NYC State of the Market

Jay A. Neveloff is a nationally recognized transaction lawyer who represents a broad range of clients in connection with the development, ownership and financing of real estate projects, including many high-profile super luxury and mixed-use, commercial, retail and residential projects in New York City and throughout the country. Mr. Neveloff represents institutional and private equity funds and other investors in joint ventures, as well as the acquisition and sale of property (including portfolios of properties), and assists joint ventures in connection with a broad variety of developments. He also represents major international funds and financial institutions in commercial lending transactions, loan restructurings and workouts. Mr. Neveloff received his J.D. from New York University School of Law and graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.A. degree.

Leslie Wohlman Himmel is founder and co-managing partner of Himmel + Meringoff Properties, a leading owner/operator of New York-based commercial real estate and one of the only privately owned, first generation portfolios of Manhattan office buildings. Founded in 1985 with partner Stephen Meringoff, Himmel + Meringoff currently manages two million square feet of commercial real estate valued in excess of $2 billion. Ms. Himmel began her career as an acquisitions associate at Integrated Resources in 1979 and is today recognized as one of the foremost women leaders of the commercial real estate industry. Focused on creating value through long-term ownership, she is a creative and insightful hands-on owner responsible for the acquisition of property, strategic repositioning of assets and portfolio financing. In 2017, Ms. Himmel was named as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in New York by Crain’s. She was honored as Harvard Business School Club of New York’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ for 2016 and, in 2011, received REBNY’s Mendik Lifetime Leadership in Real Estate Award for exceptional accomplishment and dedication to leadership in New York real estate. Ms. Himmel is a Board member of the M&T Bank Directors Advisory Council, New York City Mortgage Committee and the Harvard Business School Club of New York. In 1992, she founded and continues to co-chair REBNY’s Economic Development Committee which works with New York City officials to support economic development initiatives in the city. A member of REBNY’s Board of Governors since 2001, Ms. Himmel also serves on the Board of the Executive Committee. Ms. Himmel is a member of the Real Estate Roundtable, the UDMUC Red Council of the Urban Land Institute, Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association of New York and YPO/WPO. Dedicated to women entrepreneurs, Ms. Himmel established “The Women’s Student Association Fellowship Fund” in 2008, which awards scholarships to Harvard Business School students. Ms. Himmel is also an early stage investor and Board advisor to Hello Alfred, a successful online concierge service, developed by two women who are recent HBS graduates. Ms. Himmel earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa and received her MBA with high honors from Harvard Business School.

Ben Brown is a Managing Partner in Brookfield’s Real Estate Group. He joined Brookfield in 2010 and has held various roles including leading acquisitions and dispositions for the office property business in New York and in London. He is currently responsible for the commercial operations, including acquisition and disposition activities, for the office business in New York and Boston. Prior to joining Brookfield, Mr. Brown spent time in Boston, Florida and New York with the New Boston Fund, Sovereign Bank and Thor Equities. Ben holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in Finance from Northeastern University.

Ofer Cohen is the Founder & CEO of TerraCRG, the ‘Only Brooklyn.®’ commercial real estate firm. Ofer founded the company over a decade ago with the vision of catering solely to the most exciting and robust sub-markets in the U.S. Since its inception over ten years ago, TerraCRG has been at the center of the transformation of Brooklyn, becoming a true market leader throughout the process. The firm, now 30 people strong and growing, has handled over two billion dollars’ worth of transactions in Brooklyn. Accordingly, Ofer Cohen is at the forefront of the Brooklyn commercial real estate industry. His keen focus and comprehensive knowledge of both the industry and region, coupled with his active civic involvement, makes him a trusted adviser to property owners, developers and institutions looking to capitalize on the continued growth of this market. As a result, Ofer serves as a thought leader for all Brooklyn- and real estate-related topics, regularly speaking at industry conferences and interviewed by the media. Ofer’s focus on Brooklyn extends beyond business and into philanthropy and community service. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, The Brooklyn Hospital Foundation and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, and he is the co-chair of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Real Estate Committee. Additionally, TerraCRG actively supports many other local and national causes and Brooklyn-based non-profit organizations. Prior to founding TerraCRG, Ofer was a senior broker at Massey Knakal’s Brooklyn office, where he developed his passion and expertise for Brooklyn transactions. Earlier, he was a partner at a boutique marketing agency that focused on helping foreign tech-ventures launch their operations in the U.S. Previous to that, Ofer was involved with several tech-startups, one of which was a music internet firm that was later acquired by MTV Networks. Ofer remains involved in various tech-startups as an adviser and angel investor. Before moving to the U.S., Ofer served in the Israeli Defense Forces. He now lives in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, and in his spare time enjoys spending time with his twin daughters, cooking and traveling. He also appreciates checking out new workout regimes, currently focused on Peloton and yoga. Ofer recently launched his very own podcast show, HeyBK, leading conversations with the people behind the Brooklyn transformation, so be sure to tune in.

