Future of Southwest DC and The Wharf

Julia E. Hudson was appointed regional administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration’s National Capital Region effective August 23, 2010. As regional administrator, Hudson oversees GSA’s operations in support of the federal government’s Washington, D.C., area workplace needs through the acquisition of office space, equipment, telecommunications and information technology. In addition, she is responsible for the entire Washington metro area federal real estate inventory of 96 million square feet in more than 80 government-owned and leased facilities that house nearly 300,000 federal workers. Prior to joining GSA, Hudson served as a vice president of Chase Communications, where she provided proactive public relations and marketing strategy to a range of private sector clients, helping them to increase their business opportunities and public profile. Previously, Hudson served as chief of staff to Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, chair of the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. During her tenure, Hudson assisted in advancing legislative strategy, managed office personnel, and served as liaison to the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Congressional Black Caucus. With more than 15 years of public service and community leadership in and around the Washington metro area, Hudson brings a strong understanding of GSA’s National Capital Region portfolio and service to federal agencies. In addition to her work, Hudson serves as a member of the LINKS, Inc Potomac Chapter. Hudson received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Spelman College in Atlanta and a Master of Arts in public affairs/broadcast radio and TV from American University in Washington, DC.

Elaine Clancy, formerly the director of leasing for the National Capitol Region at the General Services Administration, is the Senior Vice President – Government Services Group for Lincoln Property Group. In this capacity, Ms. Clancy will lead Lincoln’s efforts to increase services provided to government tenants. Ms. Clancy will be based in the Washington, D.C. office and will lead a national team focused on providing services to federal, state or local governmental agencies or to landlords with those tenants in their buildings. Services may include leasing and strategic advisory services for sales or financing. Ms. Clancy has more than 20 years of experience in real estate leasing, development, financing and investment banking. Prior to working for the GSA, Ms. Clancy served as managing director for Celtic Capital Management, as managing director for investing and portfolio management at Choice Hotels, and as senior vice president for real estate investment banking at Ferris Baker Watts. She also worked as senior vice president in real estate investment banking at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey and Company.

Steven A. Grigg is President and Chief Executive Officer of Republic Properties Corporation, and was a co-founder with Mr. Kramer. Previously, Mr. Grigg served as Senior Vice President of Western Development Corporation and he was a partner with Mr. Kramer before founding Republic Properties. Successful completion of several major development efforts by Western in the Washington, D.C. market are attributed to Mr. Grigg’s ability to successfully negotiate and resolve issues critical to public private partnerships; most notably Market Square, Washington Harbour, Republic Square and The Portals. Prior to joining Western Development in 1985, Mr. Grigg was Vice President of Development for Blake Construction Company, where he was responsible for a variety of office and other projects. Additionally, he spearheaded marketing and bidding new construction projects in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Florida, Georgia, California, Maryland and Virginia. Mr. Grigg holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture from the University of Illinois. He is a licensed and registered architect in the District of Columbia and several states. Mr. Grigg is a past President of the District of Columbia Building Industry Association and a past Chairman of the Washington Metropolitan Builders’ Council.

Josh Posnick serves as Senior Managing Director of Capital Markets for Mill Creek Residential. His overall responsibilities include identifying, structuring, and managing equity relationships throughout the United States. Previously, Mr. Posnick served as Managing Director of Development for Mill Creek Residential in the Mid-Atlantic. He was responsible for all new multifamily community development phases, including site acquisition, design, entitlements, financing, and eventual disposition for Mill Creek Mid-Atlantic communities. Before joining Mill Creek Residential, he was a Senior Consultant in the Real Estate Advisory Practice for Deloitte LLP. During his time there, Mr. Posnick participated in domestic and international real estate valuation of over $3 billion of the multi-family, land, retail, healthcare, and office product. He focused on deal underwriting, due diligence, market analysis, mergers and acquisitions, and financial statement reporting. Before working for Deloitte, Mr. Posnick was an Investment Manager at Federal City Property Investors, LLC, a private real estate investment firm based in Washington, DC. Mr. Posnick received a Bachelor of Science in Leadership and Consumer Economics from The University of Delaware and a Master of Real Estate Finance from Georgetown University. He is a board member of BayVanguard Bank, a Maryland-based financial institution.

