Bisnow Multifamily Annual Conference (BMAC) East

Matthew Pestronk is co-founder of Post Brothers, a real estate investment, development and management company with singular and unique expertise in urban real estate development. Matthew serves as President of the company, engaged in the sponsorship of Class-A multifamily, mixed-use and retail development projects comprised of over 7,000 units that are operating, under development or disposed plus, over 400,000 sf of commercial space, with a total capitalized cost in excess of $2.5 billion. Matthew shares strategic leadership of the company with his brother, Michael, and is engaged in asset management, financing, and project and capital formation. Matthew has worked in real estate capital transactions for his entire 20+-year career and was previously a real estate financing executive in New York City prior to forming Post Brothers. Matthew is also very active in his community and has board service experience for multiple charitable organizations including the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, Beat the Streets Philadelphia, West Nottingham Academy, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and is the Immediate past Chair of Jewish Federation Real Estate.

Tony Williams, the former Mayor of Washington, D.C. (1999 – 2007), is the current Chief Executive Officer of the Federal City Council, an organization focusing the creative and administrative talents of Washington’s business and professional leaders on major problems and opportunities facing the District. He is widely credited with leading the comeback of Washington D.C. during his two terms as Mayor, restoring the finances of our nation’s capital, and improving the performance of government agencies, all while lowering taxes and investing in infrastructure and human services. In addition to his duties with the Federal City Council, Mayor Williams is a Senior Advisor to King and Spaulding, LLP. He serves on several company boards as well as the boards of Urban Institute and the National Geographic Society. Prior to Federal City Council, he led the Global Government Practice at the Corporate Executive Board in Arlington, Virginia. He also taught public finance and urban leadership as the William H. Bloomberg Lecturer in Public Management at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government while coordinating programs for the Municipal Innovation Program at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Before his election as Mayor, he was the independent Chief Financial Officer of the District from 1995 to 1998, working with and on behalf of local officials, the D.C. Financial Control Board, and the U.S. Congress. Before his service in local Washington, Tony worked in a variety of positions in federal, state, and local government, including as the first CFO for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, appointed by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He holds a BA from Yale, an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a J.D. from the Harvard Law School, as well as a number of awards and honorary degrees, including Governing Magazine Public Official of the Year in 1997. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and former President of the National League of Cities.

As President of Morgan Properties Special Situations and Principal of Morgan Properties, Jason’s primary responsibilities involve sourcing, underwriting, and executing multifamily acquisition and debt investment opportunities. Jason joined the Company in May 2017 when Morgan Properties was the 25th largest apartment owner in the country and has been instrumental in elevating the Company to the second largest with over 95,000 units and over $16 billion in assets. Over the past 4 years, Morgan Properties has acquired over $7B in acquisition volume comprising over 60,000 units. Jason sits on Morgan Properties’ Investment Committee where he evaluates all the Company’s acquisition and debt investment opportunities. Morgan Properties Special Situations invests in equity recapitalizations, fixed income securities, and other alternative multifamily investment opportunities. Jason has put together a team and developed the processes that Morgan Properties has utilized to become a major investor in the Freddie Mac K-series CMBS space. Since launching its Special Situations platform in 2017, Morgan Properties has executed multiple recapitalizations of portfolios valued at over $3.5 Billion and closed on acquisitions of 29 Freddie Mac K-Series B-Pieces across $28 Billion in UPB and 1,280 properties. Morgan's B-Piece portfolio has a market value in excess of $1 Billion. Prior to joining Morgan Properties, Jason worked at Sculptor Capital Management, formerly known as Och-Ziff Capital Management, where he focused on equity investments, preferred equity structures, mezzanine financing, and senior loans across traditional and niche real estate asset classes. Before Sculptor, Jason worked at Goldman Sachs in the real estate investment banking group. Jason received a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance and Real Estate from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves on The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s Board, the Federation Housing Inc. Board, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Facilities Expansion Advisory Committee, and the Jewish Federation Real Estate Committee. He is also a member of the Chamber’s Policy Research and Legislation Committee and contributes to Forbes’ Real Estate Council. Jason has been recognized as a recipient of Commercial Observer’s 2021 Game-Changing Visionary Award, one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s Real Estate Rising Stars, HousingWire’s 2020 Rising Stars, and a recipient of Connect Media’s 2020 Next Generation Award in the National category.

Matt Jones serves as Managing Director of HGI and focuses on developing and implementing HGI’s credit investment strategies. He oversees the credit investment team and plays a lead role in strategy, sourcing investment opportunities, investor communication, managing the due diligence process, sourcing financing relationships and closing transactions. In addition, Mr. Jones is a member of HGI’s Executive and Investment Committees. He joined HGI in 2002 from the investment banking division of Legg Mason Wood Walker. Mr. Jones graduated summa cum laude from Virginia Tech with a degree in finance. He is a former board member and Chairman of the Program Committee of the Baltimore CFA Society.