Mr. Schechtman leads the Middle Market Team of Meridian Investment Sales as a Senior Executive Managing Director, overseeing a team of originators, analysts and other professionals. Mr. Schechtman is widely recognized as one of the industry’s most visible and well-respected investment sales professionals. Trained for years at one of the world’s largest law firms, Mr. Schechtman has personally sold more than 790 deals representing more than $8 billion in his fifteen-year career to date. Recognized as an industry “Titan,” “Power Broker”, “Jack of all Trades” and one of the “25 Most Visible New York City Real Estate Players” by the Commercial Observer, The Mann Report and The Real Deal, respectively, Mr. Schechtman is regularly engaged by private families, institutions, lenders, estate lawyers and their counsel and advisors to value, market and see through to closing the sale of multifamily properties, development sites, buildings ripe for repurposing, retail condominiums and co-ops, unsold shares, and loft office and industrial buildings throughout New York City. Mr. Schechtman has also represented more than 25 lenders in the disposition of performing and defaulted notes and assets in Chapter 11, Section 363 Sales. Prior to joining Meridian, he held the position of Principal and Executive Managing Director at Eastern Consolidated, where he was named “Broker of the Year” on multiple occasions. Prior to Eastern, Mr. Schechtman was a practicing attorney at DLA Piper in New York, where he specialized in commercial and property-related bankruptcy and litigation. Mr. Schechtman holds a J.D. from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and a B.A. from University of Delaware. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York and several other boards and charities. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Columbia University, the Real Estate Board of New York and law firms throughout the tri-state area on foreclosure and bankruptcy asset sales.

James Nelson is a Principal and Head of Tri-State Investment Sales in Avison Young’s New York City office where he leads a group of 30 professionals in the sale of multifamily, office, development and retail properties.    Nelson most recently served as Vice Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, where his team marketed over $1 billion in listings, ranking him as the number one Investment Sales broker nationwide in 2016. Prior, Nelson was a partner and top producer for Massey Knakal for six of their last eight years and was named the company’s youngest partner in 2004. Throughout his 20-year career, Nelson has been involved in the sale of over 400 properties and loans with an aggregate value of over $4 billion.   Nelson is the Chairman of REBNY’s Commercial Board of Directors, a Board Member of both the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and the Catalog for Giving, and Founder of the Real Estate Services Alliance and the Colgate Real Estate Council. He has received numerous distinctions including being #1 Top NYC Deal Maker by LoopNet, Real Estate Forum’s 40 Under 40, Top 35 and Under NYC Real Estate Players by The Real Deal, and REBNY’s Most Promising Commercial Sales Person of the Year Award.

Jordan’s practice focuses on structuring, negotiating and closing the acquisition, joint venture, financing, leasing and disposition of the full range of commercial real estate assets, including distressed debt and equity transactions. Jordan represents purchasers and sellers in commercial real estate debt and equity acquisitions and dispositions; borrowers and institutional and non-institutional lenders in securitized and balance sheet financing transactions (including acquisition, construction, bridge, mezzanine, preferred equity) and workouts; owners and tenants in leasing transactions; equity participants in joint ventures; and developers in ground-up and redevelopment projects involving office, retail, industrial, multifamily, hospitality and mixed-use projects.

