Future of Arlington County: Exploring National Landing, Rosslyn, Ballston And Clarendon

Joe Muffler serves as Managing Director of Development for Mill Creek Residential, Mid-Atlantic. He is responsible for managing all aspects of the development process, including site acquisition, design, entitlements, financing, and eventual disposition for Mill Creek Mid-Atlantic communities. Mr. Muffler joined Mill Creek as an Associate in 2013, and prior to his role in Development, was responsible for developing company-wide research, portfolio allocation, and investor relation strategies. Prior to joining Mill Creek, Mr. Muffler served as Director of Operations for the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast divisions of Bisnow Media, Inc. He began his career at Jones Lang LaSalle, as an Analyst on the Washington, D.C. Investment Sales team, participating in approximately $1.0 billion in asset transactions. Mr. Muffler graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Literature.

Paula Sorrell is the Associate Vice President of Innovation & Economic Development at George Mason University. She is responsible for Mason Enterprise, an extended team of 200+ that delivers 21 federal, state, and local programs that support entrepreneurs across Virginia. Mason Enterprise includes the Office of Technology Transfer, the Virginia Small Business Development Center state headquarters, the Virginia APEX Accelerator, 5 Northern Virginia business incubators, and the entrepreneur programming for the innovation corridor development from Arlington to Manassas, among others. The 30,000 entrepreneurs supported by Mason Enterprise acquired $3.36 Billion in follow-on funding last year. Prior to Mason she was Director of the Economic Growth Institute at the University of Michigan and taught technology commercialization in U of M’s College of Engineering’s Center for Entrepreneurship. She also was the Principal Investigator for research in economic development, including best practices in the development of commercial ethnic districts, entrepreneurial ecosystem mapping, and best practices in technology commercialization. During the Great Recession, Sorrell served as Vice President of Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Capital for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, overseeing $1B under management and $110 Million in new investments to successfully build up Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. She has held senior management roles at seven early technology companies, holding the chief marketing position responsible for developing go-to-market strategy. Six of the start-ups resulted in successful sale of the company. Sorrell has served on several non-profit and public boards, including the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Institute, the State Science & Technology Institute Leadership Committee, the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority, the Arlington Economic Commission, the Institute for Biohealth Innovation, the Fairfax County Innovation Advisory Board, and the Prince William County Biohealth Advisory board.

John Beinert is a Director for Greystar Development Services in the Mid-Atlantic region, focusing on the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and Maryland. John manages development projects in various stages of design, entitlement, and construction. Before joining Greystar, John served in the United States Navy as a Submarine Officer onboard the USS Maryland and taught at the Navy’s Nuclear Power School. John is on the Board of the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District. John received his bachelor’s of science degree in Ocean Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and his Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Brian collaborates with clients to form strategic partnerships, lead development efforts, and identify the best path forward to maximize their opportunities. He brings over 18 years of comprehensive experience in the built environment curating partnerships, leasing, and development. Throughout his career, Brian has not only provided real estate expertise, master planning, and project management, but has also held several corporate roles reporting directly to the President and Executives within corporations, including National Operations of Project Planning and KPIs and serving as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, Director of Clark’s Strategic Solutions Group, Vice President of Development, and Chief of Staff to the President and CEO. As Project Executive for Fuse at Mason Square, Brian is leading efforts for partnership opportunities for commercial tenants within the building and reports directly to the President of the development company. His role for Fuse includes working with tech industry university partners in coordination with George Mason University. Brian is intimately involved with creating the ecosystem of collaboration for the academic and private industry that will partner within Fuse. Fuse at Mason Square, a new, 345,000-square-foot hub for digital innovation, will create a peerless innovation experience by providing unparalleled access to one of the largest tech talent pipelines in Virginia and to industry-influenced research. At the center of Arlington’s Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, Fuse will be the catalyst for digital innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurs to collide, interact, and thrive. By integrating collaborative labs, workspaces, and proactive and curated programming, Fuse will promote the exchange of new ideas and the transfer of technology between Mason’s researchers and students and industry partners to accelerate the development of digital innovation.