Geri Borger Urgo is Head of Production for NewPoint Real Estate Capital. In this capacity, she is responsible for expanding and enhancing NewPoint's direct origination prowess nationally with a focus on client advocacy and process efficiency. Geri joined NewPoint as part of its inaugural leadership team in 2021. She has since tripled the size of the firm's Agency and Proprietary Lending originations teams. Under her guidance, NewPoint's origination volume increased dramatically – at nearly $6 billion, NewPoint's 2022 originations volume achieved a more than tenfold increase compared to the 2020 volume of its predecessor firm. Geri’s prior experience includes GSE Production and Underwriting roles, managing acquisitions for a national multifamily investment platform, and acting as an advisor to a family office focused on multifamily operations. Most recently, she led Loan Production and Institutional Relationship Management efforts for Freddie Mac Multifamily. Under Geri’s leadership, Freddie Mac Multifamily’s aggregate Southeast loan volume tripled from $7 billion in 2014 to $21 billion in 2019. Geri holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Matt Ferrari is the Co-Chief Investment Officer and Head of Acquisitions at TruAmerica Multifamily. Based in Miami, Florida Mr. Ferrari heads the firm’s acquisitions team and also oversees operations and asset management across their Eastern and Central United States portfolio of over 17,000 apartments. Mr. Ferrari also is a member of TruAmerica’s Investment Committee. Since joining the firm in 2016, Matt has played a meaningful role in the firm’s growth, having overseen the acquisition of over 38,000 apartments totaling $8.0 billion throughout the U.S., including TruAmerica’s expansion into the Eastern U.S. multifamily markets while also helping grow its stable of investors. Previously, Mr. Ferrari was an Investments Director at AvalonBay Communities Inc., an S&P 500 publicly traded multifamily REIT where he was responsible for acquisitions and dispositions in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. During his four years at AvalonBay, Mr. Ferrari was responsible for $500 million in acquisitions and $1.3 billion in dispositions. Prior to his time at AvalonBay, Mr. Ferrari worked for Archstone Communities Inc. in their leadership and development rotational program as a Management Development Associate before becoming a Regional Operations Director for their Eastside Manhattan portfolio in New York City. Mr. Ferrari holds an M.B.A. from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and a B.S. in Management and Business from Skidmore College. He is also a member of the Steering Committee at Georgetown University’s Steers Center for Global Real Estate.

Jason Gerstein is the founding principal of both LGA Capital CRE, an SEC registered FINRA member private placement broker dealer, as well as LGA Capital Advisors. Jason actively leads the companies’ business development and investment strategies. For more than 20 years and prior to the founding of LGA Capital in 2010, Jason worked in multifamily development for developers, lenders, and investors. Jason is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in finance from The Kogod School of Business at American University and a Master of Law (LLM) in Taxation from the Georgetown University Law Center. Jason is licensed to practice law in the State of Maryland, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland and is a member of the United States Tax Court and the United States Supreme Court.

As a Principal at bKL Architecture, Angela Spadoni leads client engagement, with an emphasis on the seamless delivery of the firm’s services. Over the course of her career, Angela has established a reputation for her commitment to serving clients. She combines expert management skills with an ability to generate and articulate design ideas and a dedication to collaboration. Angela has grown alongside bKL since joining in 2012, leading the development of projects in Chicago, Miami, Phoenix, Austin, Washington D.C., and Toronto. She brings specific expertise in mid-rise and high-rise multifamily projects, and has led the design of more than 10,000 units since joining the firm. She is an active leader within the Chicago chapter of the Urban Land Institute and was named one of Crain’s Notable Women in Construction and Design in 2020. Angela is known for her ability to listen first and deeply understand the goals and aspirations of the client, and then collaboratively lead a broader bKL team to deliver projects that are not only rational and efficient, but functional and beautiful as well. Angela received her Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania with a certificate in Historic Preservation and Bachelor of Science in Design from Arizona State University.

Ulises Montes De Oca has been with Lessard Design since 2004 with more than 20 years of experience including mixed‐use, residential, retail, commercial, and hospitality sectors. His depth of experience includes market analysis, programming and land planning and design for developments ranging from high‐density urban settings to suburban communities. Ulises plays a key role providing the overall design direction of the firm and alongside Chris Lessard steers the direction of the company including the global goals of Lessard Design.