Michael May is the President of Silverstein Capital Partners (“SCP”).  Mr. May is focused on providing senior loans, bridge loans, subordinate loans, and rescue capital to borrowers on shovel-ready ground- up construction, heavy value-add repositioning, lease-up projects, land, and inventory loans on completed condominium projects.  SCP is targeting office, industrial, residential and retail properties with a minimum $25 million investment.  SCP is capitalized by two global institutional investors with established track records in the U.S. real estate market, and Silverstein Properties, Inc. Previously, Mr. May was a founder and Chief Operating Officer of Cantor Commercial Real Estate (“CCRE”), where he led the origination of than $50+ billion of commercial real estate loans.  Mr. May was responsible for raising institutional and private capital, sourcing corporate financing, high-yield bond raises, loan origination, loan distribution, and securitization for the venture.  From its creation in 2010, CCRE closed 2,000+ financings on all property types in 50 US states, 3 US territories, Mexico, and the Caribbean.  Mr. May oversaw conduit, transitional, large-loan, small-balance, single borrower, Agency, and net-lease lending as well as a $58 billion servicing book. Prior to CCRE, Mr. May was a Managing Director at Credit Suisse (“CS”) where he was a senior member of the Real Estate Finance Group.  Mr. May joined CS in 1997 and oversaw West Coast and Latin American operations including the origination and distribution of CMBS, whole loans, and subordinate debt.  Mr. May originated $20+ billion in financings and innovated numerous CMBS products including securitization structures for condominiums, construction, ski mountains, and casinos. Before CS, Mr. May worked at General Electric Capital Corporation where he focused on the acquisition of subordinated CMBS and the structured distribution of whole loans, asset backed securities, and real estate equity.  Mr. May also spent seven years at Arthur Andersen LLP in the Real Estate Consulting Group, working in the US, Western Europe, Russia, and Latin America providing advice on project feasibility, loan valuations, securitization structuring, and workout strategies. Mr. May holds a BS in Finance and a BA in Psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park.

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

Derrick LaRosa was appointed Executive Vice President of RESIDE Worldwide, Inc. in January 2018. Derrick brings over 15 years of experience in real estate and corporate finance specializing in acquisitions, asset management and strategic business development. Over his career, he has participated in the acquisition and development of nearly 500,000 square feet of residential and hospitality assets in addition to asset management and portfolio oversight of over 2,000,000 square feet of residential, student housing and hospitality product. Prior to joining RESIDE, Derrick was Director of Real Estate at BridgeStreet Global Hospitality where his responsibilities included management of the North American real estate portfolio, leading all leasing activities across 10 target MSA’s and overseeing a 3,500-bed student housing portfolio. Prior to BridgeStreet, Derrick worked for Railfield Partners, a real estate investment and advisory firm based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Having held senior roles in private equity and corporate finance, Derrick’s career spans investment, capital markets and business development expertise. Foundational jobs at J.P. Morgan and Bank of America in Investment Banking honed a diverse skill set in leveraged finance and mergers & acquisitions.

Dino Christoforakis brings over 14 years of experience in international real estate investment and development in the United States and Europe across all asset classes and strategies. In his current role with AFIAA in New York City, Dino is responsible for the transaction execution and portfolio management of Core and Core-plus office and retail real assets across North American gateway cities and major MSA's. AFIAA is a $2 billion Zurich-based Swiss pension fund investment foundation, member of the Avadis Group, one of the largest pension fund investment managers in Switzerland. Before joining AFIAA, Dino was responsible for acquisitions, dispositions, and asset management of value-add and opportunistic retail, industrial, and mixed-use real estate across major U.S. east coast markets at MCB Real Estate, an institutionally capitalized private equity group out of Baltimore, Maryland. Dino earned an MBA in Real Estate and Finance from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. He is a mentor and an active member of the Global Exchange Council and the New York Advisory Board at the Urban Land Institute (ULI), as well as various other organizations, including the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE), the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP), the New York Private Equity Network (NYPEN), and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

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.

