPO and Urban Land Institute where he sits on one of its Urban Development and Mixed-Use Councils.

David Schonbraun

Co-CIO
SL Green

David Schonbraun is Co-Chief Investment Officer of the company with a primary focus on structured finance, residential, and alternative investments, and has been with SL Green since 2002. He is also directly responsible for Green Loan Services, the company’s special servicing arm that serves both SL Green and third-party lenders. Mr. Schonbraun has either led or has been a senior team member in the execution of over $25 billion in equity and debt investments. Prior to joining SL Green in 2002, Mr. Schonbraun was a real estate investment banker at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he worked on a variety of mergers and acquisitions transactions, as well as debt and equity financings. Mr. Schonbraun received a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Economics and Politics from Princeton University. He is also an active member of the UJA Real Estate Executives (REX) Steering Committee and the Urban Development Mixed Use Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), as well as serving on the Finance and Grantmaking Committees of the Kessler Foundation.

Andrew Holm

Partner, Co-Head of US Investments
Ares Real Estate

Mr. Holm is a Partner in the Ares Real Estate Group, where he serves as a Co-Portfolio Manager of the U.S. opportunity funds and leads the group’s equity investment activities across the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Additionally, he serves on the Ares Real Estate Group’s Global and U.S. Development and Redevelopment Fund II Investment Committees and the Ares Real Estate Operating Committee. Prior to joining Ares in 2013, Mr. Holm was a Principal at AREA Property Partners, where he focused on sourcing and executing real estate investments across asset classes for AREA’s equity and mezzanine debt businesses. Previously, he was an Analyst at Lazard in the real estate investment banking group. Mr. Holm serves on the Board of Trustees of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. Mr. Holm holds a B.A., summa cum laude, from Harvard College in Government.

Peter Lewis

Founder & Chairman
Wharton Equity Partners

Mr. Lewis is Chairman and founder of Wharton Industrial, a fully integrated investor and developer of last mile, urban infill and larger distribution facilities located along the Eastern Seaboard, Florida and the Southeast United States. Wharton Industrial is a platform company of New York-based real estate investment firm, Wharton Equity Partners, which Mr. Lewis founded in 1987. In forming Wharton Industrial in 2017, Mr. Lewis sought to capitalize on the secular change in industrial real estate brought on by the emergence of e-commerce. Since that time, Wharton Industrial has acquired and developed over 4.5 million SF of warehouses. Notable transactions include the development of a 988,000-SF bulk distribution facility in Atlanta, GA which was leased to Phillips van Heusen before completion; the acquisition of a 283,500-SF former subway repair facility in Philadelphia, which was completely renovated into a last-mile distribution center, leased to Amazon and sold in November 2020; and the development of a 617,000-SF bulk distribution warehouse located in Ocala, FL, which was leased to Amazon and sold to a REIT at the highest per-square-foot price ever achieved in the market in June 2020. Wharton Industrial’s growth has been fueled by joint ventures with such firms as Starwood Capital, Carlyle and Walton Street Capital. Wharton Industrial’s market leadership and forward-thinking approach flows from that of its parent company, Wharton Equity Partners. Over the course of the last three decades, Mr. Lewis has been the visionary force behind shaping Wharton Equity’s prowess as an opportunistic investor that has consistently been ahead of the curve in making large bets on emerging real estate trends in industrial, multi-family, self-storage and other asset classes. Over his career, Mr. Lewis has been involved in well over $2 billion of real estate transactions. In addition, Mr. Lewis and Wharton Equity are active venture capital investors with a focus on later-stage growth companies. The firm’s current holdings include positions in Dataminr and Latch. Mr. Lewis received his BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a sought-after industry speaker and a frequent guest lecturer at Columbia Business School on the topic of “The Future of Real Estate.” Mr. Lewis resides in Old Westbury, Long Island with his wife and three children.

