Bisnow Presents: Power Women Series

Patricia(Patty) King

Vice President of Restaurants & Retail
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company

Patty joined Ghirardelli in March, 2016 and leads the Restaurant and Retail division which includes the Ghirardelli shops, Ecommerce and Business to Business channels. Patty brings to Ghirardelli more than 20 years of experience with prestigious retailers in North America. Prior to joining our team, Patty spent the past six years as Vice President of Merchandising for Trader Joe's. Patty previously held roles in Retail, Catalogue and Ecommerce as well as in-store roles with companies such as Restoration Hardware, Williams-Sonoma and Neiman Marcus. Patty earned a B.S. in Apparel and Merchandising from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. She also holds a Nutrition Educator Certification from Bauman College - Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts in Berkeley, California. She is engaged in many philanthropic organizations, loves cooking and has traveled extensively. Read more at https://www.ghirardelli.com/executive-profiles#goXeQZihRg3AwBFY.99

Angela Kleiman

Senior EVP & COO
Essex Property Trust

Ms. Kleiman is responsible for overall Operations of the Company, which includes Portfolio, Asset and Property Management; Technology; Data Analytics and Research; Redevelopment and Resource Management; and Commercial Departments. Ms. Kleiman served as the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2015 to 2020 and was responsible for the overall transaction management for the $16 billion merger with BRE Properties. She joined Essex in 2009 to manage the Private Equity platform and grew the business from $750 million to $3 billion in gross assets. Prior to joining Essex, Ms. Kleiman's real estate career focused primarily on institutional investment management and investment banking. As a Senior Equity Analyst and Vice President of Investor Relations at Security Capital, she was responsible for over $2 billion of the firm's REIT investments and all client communications. As a Vice President with J.P. Morgan Real Estate & Lodging Investment Banking Group, she advised senior management and boards in strategic business platforms and capital markets transactions. Ms. Kleiman began her career in real estate development management in 1991. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University, and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management. She is a member of NAREIT and NMHC.

Susan Kreusch

CFO
MacFarlane Partners

As chief financial officer, Sue Kreusch is responsible for MacFarlane Partners’ corporate and investment-portfolio financial matters, including capital markets/finance, accounting, cash management and the implementation of all financial strategies. A member of both the investment and senior management committees, she also oversees the corporate financial planning function and all financial reporting to institutional capital partners. Career Overview A CFA charterholder and a certified public accountant (in Virginia), Sue has more than 30 years of finance and accounting experience, 20 of which have been spent as a corporate executive of — or as a consultant to — real estate investment companies. Past Experience Prior to joining MacFarlane Partners, Sue was president and chief financial officer for Education Finance Partners, serving as second-in-command of a finance company that provided private education loans to students pursuing college or professional degrees. She played a critical role in the successful launch and build of the San Francisco-based firm into the nation’s fourth-largest provider of private education loans, with a $1.2 billion portfolio and annual originations in excess of $700 million. Earlier, Sue was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Access Group, an education-finance company based in Wilmington, Del., that marketed, originated and held education loans made to graduate students. She was integral to the management of the firm, which had annual origination volume in excess of $2 billion and assets of $5 billion during her tenure. Sue also has held vice president and managerial positions with First Union Corporation and Prudential Home Mortgage Corporation. She began her career with KPMG Peat Marwick in Washington, D.C., where she ultimately served as a manager with broad responsibility for the D.C. office’s largest client, a major secondary mortgage market institution.

Rachel Flynn

Executive for Design Management, Planning, & Entitlement for Google
Google

Tiffany Griego

Senior Managing Director, Commercial Real Estate
Stanford Real Estate, Stanford University

Tiffany Griego is Managing Director of Asset Management for Stanford Real Estate, a division within Stanford University charged with investing and managing the University’s real estate assets on its Founding Grant lands. She leads strategic planning, development and management of the world-renowned Stanford Research Park, Stanford’s preeminent real estate asset and Silicon Valley’s single largest real estate complex. This 700-acre, $7 Billion submarket is comprised of 10.3 Million square feet of improved R&D and office buildings, with Stanford’s direct holdings equaling $3 Billion AUM. Tiffany has more than 15 years of experience in commercial and residential real estate investment and development. She is a graduate of Stanford University and has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Stanford Professionals in Real Estate (SPIRE). Tiffany was named a “40 Under 40, Silicon Valley” honoree by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and received the Northern California Real Estate Women of Influence “Rising Star” Award from the San Francisco Business Times. She is a member of the Stanford Associates Board of Governors, recipient of the Stanford Alumni Fellowship for Public Service, and recipient of the Jefferson Award from the American Institute of Public Service and U.S. Senate.