Laurent Morali is the President of Kushner Companies. Mr. Morali began his career in finance with Credit Lyonnais Bank in Seoul, Korea. In January 2000, he joined the structured real estate finance team of Credit Lyonnais in Paris. He joined Credit Lyonnais America’s real estate financing team in October 2001 with a rapid focus on complex transactions on the capital markets. Mr. Morali joined Kushner Companies in 2008 where he has held several positions, starting with Director of Finance, transitioning to Head of Acquisitions and Capital Markets, in June 2016 he became President of the company. Mr. Morali has closed in excess of $14 billion worth of real estate transactions, from construction and development deals to complex securitizations of real estate and other esoteric assets. Mr. Morali obtained his Business School degree from Ecole Superieure de Commerce of Toulouse, France in June, 1998

Through the acquisition of Metropolitan Building Services by OC Development Management, Jonathan serves as Principal and President of the OCDM. OCDM is an owner-focused, Development Management Services firm providing turn key development management from project inception through construction and occupancy for varying types of commercial projects. As the firm’s President, Mr. Ninnis remains actively involved in the daily execution of OCDM’s projects while also setting the strategic direction of the company and leading all business development efforts. Mr. Ninnis brings to the table more than 18 years of experience and, unlike many others in the field, a foundation in architecture with a highly technical background and knowledge in both design and construction. This expertise by nature creates a proactive rather than reactive management style and allows a strategic approach to be applied to the many facets of completing a complex project. Prior to founding OCDM, Mr. Ninnis has held positions throughout the Real Estate Industry including Vice President of Development at L&L Holding Company, Senior Associate at VVA Project Managers, and Managing Agent at Citi for Cushman and Wakefield. These positions have allowed Jonathan to complete prestigious projects for many well-known clients such as Citi, JP Morgan, NYU Langone Medical Center, City University of New York, the Union Club of the City of New York, Beacon Capital and many others. Over the course of his career, Jonathan has completed over $800 million in projects spanning across 4.5 million square feet of real estate throughout the greater NYC, NJ, and Boston areas. Mr. Ninnis is a registered architect and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from New Jersey Institute of Technology. Jonathan also serves on NJIT’s Dean’s Executive Counsel.

Jit Kee Chin is the Chief Data Officer and Executive Vice President at Suffolk and is responsible for leveraging big data and advanced analytics to improve the organization’s core business. Ms. Chin is also responsible for helping to position Suffolk to achieve its vision of transforming the construction experience while working closely with the company’s Innovation and Strategy teams to fundamentally reinvent the future of construction in the digital age. Prior to her role at Suffolk, Ms. Chin spent 10 years with management consulting firm McKinsey and Company where she counseled senior executives on strategic, commercial and advanced analytics topics. Most recently, she was a Senior Expert in Analytics in McKinsey’s Boston office where she specialized in the design and implementation of end-to-end analytics transformations. Prior to that role, Ms. Chin was an Associate Principal in McKinsey’s London office where she helped organizations drive multi-year business transformations and change programs and developing strategies for profitable growth. Ms. Chin holds a PhD in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BS from the California Institute of Technology.

As Vice President of Marketing at SOLiD, Tim Moynihan holds responsibility for both product and corporate marketing. With a specialty in technology marketing in both U.S. and international markets, Tim has successfully held leadership roles at Intel, Dialogic, Empirix and other companies. He has extensive experience working at companies that provide infrastructure solutions to telecommunications providers. Tim holds a master’s degree from Purdue University and a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

Bill Kendall joined iDEKOgov as a Senior Vice President in August, 2016. Before joining iDEKOgov he worked as a business & technology consultant, including in the real-estate industry in NYC. Prior to that he served in various leadership roles at the New York City Department of Buildings. Most recently, Bill was the Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Implementation. In this role Bill managed the Department’s strategic project portfolio and led many of the Department’s business process and technology projects, working with business units and technology teams to deliver value for New Yorkers. For example, in 2011 Bill led the launch the of NYC Development Hub, a virtual plan review center that in its first year generated $1.3B in economic activity, improved interagency coordination, and sped up approvals 3x. In addition Bill oversaw subsequent releases of the NYC Development Hub, including Hub Self Service and Hub Full Service. Prior to that role, Bill was the Director of the Operations Redesign unit at the Department of Buildings. In this capacity Bill led cross-functional teams of analysts, project managers, subject matter experts, and software engineers to plan and implement business solutions for numerous high priority initiatives. Efforts often involved working with stakeholders to re-map and improve business processes. During this time Bill led Department efforts to operationalize of over 20 laws resulting from construction safety initiatives, working with various external stakeholder groups City agencies including with the FDNY, DEP, DOT, DoITT, and the Mayor’s Office. Before that Bill was a Project Manager and worked to deliver high value projects, including those resulting from the 2008 Building Code. Bill started as an analyst at the Department of Buildings in 2006. Over the course of his career at the Department of Buildings, Bill has received numerous technology project awards including individual recognition for excellence in project management awarded by Government Technology Magazine. Bill has a B.A. in government from Cornell University and a M.P.A. from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