David Valger

Founder & President
DVO Real Estate

Mr. Valger founded DVO Real Estate and is responsible for the overall management, operations and investing activities of the firm. A seasoned industry veteran, Mr. Valger has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate investing and finance, including originating, structuring, underwriting and managing real estate and corporate private equity transactions valued at more than $6.3 billion. Previously, Mr. Valger was a partner with RCG Longview Debt Funds, where he was responsible for originating, structuring and underwriting a variety of real estate mezzanine and preferred equity transactions, investing more than $450 million in over 25,000 multifamily units. While there, he developed and led an exclusive Fannie Mae platform. Prior to RCG Longview, Mr. Valger founded Genesys Holdings, a technology-based service provider and led the sales and marketing efforts of a multi-national packaged goods company called NutriPlus LLC. He is a former member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the UJA/Federation of New York and a former Board member of The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Mr. Valger received a B.A. in Art History and Biology from Binghamton University and earned an M.B.A in Real Estate & Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mark Hertz

Head of U.S. Investments
AIG Global Real Estate

Mr. Hertz is responsible for AIG Global Real Estate’s equity investment activities in the U.S. He oversees the acquisition or development of all product types, including multi-family, retail, office, industrial, hotel, and senior/student housing, and the oversight of various real estate teams that source, underwrite and close new investment opportunities. Prior to joining AIG Global Real Estate in 2009, Mr. Hertz was a Managing Director at Amstar Global Advisors, a private equity fund, where he was responsible for real estate investments and dispositions, with assets in Russia, Turkey and India. Prior to Amstar, Mr. Hertz was a Managing Director at AIG Global Real Estate where he was responsible for U.S. retail property investments, managing a portfolio of approximately 7 million square feet of stabilized and under-development properties. Prior to AIG, Mr. Hertz was a Senior Vice President at Prime Retail, a Baltimore based REIT, where he was mainly involved in acquisitions and development, property dispositions, asset management and structuring lender and equity partner work-out strategies. Mr. Hertz received a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in real estate investment from Johns Hopkins University.

Adam Schwartz

Co-Chief Investment Officer, Head of Real Estate
Angelo Gordon

Adam Schwartz is co-Chief Investment Officer of Angelo Gordon and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. He is the head of the firm’s global real estate group, with particular focus on the U.S. and Europe. Since joining Angelo Gordon in 2000, Adam has been directly responsible for, or overseen, in excess of $10 billion of real estate assets. He has significant experience in the acquisition and repositioning of all property types. Prior to joining the firm, Adam worked in the acquisitions group at Vornado Realty Trust, a public real estate investment trust. His work focused on the acquisition of public and private real estate companies in addition to single asset acquisitions. Adam is a member of the executive committee of the Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center at The Wharton School and is a trustee of the Urban Land Institute. He is also a member of the board of directors of The Catalog for Giving. Adam has a B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Jeffrey DiModica

President
Starwood Property Trust

Jeffrey F. DiModica, CFA, has been the Company’s President since September 2014. He has also served as a Managing Director of an affiliate of the Manager since July 2014. Mr. DiModica served as a director of the Company from its inception in 2009 to July 2014. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. DiModica was a Managing Director and the Head of MBS/ABS/CMBS Sales and Strategy for the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). In that role, he was responsible for the distribution of mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), asset- backed securities (“ABS”) and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) to institutional clients, including banks, hedge funds, insurance companies and money managers. Previously, from 2001 to 2007, Mr. DiModica headed the Boston sales office for RBS. Prior to joining RBS, from 1993 to 2001, Mr. DiModica sold derivative and MBS products to institutional clients for Merrill Lynch in Boston. Mr. DiModica began his career in the Merchant and Investment Banking Group of the Commercial Real Estate Department at Chemical Bank from 1989 to 1991. Mr. DiModica received a B.S./B.A. degree with a concentration in Finance from Boston University, an M.B.A. degree from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and received his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1995. Mr. DiModica is an active member of YPO (Young Presidents Organization), and serves on the board of Virtual Enterprises International (VEI), a non-profit focused on teaching career and entrepreneurial skills to inner city high school students.