Christopher Michael has been with Industrious since January 2024 and is currently the General Manager for our Virginia and NE DC locations. Prior to Industrious Christopher worked in the fitness industry most recently with Orangetheory Fitness in multiple locations and roles - helping launch several locations around the DMV along with internationally.

Matthew Weinstein is a land use and zoning attorney with experience obtaining entitlement approvals in Northern Virginia with a particular focus in Arlington County. Matt has specialized in multi-family affordable housing projects in Arlington, including a 160 unit affordable housing project in Arlington that was a partnership between a leading nonprofit developer and a preeminent veterans organization. Outside of his land use experience, Matt has negotiated leases and license agreements and helped clients obtain ABC licenses. As a longtime Arlingtonian, Matt is actively involved in Arlington civic and political life. Matt was also actively involved in politics before he started practicing law. Matt was senior staff on several statewide races in Virginia, worked in U.S. Senator Mark Warner's office throughout law school, and was chief of staff for the current House Democratic Caucus Chair in the Virginia House of Delegates for several sessions.

Andy VanHorn has over 24 years of experience in all aspects of real estate investment, development, and innovation—and oversees all aspects of the company’s strategy and its growth, alongside the Dweck family. This includes highly innovative financing and capitalization efforts and creation of strategic partnerships that drive growth opportunities. Dweck Properties owns 7,000 multifamily residences plus mixed-use retail in key submarkets in the Washington Metro area. They are one of the largest apartment owners in National Landing, home to Amazon’s HQ2. Since joining Dweck, Andy has established a 1,500 unit development pipeline on existing Dweck properties and a Construction Management company which has completed $100MM in work in its initial three year of operations. Andy also recently co-founded Two Rivers Investments and raised Confluence Fund I, a general partners investment fund established to purchase value-add multi-family properties in the larger DC metro region. Prior to joining Dweck Properties, Andy was an Executive Vice President responsible for entitlement, community and governmental activities associated with JBG SMITH’s portfolio in National Landing, including the pursuit and ultimate planning efforts related to Amazon’s HQ and the associated infrastructure improvements. He led coordination of Virginia state investments and priorities in National Landing, and oversaw formation of the Virginia Tech partnership and the Innovation District around the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. He also led a development team that worked on over 11MM square feet of multifamily, retail and office projects in Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, Washington, DC and Bethesda, MD. The project activities included land acquisition, entitlement efforts, design, permitting, negotiating construction contracts, leasing, financing and joint venturing. He is very active on public and private committees and boards, and serves as Executive Committee Member of the National Landing BID Board, and is a Board Member of the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing. He also serves on the GMU Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship Board, the Virginia and National Board for NAIOP and is a member of the Investments Management Forum with NAIOP. Prior to his role with JBG SMITH, Andy was a Principal with The JBG Companies. The JBG Companies merged with Vornado DC, and formed JBG Smith, the largest publicly traded REIT in the Washington Metro region. Andy also worked in real estate private equity with Buvermo Properties, and for Charles E. Smith and Clark Construction. B.S. in Civil Engineering, Lehigh University; M.B.A., McDonough School of Business - Georgetown University.

George is a twenty–year retail real estate veteran and a graduate of the University of Virginia. With an extensive food + beverage and entertainment background, he has been involved as a principal and consultant in the development and operation of a number of notable destination retail projects in his career, including the Atlanta Dairies and award–winning Krog Street Market.

Tracy Sayegh Gabriel is a planner and urbanist focused on helping communities shape and implement plans for neighborhood and downtown vibrancy, inclusive economic development, capital investment, and programming. Tracy currently serves as President and Executive Director of the National Landing Business Improvement District, leading placemaking and promotion for the DC region's fastest-growing downtown district located in Arlington, VA. She has been featured on the Washington Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business and Power 100 lists. Tracy’s career has spanned public and private sectors and includes management of some of the most complex and high-profile public plans and development initiatives in New York City at NYC Economic Development Corporation and Washington, DC, at the DC Office of Planning. She received her undergraduate degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University, her Master's in City Planning from MIT, and was a Fulbright Scholar in economic development in Damascus, Syria.