Aaron Luque is Founder, CEO, and Board Chairman of EnviroSpark Energy Solutions. Prior to founding EnviroSpark with his wife Stephanie in 2014, Aaron was Co-Founder and President of Remetco Incorporated, a global recycling leader in the healthcare sector. Aaron currently holds a 50% interest in Remetco, and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Aaron is also a Board Director and Treasurer of A+ Squash, a non-profit organization focused on serving at-risk youth in Atlanta, GA. Aaron holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia Tech, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia.

Scott Melnick formed Melnick Real Estate Advisors (MREA) in 2018 to offer clients a hands-on boutique investment sales platform focusing on multifamily disposition, acquisition, equity/debt placement, and 1031 exchange assignments. Scott, one of the leading multifamily brokers in the nation, has transacted over $25 billion of transactions throughout his career including the largest transactions for their respective years in the Washington and Baltimore metro regions, as well as Northern Virginia. Scott created and led dominant multifamily sales teams at Transwestern, JLL, and Berkadia from 1999-2018, and immediately prior to forming MREA Scott led Berkadia’s national Institutional Client Services platform for investment sales and debt. Scott earned an MBA/Finance from New York University and a BA/Economics from Ithaca College and also completed specialized real estate coursework at Cornell University and NYU Law School. Scott is an active Advisory Member of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and has been a prominent speaker at NMHC national and local conferences.

Tim White is a Principal and Chief Investment Officer of Insight Property Group, where he is responsible for setting the company’s acquisition strategy and sourcing new projects. Tim is also responsible for the capitalization and financial structuring of all real estate acquisition and development transactions. Prior to Insight, Tim held positions at the Van Metre Companies and Primatics Financial where he was charged with sourcing and underwriting multifamily acquisitions and providing management consulting services for bank-to-bank Merger and Acquisition transactions. Tim earned a B.B.A. in Finance from James Madison University and a Master’s in Real Estate from Georgetown University where he served on the Student Advisory Board for Real Estate. Tim is an active member of the DC Real Estate Group, Urban Land Institute, and the National Multifamily Housing Council. Tim proudly serves on the Board of Trustees for Emerging Scholars, Inc. which provides an academic, cultural and social enrichment program to a diverse group of bright children facing economic challenges. Tim also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University in the Masters in Real Estate Program.

John Begert has 22 years of experience in the multi-family industry and pursues multi-family residential and mixed-use acquisition and development opportunities for MRP Realty. Prior to joining the firm in early 2011, Mr. Begert worked for JPI Mid Atlantic for over ten years and oversaw the acquisition, entitlement, development and construction of over 2,000 residential units valued at over $450 million in the Mid Atlantic region. Mr. Begert has multi-family acquisition and development experience across a variety of product types and jurisdictions in the Mid Atlantic region. Mr. Begert has developed high-rise, mid- rise, and urban-wrap rental products as well as mixed-use urban condominium product in Washington, DC.

Benjamin Kasdan, AIA, is a Principal and Design Leader at KTGY in Tysons, VA near Washington, DC. He is a frequent speaker and published writer about the value of design, mentorship, advocacy, sustainable architecture, resilience, student housing, multifamily housing, and mixed-use communities. He has held leadership positions with the American Institute of Architecture Students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, AIA Orange County, AIA California, and AIA National including serving as the 2019 President of AIA California. He is the chair of the KTGY 2030 Committee, an interoffice committee leading the national sustainability efforts as a part of KTGY being a signatory of the AIA 2030 Commitment. Some of his notable projects include Gables Point 14,AVA NoMa, Anthem House, AVA H Street, The Maxwell, Crystal Flats, Fenton Apartments, and Plaza Verde Student Housing.