Jeff Lee

President
Capital One Multifamily Finance

As president of Capital One Multifamily Finance, Jeff Lee leads the national multifamily lending business for Capital One. Jeff manages the company’s agency platforms (including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA) and a portfolio platform doing business in the New York tristate area. In his previous role, Jeff served as managing vice president and head of underwriting and asset management for Capital One’s Commercial Real Estate Group. He oversaw a $46 billion portfolio, strengthened relationships with credit and market leaders, and played a key role in expanding Capital One’s commercial real estate business in California and nationally. Jeff joined Capital One as part of the bank’s Beech Street Capital acquisition in 2013. In addition to co-founding Beech Street Capital, he was responsible for underwriting, credit and portfolio management. Jeff also led the teams responsible for prescreen loan reviews, application processing and underwriting. Previously, he served at Fannie Mae as director of capital markets and as director of large loans for their multifamily group. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Maryland.

Tyler Griffin

COO
Hunt Real Estate Capital

Tyler Griffin is Chief Operating Officer of Hunt Real Estate Capital, a division of Hunt Companies. Ms. Griffin is responsible for managing business operations across all loan platforms, including oversight of the integration of systems and technology with current practices to facilitate production across all business lines. She also oversees transaction management. Prior to joining Hunt Real Estate Capital, Ms. Griffin was Chief Operating Officer at Dwight Capital, where she established the firm as an FHA/MAP lender with GNMA servicing capabilities. During her tenure at Dwight, she was responsible for more than $1.2 billion in annual loan production and a servicing portfolio that exceeded $3 billion. Before Dwight, Ms. Griffin was with Capital One Multifamily Finance as Senior Director, Head of FHA Programs. Earlier in her career, she held key roles at Beech Street Capital, where she established their FHA platform, and at Metropolitan Funding Corporation. Ms. Griffin graduated Magna Cum Laude from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Financial Economics. While there, she was a two-time All-American athlete and has since been inducted into the Vanderbilt Hall of Fame.

Josh Zegen

Co-Founder
Madison Realty Capital

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.

Ralph Herzka

Chairman & CEO
Meridian Capital Group

Ralph Herzka is the chairman and CEO of Meridian Capital Group. Since co-founding the commercial real estate advisory firm in 1991, Mr. Herzka has remained the guiding force behind the company’s evolution from a small Brooklyn-based commercial mortgage brokerage to a national leader in real estate capital markets, having personally arranged over $100 billion in financing. Additionally, Mr. Herzka has led Meridian’s recent expansion into New York City investment sales and retail leasing in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Mr. Herzka demonstrates an exceptional ability to foster multi-generational relationships with real estate owners and investors and forms critical alliances with lenders to achieve success across the asset spectrum. He is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. In addition to his professional leadership, Mr. Herzka is a dedicated philanthropist, raising millions of dollars for various organizations over his career. Most notably, he is a passionate participant of Bike4Chai, an annual 180-mile cycling fundraiser for children fighting pediatric illnesses and disabilities. Mr. Herzka is a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, NY. He and his wife are proud parents and grandparents.

Daniel Palmier

CEO
UC Funds

Daniel Palmier has over 25 years of successful experience in real estate investment and finance. All of this preparation has helped him become the founder and CEO of the nationally acclaimed specialty finance company, UC Funds. UC Funds has invested over $2 billion over its last 6 years and has averaged nearly 20% annual returns each year. Palmier earned the experience needed to lead UC Funds from previously held leadership and management roles in real estate and portfolio management with companies such as Potomac Realty Capital, Arbor Realty Trust, where he headed all credit operations as the first CDO and Lehman Brothers Holdings, where he was responsible for $18 billion of partnership investments. Mr. Palmier founded Potomic in 2004 and originated over 3 billion in investments. Daniel Palmier earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Notre Dame University and his Master’s degree in Real Estate at New York University.