Brian Earle brings more than 16 years of experience leading mixed-use, multifamily, corporate and commercial, renovation, and master planning projects throughout the Capitol Region. With each project, Brian instills a rigor of collaboration, communication, and management, ensuring that design and construction teams meet all client goals. Brian works closely with owners to create environments that uniquely respond to their needs and the needs of users. His collaborative approach and leadership ability has resulted in notable projects for clients including Amazon, JBG Smith, the Department of State, the Virginia Department of Transportation, The Aerospace Corporation, and Arlington County. Brian earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Pillsbury partner James Bobotek concentrates his practice on a variety of construction and insurance matters. Jamie guides clients through all phases of development and construction of commercial properties, including preparation, review and negotiation of development, design, construction, design-build, and related agreements. Jamie also counsels clients in analyzing insurance coverage claims, formulating risk management strategies, and developing contractual insurance requirements. Jamie has secured many favorable outcomes for commercial policyholders on CGL, builder's risk, commercial property, business interruption, E&O, cyber, professional liability, D&O, pollution, fidelity and other claims. Representative Experience Drafted and negotiated construction, design, and development contracts for projects totaling billions of dollars. Represented public-private partnerships with respect to construction, design, and ancillary agreements relating to United States military housing privatizations across the country, including projects in California, Arizona, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Nevada, Georgia and Missouri. Drafted form construction and design contract packages for owners, developers and contractors for use throughout the United States. Achieved partial summary judgment against AIG entity in connection with property insurance coverage dispute for multinational university arising from the 2010 earthquakes in Chile. Obtained a summary judgment ruling in a Student Financial Corp. bankruptcy legacy case for an additional insured/policyholder under a fidelity bond (financial institution bond) in connection with alleged Ponzi-scheme losses. Obtained a dismissal of first-filed insurance carrier declaratory judgment action, allowing an iconic brand company's $18 million flood loss claim to proceed against carrier in carrier's home forum of Tennessee. Deployed novel theory to defeat insurance carrier effort to align parties to create federal court jurisdiction, creating favorable new law in removal disputes with insurance carriers. Represented a telecommunications provider in successful prosecution of its claims against its E&O insurer confirming coverage for class action claims alleging cyber-related activities. Obtained significant recovery under a builders risk policy on behalf of a contractor for a delay claim arising out of a subcontractor's provision of defective materials. Procured multi-million dollar defense and indemnity recovery under "personal injury" CGL coverage relating to a discrimination suit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of multiple claimants. Obtained recovery under an event cancellation policy for two class action suits brought as a result of logistical difficulties in connection with a client's presidential inauguration-related experiential student conference. Obtained full property loss and business interruption coverage, as well as defense and indemnity coverage for third-party suits, arising out of a catastrophic fire at a defense contractor's warehouse facility. Attained defense and indemnity coverage for an international construction company arising out of concrete plant emissions. Obtained defense and indemnity coverage under a professional liability policy for an engineering company faced with excess exposure. Recovered full pre-suit indemnity for a government contractor in a construction claim related to faulty subcontractor work. Protected a commercial developer's interests under a builders risk policy in connection with a faulty workmanship claim. Represented clients in various industries in structuring and negotiating the terms of their cyber insurance programs. Professional Highlights Member of the Insurance Recovery & Advisory practice, named by Law360 as a Practice Group of the Year in 2015 and 2016. Member of the ABA's Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, co-chair of its Construction Subcommittee and appointed vice-chair of the Committee's 2017 Annual CLE Seminar and Meeting. Authored "Builders Risk Insurance," New Appleman on Insurance Law Library Edition, Chapter 50 (updated 2016) and "Understanding Product Liability Insurance," New Appleman Insurance Law Practice Guide, Chapter 30B (2013). Presented "Mind the Gaps: Potential Gaps Between Cyber and Other Commercial Policies," at the ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation CLE Seminar, March 2016.

