DC Opportunity Zones

Steve Glickman is the Founder and CEO of Develop LLC, an advisory firm exclusively focused on building and supporting Opportunity Funds and the broader Opportunity Zones (OZ) marketplace. He is also the Co-Founder, and former CEO, of the Economic Innovation Group, the bipartisan organization that was the chief architect of the $6 trillion OZ program. Steve previously served in the Obama Administration as a senior economic advisor at the National Security and National Economic Councils, where he managed international trade, investment, manufacturing and small business issues. He was also Chief of Staff for the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service at the Department of Commerce. Prior to the Administration, Steve served in legal roles on Capitol Hill, the Department of Justice and the Democratic National Committee. Steve received his B.A. and M.A. from Georgetown University, J.D. from Columbia Law School, and LL.M. from the London School of Economics. He is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown, and serves on the Board of The NewDEAL. Steve’s work has been featured in the Atlantic, AP, Bisnow, Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, Crain’s, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Impact Alpha, Inc., LA Times, Marketplace, NY Times, NPR, Politico, San Francisco Chronicle, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Vox, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.

Ira Weinstein serves as CohnRenzick’s Managing Principal – Real Estate, Cannabis Industries, where he oversees the advisory, assurance, and tax services pertaining to both industries. His role is to develop and execute strategy that grows the capacity and capability of the firm’s resources dedicated to these industries for the benefit of our clients, our people, and our communities. Prior to taking on this role, Ira spent eight years managing the Baltimore office and over 20 years managing a consulting practice focused on providing strategic advisory services to clients in support of their vision for growth and enhanced enterprise value. He has extensive knowledge of the public-private partnership, specifically leveraging government programs to accomplish the project finance goals of his client base. Such programs include the federal and state New Markets Tax Credit Programs, the federal and state historic tax credit programs, renewable energy tax credits for investment and production, and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. Ira is a subject matter expert and firm leader on Opportunity Zones, an economic development provision passed as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, providing technical, transaction advisory, and entity formation services related to this provision. Ira speaks at conferences and seminars nationwide on a variety of topics. Before joining CohnReznick, he advised local economic development organizations on strategies to revitalize their geographic footprint. Before that, he spent several years in the corporate finance department of a public company raising capital for corporate and project finance and completing acquisitions and divestitures of company assets. His initial experience just post-college was doing credit analysis for a factor of extending credit nationwide across a variety of industries.

Daniel Cullen has nearly 20 years of experience in tax planning for structured real estate transactions and related securities law matters. Mr. Cullen serves as a REIT columnist for the Journal of Passthrough Entities and is viewed as a leading professional in the taxation of REITs and related structures. Mr. Cullen received the Best Panel Award, for the presentation "An In-Depth Look at DSTs" at the 2013 ADISA Annual Conference. Mr. Cullen also serves as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law and DePaul University College of Law, teaching the Taxation of Structured Real Estate Transactions. Practice focus Mr. Cullen has experience in all aspects of tax planning for inbound and outbound real estate projects, including real estate investment funds, leveraged partnerships, joint ventures, QOZ funds, REITs and Section 1031 structures such as tenancy-in-common arrangements and Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) offerings. In addition, he handles tax matters related to lease financings of real estate, aircraft, railcars, school buses, cell towers and other telecommunications equipment, synthetic lease structures and the related tax aspects of derivatives and financial products. Throughout his career, Mr. Cullen has also been involved in tax planning for many domestic and international partnerships, joint ventures and emerging companies, including projects in Australia, China, Brazil, Mexico, Europe, Russia, the Bahamas, Panama and the Philippines.

Jonathan Kayne, Director of Special Projects in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, has over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry in both the public and private sectors including office, retail and residential. Jonathan has also held positions with the District as Interim Director and COO of Department of General Services. Prior to joining the District he held positions as COO of DBT Development Group, Senior Vice President, Director of Real Estate for Federal Realty Investment Trust and Vice President for Charles E Smith Residential. Mr. Kayne received a Master’s Degree in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University.

Matthew R. Peurach is a Partner in the firm’s Corporate, Investment Funds, Real Estate Capital Markets and Tax practices. Prior to joining MMM, Mr. Peurach was an associate at a large Baltimore-based law firm and was a senior associate in the Washington National Tax office of a “Big 4” accounting firm. A large portion of Mr. Peurach’s practice focuses on structuring commercial real estate transactions, negotiating and drafting partnership agreements and LLC agreements documenting equity investments in real estate, as well as structuring private equity funds and other joint venture-related entities predominately focused on real estate investments. Mr. Peurach also advises clients on tax issues associated with real estate and other corporate transactions, including qualified opportunity fund investments in qualified opportunity zones, like-kind exchanges under Section 1031 of the Code, affordable housing/low income housing tax credits, historic tax credits, energy credits, conservation easement donations and credits, and mergers and acquisitions of corporate and flow- through entities.

Jerry Breed has more than 30 years of experience providing counsel on federal and state tax incentivized matters. Ranked in Chambers USA as a leading tax lawyer, he focuses his practice on tax planning and on structuring low-income housing tax credit, historic rehabilitation tax credit, new markets tax credit, renewable energy and opportunity zone transactions. Jerry has closed many low-income housing, historic rehabilitation, new markets tax credit, renewable energy and opportunity zone transactions that permit his clients to maximize tax benefits and investment returns, all within the framework of the client's business goals. He has substantial experience in the structuring and taxation of community development investments. He also has represented clients with respect to audits of tax credit investments. His clients include syndicators and investors in low-income housing, historic rehabilitation, new markets tax credit, renewable energy and opportunity zone transactions as well as developers of these projects. Jerry has represented lenders, REITs and other private equity investors in structuring financial arrangements that preserve the ability of participants to claim tax credits. Frequently, these tax favored transactions include state credits and other federal, state and local subsidies. Under the rapidly developing opportunity zone program, he has represented the owners of qualified opportunity zone businesses as well as sponsors of opportunity zone funds. Jerry also represents state housing authorities that allocate low-income housing tax credits. Many of these transactions involve tax-exempt organizations, including colleges and universities that seek to secure favorable financing for the rehabilitation or construction of facilities on or around their campuses. Jerry presents and writes regularly on various tax credit and federal income tax issues. He is a board member of the Historic Tax Credit Coalition and the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association, for which he is also a past chairman.