Anar Chudgar

Co-President
Artemis Real Estate Partners

Anar Chudgar is a Co-President at Artemis Real Estate Partners and sits on the Firm’s Investment Committee. She is head of the Income and Growth Fund and is responsible for developing and implementing the acquisition and asset management strategies. Ms. Chudgar joined Artemis in 2019. Prior to joining Artemis, Ms. Chudgar spent 9 years as a Partner at GCM Grosvenor, where she helped co-lead the creation and growth of the $3.0 billion real estate platform, expanding the business in 2012 as well as growing the team. She has closed on $1.7 billion in joint venture real estate transactions in North America and Europe spanning both equity and debt, leading all aspects of investment management including transaction sourcing and execution, asset management, portfolio management and capital raising. Prior to that, Ms. Chudgar was a Principal in Alternative Investments at Credit Suisse Group AG, and held positions at Onex Real Estate Partners, iStar Financial, Inc., and began her career at JP Morgan Chase in investment banking. Ms. Chudgar graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and continues to be involved with the school. She is on the Board of Advisors of the Annenberg Center, a resource for the performing arts at the University. Additionally, Ms. Chudgar serves as a board member for the Pension Real Estate Association and SparkYouth. She is also an active council member of the McCombs Real Estate Center at the University of Texas at Austin, New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX) and the Urban Land institute’s UDMUC Green Council.

Ari Shalam

Founder & Managing Partner
RWN Real Estate Partners

Ari M. Shalam is founder and Managing Partner of RWN Real Estate Partners LLC, a NYC based middle market real estate private equity investment platform. RWN targets direct and controlled, joint venture investment opportunities and focuses on most value-add property types in New York City and Miami. Since June, 2011, RWN has acquired in nearly of $800mm of real estate with approximately $300mm of total invested equity.  From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Shalam was the President of Enterprise Asset Management, Inc. a real estate centric multi-family office and from 2003 to 2009, he was a Senior Partner and Director of Acquisitions of Taconic Investment Partners, a fully integrated real estate investment and development company. Previously, he was the Director of Acquisitions for the Kaufman Organization. Throughout his real estate career, Mr. Shalam has led nearly $2 Billion in real estate investments, primarily in New York City. Mr. Shalam is a member of the board of directors Voxx International Corporation (NASDAQ: VOXX), a member of the board of the Good+ Foundation and an advisory board member of the Institute of Urban Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Shalam is a frequent visiting lecturer of real estate entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a former trustee of the Trinity School in New York City. Mr. Shalam received his BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania cum laude and his MBA from the Harvard Business School. Mr. Shalam lives in New York City with his wife and four children.

Gary Bechtel

CEO
Red Oak Capital

Gary Bechtel leads the investment management leadership teams with direct oversight of all portfolios. Gary Bechtel served as President of Money360 and was responsible for developing and executing Money360’s expansion strategy. Gary also served on Money360’s Credit Committee and Board of Directors. Prior to joining the Company, he was Chief Lending/Originations Officer of CU Business Partners, LLC, the nation’s largest credit union service organization (CUSO). Previously, Gary held management or production positions with Grubb & Ellis Company, Meridian Capital, Johnson Capital, FINOVA Realty Capital, Pacific Southwest Realty Services and Hometown Commercial Capital. Gary began his career with the Alison Company and over the past thirty-four years has been involved in all aspects of the commercial real estate finance industry, as a lender and as an intermediary, including the origination, underwriting, structuring, placement and closing of over $10B in commercial debt transactions, utilizing various debt structures which have included permanent, bridge, equity, mezzanine and construction on transactions of $1M to $250M. These transactions were placed with a variety of capital sources that included life companies, commercial banks, credit unions and equity and mezzanine funds, on property types that included office, retail, industrial, multifamily, hospitality, self-storage and manufactured housing. He is or has been a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, California Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, and International Council of Shopping Centers. Gary has spoken at numerous industry events and written articles and has been regularly quoted in a number of regional and national publications.