Paul Massey was born in Boston, Massachusetts where he attended the Roxbury Latin School. He graduated from Colgate University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, in 1983. Mr. Massey began his career at CBRE and soon became head of the market research department in Midtown Manhattan, then as an investment sales broker. He founded Massey Knakal Realty Services together with his colleague Robert A. Knakal, whom he met at CBRE. The company became the New York metropolitan area’s dominant commercial investment sales brokerage firm. With over 225 employees serving more than 200,000 property owners, Massey Knakal Realty Services was consistently ranked New York’s #1 investment sales firm in volume for 14 consecutive years. As CEO of Massey Knakal, he led the development of the firm’s strategic initiatives including geographic expansion as well as the growth of the firm’s service lines. At the end of 2014, Cushman & Wakefield acquired Massey Knakal and Mr. Massey was appointed President, New York Investment Sales. In 2017, Paul Massey ran as a Mayoral Candidate for New York City, primarily focusing on education, housing and homelessness while also providing solutions for how to improve quality of life in the city. In July 2018, Mr. Massey and his partners Neil Heilberg and Michael Wlody, launched a new commercial brokerage firm, B6 Real Estate Advisors, short for “Building By Building, Block By Block”. The investment sales and capital advisory firm specializes in middle-market ($1-$200 million). The firm employs a distinct Territory Network model, that ensures sub-market expertise for its agents along with an owner-aligned philosophy and a technology-forward platform. Mr. Massey is a member of numerous organizations including REBNY and The Lower East Side Tenement Museum. He is also an amateur boxer and an avid skier. He and his wife, Gretchen, have three children; son, Paul III, and daughters, Sarah and Greta. He resides in Larchmont, NY.

Jared Epstein is a Principal at Aurora Capital Associates based in NYC. Aurora is one of the largest owners and developers in NY's Meatpacking and SoHo districts. The firm owns trophy properties throughout major US cities. Aurora’s expertise is adding value to assets located in the very best urban neighborhoods, whether it be through redevelopment, repositioning or ground up construction. Mr. Epstein leads Aurora’s acquisitions and leasing. Since joining the firm in 2007, he has been instrumental in completing over $2.5 Billion in transactions. Aurora’s high profile retail leases across their portfolio include Hyundai's Genesis NY marketing center, RH's NY flagship, Starbucks Roastery & Tasting Room, Sephora, and Catch restaurant which are all in the Meatpacking District, Nike's flagship at 529 Bway in SoHo, flagships for DSW at their w34th and w125th developments, the SoHo flagships of David Yurman, Victoria’s Secret, Hollister and Levi's, Whole Foods in Williamsburg, the Express, Lacoste and Forever21 flagships in South Beach, and the Chicago flagship’s of Zara and T Mobile on N Michigan Ave. Mr. Epstein was recently recognized by CRAIN's as one of its 40 Under 40 and received his seventh annual CoStar Power Broker Award. Jared is a Founding Member of the Board of the Meatpacking Improvement Association and BID, a Founding Member of the Board of the SoHo Broadway BID, a Member of the Board of the 34th Street Partnership, a member of REBNY and of ICSC.