Mr. Shah joined EJF in October 2018 as the Senior Managing Director, Head of Real Estate and has over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry. Prior to joining EJF, Mr. Shah was the President and Chief Investment Officer of the Multifamily division at Kettler Inc. He also served as the Senior Vice President of Real Estate Investments. During his 11 years at Kettler, Mr. Shah oversaw acquisitions, asset management, development, construction, equity capital sourcing and was the primary point of contact for partner relationships. In addition, Mr. Shah determined the strategic direction for the Multifamily division while also acting as chair of the Kettler Investment Committee. Prior to joining Kettler, Mr. Shah worked at Monument Realty, BroadBand Office Inc. and CarrAmerica Realty Corp. Mr. Shah received his BS in Financial Management from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA and an MBA in Corporate Finance from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on itsWashington District Council Advisory Board. Mr. Shah is also involved with the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing.

Tom Skinner is a founding member of Redbrick LMD and is one of the firm’s three Managing Partners. He has invested in and developed close to $2 billion in real estate assets and established a pipeline of over $4 billion in future development projects. Prior to founding Redbrick, Tom invested in or founded numerous operating businesses primarily in the real estate, technology and financial services industries. Tom began his professional career at McKinsey & Co. where he worked with financial institutions on strategy issues. Tom earned his Ph.D. in economics from MIT and his BA in economics from Oxford University.

Ben currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Fundrise, an online real estate investment platform with over 300,000 members and $1.45 billion in real estate nationwide. Fundrise leverages technology to lower the cost of real estate investment and operations, enabling greater transparency and an ultra-low fee model. Ben has over 18 years of experience in real estate development and investment. Prior to Fundrise, Ben was managing partner of WestMill Capital Partners and President of Western Development Corp., a major mixed-use development company in Washington, D.C with more than 3 million square feet under management. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he sits on the board of the National Center for Children and Families.

Craig Bernstein is a Managing Partner of OPZ Bernstein, a subsidiary of The Bernstein Companies, a Washington, DC based real estate investment management firm. Mr. Bernstein has more than 20 years of experience in real estate, including acquisitions, dispositions, construction, development, financing, asset management, property management and leasing. Mr. Bernstein is responsible for establishing OPZ Bernstein’s strategic initiatives and overseeing the Fund’s investor relations. As one of the nation’s leading Opportunity Zone experts, Mr. Bernstein has contributed to stories for The New York Times, Associated Press, Washington Post and CNBC. Mr. Bernstein is a frequent speaker at Opportunity Zone events including the Global Institutional Real Estate Forum, Washington, DC Building Industry Association, Washington, DC Economic Partnership, Bisnow, The ASD Summit and The New York Riverside Experience. Prior to founding OPZ Bernstein, Mr. Bernstein was the Chief Investment Officer of White Star Investments, a prominent single family investment office in Bethesda, MD. During his 10 year career at White Star Investments, Mr. Bernstein oversaw a diversified portfolio of privately held real estate, private equity, alternative investments, and marketable securities. Mr. Bernstein focused extensively on allocating capital to external managers, and leading the firm’s manager selection and due diligence processes. Prior to joining White Star Investments, Mr. Bernstein was a Director at Cushman and Wakefield. One of the youngest Directors in the firm’s history, Mr. Bernstein’s clients included TIAA-CREF, TA Associates, Lerner Enterprises and the B.F. Saul Companies. Named as a member to the Inaugural Bisnow “Top 35 under 35” list, Mr. Bernstein has also served on the Board of the Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors (GWCAR) and the Board of Hillel at the University of Maryland. Mr. Bernstein resides in Potomac, MD.

Vikram is a shareholder with Bean, Kinney & Korman representing a broad range of clients in tax and corporate matters. His tax practice consists of assisting businesses of all sizes in identifying and handling complex domestic and international tax issues, particularly in the real estate, renewable energy, government contracting and technology industries. Vikram began his tax career as a CPA with Ernst & Young, LLP, where his work focused on state and local incentives. Prior to joining Bean, Kinney & Korman, Vikram worked as a tax attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom where he focused on highly complex transactions and novel tax controversies. In his corporate practice, Vikram assists throughout the lifecycle of a business from formation to exit. During these stages, Vikram assists clients in structuring the business, negotiating agreements among the stakeholders and third parties, capitalizing or financing the business, navigating employment matters including compensation, and handling exit transactions, such as mergers, acquisitions, and asset sales. Further, Vikram brings his tax expertise to his corporate work and provides a unique integrated service that creates significant value for his clients. In addition to his legal training and experience, Vikram is personally involved as a principal in hospitality projects and technology projects, and he has invested in a number of businesses in the region. This gives him the perspective of a business owner and investor, which allows him to understand their needs in a way that most attorneys cannot.

Richard Price focuses on real estate finance and regulation, affordable and rural housing and community development, government contracts, administrative law and legislation. He assists for-profit and nonprofit businesses and government agencies. Richard is the editor-in-chief of Nixon Peabody’s Affordable Housing and Community Development blog.