Ms. Alexander is an award-winning architectural designer committed to improving the quality of life for those who live in the homes and neighborhoods she helps create. Through her work she espouses her belief that community transformation begins with understanding the community and the people who live there. Ms. Alexander is an expert in building consensus among a wide array of community stakeholders. She listens, learns, understands and responds to what is important and meaningful to the people who will live, work, shop and play in the communities and homes she designs. Ms. Alexander believes that there are inextricable links between people and the places they inhabit. Her keen awareness of the changing patterns of society have enabled her to design housing for people of all ages, incomes and lifestyles, creating inviting communities that will meet the needs of people now and in the future. Ms. Alexander has worked throughout the District of Columbia and the greater Washington Metropolitan area on projects that have transformed not only the lives of the people who live there, but also the surrounding communities. In many cases this means transforming urban blight into livable communities. These complex, mixed-use urban infill projects serve as catalysts for change, creating transit-oriented, walkable communities that in many cases now represent some of the most desirable places to live in the Washington region. Ms. Alexander is sought out by clients and colleagues for her leadership in the unique District of Columbia zoning and entitlement realm, specializing in creating real estate value for her clients through innovative design solutions that maximize the allowable density for a site, while at the same time adding value to communities. She is frequently called upon to lead projects through the District’s complex approval process which can involve presentations to various agencies and commissions, including Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, the Historic Preservation Review Board, the Board of Zoning Adjustment, the Commission of Fine Arts, the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Capital Planning Commission. Ms. Alexander has recently begun to expand her expertise in entitlement processes to include projects in both Maryland and Virginia. Ms. Alexander’s designs have been honored with numerous regional and national design awards from such prestigious groups as the Congress for the New Urbanism, the Urban Land Institute, the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, the Urban Guild, and Builder Magazine. Mr. Alexander is a Registered Architect and a LEED Accredited Professional. She received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Maryland and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Ryn Burns is a registered Architect with a passion for multifamily and mixed-use architecture, adaptive reuse, and sustainable design. Ryn is currently the director of FMGA's Multifamily Studio, working on projects throughout the US with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. He works across project teams to conceptualize and deliver effective, impactful, and inventive projects that enhance the communities they inhabit and optimize clients’ goals. Ryn is dedicated to partnering with municipalities to analyze creative opportunities to deliver needed affordable housing and generate innovative solutions for urban infill and adaptive reuse of sites and structures. His focus at FGMA has been on growth, while continuing an exemplary tradition of client service, building long lasting relationships for repeat business. Ryn holds a Master in Design Studies from the Harvard Graduate School of Design with a concentration in Critical Conservation and a Master of Architecture from Northeastern University. He also holds a B.A. in Architecture from Princeton University. Ryn’s academic and professional work has centered on the transformative redevelopment of existing building fabric, including adaptive reuse, historic preservation, urban infill, and deep energy retrofits. The studio’s current design work is pushing the envelope of mixed uses to create vibrant, healthy, and inspired urban environments.

Based out of Washington DC, Nathan is the Vice President of Real Estate Partnerships at Placemakr – a cutting edge owner/operator of mixed-use assets (multi-family/hotel) focused on unlocking real estate value and creating dynamic communities for the modern renter. Since starting with the company in 2017, Nathan has been intricately involved in building out Placemakr’s national portfolio (currently 10 locations, ~2,000 units) and helping to pioneer the advent of a new “flexible” asset class they have termed Hospitality Living. Prior to Placemakr (f/k/a WhyHotel), Nathan spent over 15 years in business development and consulting across several sectors, bringing with him a strong track record of successful management, advisory support, and strategic goal attainment. Nathan’s experience at Corporate Executive Board (NYSE: CEB), and more recently in the DC startup community (since 2014) has curated his passion and focus on building companies aimed at disruption of long-standing industry norms. When he isn’t focused on cultivating Placemakr’s national footprint, Nathan loves spending time with his wife, daughter, and two dogs traveling around country in search new hospitality experiences and exploring the great outdoors. Nathan originally hails from Massachusetts, where he earned his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University and is currently a candidate for a Master’s in Real Estate Development and Finance at Georgetown University.

Kanan is passionate about creating affordable housing for all. She is an experienced real estate professional, who has worked with top-tier banks and firms such as Citibank, PNC, and The Richman Group to structure and finance affordable housing projects. She is also a trained architect and urban designer with several years of experience in designing multi-family housing developments. Kanan founded Builders Patch in April 2017. Builders Patch is a secure online platform for affordable housing finance. It brings together all sides of the transaction for data-driven underwriting, closing, and reporting. Builders Patch is creating an ecosystem for housing developers, housing agencies, and financing institutions. It brings accuracy, and transparency and creates a single source of truth for all housing. Kanan holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and has a B.Arch. from the University of Mumbai. She is also a LEED Accredited Professional. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.

Senior Vice President and Managing Director John Gilmore brings more than a decade of commercial real estate experience to Walker & Dunlop’s Multifamily Finance Group. Mr. Gilmore is focused on the affordable multifamily space and has extensive experience sourcing loans for execution through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Mr. Gilmore is also highly experienced in complex deal structures including structured credit facilities, tax-exempt bonds, and federal and state tax credits. Prior to joining Walker & Dunlop, Mr. Gilmore was a Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager in the Community Development and Investment group within KeyBank Real Estate Capital. While at KeyBank, he was a member of the management team tasked with expanding the bank’s affordable housing activity to all 50 states. He originated almost $1 billion of new mortgage debt in this position. Mr. Gilmore served many additional functions throughout his career at KeyBank, including working in the bank’s Income Property Group, Asset Recovery Group, and Private Equity Group. Mr. Gilmore began his career in the commercial real estate industry at Hartford Mezzanine Investors, LLC, where he was responsible for structuring real estate investment transactions for various levels of the capital structure with a primary focus on mezzanine positions. Mr. Gilmore attended Morehouse College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in finance and a minor in economics with cum laude honors. Beyond the company, he is active in industry associations and is a member of the MBA’s Affordable Rental Housing Advisory Council as well as the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Affordable & Workforce Housing Product Council. Mr. Gilmore also serves on the board of Bridge Street Development Corporation and the steering committee of the Real Estate Associates Program.