Kate Sofis

Executive Director
Office of Economic and Workforce Development

Kate Sofis is the Executive Director of OEWD. She is an internationally-regarded leader in equitable urban economic development. Her experience integrates a uniquely diverse background in entrepreneurship and innovation, manufacturing, creative, and technology industry expertise, workforce development, real estate development, and local and regional economic development strategy. Kate was the co-founder and CEO of SFMade, a public-private initiative that has helped catalyze a resurgence in local manufacturing and diverse employment in San Francisco. She also recently served as a member of San Francisco’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force.

Allison Koo

Managing Director
Sand Hill Property Company

Allison Koo is a Managing Director for Sand Hill Property Company. Allison is involved in all aspects of property development including site acquisitions, entitlements, construction, financing, and leasing. Allison was honored as one of Silicon Valley Business Journal’s “40 under 40” in 2016 for her projects in the Stanford Research Park. Prior to joining SHP, Ms. Koo worked for NAI BT Commercial in the Silicon Valley office, where she completed both sale and lease transactions totaling over $108MM in consideration. At NAI BT, Ms. Koo was also a founding member of the Asian-American Strategic Investment Advisory Group. Ms. Koo also has worked for the acquisitions and asset management teams of The Laramar Group, a national developer and operator of institutional grade multi-family assets, in both the Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA offices. Ms. Koo holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management-Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She has studied abroad at the Beijing University as well as at the University of Seville. Ms. Koo is fluent in Chinese Mandarin and Spanish.

Peggy Brannigan

Prog Mgr, Global Environmental Sustainability
LinkedIn

In her role at LinkedIn, Peggy leads initiatives and mobilizes teams to create growth and operational efficiency at the intersection of business and environmental responsibility. Prior to her current position, she developed and managed programs at Apple, the US Department of State, and several other firms and NGOs. Credentials include GRI G4 CSR reporting and Water Footprint. She has led environmental and social initiatives that led to quantifiable impacts with cross-cultural teams across academia, technology, banking and government in the US, Germany, France, Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, Japan and Thailand. Peggy serves on the Advisory Council for Acterra's Business Environmental Award, and as a mentor for Stanford GSB's Center for Social Innovation and for MBAStrategies.

Lara Owen

Director of Global Workplace Operations
GitHub

Experienced Global Head of Workplace with a demonstrated track record of producing results at fast-paced tech startups. Strong professional skills in facility management, operational strategy, and cultural development.

Jessica Smith

COO
Westlake Urban

Prior to joining Westlake, Ms. Smith served as Vice President, Property Management for Westcore Properties, a commercial real estate investment company, where she was responsible for acquisitions, dispositions, and portfolio operations. Before that, she spent 14 years at the RMR Group, (Nasdaq: RMR), an alternative asset management company primarily focused on real estate related businesses. Smith held a variety of positions at RMR, starting out as a property manager and eventually serving as Area Director with responsibility for oversight of real estate leasing and day-to-day portfolio operations for RMR’s Western Region. Ms. Smith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Franklin Pierce University.

Louise Mozingo

Professor, Chair, & Faculty Director
UC Berkeley

Louise Mozingo is Professor of the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning. She is a member of the Graduate Group in Urban Design of the College of Environmental Design and Director of the American Studies program of the College of Letters and Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. She was named a Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies in 2017. A former Associate and senior landscape architect for Sasaki Associates, Prof. Mozingo joined the department after a decade of professional practice. In 2009 she became the founding director of a research interdisciplinary team at the College of Environmental Design, the Center for Resource Efficient Communities (CREC) dedicated to supporting resource efficiency goals through environmental planning and urban design. www.crec.berkeley.edu Professor Mozingo’s articles and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Places, Landscape Journal, Journal of the History of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Geographical Review, and the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. She has contributed chapters to Everyday America: Cultural Landscape Studies after J.B. Jackson (2003) edited by Chris Wilson and Paul Groth, Healing Natures edited by Robert France (2008), and Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes (2008) edited by Andrew Blauvelt. Mozingo’s book, Pastoral Capitalism: A History of Suburban Corporate Landscapes (MIT Press), won 2011 American Publishers Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE Award) in the Architecture and Urban Planning category, the 2014 Elisabeth Blair MacDougall Prize from the Society of Architectural Historians for the best book in landscape history, and an American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award for Communications in 2014. Prof. Mozingo has been the recipient of Harvard University's Dumbarton Oaks Fellowship for Studies in Landscape Architecture, the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Award of Recognition for Excellence in Teaching, Writing, and Service, and the University of California, Berkeley Chancellor's Award of Recognition for University and Community Partnerships. She has lectured widely, including Harvard University, University of British Columbia, University of Oregon, Yale University, Stanford University, MIT, and the National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.