Zach Murphy

Co-Founder
Pender Capital

Zach is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Pender Capital. Zach co-founded Pender in 2015 and brings over 16 years of experience in both commercial real estate finance and capital markets expertise. Zach oversees the firm’s Investment and Research program which includes deal sourcing, research, and structuring and is a member of the Investment and Research Committee and the Management Committee. Prior to Pender, Zach served as Managing Director/ Senior Vice President for Liberty SBF, a commercial finance company based in Philadelphia, where he was responsible for establishing Liberty’s Western Regional HQ in Los Angeles and directed West Coast originations and operations. Zach personally originated over $60 million of commercial loans during the first year of operations on the West Coast. In 2008, Zach joined Silver Point Capital, LP in New York, a Goldman Sachs partner fund, where he was responsible for commercial real estate loan originations and insurance-linked securities trading. During his tenure at Silver Point, Zach traded more than $500 million in distressed commercial real estate debt, insurance-linked securities, and assets in the capital markets. From 2004 to 2008, Zach served as Senior Vice President/Division Director of Velocity Commercial Capital where he was the company’s highest grossing originator in e

Dom Manago

Managing Director of Sales and Originations
UC Funds

Dom Manago is the Managing Director of sales and Originations for UC Funds, a vertically integrated commercial real estate specialty finance firm. Dom has worked for UC Funds for more than 10 years and has contributed to an impressive more than $2 Billion closed. UC Funds is national and Dom and his team travel all over the country to work with developers, sponsors, and brokers across all asset types and business plans. Dom and UC are best known for their entrepreneurial approach to debt and equity lending and taking a shine to not just simple deals but the most complex of opportunities.

Brandon Lacoff

CEO
Belpointe REIT

Mr. Brandon Lacoff is currently the CEO and Founder of the Belpointe REIT which is the first public Opportunity Zone REIT in the country. Mr. Lacoff is also the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Belpointe, a private equity investment firm. Mr. Lacoff was the Co-Founder of Belray Capital, a Greenwich, Connecticut based real estate and investment firm, which was acquired by Belpointe in 2011. Belpointe is known for its luxury condominium developments and its class A apartment communities. Belpointe owns several operating businesses, including Belpointe Asset Management LLC, a financial asset management firm that manages over $1 billion in tradable securities. Mr. Lacoff and its executive team bring financial strength, operational expertise and investing discipline to its portfolio of investments. Mr. Lacoff holds a Juris Doctor degree and a Master’s of Business Administration from Hofstra University and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Syracuse University.

Tom Shapiro

President & CIO
GTIS Partners

Tom Shapiro is the President and Founder of GTIS. In addition, Tom is the Chief Investment Officer responsible for overseeing all investment activity and strategy of the firm. GTIS Partners is a global real estate investment firm headquartered in New York with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, São Paulo, Brazil, Paris, France and Munich, Germany. The firm has 86 employees and approximately $4.5 billion of assets under management. Tom is also Chairman of the General Partner’s Investment Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors of Brazil Hospitality Group, one of the largest owners of hotels in Brazil. Tom serves on the Board of Trustees of Horace Mann School. He also serves on the Undergraduate Executive Board for The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from which he received a B.S. and graduated magna cum laude.

Joe Scalio

Senior Lead Tax Partner
KPMG

As one of the national lead tax partners engaged in the Qualified Opportunity Zone practice, Joe actively engages with industry leaders, government officials, and investors to provide insights that help resolve tax and regulatory issues. He is also active in helping clients maximize QOZ tax incentives and structure Qualified Opportunity Funds and Qualified Opportunity Zone Businesses. Joe has provided tax advisory, structuring, modeling, and reporting services to various entities. He has extensive experience with real estate investment trusts, real estate funds, and private equity funds.