Drew Hubbard was appointed Interim Director of the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) on October 1, 2021 by Mayor Muriel Bowser. He’s held several leadership positions within DHCD, including as Deputy Director and Chief Administrative Officer, where he oversaw human resources, contracting and procurement, and stewardship of the agency’s budget. Drew has over a decade of experience in the legislative and executive branches of the District of Columbia. His experience includes many years on staff at the Council of the District of Columbia, where he served as a Legislative Director and Committee Director with a primary focus on affordable housing, workforce development and re-entry policy. He also served as the Federal Relations-Policy Analyst for the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs within the Executive Office of the Mayor. Immediately prior to coming to DHCD, Mr. Hubbard served as an Associate Director for the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES). At DOES, he was responsible for senior management, strategic planning, and cross-program coordination of the Office of Apprenticeship Information and Training, the First Source Program, and the Business Services Group. In that role, he was responsible for executing the realignment of employer-facing programs and identify resources to establish an easily accessible menu of value-added business services aimed at engaging companies in order to cultivate placement opportunities for other agency units and programs servicing District resident employment needs. Mr. Hubbard holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Morehouse College and a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School. Mr. Hubbard is a resident of the Woodridge neighborhood in Ward 5, where he resides with his wife and 2 children.

Roj is a managing director in the Urban Investment Group (UIG) within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. UIG is a domestic, multi-asset class investing and lending business that provides equity and debt to real estate projects and social enterprises to benefit underserved communities. He serves on the UIG Investment Committee. Roj joined Goldman Sachs in 2011 as an associate in UIG and was named managing director in 2021. Prior to joining the firm, Roj worked as a corporate and real estate attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Sullivan & Cromwell. Roj serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, a community development corporation with a mission to advance responsible development to revitalize Jamaica, Queens. Roj earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2000, an MS in Real Estate Development and a JD from Columbia University in 2005 and 2006, respectively, and an MBA from Yale University in 2011.

Joe Ouellette, Chief Strategy Officer As Chief Strategy Officer, Joe Ouellette oversees all corporate strategy execution. He is responsible for administration, communications, human resources, and special projects. From 2015 to 2019, Mr. Ouellette was a regional project partner at Standard, leading acquisitions and investments on the East Coast. Before joining Standard, Joe was Vice President of Transactions at Aimco, where he managed deal sourcing and underwriting as the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic acquisition leader for market-rate investment opportunities, along with all disposition activities within the Affordable Housing portfolio. Joe holds a Master of Science degree in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Virginia Tech.