Zhen Zhen Li

Founder
Golden Millennium Assets LLC

Seasoned real estate investor and developer in San Francisco and Bay area for over 19 years. More than 15 projects done. Current projects in Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, San Jose, East Palo Alto

Taeko Takagi

Senior Project Manager
Pankow

Taeko joined Pankow over a year ago and brings over 17 years of AEC industry experience. In her role as Sr. Project Manager, she establishes project objectives, maintains communication and relationships with clients, and monitors construction through the use of appropriate experts. Taeko is responsible for the management, administration and coordination of design and construction activities. Specific responsibilities include design consultation with architects and engineers, budget and firm cost estimating, subcontract administration and coordination of construction with field personnel. As a client advocate and multi-family expert, Taeko is dedicated to the client’s perspective by providing exceptional project solutions.

Kelly Pretzer

Director of Development
Forest City Enterprises

Kelly Pretzer focuses on all phases of the entitlement process for Pier 70, including environmental review, design review and project approvals. She has worked closely to help manage the design, engineering and planning teams. Ms. Pretzer joined Forest City in 2013. Prior to Forest City, she worked at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office as the Deputy Director of Legislative and Government Affairs. Ms. Pretzer also worked at the Office of Economic and Workforce Development where she managed numerous multi-phase projects, including: Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Redevelopment, Parkmerced, Octavia Boulevard/Central Freeway, and the America’s Cup.

Candace Neal

Attorney
Wendel Rosen Black & Dean

Neal has five years of experience in real estate matters and civil litigation, including commercial and residential real estate transactions for new developments and improvements and resolution of condemnation, land use and zoning issues. Having spent a year working onsite with a major retailer’s in-house legal real estate team, she brings industry experience to the firm’s well-established retail leasing practice. Neal also has notable litigation experience handling real estate and complex business disputes, including breach of contract, unfair competition and negligence. She is a member of the East Bay Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women Network, and she is a mentor for the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity. Neal sits on the board of directors for the Center for Youth Development Through Law, and she serves as the secretary for the Black Women Lawyers of Northern California.

Justine Sears

Owner
Moroso Construction

Since 1992, Moroso Construction has offered complete support for construction projects, moving efficiently through the distinct phases of the building process with expert pre-construction, construction, and post-construction services. We manage jobs of various scope and scale both commercial and residential, with an eye for detail and an excitement for architectural design. We are committed to crafting buildings that are energy efficient and made to last, as well as building a community of enduring relationships with our clients and colleagues. Specialties: Pre-construction, value engineering, challenging construction, fast-track projects, team building, and problem-solving.

Paula Kirlin

Partner
Holland & Knight

Paula C. Kirlin is a partner in Holland & Knight's San Francisco office and is a member of the firm's West Coast Land Use and Environment Practice Group. She practices in the areas of land use, environment, government and public law, and sustainable development. Ms. Kirlin routinely advises clients on all aspects of the local land use entitlement process in California, including due diligence, permitting and compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In particular, she focuses on complex urban, mixed-use and transit-oriented development projects. Examples of projects for which Ms. Kirlin has provided land use diligence/entitlements and CEQA counsel include: - multiple high-profile, mixed-use developments on the San Francisco Bay waterfront - urban multifamily, mixed-use developments, including affordable housing, in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and throughout the Bay Area - major commercial/office projects throughout the Bay Area and Silicon Valley - Silicon Valley tech/research and development (R&D) headquarters - industrial, R&D and mixed-use industrial and residential projects - rural recreational facilities Ms. Kirlin also has experience advising regional and local government bodies on planning and development, public-private partnerships, intergovernmental relations and agreements, the establishment and management of tax increment finance districts, and a wide range of regulatory, policy and enforcement matters.

