Developing & Innovating NoVa's National Landing

Brian A. Cotter is an Executive Vice President of Commercial Leasing with JBG SMITH, where he is responsible for the firm’s commercial leasing efforts. Mr. Cotter oversees a portfolio of properties totaling more than 8 million square feet, along with future development projects in National Landing, Reston, and the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor. He also plays a leading role in the creation and implementation of JBG SMITH’s marketing efforts throughout the DC region. Prior to joining JBG SMITH, Mr. Cotter spent the previous ten years at Tishman Speyer, where he focused on office leasing throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. During his tenure at Tishman Speyer, he participated in the completion of more than three million square feet of transactions. Prior to Tishman Speyer, Brian worked for CBRE in Tysons Corner where he focused on office research in Northern Virginia. He is an active member of NAIOP Northern Virginia, a board member of CoreNet Global, and is the immediate past president and current board member of the Commercial Real Estate Broker Association of Greater Washington, DC.

Sahil Rahman is the co-founder of RASA, a growing fast casual Indian brand based in Washington, DC that is making Indian cuisine and culture accessible to all. The son of a restaurateur, Sahil was immersed in the hospitality industry since a young age, and he is passionate about using food as a vehicle for cultural connection and understanding. In past lives, Sahil worked in the experiential education space, and before that, as a management consultant with Deloitte Consulting in their strategy & operations practice. Sahil comes alive when spreading ideas, connecting individuals, and cultivating community. He was named an Eater Young Gun in 2018, and is a recipient of the 2021 WBJ Diversity in Business Awards and the 2021 Rising Terp Award from his alma mater, the University of Maryland. He was also named a Thrillist Local Hero, and a Local Changemaker by the Washington City Paper for his role in supporting the community during the pandemic with RASA. He is an avid traveler and promoter of play, and currently sits on the board of the Restaurant Association of Metro Washington and the board of the National Landing Business Improvement District, where he co-chairs the equity committee. If you don’t see him in the restaurants, you can likely find him talking to strangers, wandering the world, or eating a big bowl of pho.

As a two-time Olympic Rower for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, Giuseppe Lanzone knows the determination it takes to be a competitor on and off the water. For the last 16 years, Lanzone has been training & coaching all over the world and competing in a series of national & international regattas .In 2010, Lanzone was named the U S Rowing Male Athlete of the Year and as a part-time Wilhelmina model, was selected as brand ambassador for Ralph Lauren at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. As the Varsity Coach for Men's Lightweight Rowing at Georgetown University from 2013-2016, Giuseppe coached his team to win Georgetown's first National Championship in the sport. At the same time, he founded Peruvian Brothers food truck with his brother, Mario, and sold out the first day selling Pan con Chicharrónes outside the State Department. After ten years of operation, Peruvian Brothers has expanded from one award-winning food truck to four food trucks and concession stands at Audi Field and the U.S. Capitol. They also provide large scale catering services across DC, Maryland & Virginia for private and corporate events. In February of 2020, Peruvian Brothers opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant open 7 days a week inside the La Cosecha Latin Market in Union Market District in Washington, DC. They plan to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in National Landing as part of the Amazon HQ2 Metropolitan Park development in Summer 2023.

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.

Deirdre’s responsibilities include short-term and long-term value creation initiatives, strategic planning, redevelopment strategies, property branding and creative ancillary income opportunities for Federal’s Virginia and Chicago portfolios, comprising 4.5 million square feet of real estate. Deirdre joined Federal in 2007 as director, asset management. In addition to responsibility for mixed-use, lifestyle and community shopping centers, she spearheaded the development and management of regional paid parking programs as well as overseeing the regional property marketing and public relations programs and residential portfolio. Prior to joining us, she was vice president and general manager at Capitol Real Estate Services Inc. She also worked for Urban Retail Properties Company and The Rouse Company in a variety of management, marketing and leasing positions. Deirdre graduated with a bachelor of science in business administration from Old Dominion University. She was awarded the ICSC Certified Retail Property Executive (CRX) designation in 2013 and Certified Shopping Center Manager (CSM) designation in 1995. Deirdre is also a member of the International Parking Institute (IPI) and NAIOP Northern Virginia, and serves on the board of directors of ArtsFairfax.

Ryan Touhill is the Director of Economic Development for Arlington County, VA where he is responsible for the management and execution of Arlington’s economic development strategy. Ryan has more than 15 years working in economic development and local government, most recently as the Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff for Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, where he was instrumental in in managing the daily activities of AEDP’s Business Development, Small Business, and Economic Recovery departments and led initiatives that have improved Alexandria’s business climate for entrepreneurs and created programs to support small businesses. Ryan holds degrees from George Mason University and George Washington University and looks forward to fostering regional cooperation and playing key roles in business development attraction and retention throughout Northern Virginia.

Robert Vaughan has over 10-years of experience as a commercial real estate developer, and works as the Head of Development for Dweck Properties where he is currently leading multiple projects in the Crystal City area. Prior to joining Dweck Properties in December 2021, he worked at JBG Smith for 8 years where he completed numerous developments throughout the DC metropolitan area, but focused on advancing JBG Smith’s portfolio of residential developments in Crystal City post Amazon’s HQ2 announcement. Robert holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia. He currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and two daughters.

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.

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.

As soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning, I'm running at full speed, and that's the way I like it. I’ve been the District Offices’ Fractional COO for seven years. District Offices has five locations, including the new National Landing facility. We have been integral to the Washington DC metropolitan business and real estate community for over 30 years. District Offices provides a variety of options to fit any work style or industry. We aim to deliver an office solution for tenants ranging from solopreneurs to Fortune 500 companies. We offer private offices, virtual offices, coworking, and incredible meeting and event spaces. I have 35 years of experience in the coworking sector. I spent 15 years as employee number one, the President and COO for Carr Workplaces, building it into a 30-location multi-million dollar business. Before Carr, I spent 14 years at HQ Global Workplaces, now known as Regus. I was coworking when coworking was executive suites, and today, I continue to lead the charge into 2023 as the industry innovates to a more flexible office concept. In January 2015, I joined StellaPop as a partner and thought leader on the real estate and business management consulting side. StellaPop's primary focus is assisting client CEOs in improving their people, operations, brand, and bottom line.

Mike Proctor is the market president for the Arlington/Alexandria region of United Bank, a subsidiary of United Bankshares, Inc., a nearly $30 billion bank holding company. He is responsible for the management and operation of all United Bank offices in the Arlington/Alexandria areas, including client relationships and new business development. Proctor has financed the acquisition and construction of multiple commercial and residential real estate projects in and around the D.C. metro area. In addition, he has worked with various operating companies to provide working capital and term financing. He is a graduate of the RMA-ECU Commercial Lending School, past chairman of the United Bank Leadership Development Program and a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Prior to his role as market president, Proctor served as a commercial lender and a credit analyst with United Bank. He graduated with a degree in finance from West Virginia University.