Philadelphia State of Office

Paul is the founding chief executive of the Center City District, serving in that capacity since January 1991. The CCD is a $22 million downtown management district, which provides security, cleaning, place marketing and planning services, as well as streetscape and park improvements for the central business district of Philadelphia.

Lauren Gilchrist is the Executive Vice President and Market Leader of the Greater Philadelphia Region. Gilchrist oversees Newmark Real Estate’s (Newmark’s) full suite of service offerings, managing strategic planning, revenue growth and profitability, recruitment and business development in the company’s Philadelphia, Wayne, Southern New Jersey and Delaware offices. Based in the Philadelphia CBD office, Gilchrist holds appointments to the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Facilities Management Corporation/Philadelphia Gas Works, Philadelphia Orchestra, Old City Community Fund, M&T Bank Advisory Board and the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of NAIOP—where she served as Chapter President from 2019 to 2020. In addition, Gilchrist has been recognized by the Philadelphia Business Journal as a 40 Under 40 honoree and a Woman of Distinction, and a Philly Power Woman by Bisnow. Prior to joining Newmark, Gilchrist was the Managing Director of Research at Longfellow Real Estate Partners, where she directed research strategy, content creation and thought leadership, and provided market research to drive project underwriting and execution. Previously, Gilchrist also held roles as Senior Vice President of Research at JLL, Manager of Research & Analysis at the Center City District and Program Manager at the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness.

Mr. Berson joined Parkway Corporation in 2018 and serves as President of Parkway Commercial Properties, a role in which he oversees Parkway’s growing real estate portfolio as well as development across a national and expanding land bank. Parkway recently delivered a 360,000 SF trophy office building leased by global law firm Morgan Lewis, a multifamily project in Philadelphia’s “old city” which achieved 95% leasing in just three months, and is under construction on another 550,000 SF trophy office building leased entirely by global insurance provider Chubb. Parkway is also in predevelopment for several additional multi-family residential projects in multiple US markets. Prior to Parkway, Brian worked at Brandywine Realty Trust and served as Vice President of Development overseeing development work in New Jersey and Washington DC before which he was Vice President of Leasing and Development at Liberty Property Trust, where he held responsibility for the firm’s leasing, development, and asset management at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. He has 25 years of experience in the industry and has developed over two billion dollars’ worth of real estate. His previous experience also includes development positions in Washington, D.C. at LCOR where he served as Development Manager for the 2.4 million square foot United States Patent and Trademark Office and at Hines where he served as Construction Manager for the 800,000 SF Gannet/USA TODAY Headquarters. Mr. Berson received his Master of Architecture from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and his Bachelor of Arts from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Architecture. He holds a Pennsylvania architecture license and National Council for Architectural Registration Board certificate. Mr. Berson sits on the Board of Trustees at NAIOP Philadelphia, at the American Heart Association’s Hard Hats with Heart, and is a Board member at the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation. He has been featured prominently as a guest lecturer, panelist, and instructor at many of the region’s universities.

In her role as Senior Director of International Business for the City of Philadelphia at the Department of Commerce, Lauren Swartz leads initiatives to grow Philadelphia’s international business and relationships. With a focus on global business attraction, foreign direct investment, and promoting exports, her work creates jobs and strengthens the local economy. She plays the leading role in crafting the global strategy for Philadelphia and hosts delegations, diplomats, business and investors from abroad, and represents the City of Philadelphia worldwide. Previously Lauren served as the Deputy Director at the non-profit trade association, Food Export USA – Northeast, working with promote U.S. exports in over 40 countries around the world. Funded by USDA, this public-private partnership produced over $500 million in export sales annually. Lauren also has experience running her own consulting firm specializing in international project management and food marketing. She has international work experience in Copenhagen and London. Lauren is a Fellow of the Leadership Philadelphia Core Class of 2016. She is on Board of Directors for the non-profit Women Against Abuse in Philadelphia and the Sino-American Pharmaceutical Association of Greater Philadelphia. She earned a B.A. in Communications at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College with minors in Business Economics, Spanish and Philosophy. She speaks some Danish and Spanish and has traveled for work and pleasure to over 25 countries.