Kristin Anderson

President & CEO
Eric F. Anderson

Kristin Anderson is the President/CEO for Eric F. Anderson, Inc, her family’s 78 year old construction business based in San Leandro, CA. Kristin joined the company in 2008, following a career in mechanical engineering. Kristin and her mother, Leona, took over the business after the passing of her father in 2010. Since then, Kristin has been passionate about continuing the family’s legacy as the 3 rd generation and being a Women-Owned Business. Under her leadership, the company has grown into three divisions – Construction, Cabinetry and Service. Kristin is a recent Past President with the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is an active member of the Northern California Planning Committee for ICSC, and sits as the Marketing Committee Co-Chair with CREW East Bay. Kristin lives in Oakland, CA, with her 13-year old, Emery.

Rosa Sheng

Principal, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Director
SmithGroup

Rosa T. Sheng, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C is a Principal and Director of Equity Diversity Inclusion at SmithGroup, while also leading as AIASF President 2018 and Founding Chair of Equity by Design. As a design architect with 24 years of experience in the built environment, Rosa has led a variety of award-winning and internationally acclaimed projects from the aesthetically minimal, highly technical development of the glass structures for Apple’s original high-profile retail stores, to the innovative and sustainable LEED NC Gold–certified Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College in Oakland, California. Rosa's thought leadership and activism has been recognized for catalyzing a national movement for equitable practice in Architecture including three pivotal surveys, workshops, critical writing, and public speaking outreach nationally and abroad. Press coverage of her critical work with Equity by Design include Architect Magazine, Architectural Record, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, TEDxPhiladelphia and KQED/NPR.

Tambra Thorson

Vice President / Director of Interiors
HOK

Tambra Thorson is a recognized leader within the Interior Architecture industry. With more than 35 years of experience in delivering innovative space planning and design solutions, she has managed a wide range of high profile projects in a variety of sizes and markets including Levi’s Stadium, Cisco San Jose, White & Case LLP’s Palo Alto office, and the Terminal Redevelopment Program at Salt Lake City International Airport. As Director of Interiors for HOK’s San Francisco office, Tambra provides guidance and leadership to a team of outstanding professionals who deliver award-winning projects that are both beautiful and functional. Dedication to her clients and the ability to build and maintain strong relationships allow her to facilitate the synergy between design teams and project stakeholders, ensuring the successful creation of environments that enrich user experience.

Deb Watson

President
National Black MBA Association

Create procedures for transportation services and ensure compliance with internal policies. Implement cross-functional process improvement. Subject matter expert for global transportation and service provider processes and complex contract administration. Global Project SME for IT/TMS Transportation Project. Team leader with exceptional interpersonal, coaching and leadership skills. Identify and resolve complex contract and global transportation issues in collaboration with departmental managers, engineers, legal, regulatory, marketing, procurement, IT, inventory control, and internal staff. Manage solicitation and bid (RFP) of all types of global transportation-related services; ensure appropriate training and communication on changes to internal and external stakeholders with respect to policies, and procedures that affect the contracting and execution and review of solicitations and bid evaluations for transportation contracts. Strong collaborator with a track record of accomplishments, excellent communication skills, follow-through, commitment, positive attitude, and having a "go=getter" attitude.

Sarah MacIntyre

Director of Asset Managment
Wilson Meany

Sarah MacIntyre has worked in the commercial real estate industry for more than 20 years in all aspects of the business. Previously, Sarah served as a Portfolio Asset Manager for Kilroy Realty in San Francisco. Sarah was responsible for the leasing and management of a two million square foot, Class A office portfolio of new development and existing properties centralized in the SOMA district. She has also held managerial roles with EOP, JLL and CBRE. Sarah is a member, former director and past president of Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of San Francisco.

Leina Zimmerman

Senior Vice President & General Manager
Clune Construction

Leina has over 21 years of experience in the real estate, facilities and construction industries. She attended Nebraska Wesleyan University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. Immediately after college she entered the construction industry in an executive internship program with the General Services Administration (GSA) where she oversaw two million square feet of federal office and courthouse space. Throughout her career, Leina has held many executive positions including Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for a mid-sized general contractor, and later held the role as co-leader of the San Francisco office for another bay area based general contractor. Prior to working in commercial construction, Leina spent her career running commercial real estate and facilities for various corporations in the Bay Area. A passion for community involvement is evident in Leina’s work outside of the office. She’s the founder and president of a business networking and philanthropy organization for women in the commercial real estate industry in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. She has held leadership positions with the following organizations: USGBC SV, CoreNet Northern California Chapter, IFMA SV and BOMA SV. Leina also served on the Editorial Board of The Registry. Leina was named Silicon Valley Women of Influence in 2011 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, and was also named Northern California Real Estate Women of Influence by the San Francisco Business Times in 2011. Leina has earned multiple designations in her field, including LEED AP in interior design + construction. Leina has lived in the Bay Area for most of her life and currently lives in the Peninsula with her husband and three daughters.