Mae Klinger is a Partner at Insight Property Group, responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the asset management function for the company, which provides strategic leadership to create and sustain value for the company’s portfolio. Mae is also responsible for implementing property specific business plans across Insight’s portfolio. Prior to Insight Property Group, Mae held executive asset management roles at Redbrick LMD, LLC and AvalonBay Communities. At Redbrick she led the development of the asset management function and operations for the company and maximized the performance and value of the company’s multifamily portfolio in the Washington, DC MSA. At AvalonBay, Mae was Director of Redevelopment & Asset Management and led the effort to expand and enhance the company’s asset management operations in response to portfolio growth and changing business needs including repositioning and redevelopment asset plans. Mae also previously held asset management roles with Federal Capital Partners and the Carlyle Group. With Federal Capital Partners, she developed and implemented value-add business plans for assets worth over $800 million located in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the U.S. With the Carlyle Group’s U.S. Real Estate Group, Mae managed and enhanced the value of a portfolio of assets worth over $900 million located in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast regions of the U.S. Mae was recognized as one of the top 21 in ’21 Women in Multi-Family Investing by Kayo Conference Series. Mae earned an AB cum laude in Social Studies from Harvard College.

Jennifer Burns oversees the property management, information technology, and marketing divisions, leading the operations for the firm’s 5 million square foot office portfolio— including engineering, construction management, parking, and property accounting. Jennifer manages the execution of Monday Properties’ capital improvement projects and is involved throughout the process, from design and space conceptualization to renovation and construction management, tenant improvement, and project delivery. She also plays a crucial role in performing due diligence for the firm’s acquisitions. In addition to managing significant capital improvement projects, Jennifer provides executive level oversight on the implementation of the firm’s critically important wellness certifications and initiatives, including Fitwel, LEED, and Energy Star. She spearheaded unique partnerships with industry leaders, like Kastle Systems and HqO, to launch meaningful proptech solutions across the office portfolio, which supports the firm’s overall mission and positively contributes to the tenant experience. Jennifer was recognized in 2020 as Washington Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 for determining proactive COVID-19 safety policies and procedures for Monday Properties’ tenants and employees. Jennifer was named to GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum’s 2023 Women of Influence List in recognition of her outstanding achievements and leadership in the real estate industry. Most recently, Jennifer was honored as one of 25 “Women Who Mean Business” for 2024 by the Washing Business Journal. Prior to joining Monday Properties, Jennifer was a property manager at CB Richard Ellis, managing day-to-day operations of a 1 million square foot portfolio in Rosslyn. Earlier in her career, she was a Community Manager at Archstone-Smith managing several multifamily units in Fairfax and Arlington, Virginia. Jennifer has a bachelor’s in government and international politics, with a minor in conflict resolution from George Mason University. Serving as both a member and chairperson, Jennifer is involved in numerous industry associations including IREM Chapter 77 and AOBA committees.

Mark is vice president for CDUS in the Washington metro area. His responsibilities include the pursuit, acquisition and execution of development projects. He oversees project development teams and supports the executive vice president/area manager in growing Skanska’s development business throughout the region. Mark has more than 20 years of industry experience and has worked with site acquisition, site planning, design, development, construction management and the disposition of income-producing properties. He previously served as regional director of development for JPI, a national development firm. Mark’s development experience includes land, office, retail, multifamily and hotel development projects, primarily in the Washington and Baltimore markets. Mark holds a Masters of Architecture degree from The Catholic University of America and a Masters of Engineering Management degree from The University of California at Berkeley.