Tim Doherty

EVP, Head of Investments
Safehold & iStar

Tim Doherty currently serves as Executive Vice President, Head of Investments. In this role, Mr. Doherty leads the investment team of Safehold Inc (NYSE: SAFE), a public REIT focused on the acquisition and creation of ground lease investments across all property types nationwide. Safehold is the first publicly traded company focused solely on ground lease investments and is externally managed by iStar. Mr. Doherty worked at iStar between 2000 and 2008 and recently rejoined iStar in 2013. Prior to becoming the Head of Ground Lease Investments, he focused on structured finance having worked on over 60 transactions totaling more than $5 billion during his tenure at iStar. The transaction structure types included first mortgage, mezzanine, B-notes, preferred equity, DIP financing, participations and corporate finance investments and included all traditional property types (office, retail, hotel and industrial) and non-traditional product types (self-storage, entertainment and land). Prior to his latest tenure at iStar, Mr. Doherty co-founded and operated Shem Creek Capital (“SCC”), a boutique real estate finance fund located in Boston, MA. Prior to joining iStar Financial in 2000, Mr. Doherty was at Archon Group, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, investing on behalf of the Whitehall funds. He received his BS in Finance from Georgetown University.

Brett Siegel

Vice Chairman & Co-Head
Newmark Knight Frank

Brett Siegel is the Vice Chairman and Co-Head, New York Capital Markets, Investment Sales. Brett specializes in property sales, joint ventures, ground leases, developments, and structured finance transactions. Brett’s main area of expertise is New York City office, retail and multi-family projects. Brett has been involved in over $30 billion of transactions for a diverse range of institutional and private clients. Prior to joining Newmark, Brett served as a Managing Director at Eastdil Secured, where he spent 13 years. Brett holds a B.A. in psychology from Emory University.

Michael Rudin

Co-CEO
Rudin

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.

Andrew Zech

COO
Nuveen Green Capital

Andrew leads business development for Nuveen Green Capital. His team makes it easy for our partners – whether they are building owners, developers, contractors, or other industry professionals – to improve their business returns through the use of C-PACE. Andrew and his team are responsible for originating and developing projects, recruiting and serving channel partners, and increasing market awareness of Nuveen's C-PACE financing. Andrew was Nuveen Green Capital’s first employee and he is a member of the executive team. Prior to joining Nuveen Green Capital, Andrew spent seven years at The Advisory Board Company – a technology and consulting firm serving 3800+ hospitals and healthcare organizations. At The Advisory Board, Andrew launched new products, led complex technology and consulting evaluations, and ran sales and marketing for two of the firm’s Margin Solutions product lines totaling $60M+ in contract value. Andrew received his graduate degree from Georgetown University and undergraduate degree from The University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and son.

Eric Brown

EVP, Business Development
Carbon Lighthouse

Eric is responsible for driving business development and empowering his sales team to create meaningful relationships with clients to deliver exceptional projects. His knowledge of commercial real estate and technical know-how allow him to uniquely understand Carbon Lighthouse’s client needs and connect them with customized solutions that have great impact. Eric holds a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Jason Epstein

Regional Director - Real Estate
Sonder

Jason Epstein joined Sonder as a Regional Director in December 2018. He is responsible for overseeing Sonder’s real estate growth for portions of the East Coast and Midwest, as well as lender outreach. Mr. Epstein has over nineteen years of real estate industry experience. Prior to joining Sonder, Mr. Epstein was a Managing Director at Seligson Properties, a regional real estate developer based in Norwalk, CT, for over four years, where he oversaw acquisitions, asset management and capital markets. Prior to joining Seligson Properties, Mr. Epstein ran has his own commercial real estate investment and consulting company for nearly five years and was a Partner at The Cordish Company in Baltimore, MD for nearly a decade. Mr. Epstein has acquired, financed and managed over $3 billion in complex real estate transactions throughout the United States, crossing all property types. Some of the projects in which Mr. Epstein played an integral role include The Power Plant and Power Plant Live! in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Fourth Street Live! in Louisville, KY, The Power & Light District in Kansas City, MO, and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos in Hollywood and Tampa, FL. Prior to starting his real estate career, Mr. Epstein practiced law in New York City, where he concentrated in commercial litigation. He is admitted as an attorney in New York and Maryland. Mr. Epstein graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor of Business of Administration and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law. He resides in Larchmont, New York with his wife and two children.