Teresa Goodwin

Regional Director
HPA Architecture

HPA, Inc., is a multi-disciplined design corporation that offers services in architecture, planning, and interiors to institutions, corporations, and developers throughout the Western United States. Formed in 1980 with its headquarters in southern California HPA brought it focus to the highest levels of service and design excellence to northern California in 2011. Based in the Oakland office, Teresa Goodwin, Regional Director oversees client relations and project success. Recent project experience includes OMP’s Eureka Landing project in Newark, 138,000 sf building plus a 6,000 sf mezzanine speculative building and subsequent advanced manufacturing tenant improvements and Trammell Crow’s San Leandro Business Center project, three buildings totaling 553,200 square feet of high tech manufacturing, assembly and distribution space.

Antonia Cardone

SVP Workplace Strategy
Cushman & Wakefield

Marie Murphy

Principal & CEO
MJD Capital Partners

Marie Murphy is the Principal and CEO of MJD Capital Partners and is responsible for the overall strategy, operations, and investment management of the firm. MJD Capital Partners, LLC is a privately-held full service development and management company based in San Francisco, California. MJD Capital Partners, LLC works with debt and equity partners seeking to invest in real estate investments, including short term and long term investment horizons. Marie has completed over 50 projects in select West Coast markets. Marie is a frequent speaker at real estate conferences throughout the United States. Marie holds a B.A. from Santa Clara University and a Masters from St. Mary’s College. Marie is a licensed real estate agent in the state of California. Marie lives in San Francisco, CA with her two daughters, Madeline and Molly.

Courtney Pash

Senior Development Manager
BUILD

Courtney Pash is a Senior Development Manager at BUILD, where she works on obtaining entitlements for multiple development projects throughout San Francisco. Courtney has more than 10 years of experience in local government, public-private partnerships, infrastructure design, real estate analysis and community outreach. Prior to joining BUILD, Courtney was the acting project manager for the Transbay Redevelopment Project Area at the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII), formerly the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. While at OCII, Ms. Pash was responsible for implementing economic development, infrastructure improvement and low- and moderate-income housing strategies. She was responsible for writing requests for proposals, running the selection process and negotiating complex real estate agreements with development teams selected to build multimillion-dollar residential and commercial buildings in downtown San Francisco. She managed more than $50 million in public streetscape and open-space design projects. Prior to OCII, Ms. Pash was a director with CBRE Consulting Inc., where she provided consulting services to public and private entities analyzing economic, fiscal and market impacts of development projects.

Kirsten Fordyce-Wheeler

Principal and Director of Design Management
AGS Inc.

Kirsten has over 25 years’ experience leading large scale architectural projects in Australia the Middle East and North America. Most recently she led the interior architecture for award winning Hamad International Airport in Doha Qatar. Since construction completion and activation, HIA has continued to win Skytrax Best Middle East Airport for four consecutive years and has been awarded the coveted “5 Star World Class Airport” classification. More recently Kirsten has led the Construction Management Group at AGS, Inc., a San Francisco based Engineering firm specializing in Geotechnical, Civil and Structural engineering with a dedicated department focused on providing project management support services to large scale Bay Area public projects. When she is not busy managing teams of construction professionals, Kirsten is an active member of the International Interior Design Association, serving on the Northern California Board as the Vice President of Forums, who provide “industry give back” speaking events with a focus on current industry trends and movements.