In just over a decade, Josh Schuster has established himself as a leader of the ‘next generation’ of New York real estate professionals. Having closed more than $1 billion in development deals by the age of 34, Josh started his own development company in July 2016, Silverback Development, focusing on ground-up development and adaptive reuse opportunities that enhance neighborhoods by pushing the boundaries of design.   In Silverback’s first year, Schuster and his team secured nearly $470 million in new deals and control of a $2 billion asset pipeline nationwide, in addition to $400 million in projects still underway through his previous firm, DHA Capital.   As former principal of DHA Capital, Josh sourced and led the development of many noteworthy luxury residential developments in New York City, including 50 Clinton Street, 535 West 43 rd  Street, 75 Kenmare and 12 East 13 th  Street. Prior to his time at DHA, Josh served as director of development at JMH Development, where he was responsible for the trailblazing luxury renovation of 184 Kent Avenue, one of the first and most successful multifamily conversions in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.   In addition to his professional accomplishments, Josh is the founder and chairman Bicol Clinic Foundation, a non-profit organization that builds clinics that provide free medical care in developing countries. To date, the organization has raised more than $3 million, and has built four clinics on three continents.   A graduate of Tulane University, Josh is the youngest board member of the Baruch College - Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute, and also a co-chair of Urban Land Institute's NYC Multifamily Housing Council. He is also a member of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, and the New York Private Equity Network.

Lianne Friedman is the owner and President of Elevecture, LLC., the leading company in the engineering, design, and manufacture of custom integrated design systems using Corning® Gorilla® Glass.   Lianne leads operational teams integrating lighting, sound, and multimedia displays with architectural Gorilla® Glass laminated to wood veneers, fabrics, metals, and graphics for ultra-durable and lightweight interior finishes.  Prior to leading Elevecture, Lianne, served as Chief Operating Officer for the NYC Department of Education's Office of Adult and Continuing Education and has substantial experience in leading complex organizations at the operational, strategic, and policy levels.

Lance Podell recently joined Better Spaces as the CEO after nearly 7 years at Google’s YouTube division. There he was the Director, Global Head of YouTube Spaces (YouTube Studios), a team and business he created and built, focused on advancing the YouTube platform by engaging with creators and content partners to stimulate innovation and improve channel development, collaborate with each other, and broadcast success for other creators to emulate. Podell was responsible for building out these communities globally with a specific “local” presentation of the communities in each market. The Spaces in NYC, LA, Toronto, Nashville, Rio, Sao Paulo, Berlin, Paris, London, Dubai, Tokyo, and Mumbai are hubs for creators, fans, advertisers, brands, educators and policy makers. Podell was responsible for award-winning Spaces design, real estate development and management of the production, programming and community facilities. Podell's prior company, Next New Networks was acquired by YouTube in March, 2011. Podell was the Chairman and CEO of Next New Networks, a venture-backed online video company that distributed some of the most popular TV-like programming across the Web, especially on YouTube. Next New Networks was the first multichannel network (MCN) on the Web and was responsible for advancing well over 150 YouTube channels from thousands of views per episode to millions of views per episode. Podell brought to YouTube years of experience at the intersection of content and advertising. He is both an entrepreneur and an "intrapreneur" at the forefront of evolving ad and content programming models on the Web via both Fortune 500 companies in publishing and advertising and leading-edge web start-ups. History includes: Chiat/Day, Ogilvy & Mather, Digitas, Time Inc, Conde Nast, Primedia, Shopping.com, Seevast and PCH.com (Publishers Clearing House). In particular, when Podell served as general manager of Sprinks (Primedia), where he was responsible for the day- to-day operations of the business, and most notably, for the innovation of sponsored links on the Web's content pages his work resulted in the sale of Sprinks to Google. His early work at Ogilvy & Mather was instrumental in bringing Amex customer relationships online and resulted in the first time consumers could pay their charge card bill online and read related travel planning information from brands such as Fodors/Frommers before material was even digitized. Podell holds a A.B. from Lafayette College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in New Jersey with his wife of 23 years and has three children 21, 18 and 13. He sits on the Board of Advisors for Publishers Clearing House and mentors Harvard Business School alumni in the development of entrepreneurial efforts (start-ups.) He has spoken at many industry events and tradeshows as well he has been the subject of many articles and news stories in relation to his work.

James Penfold is Global planning and communications Director at The Collective and oversees the planning strategy for the business and across its portfolio. James’ role involves working in partnership with local communities and the public sector to deliver innovative and community focused places. James is a specialist in the co-living sector having advised Welive, Realstar and The Student Hotel before he joined The Collective.