Christopher E. Donald was appointed Interim Executive Director in January 2020. As Interim Executive Director he is responsible for the overall supervision, coordination and strategic direction of the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency. Mr. Donald joined the Agency in October 2016 as the Senior Vice President of Multifamily Lending and Neighborhood Investments. He served as part of DCHFA’s senior management team. His primary responsibility was to manage the day-to-day operations of the Multifamily Lending and Neighborhood Investments (formerly Public Finance) department and assist the Executive Director & CEO with the development of multifamily programs, products, polices and strategic planning.   Mr. Donald has over 15 years of experience in real estate finance, community building, development, land entitlement and construction.  He’s entitled over 1MM square feet of mixed income, transit oriented, amenity rich housing.   Mr. Donald specializes in acquisitions, entitlement, community visioning and deal structuring.  He has completed over $1 billion in real estate financing over the course of his career and renovated over 1,000 multifamily units and entitled and underwritten almost 3,500 multifamily units throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.   Mr. Donald has also acquired and programmed commercial space for small local businesses and retailers. As the Director of Development at the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, Mr. Donald underwrote and structured $60MM in low-income housing tax credit transactions. Over the last several years he has provided underwriting services to the Office of State Superintendent for Education for the District of Columbia and financed over $300 million in improvements for public charter schools using New Markets Tax Credits, Tax Exempt Bonds and other tools. Mr. Donald began his career in finance at Lehman Brothers in the Municipal Finance Group and underwrote $200MM in revenue bonds for the District of Columbia. Prior to his tenure at DCHFA, Mr. Donald served as the Principal and Co-Founder of The Leidesdorff Group.   The Leidesdorff Group (TLG) is a diversified real estate advisory firm focused on the regeneration of urban communities within the Mid-Atlantic region.  As a principal of TLG, Mr. Donald focused on distressed and disinvested urban communities.   Mr. Donald is a member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Board of Directors of the African American Real Estate Professionals of DC (AAREP-DC) and the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND). He is a graduate of Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Tabaré Borbón is a Senior Vice President – Affordable Production at Colliers Mortgage LLC (Colliers), having joined the group in September of 2022. Tabaré is responsible for originating affordable multifamily housing loans nationwide, through various loan products utilizing Fannie Mae, and FHA executions. He has over 35 years of Multifamily Affordable Housing experience. Prior to joining Colliers Tabaré spent four years is a Senior Vice President in Key Bank’s Real Estate Capital Affordable Housing Group, where he originated over $1 Billion in permanent affordable multifamily loans, utilizing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA executions. Prior to joining Key, Tabaré spent nine years as a Senior Customer Account Manager in Fannie Mae’s Multifamily Affordable Mortgage Business. In this role, he was responsible for managing Fannie Mae Affordable Lenders, with approximately $1 billion in production a year. In addition, he was instrumental in the development and administration of the Department of Treasury’s Multifamily New Issue Bond Program, a joint venture between Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The program resulted in Treasury’s purchase of approximately $2.8 billion in Housing Finance Agency (HFA) multifamily bonds, and the creation of over 25,000 affordable multifamily units. Before Joining Fannie Mae, Tabaré spent two years as a Vice President in Goldman Sach’s Public Sector Infrastructure Group, where he led the general banking coverage of numerous project finance developers in the Military Housing Privatization space and was also lead banker for numerous State HFAs. This resulted in closing over $1 billion in taxable military project debt, and over $500 million in affordable multifamily State HFA tax-exempt debt. Prior to Goldman Tabaré was at Standard and Poor’s where he managed the group's Multi-Family Housing practice, and previously he was at the National Equity Fund as a senior underwriter. He began his career in Affordable Housing at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation (HPD), as a Deputy Director for one for one of their field offices and a program manager in HPD’s Partnership New Homes program. Tabaré has a master’s degree in Public Administration and a bachelor’s degree both from the State University of New York at Stonybrook.

Robert (Bob) Gilbane, Jr. is a Vice President of Development at Gilbane Development Company, where he leads strategic direction and growth, development, and financing of public-private partnerships (P3), mixed-use developments and affordable housing. His focus is on expanding the company’s presence and portfolio in Washington, DC and surrounding markets, and projects that become catalysts for positive change. Bob has 23 years of industry experience spanning every area of real estate construction and development. In the past decade, Bob has co-led the successful development and financing strategies for numerous mixed-use, multifamily, market rate and affordable housing developments in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Rhode Island totaling more than $2.5 billion. His understanding of complex regulatory and financing issues facilitates projects that address multiple community needs while linking housing, health care, education, and employment. Bob expertly cultivates and manages relationships with federal and municipal agencies to source and secure capital while leading strategic direction, planning, approval, and design for both new and active developments. Bob’s successful project execution and delivery create equitable economic development while setting the stage for future growth on a large scale. Bob’s creative approach is exemplified at the Riverfront at West Hyattsville Metro: the 24.5-acre, multi-phase master planned community transformed a brownfield site impacted by 100-year floodplain into a vibrant community featuring 183 townhomes, a 49,000 SF medical office building for Kaiser Permanente, and two mixed-income multifamily buildings containing 618-units with 7,000 SF of ground floor retail immediately adjacent to a WMATA metro station. Bob’s collaborative engagement with public agencies and the private sector to address environmental issues and create a unique financing model at Riverfront ultimately made it possible for more than half of the multifamily units (51%) to be reserved for tenants with incomes below 80% of AMI for 99 years, without the need for upfront public subsidy. Bob holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in modern American history from Brown University and is a member of Leadership Greater Washington, the Geriatrics Career Builders Industry Advisory Board, Urban Land Institute, the Maryland Building Industry Association, and the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers.

Toby Millman is the Regional Partner for Transwestern Development Company in the Mid-Atlantic, where he is responsible for overseeing and directing the company’s development pipeline in the region. Over his nearly 30-year career, Toby has been involved with the development of over 15 million square feet of residential, office, and retail space. Prior to joining Transwestern, Toby was Senior Vice President for Brookfield Properties where he oversaw the development pipeline in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. Prior to Brookfield, he was Senior Vice President at Vornado Realty Trust, creating and leading the multifamily development group for Vornado’s Washington division. Earlier in his career, Toby also owned and operated Agora Development, a development and homebuilding company and worked for Washington-area developers EYA and Abdo Development. Toby earned an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Mr. Millman holds an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As the managing partner of CLD Partners, Christopher Mfume is responsible for leading all development and investment activities and guiding the firm’s projects through inception to completion. Prior to founding CLD, Mr. Mfume worked for Beatty Development Group where he had active roles in over $400 million in real estate investment and development. He holds a B.A. from Wake Forest University and serves on the board of several non-profits and community initiatives including the UMB Cure Scholars, and The Baltimore Hotel Corporation. He is also a member of The Housing Association for Non-profit Developers (HAND) focused on the production and preservation of affordable housing in the Capitol Region, AAREP DC, the Urban Land Institute, and Thread, a volunteer-driven mentor program.