An Alexandria native and Falls Church resident, Andrew has cultivated a unique set of skills, knowledge, relationships, and expertise in the transactional aspects of real estate law. He has represented clients in 16 Virginia localities, from Arlington County to Winchester, and specializesin securing zoning approvals and providing counselto residential,commercial, and industrial developers and landowners, advises clients on all aspects of the land entitlement process and real estate matters, and frequently appears before planning commissions, town and city councils,county boards of supervisors, localcitizen groups, boards of architecturalreview, and civic and homeowners associations. Prior to joining The Land Lawyers in 2007, Andrew worked for two members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the County Administrator of Caroline County, Virginia, and former Virginia Governor (now U.S. Senator) Mark Warner. In 2004, Andrew worked for McGuireWoods Consulting, identifying business expansion opportunities and conducting comprehensive studies for public safety, education, and transportation construction companies across thecommonwealth. Andrew is an adjunct professor and teaches classes in political science, urban history, historic preservation, and city and regional planning at the University of Richmond and the University of Mary Washington. He also leads courses for public and private civil engineers on the land use entitlement process at the Engineers & Surveyors Institute to improve the quality of their plans and the process by which they are approved.Having studiedNorthern Virginia’s geography and chronicled itsland development history, Andrew’sextensive knowledge of the region has played a significant role in assisting clients and navigating issues related to development patterns, transportation concerns, and environmentalchallenges in multiplejurisdictions.

Monica Backmon is the Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) and has led NVTA since May 2014. Bringing more than 25 years of public and private sector transportation experience, Ms. Backmon oversees the region’s long-range planning, prioritization, and funding of regionally significant projects bringing multimodal transportation solutions to Northern Virginia. Managing an annual revenue stream provided through House Bill 2313 that is trending at $425 million per year, Ms. Backmon led the NVTA through the adoption of all seven funding programs, the most recent occurring in July of 2024. With the implementation of NVTA’s funding programs, NVTA is advancing 140 regional multimodal transportation projects totaling more than $3.8 billion for congestion reduction throughout the region. Ms. Backmon also oversees the distribution of $110 million annually to the Authority’s nine member localities for their local transportation priorities, which surpassed a total of $1 billion in September 2023. Ms. Backmon holds a B.A. in Psychology and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

LeVar Crooms currently holds the esteemed position of Market President at United Bank, where he oversees the Arlington and Alexandria markets. In this role, his responsibilities encompass strategically driving both commercial and retail production while ensuring the profitability and sustained growth of these markets. Crooms plays a pivotal leadership role in managing public relations efforts for Arlington and Alexandria, while also representing United Bank in the community through active participation in civic affairs and professional organizations. Before joining United Bank, Crooms spent a decade at M&T Bank, where he served as Senior Vice President in the Commercial Real Estate Finance Division. During his tenure, he successfully financed over $2 billion worth of residential and commercial projects in the Greater Washington DC area. His clientele ranged from institutional to middle-market and family office companies. Crooms's exceptional performance was consistently acknowledged, earning him the President's Council Sales Award four times within M&T Bank's Commercial Banking Division. His leadership and contributions to the Greater Washington community were further recognized with prestigious accolades including the 2022 Washington Business Journal 40 under 40 and the 2023 Northern Virginia Leadership Center for Excellence 40 under 40 awards. Crooms embarked on his professional journey at BB&T in 2006, where he completed the commercial credit training program. Within two years, he rose to manage a team of eleven before progressing to a portfolio manager, and ultimately a relationship manager. Beyond his professional endeavors, LeVar is actively engaged in various boards and committees. He serves as a Board Member of NAIOP (National Association for Industrial and Office Parks) Northern Virginia chapter since 2020, contributing his expertise to the Education Committee. He was recently appointed to the Board of Junior Achievement of Greater Washington, the nation’s largest organization that teaches young people about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Previously, he held board positions with the Urban Financial Services Coalition DMV Chapter (2016-2019) and the Dr. William T. Syphax Education Foundation (2019-2023), where he served as Secretary and Vice Chairman. Crooms is an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. LeVar graduated with honors from Johnson C. Smith University in 2006, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. When not immersed in his professional pursuits, LeVar finds joy in family life, residing in Arlington, VA, with his wife Anshia and their son Zachariah. Crooms is an avid traveler and enjoys reading.