Christopher Rivas is currently serving as Marketing Manager, In-Building Networks at Corning Optical Communications. Chris is responsible for strategy and the marketing mix including association engagement, tradeshows and events, content marketing, social media and lead generation in the commercial real estate, hospitality, and sports & entertainment industries. His focus is on in-building fiber infrastructure solutions to enable the end-user experience. He is currently a co-chair for the Fiber to the Room Workgroup, Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG), the leading technology trade association in the hospitality industry. He has fifteen years of commercial experience in technical marketing, business development and sales. Previous to Corning, Chris served as the Acting General Manager for the Engineered Carbide Products division of Mitsubishi Materials USA. In his role he worked with the steel, renewable energy, and tool manufacturing industries participating in associations for all three, but most notably serving on the board for the Institute of Roll Design. He started his career as an English teacher in Japan. Chris is a foodie with wanderlust, having traveled to over 30 countries around the world and currently lives in Charlotte, NC.

Glen Weiss has served as Executive Vice President – Director of Leasing for Vornado Realty Trust’s New York portfolio since 2007. Mr. Weiss oversees leasing activity in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, including Vornado’s 23 million square foot Manhattan office portfolio, the 3.5 million square foot Mart in Chicago and the 1.8 million square foot 555 California Street complex in San Francisco. Mr. Weiss manages a leasing team of both internal and external brokers, overseeing the negotiation of large-scale leasing transactions often involving hundreds of thousands of square feet. Among the major headquarters leases his team has recently completed are: Neuberger Berman at 1290 Avenue of the Americas Facebook at 770 Broadway Google/Motorola Mobility at The Mart in Chicago Madison Square Garden at Two Penn Plaza Macy’s at Eleven Penn Plaza New York University at One Park Avenue Guggenheim Partners at 330 Madison Avenue Bank of America at 555 California Street in San Francisco Mr. Weiss began his real estate career with the Mendik Company in 1986 as a 16 year old Summer Porter at 11 Penn Plaza, and continued with Mendik as an intern through high school and college. In 1992, Mendik appointed him as an Assistant Building Manager and he went on to become Building Manager at 1740 Broadway and 11 Penn Plaza. In 1998, he transitioned to leasing following Vornado Realty Trust’s acquisition of Mendik. Mr. Weiss was 2010 Chairman of the Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association. Additionally, he is a member of the REBNY’s Seminar Committee, received the 2010 New York Cares Corporate Community Outreach Award and was the 2012 Big Brothers Big Sisters Real Estate Honoree. Mr. Weiss earned his B.A. from the University of Delaware and his M.B.A. from Pace University.

Granit Gjonbalaj is Chief Development Officer at WeWork. In this role, Granit leads the operations and development of WeWork’s physical products globally. He oversees a team of approximately 1600 professionals across a wide range of disciplines including architecture, design, engineering and real estate to ensure the successful execution of sourcing, logistics, supply chain management and construction across the company’s business lines and portfolio.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Property Trust, Adam Frazier is responsible for the Company’s overall business strategy, capital allocation, operations, and the performance of its portfolio of investments. Mr. Frazier has two decades of experience in real estate asset management, development, and investments. Prior to joining Columbia in 2022, he served for eight years as Vice President at Oxford Properties, most recently as Head of New York. In this role, he oversaw leasing, operations, and development for the company’s New York region, covering some of New York City’s most transformative developments, such as St. John’s Terminal and Hudson Yards. Prior to Oxford, Mr. Frazier spent nearly seven years in leadership positions at Boston Properties in Development and Leasing. He started his career in real estate at Edens & Avant (now EDENS) as a Development Manager, leading the development of large mixed-use projects and acquiring shopping centers in the Mid-Atlantic region. Mr. Frazier began his career as an equity trader, trading NASDAQ- listed technology stocks for Salomon Smith Barney/Citibank. Mr. Frazier earned a BSBA degree from Bucknell University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan- Flagler Business School. He is a member of the Bucknell University Real Estate Advisory Board, a board member of the National Board of Directors for Autism Speaks, and an Advisory Board member for VTS, a leading CRE software company.