As President of Development, Brigg Bunker is responsible for managing the Development Division, where his main role is to oversee daily operations and execute the firm’s development plans. Previously, as Vice-President of Development, he was responsible for the underwriting, entitlement, financing, and execution of a diverse portfolio of development projects. Mr. Bunker joined Foulger-Pratt in 2009 following many years of success in private equity, multi-family development, and real estate acquisitions. Mr. Bunker received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Brigham Young University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Sean Stadler, FAIA, LEED AP is a Design Principal and Managing Principal of WDG where he focuses on elevating the firm’s stature in design, with particular emphasis on enhancing the civic realm. He is directly responsible for leading the planning, re-zoning and design of complex, high-profile urban projects, bolstering WDG’s reputation for sustainable and distinctive, mid- and high-rise structures with contemporary urban sensitivity. Mr. Stadler’s diverse experience includes commercial, residential, hospitality, educational, and sporting facilities. He is a member of the AIA College of Fellows, and he has been honored with an AIA President’s Award for his service to the profession and was recognized as one of the “rising stars of the AEC industry” by Building Design + Construction Magazine in 2009. He is a recipient of the 2011 AIA Young Architects award where the jury noted that “he is a unique individual of outstanding talent and clear commitment.”

Jooyeol is a visionary designer with over 20 years of experience developing thoughtful, community-centered environments. Each design he delivers adapts to the shifting lifestyle needs of evolving neighborhoods. Internationally recognized for award-winning buildings and master plans.

John is the administrative partner of the firm’s Washington, DC office and a member of the firm’s Real Estate, Development and Finance group. John’s practice focuses on zoning and land use regulation, real estate-related environmental regulations, public facilities availability, land use litigation, real estate transactions, eminent domain, local government law and joint public/private partnerships. Over the course of his legal career, John has represented property owners, investors and developers in matters involving all facets of the use of property. John has a proven track record of securing timely and well-crafted land use approvals.

Mr. Root is a co-founder and managing principal of Blackfin Real Estate Investors, LLC. Mr. Root is responsible for the acquisitions and investor relations of the venture’s investment portfolio. Mr. Root joined Greystar’s Investment Group in March of 2011. There he was responsible for the acquisition, disposition, financing, and asset management of investments in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Mid-West. Over his 5 year tenure at Greystar, Mr. Root acquired approximately $1.2 Billion of apartments. Prior to joining Greystar, he worked for Invesco Real Estate’s Acquisitions Group and closed over $1.4 billion in multifamily, office, retail, and industrial transactions. Mr. Root is a 2007 graduate of Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management where he received an MBA with a concentration in real estate and finance. Also a graduate of Duke University, Mr. Root received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Certificate in Markets and Management. Mr. Root was a two-time All-American while competing on the Duke University Men’s Tennis Team and went on to compete on the ATP professional tennis tour for 3 years playing in tournaments as notable as the U.S. Open. Mr. Root is an active member of the Real Estate Board of New York, the DC Real Estate Group, and serves on the Board of the Arlington Free Clinic. Mr. Root is an avid fly fisherman and golfer.

Sean Caldwell is one of the founding partners of Mill Creek Residential and serves on the Investment Committee and the Audit and Administrative Committee. He currently serves as an Executive Managing Director with overall responsibility for development in Mill Creek’s Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions, including Washington, D.C., Boston, the greater New York City metropolitan area, and North Carolina. Prior to this role, Mr. Caldwell served as Senior Managing Director where he managed the company’s development activity for the Mid-Atlantic region. During his career, he has been involved in the entitlement, development and construction of over 10,000 multifamily homes. Prior to joining Mill Creek, Mr. Caldwell was a Managing Director for Trammell Crow Residential where he was responsible for all phases of the development process for both rental and for-sale multifamily communities. Prior to joining Trammell Crow, Mr. Caldwell was a Senior Project Manager with the civil engineering firm of VIKA, Inc. In this role, his responsibilities included the design, coordination, management, and approval of multiple development projects throughout the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area. Projects varied from 500 home multifamily development communities to 200,000 sf commercial redevelopment projects. Mr. Caldwell received his Bachelor of Science Degree from George Mason University in Civil Engineering and his Master of Business Administration from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He is a member of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association (NVBIA), the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He also has served in various capacities with the Northern Virginia Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Mark is the Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for Bainbridge Companies, a top 15 multifamily developer. With over 25 years of experience, Mark is responsible for transaction underwriting, capitalization and execution. He is also a key member of Bainbridge’s Investment Committee. Mark’s experience expands across the East Coast and Texas where he has performed leadership roles as a consultant, intermediary, and principal on over $5 billion of real estate transactions. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his Bachelor of Arts from Randolph-Macon College. Prior to joining Bainbridge in 2018, Mr. Stewart was the Chief Financial Officer for the East Coast at Alliance Residential Company where he was involved in all aspects of the operational strategy and was responsible for the sourcing and securing of both equity and debt for new development.