Michael Campbell

CEO
The Carlton Group

Michael Campbell brings 20 years of commercial real estate experience to the The Carlton Group. Since 1998, he has been integrally involved in the structuring and procuring of equity and debt capital for over $75 billion of real estate projects around the world. Prior to joining Carlton, Michael spent five years at various Prudential real estate groups including PRG, PCG and PMCC. He has extensive experience in all facets of real estate investments including: complex equity and debt capital structuring, business origination & development, loan/REO auctions and underwriting for all property classes. Michael has a degree in financial engineering from James Madison University and a master’s in real estate finance and investments from New York University. mjc@carltongroup.com

Tony Fineman

Senior Managing Director, Head of Originations
ACORE Capital

Mr. Fineman has more than 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate business. At ACORE, Mr. Fineman is responsible for originating, underwriting, structuring and closing commercial real estate financing opportunities, and for managing originations for the Eastern Region. Prior to joining ACORE, Mr. Fineman was an Executive Vice President with Brickman and a principal at Hillcrest Finance, where he was responsible for originating, underwriting, structuring and closing equity and debt investment opportunities, and financing new and existing equity investments. Prior to Brickman, Mr. Fineman held various positions in commercial real estate finance including a senior role with Wachovia Bank, where he managed, structured and closed more than $25 billion of complex commercial real estate finance transactions often involving multiple lenders and tranches of debt, and a role as a banker with Nomura Securities in the mid to late 1990s. In addition to his finance experience, Mr. Fineman has also spent a significant amount of time on the equity side of the commercial real estate business where he was involved in the development, ownership, management and operation of commercial real estate, including in senior roles with Centres Inc. and Terranova Corporation, and in his time with Brickman. Mr. Fineman began his career in commercial real estate as an attorney representing institutional and private clients in a wide range of commercial real estate transactions, including finance, acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, development and land use. After college and prior to law school, Mr. Fineman spent several years at IBM Corporation as a marketing representative. Mr. Fineman received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University and a J.D. from the University of Florida. Mr. Fineman serves on the board of enCourage Kids Foundation. Mr. Fineman is married to Lori and they have two children, Mia and Rocky.

Michael Gigliotti

Senior Managing Director
JLL

Michael is a senior managing director and co-head of the New York office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He joins JLL as part of the HFF acquisition and has 15 years of experience in commercial real estate finance. In addition to his role as the leader of the financing team in New York, he is responsible for originating and executing financing assignments, including permanent, bridge, construction, acquisition and refinancing solutions, as well as joint venture equity transactions. During the course of his career, Michael has been involved in more than $25 billion of commercial real estate transactions.

Matthew Scoville

Partner
Hunton Andrews Kurth

Matthew is widely known for closing major deals in New York City and helping clients build real estate portfolios across the United States and beyond. A powerful negotiator who understands the legal and business issues on both sides of a transaction, Matt is respected by his clients, opposing counsel and other parties alike for his result-driven approach. This ability to shepherd complex transactions to a successful conclusion is evidenced by his impressive client list. As a partner in the firm’s capital finance and real estate practice, Matt cuts a wide swath across the real estate industry by advising owners, developers, investors and lenders, among them REITS, private equity funds and family offices, on a variety of transactions. These include construction and real estate finance, acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, real estate developments, preferred equity investments, mezzanine loan originations, and secondary market purchases, leasing, and loan workouts and restructurings. Well-connected in the real estate world, Matt looks to generate business for his clients by introducing them to potential partners and new deals. He is active in pro bono work and leads the coordination of the annual NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program in New York, which brings high school seniors from The Urban Assembly School for Law & Justice into the firm to teach them about the law and legal careers, encourage them to enter the field and support them in their pursuits.