Jennifer Essner

Executive Director
Cushman & Wakefield

Jennifer Essner is an Executive Director at Cushman & Wakefield with 14 years of commercial real estate brokerage experience. She specializes in office leasing, specifically tenant representation for Bay Area companies and national portfolio accounts, and also handles investment sales including acquisitions and dispositions of property for investors and owner-users. Her primary focus is successful advocacy and problem solving, helping to strategize and capitalize on opportunities that exist in the marketplace and/or uncover those which are less obvious. Jennifer’s process-driven approach to deal making coupled with effective communication drives successful outcomes for her clients. And loyalty! As the Events Chair for Cushman & Wakefield's Women's Integrated Network (WIN) San Francisco Bay Area chapter, Jennifer believes in supporting and fostering professional and leadership development of women in our workplace through collaboration, learning events and networking. The goal of WIN is to create opportunities for its members that will have meaningful impact on their careers and the services delivered to clients. Jennifer graduated from Middlebury College and resides in Orinda with her husband and two daughters ages 9 and 7.

Sarah Dennis Phillips

Deputy Director of Development
City of San Francisco

Deputy Director of Development As Deputy Director of Development for the Mayor of San Francisco, Sarah manages the City’s interests in major public-private development projects, and acts as a key advisor on planning, land use, and development issues in San Francisco, with a focus on market rate and affordable housing development. Recent successes include the Pier 70 project, which broke ground at the Port of San Francisco in early May; the unanimous Planning Commission approval of the Central SOMA Plan, which adds capacity for tens of thousands of jobs and housing units to San Francisco’s downtown; and the implementation of Mayor’s Executive Directive to Accelerate Housing Production, which is reducing housing permitting timelines by up to 50%.

Kate McGee

Owner & CEO
Kate McGee Planning & Strategy

Xinyi McKinny

Senior Managing Director
Cushman & Wakefield

Xinyi (pronounced “Shin-Gee”) McKinny has joined the San Francisco offices of Cushman & Wakefield as Senior Managing Director – China Direct Investment. Xinyi will be responsible for supporting and driving new business opportunities with Chinese investor and occupier clients in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Chinese Investment As a global company, we are witnessing an increasing number of Chinese companies seeking to invest in and develop real estate projects in California. We only expect this trend will continue in the years ahead, as Chinese firms seek to diversify their interests outside of China. The addition of Xinyi, who is fluent in both Mandarin and English, will enable Cushman & Wakefield to meet the needs of this expanding segment of the investor and occupier communities. While Xinyi will officially be based in San Francisco, the newly created role also involves spending two to three days per week in our San Jose and Peninsula offices, as well as regular visits to Los Angeles to support new business pursuits in Southern California. Career Background As a licensed architect, Xinyi most recently worked as a Project Architect for DES Architects & Engineers in Redwood City, CA. Her work experience also includes nearly a decade of working for two other architectural firms, Perkins & Will in San Francisco and Bennett Wagner & Grody Architects in Denver, CO. During her career, she has managed and directed the full implementation lifecycle from pre-design to substantial completion work, including marketing, planning, schematic design, construction document development, consultant coordination and construction administration. Boulder via Qingdao Xinyi earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Environment Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder and graduated with honors. She subsequently received her Masters in Architecture from the University of Colorado at Denver. As a native Chinese speaker, Xinyi also completed three years as a Bachelor in Architecture student at the Qingdao Technological University in China, where among other activities, she was the Editor-in-Chief of University Magazine. Today, she is enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley and is pursuing her Masters of Business Administration, with an emphasis on Real Estate. Professional Affiliations Among her professional affiliations are HAAS Forté Fellow (Women in Business), LEED AP BD+C (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional in Building Design + Construction), NAIOP member (National Association for Industrial and Office Parks), ULI member (Urban Land Institute), AIA member (The American Institute of Architects) and NCARB member (National Council of Architectural Registration Boards).

Katia Kamangar

EVP & Managing Director
SummerHill Apartment Communities

Katia Kamangar leads all new community development activities for SummerHill Homes and SummerHill Apartment Communities in Northern California. Ms. Kamangar joined SummerHill in 2005. She oversees all duties related to new community development, including initial land planning, due diligence, architecture and design, budgeting and forecasting, and securing all necessary entitlement approvals through the commencement of construction and sales. Ms. Kamangar also leads the company’s Green Task Force that evaluates new technologies and construction practices aimed at increasing the sustainability of the homes SummerHill constructs. For ten years prior to joining SummerHill, she was with Greenbriar Homes Communities Inc. as Senior Development Manager and Director of Development. Previously, she was Construction Project Manager for Mobil Oil Corporation. From 1998 to 2001, Ms. Kamangar served on the City of Los Altos Planning Commission. From 2001 to 2005, she was a Board Member for the BIA Bay Area. Ms. Kamangar holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from U.C. Berkeley and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Kate Hartley