Sean Belfi is a Principal of AION Partners. Sean focuses on new acquisitions and asset management responsibilities across AION’s portfolio. He also structures and oversees equity and debt partnerships. Prior to joining AION, Sean was a Vice President at Citi Private Bank. At Citi, he worked with High Net Worth clients and Institutional clients investing in real estate development projects and real estate funds. Prior to Citi, Sean practiced law in New York. Sean received a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University. He received a Professional Certificate in Real Estate Investment and Finance from New York University Schack Institute of Real Estate. He also holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

The world’s leading developers and commercial property owners turn to CBRE to provide creative financial solutions for their commercial real estate investment needs. CBRE has long-term, established relationships with more than 400 of the industry’s premier international lenders. As a Vice Chairman with CBRE’s Capital Markets Group, Mr. Webb leads the Company’s Mid Atlantic Debt & Structured Finance Team which arranges senior debt, mezzanine debt and equity for a wide variety of apartment/condominium, office, retail, industrial and other properties and development projects. The Team is comprised of 12 real estate professionals who work collaboratively with the other groups within CBRE to secure funds from a wide range of capital sources including Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, FHA, pension funds, endowment funds, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, offshore and domestic banks, debt funds, mortgage REITS and other sources. Over the past five years, Mr. Webb and his team have closed over $14 Billion of debt and equity transactions. After having worked early in his career as an attorney and real estate developer, Mr. Webb has since acted as broker and/or advisor in the financing of over $30 Billion of commercial real estate transactions, including over 100 major development and repositioning deals, and hundreds of refinance transactions of more than 60,000 apartment and condo units and 15 Million square feet of office space. Notable transactions closed by Mr. Webb include 200 Stovall (Alexandria), The Boro mixed-use project (Tysons), Central Place Apartments (Rosslyn), National Science Foundation headquarters (Alexandria), Portals III recapitalizations (Washington, D.C), Columbia Hospital (Washington D.C.), Highland Park I & II (Washington, DC), Liberty Place (Arlington), The Hepburn Residences (Washington, DC), National Cancer Institute (Frederick), and the LCOR apartment portfolio recapitalization (throughout the US).

Hamid grew up in the construction industry by learning the trade in his family’s real estate development business and has pursued a technology-oriented education and professional life in the past 20 years. Prior to founding Zebel in 2019, Hamid led the preconstruction data analytics at Western National Group, a large multifamily development/construction/property management firm, based in Southern California. He now works with large multifamily developers and GC's, such as Irvine Company, Ryan Companies, and Legacy Partners, who share their historical construction cost data anonymously through Zebel, the "Switzerland of Construction Cost Data". Hamid received a Master of Business Administration from Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, earned a Master of Science in Construction Management and an Engineer degree in Construction Information Technology both from University of Southern California.

Brian co-established edit lab at Streetsense in December 2012. His experience spans all project phases from concept development, architecture, and interiors, through production. Prior to joining Streetsense, he founded the hospitality design firm edit in 2008, and has been lead designer on over 80 restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Over the past decade, he has built a strength in amenity spaces in residential buildings and retail interface. Brian received his Master’s of Architecture and BFA in Architectural History from the Savannah College of Art & Design.

Mr. Matties is an Executive Vice President and Studio Director of the Washington, DC based Wiencek + Associates Architects + Planners. He joined the firm in 2016 and leads the effort to ensure that design excellence and quality documents are accomplished in each project. For more than 25 years, Mr. Matties has focused on community-based architecture and master planning, including K-12 education, community centers, and affordable housing in the DC metropolitan region. He has expertly guided community engagement meetings and presentations leading to approvals by jurisdictions throughout the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. He has extensive experience with community engagement and successfully managing projects with diverse stakeholder groups. Mr. Matties earned his BS in Architecture and Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.