Liz joined Colliers in 2015. Before becoming a broker, her experience was as a real estate/transactional attorney advocating for clients in commercial and residential real estate transactions. She graduated cum laude with a degree in finance and international business from the University of Pittsburgh and earned her law degree from Hofstra University specializing in private commercial and corporate counseling. Liz brings a broad array of skills to the Colliers office team which include process management, associated with managing large client accounts, and financial and legal analytics.

Stephen joined Rubenstein Partners in 2008. As Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic, he is responsible for the firm’s investment and asset management activities in the region. Stephen is also a member of the Investment Committee. Prior to Rubenstein Partners, Stephen worked at Starwood Capital Group, Catterton Partners and Merrill Lynch. He graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and received his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jeff DeVuono is the Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director of Brandywine Realty Trust’s Pennsylvania Division. Mr. DeVuono joined Brandywine Realty Trust in January of 1997. Prior to Brandywine Realty Trust, Mr. DeVuono worked for LCOR, Inc., a private development company that had a previous association with Brandywine, where he held a variety of positions, all of which related to asset management. Before joining LCOR, Mr. DeVuono was a sales and leasing representative for Cushman & Wakefield of Philadelphia. Mr. DeVuono currently serves on the Board, and is a former Chairman, of the King of Prussia District and is a Board Member of the Center City District (CCD). He is also a member of CoreNet, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), the Sunday Breakfast Club, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center. He is a Trustee and Master Planning Committee Member of The Westtown School and is a Master Planning Committee Member of Waynesborough Country Club. Past Boards include the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, University City District, Bartram’s Garden, and The Center for Emerging Visual Artists.

Paul Shapiro, PE, LEED AP is a Senior Account Manager and Mechanical Engineer at AKF. He is respected throughout the AEC industry for his unique brand of technical expertise and ability to advance sophisticated design and construction projects in today’s increasingly complex built environment. Paul’s 30-year track record of delivering efficient and right-sized, yet comfortable and dependable spaces, is emblematic of his holistic approach to projects. Recently, Paul has been privileged to work with the team at 3737 Market Street and 3675 Market Street in Philadelphia’s innovation district, uCity Square. These buildings consist of Class A office, coworking, laboratory, healthcare and collaborative space. Paul has also been involved in the utility master-planning of the entire site - when complete, uCity Square will span an impressive 6.5 million square feet of mixed-use development. Paul leverages his knowledge and know-how to provide precise solutions focused on the unique needs of various occupant types across the workplace spectrum, including financial institutions, universities, and cutting-edge life science and medical facilities. With longstanding ties to Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley, Paul’s leadership is evident in many of the region's groundbreaking projects, such as Philadelphia’s PNC Bank and the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Having earned an MBA in Finance from New York University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, Paul brings a broad perspective to the classroom where he is an Assistant Professor at Drexel University's School of Architecture. AKF delivers innovative solutions and leadership to enhance the built environment and redefine the edge of what’s possible. With ten offices throughout North America, AKF provides a robust offering of integrated services, including: Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire and Life Safety Engineering, Analysis & Testing, Architectural Code Consulting, BIM Management, Building Controls, Central Utilities, Cogeneration, Commissioning, Critical Systems, Energy & Sustainability, Fire & Life Safety, IT/AV/Security, Lighting Design, and Special Inspections.

I have been working in design, engineering and construction management for 29 years in the Philadelphia and surrounding areas. I have been at Formcraft for six years and am currently the Director of Project Delivery.

Ian Anderson, Senior Director of Research Head of Americas Office and U.S. Divisional Thought Leadership Ian Anderson has a dual role as Senior Director of Research for CBRE. In one role, Mr. Anderson is the Head of Americas Office Research, in which he analyzes, identifies, and communicates relevant trends impacting office markets. In Mr. Anderson’s other role, he oversees thought leadership for all local markets in the U.S. to ensure unique, local market insights are being generated to help guide client decision making. Prior to this role, Mr. Anderson was a Director of Research and Analysis for CBRE, overseeing thought leadership and research operations for the Pennsylvania region. Before joining CBRE, Mr. Anderson was the Director of Research for Grosvenor Fund Management in North America. His primary focus was to direct investment strategy by identifying the risks and opportunities of property sectors, metropolitan markets, and macroeconomic trends. Mr. Anderson has a Bachelor’ degree in Business and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of City Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania and has undertaken significant post-graduate work in Economics at Temple University. Mr. Anderson is from Wayne, PA, and currently resides in Narberth, PA with his wife and two boys.