Drew Fletcher

President
Greystone Capital Advisors

Drew Fletcher is head of Greystone Capital Advisors where he oversees a team of professionals responsible for arranging creative debt and equity solutions for institutional and private commercial property owners and developers, and provides strategic advisory services for institutions, investors and borrowers. GCA also focuses on large loan mortgage origination across Greystone’s Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, CMBS, Bridge, balance-sheet and special situation lending platforms. Drew has over 20 years of commercial real estate experience, having directly originated and executed on more than $10 billion of financing transactions. Prior to joining Greystone in 2013, Drew was the Chief Financial Officer of Edison Properties LLC, one of the largest private real estate owners in New York City, with a $5 billion diversified portfolio of self-storage, office, multifamily and substantial land holdings throughout the NY Metro Region. Drew received a B.A. in Economics and Communications from Wake Forest University; an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University; and a Master of Accountancy in Taxation from Rutgers University. He volunteers his time as a guest lecturer at the NYU Real Estate Institute and also is an active member of the Real Estate Board of New York and the Urban Land Institute. Drew also was named to the Commercial Observer’s 50 Most Powerful People in Commercial Real Estate Finance in 2018.

Philip Carroll

Director of Finance
Royal Palm Companies

Phil is is responsible for sourcing equity and debt for development projects undertaken by Royal Palm Co, a South Florida based development firm with a 40 year track record of developing rental apartments, hotels and condominiums. Phil previously managed the South Florida production office of Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, providing permanent, construction/permanent, bridge and equity capital Before joining Grandbridge, Phil founded and served as President of American Real Estate Capital (AREC), the commercial real estate lending subsidiary of Cincinnati insurance company, American Financial Group (NYSE: AFG). Prior to forming American Real Estate Capital, Phil was Senior Vice President and Regional Manager in the Income Property Group of KeyBank Real Estate Capital with direct responsibility for the commercial loan origination business in the South Eastern United States. Before joining KeyBank Real Estate Capital in 2003, Phil spent 18 years in construction lending at Bank of America in Miami and Baltimore, Maryland. A resident of the City of Miami, Phil is an active member of the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, and serves on the boards of two non-profit organizations.

Eric Berman

Chief Investment Officer
Lifeafar

Eric Berman is the Chief Investment Officer of Lifeafar, a real estate investment and hospitality firm that caters to global investors and discerning travelers. He oversees the firm’s investment strategy including acquisitions and development, and plays a key role in leading Lifeafar’s hospitality initiatives. Eric has spent his career working with a diverse base of investors, owners, lenders and developers of hotel and mixed-use real estate assets, having advised on over $2 billion of hotel and real estate transactions throughout the U.S. and Latin America. During his professional career, he has held positions in New York and Miami, as well as Colombia, Panama, and Mexico. Eric studied at Penn State University – Smeal College of Business, where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in accounting. He has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 2013 and holds a certificate in hotel real estate investment and asset management from Cornell University.

Ing. Emilio Colón Zavala

President
Puerto Rico Builders Association/ ECZ Group

Jorge Ruiz-Montilla

Capital Member and Chairman, Real Estate & Finance Practice Group
McConnell Valdés

Mr. Ruiz-Montilla's practice includes real estate, hospitality, corporate, advertising, sports and entertainment law. Over the years, he has been involved in all aspects of the real estate, hospitality and corporate practice including: resort and commercial developments, structuring of corporate acquisitions, planning and structuring timeshare, condo-hotel and condominium projects, negotiating lease agreements for all types of commercial developments, and the creation of governance structures for resort communities. He also has extensive experience in real estate matters related to petroleum industry retail operations, and works as real estate counsel in a number of renewable energy projects. Mr. Ruiz-Montilla recently participated in the drafting a number of laws and regulations providing incentives for the tourism and film industries in Puerto Rico. He is ranked as one of Puerto Rico's Leading Attorneys in the Real Estate field by the renowned international publication Chambers & Partners in both its Global and its Latin America Guides. He is also ranked in in the Real Estate Law field of The Best Lawyers in Puerto Rico guide. Mr. Ruiz-Montilla is member of the Board of Directors of the Ricky Martin Foundation, and he is the legal counsel to the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico Construction Materials Merchants Association, a non-profit organization representing man ufacturers, distributors a nd retailers of construction materials.