Deputy Director
Mayor's Office of Housing & Community Development

Ellen Lou

SOM
Director of Urban Design and Planning

A licensed architect and certified city planner, Ellen Lou leads Urban Design + Planning Group for SOM's San Francisco office. Lou has directed many world-renowned urban design and planning efforts in the United States and the Pacific Rim countries. Her areas of specialization include urban, brownfield reuse, master plans for new towns and communities, historic revitalization, and campus master plans. Lou is particularly skilled in developing innovative ideas to address challenging urban planning contexts and in guiding development interests to create public benefit. She is keenly interested in promoting sustainable development. Her tenets of sustainable planning include creating pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented developments, integrating elements of site features with development needs, and engendering a sense of identity rooted in the culture and aspirations of the place. Lou is also active in civic and educational outreach. She has lectured and served as visiting instructor and guest critic for architecture and urban design courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, North Dakota University, California Academy of Arts, and University of California Berkeley. She has also participated in community workshops and design charrettes organized by the San Francisco Planning Department and the Association of Bay Area Government in East Bay and San Francisco. Lou serves as a board member for San Francisco Urban Planning and Research, as well as on the San Jose Downtown Architecture Review Committee.

Smitha Seshadri

EVP
BRIDGE Housing

Smitha Seshadri is Executive Vice President of Development at BRIDGE Housing Corporation and leads the organization’s real estate development activities in Northern California. Smitha brings 20+ years of experience with a strong background in architecture, community development and real estate finance. She has successfully structured several complex multi-family affordable housing developments and is responsible for overseeing the execution of several mixed-use/mixed-income developments for BRIDGE in Northern California, including new construction and acquisition-rehab over the past 5.5 years. Earlier this year, BRIDGE was honored with the “Nonprofit Developer of the Year Award” from the San Francisco Business Times for delivering approximately 1,000 new and rehabbed affordable housing units in the Bay Area over the past 2 years. Her team is currently working on 7 construction projects with a total of 735 affordable housing units and several new construction projects in predevelopment. Prior to BRIDGE, Smitha served as Vice President of Real Estate at Habitat for Humanity, San Francisco and Director of Development for the Santa Clara Housing Authority. Ms. Seshadri holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates.

Sharon Lai

Director of Development
One Vassar

Sharon Lai is the Director of Development at One Vassar, LLC, where she leads development efforts for urban mixed-use projects in the residential, commercial and hospitality sectors in San Francisco and nationally. Sharon’s role covers various aspects including acquisition, design development, entitlements, public engagement and government affairs. Prior to One Vassar, Sharon worked for the San Francisco Planning Department as a Senior Planner with 10 years of public sector experience. Sharon is an appointed Director on the Treasure Island Development Authority. She also sits on the Board of the San Francisco Junior League and SF Bay Area Hep B Free.

Cathy Merrill

President
Merrill Morris Partners

Ms. Merrill is the president and founder of Merrill Morris Partners, a San Francisco-based landscape architectural and planning firm. Her 35-year career has covered the spectrum of the profession—park and open space design, public works facilities, transportation and environmental planning and urban design

Lei-Lani Keelan

Executive Vice President
JLL

Lei-Lani Keelan, an Executive Vice President with JLL, provides real estate advisory services to clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lei- Lani’s career spans over 13 years, advising a broad range of tenants in their real estate transactions. She provides tactical and experienced negotiation strategies, while leveraging the JLL platform with its broad range of services for the betterment of her clients. Lei-Lani helps lead the High-Growth Technology Practice Group in San Francisco, advising venture-backed companies as they scale into creative, culture-focused locations, all the while maintaining the necessary flexibility for growth. Experience Throughout Lei-Lani’s career, she has negotiated on behalf of both private and public companies, having leased or sold over 4 million square feet. Early in her career, she was awarded Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40 professionals. Notable Tenants: • Stanford University • Meraki (Cisco) • Matrix Partners • DAG Ventures • RainforestQA • Poynt • Segment • Fuzebox • Amplitude • Sand Hill Global Advisors Education and affiliations Bachelor of Science, Business Administration – California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Lei-Lani served 5 years as the Membership Chair of the Palo Alto University Rotary Foundation, currently teaches cycling at Equinox San Francisco, and watches anything Giants baseball with her 1 year old daughter, Charlotte, and husband Will.