Mr. Cohen is President of the Tri-Slate Region. When the firm operated as GVA Williams. Mr Cohen was the third generation of his family to head the firm. which was founded in 1926. He chaired GVA Williams' Executive Committee and was the founding partner and Chairman of GVA Worldwide Ltd.. GVA strategic partnership of leading real estate firms serving 120 business capitals on Uwe continents. An expert real estate advisor. Mr. Cohen has represented an elite clientele of the nation's lop companies, including American Express, ADP and General Motors. He specializes in representing corporations in the acquisition and disposition of office space nationwide. He has extensive experience representing law firms including, Moses 8 Singer. Holland and Knight. Smith Gantrell Russell. Mr. Cohen currently represents a wide range of clients regionally and nationally and globally including, Wells Fargo Advisors. American Lawyer Media. Signature Bank. Russell Reynolds Associates. SS&C and Marks Paneth In 2012. Mr. Cohen was ranked as one of New York City's lop 20 brokers by the Real Deal. That year. among others. he represented Parsons Brinkerhoff in the renewal of their 200.000-square toot world headquarters at 1 Penn Plaza in 2017 Mr. Cohen was ranked 66 among Commercial Observer's Power 100 nationwide. Mr. Cohen graduated from llw University of Pennsylvania. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Mr. Cohen is on the Board of Directors of several or ganizalions. He serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Flatiron/21J Street Partnership and also serves on the Boards of. The Roundabout Theatre Company, the Jewish National Fund of Greater New York and YPO Metro NY/YPO Gold Big Apple. He is also a past Chairman of the Board of Housing and Services Inc. and past President of Young Presidents' Organization NY Metro Chapter. Mr Cohen is also a Tony Award winning Producer of -A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.

Nina Roket is a partner in the Real Estate practice at Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP in New York and leads the firm’s Commercial Leasing practice. Nina is also a co-administrative partner of the firm, chair of the firm's Hiring Committee and founder and chair of the firm's Women’s Committee. Nina concentrates her practice on commercial real estate law with an emphasis in leasing, conveyancing and finance transactions. She advises clients across the U.S. in sophisticated commercial real estate transactions, including leasing, sales, acquisitions and mortgage, mezzanine and preferred equity financings. Nina is landlord's counsel at numerous office buildings in Midtown and Downtown New York City. She also manages complex retail leasing transaction projects on behalf of numerous developers and owners at significant, high profile retail sites across the U.S., including New York, Miami Beach, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills and Atlantic City. Nina serves as a member of WX, New York Women Executives in Real Estate, an invitation-only association of executive-level women actively engaged in the commercial real estate industry in New York, and also serves as a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). She has also been acknowledged as a leading player in the New York real estate market by numerous business and real estate trade publications and client/ peer review organizations, including Crain’s New York Business, Real Estate Forum, Real Estate Weekly, Thomson Reuters New York Super Lawyers, New York Real Estate Journal and Real Estate New York.

Michael Cohen serves as Vice President, Advisory Services with CoStar Group (CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. Founded in 1987, CoStar conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. Our suite of online services enables clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on commercial property values, market conditions and current availabilities. CoStar Group's websites attracted an average of approximately 40 million unique monthly visitors in aggregate in the second quarter of 2018. Headquartered in Washington, DC, CoStar maintains offices throughout the U.S. and in Europe and Canada with a staff of over 3,800 worldwide, including the industry's largest professional research organization. With views on markets in the United States, Canada and Europe, CoStar’s Advisory Services supports clients with independent expertise in real estate market analysis, real estate portfolio analysis, capital market conditions, investor communications and the design of actionable real estate investment strategies. Under Mr. Cohen’s leadership, Advisory Services provides a range of bespoke research services to a client list that represents a “Who’s Who” of global real estate market participants including commercial banks, insurance companies, Wall Street firms, government agencies, pension funds, investment advisors, real estate investment trusts, and private investors. Mr. Cohen regularly speaks to industry organizations, is often quoted in the national press, and has appeared on both CNBC and Bloomberg Television. Professional associations include the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA). Prior to joining CoStar Group, Mr. Cohen worked for leading analyst organizations in both the real estate and technology industries. He received his B.A. from SUNY at Buffalo, J.D. from Cornell Law School, and M.B.A. from the Carroll Graduate School of Management at Boston College. Mr. Cohen can be reached by e-mail at mcohen@costargroup.com.