Construction, Tech and Connectivity

Nikki Greenberg is a futurist and thought leader in the real estate industry. Based in New York, she directs real estate developers and owners on ways to capitalize on PropTech and disruptive innovations to gain an edge in an ever-changing environment through her consultancy, Real Estate of the Future. Nikki entered the property industry through her established career in architecture working with real estate developer Lend Lease, and cutting-edge architect Koichi Takada in Sydney, Australia on project ranging from luxury shopping malls to new masterplanned communities. Nikki is an alumni of UNSW in Sydney, Australia where she attained Masters of International Business, Masters of Architecture, and Bachelors of Architecture with honours. As both the current co-chair of the Urban Land Institute's New York Real Estate Technology and Innovation Council, and Founder and Global Ambassador of Women in PropTech, she has a strong focus on leveraging global insights and fostering collaboration. The Head of IBM’s Global Real Estate described Nikki as having “The perfect blend of charisma, levity and insight”, while TechCrunch’s Editor-in-Chief, Mike Butcher credited her keynote as “The best presentation of the day!”. She has been the recipient of numerous industry awards and accolades including being recognised as a Top 25 CRE Innovator (2021), Top 100 Real Estate Executive (2020), Finalist at MIPIM Global PropTech Awards (2019), Finalist at UK PropTech Awards (2019), and Finalist at REFI CRE US Awards (2019). Nikki speaks passionately on topics of innovation, disruption, IoT, sustainability, design thinking, robots, and the future of the built environment. Today, she can be found speaking at leading real estate and innovation conferences around the world, in locations including London, Paris, Helsinki, New York, Washington DC, as well as virtually.

Brian Collins is Executive Vice President and Director of Development where he oversees the development projects across the firm’s portfolio. Previously, Mr. Collins was the Head of Acquisitions and Development at Fisher Brothers. Most recently, he oversaw over $1.5 billion in development of residential properties in New York City and Washington, DC, including 111 Murray, 225 East 39th Street, 101 West 87th Street, 37 Warren Street and 701 2nd Street NE on Capitol Hill. Prior to joining Fisher Brothers, Brian was President of Intrawest, one of the largest resort owner/operators and real estate development companies in North America. As President, Brian oversaw all real estate activities worldwide. Before Intrawest, Brian was the founder of Colgate Development, a development company which specialized in the development of luxury hotels and condominiums. Under Brian’s leadership, Colgate developed several hotels and residential properties including The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, NC and the Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia. Brian started his career in real estate development as a principal and COO of Millennium Partners. Overseeing the commercial components of Millennium’s projects, Brian was responsible for the development of The Ritz-Carlton hotels in New York, Boston and Washington and the Four Seasons hotels in San Francisco and Miami as well as five Sport Club/LA facilities, office space, movies theatres and parking garages. Brian is an active member of the Urban Land Institute where he serves as vice chairman for ULI New York. He is also active in numerous New York real estate groups and councils. Mr. Collins holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Colgate University and a Masters in Accounting from NYU. He and his wife have two children and live in Fairfield CT.

As a Vice President and General Manager of Turner Construction Company’s New York Business Unit, Charlie Whitney is responsible for developing and overseeing short- and long term strategic plans that affirm Turner’s position as one of New York City’s largest and most trusted construction service providers. In this capacity, he oversees a portfolio of projects across a broad spectrum of industries, as well as providing executive oversight on matters related to Turner’s operational, financial and sales initiatives. A consummate construction professional, Charlie began his career with Turner in 1988 as an engineer. In the years that followed, he was promoted to positions of greater responsibility in the New York office, including Project Executive in 2006 and Construction Executive in 2012. Charlie has been an integral member of Turner’s sustainability programs leading the way as sustainability manager, and externally as a co-chair of the construction committed on the green codes task force. In addition to his day-to-day executive responsibilities, Charlie manages a diverse portfolio of construction projects across New York City, including lower Westchester and Long Island. Completed and on-going project include Columbia University Business School; Coney Island Hospital; Rockefeller University River Building and the award winning David H. Koch Center, constructed on behalf of the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Leveraging over 14-years of experience in the AEC industries, DeVon Prioleau continues to lead Tier-1 Design & Construction Professionals in delivering multi-phased, multi-million-dollar real estate programs & projects A proven self-starter demonstrating strong technical, analytical and entrepreneurial skills, DeVon uniquely combines his two areas of formal study (Architecture and Real Estate Development) to provide strategic planning, design, construction and management consulting services to the larger real estate community comprised of private & public investors, developers, owners, tenants and users as clients. Projects range in size from 1,000sf to over 1.5Msf and include feasibility & market studies, community master planning, corporate interiors, residential, hospitality, retail, media & broadcast, infrastructure as well as modular construction (both domestic & internationally). Today, DeVon serves as Director at MACRO, a Savills Company, which provides best-in-class capital project management and strategic advisory services, encompassing every project element from strategic planning through occupancy. The Macro team has managed over $16 billion and 13 million square feet in capital projects, both domestically and globally. DeVon maintains a B. Arch from Cornell University (‘05) and has an MDesS from Harvard University (‘06). He is also a LEED AP, holds a NYS Real Estate Broker License and is MBE Certified. As a proud Bronx native, DeVon seeks to leave an imprint on NYC’s urban landscape and beyond! He is passionate about diversity and making a positive contribution toward the mission. DeVon participates in practicing ‘true inclusion’ of under-represented professionals in the larger real estate industry and remains actively involved and serves as Executive Board Member for three organizations: the Council for Urban Real Estate (C.U.R.E.); Bronx Community Board #10; and the Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center in Spring Valley, NY

Leveraging 13 years in the architecture and construction industries, Alli supports customer marketing and industry advocacy as a part of Autodesk’s Construction Solutions team. She directly contributes to advocacy and customer engagement activities to help put the needs of construction professionals at the center of Autodesk initiatives, and works to promote industry advancement together with leaders in the field. Prior to this role, she supported the national Innovation group of Skanska USA's construction division helping to investigate and integrate game-changing tech like virtual design and construction technologies, wearables, IoT/sensors, and drones onto the jobsite. As a “technology translator,” she oversaw Skanska’s national innovation community; responsible for managing internal knowledge sharing, external communications, sales enablement, and business strategy for new products and services. Alli cultivated her career working in disruptive technology as a go-to-market specialist for renowned inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil, where she supported numerous initiatives like an AI-based cybernetic artist, the first hand-held reader for the blind, and a longevity company. She also spent six years in architecture, where she shaped niche services for energy-efficient data center design during the advent of cloud computing. Alli holds a BA in Theatre and Arts Management from Emerson College and an MBA in Innovation and Design Management from Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School. She was named University of Hartford's Construction Institute Visionary Strategist of 2017, is ranked among Procore's Construction Women Standouts of 2017, and was the Industry Keynote Speaker for the Autodesk BUILD Space opening in 2016. Alli is also a Boston Chapter Leader for the Society of Construction Solutions, an organization that brings together the innovation/start-up community with AEC leaders. When not exploring the next great tech for construction, Alli can be found tending to her herb garden or spending time along the rocky shores of Massachusetts with her husband and young son.