David R. Smith is Head of Vertical Development at MAG Partners. He previously served as Senior Vice President – Development with Strategic Property Partners (SPP) on the 56-acre Water Street Tampa project, overseeing the development of three multifamily high-rise towers containing 1,300 residential units and 80,000 SF of retail. He began his career in commercial real estate development in 1995 with Hines Interests LP in Washington, DC and later as Vice President of Development with Forest City Realty Trust and Brookfield Properties, working on large-scale urban mixed-used projects in DC. Over his 27-year career in real estate development, Mr. Smith has had direct oversight for all phases of the development cycle from masterplanning, land use and entitlements through design and construction, involving the delivery of over 700,000 SF of office space, 180,000 SF of retail, and 2,100 apartment units, valued at over $1.3 billion of real estate. David earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University, receiving a BSE with a double major in Civil Engineering and Economics. After Duke, he began working in Technical Marketing with General Electric’s Lighting Business Group in Cleveland, OH and New York, NY. He attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a Master of Architecture. After practicing architecture for three years with Francis Cauffman Architects in Philadelphia, PA, he moved to Evanston, IL to attend Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he received an MBA majoring in finance and marketing. Professionally, Mr. Smith is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and sits on ULI’s Urban Development and Mixed-Use Council (UDMUC). He currently serves as a Director on the Board of Trustees of University School, his alma mater in Hunting Valley, OH, on the Duke University Annual Fund Advisory Board, and on the Dean’s Council of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at UPenn. David also volunteers extensively with A Better Chance, Inc. (ABC), through which he received a scholarship to attend University School.

Ezra Z. Weinblatt is a Vice President in the Washington, DC office of The Ezra Company. He focuses on tenant representation and advocacy. Ezra has assisted organizations from numerous industry sectors including nonprofits, associations, tech start-ups and creative agencies as well as financial and legal firms. Ezra began his career in real estate after Co-Founding and fundraising for a nonprofit devoted to the procurement of bulletproof vests for unprotected soldiers serving on the front lines. Ezra launched the fund after completing his military service. Ezra brings the same passion from the nonprofit world to advocating for his clients. Clients benefit from Ezra’s expert guidance through the strategic planning and procurement process, analysis and negotiations. This methodical approach results in a concerted effort to align the client’s real estate with their business objectives.

Amer Hammour, Chairman, Madison Marquette President, Capital Guidance Corp., Mr. Hammour heads Capital Guidance’s Real Estate investments and operations in the US and internationally. As Chairman and founder of Capital Guidance’s main US based Real Estate subsidiary, Madison Marquette, which focuses on mixed use and retail properties and projects nationally, he is responsible for setting the company’s investment strategy and leads its growth and capital relationships. Over the past 35 years, Mr. Hammour has completed, on behalf of Capital Guidance and its subsidiaries, over 180 real estate investments in retail, office, land and industrial properties and developments valued at over $7 Billion. Mr. Hammour founded Madison Marquette in 1992. He joined Capital Guidance in 1983 with experience in the fields of finance, real estate and distribution and established the firm’s Washington, D.C., office in 1985. Mr. Hammour holds a Master of Science degree in management from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial and systems engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Steve Moore leads the Southwest Business Improvement District as Executive Director, connecting businesses and innovation efforts. Established in 2015, SWBID is a 480-acre cultural, government, and residential area occupying most of the SW quadrant of the District of Columbia. The SWBID employs 30 ambassadors and staff and manages several initiatives, including large-scale beautification programs, homeless outreach, weekend markets, transportation, and public art installations. Prior to working at the SWBID, Steve joined the team of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront LLC (HMW) as a leasing strategist and special projects manager. At HMW, he implemented the local leasing strategy and managed special projects for the 25-acre waterfront development on the Washington Channel. Steve also served as the President and CEO of the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, a non-profit organization promoting business and retail opportunities in the District of Columbia, and frequently worked with the Mayor's Office. Before joining the Economic Partnership, he was the Deputy Executive Director for the Downtown DC Business Improvement District. The majority of Steve's career was with The Rouse Company of Columbia, Maryland. Steve had led several forums and summits throughout his career in efforts to further economic prosperity. He has traveled extensively to study cities, tourism, transportation, climate change, event planning, and business development.

Seth Hurwitz, Chairman of I.M.P., co-owner of the 9:30 Club   As a teen all Seth Hurwitz wanted to do was put on shows.  Though he tried to produce a concert in junior high, he was told he was too young.  So he waited – but not for long. The first show he produced took place in his high school.  Not long after, working out of his bedroom in his parents’ home, he and his high school teacher Rich Heineke launched I.M.P., which today is one of the most successful independent concert promotion and production companies in the nation. In its 36 years, I.M.P. has presented more than 15,000 events, hosting millions of music fans. In addition to launching Virgin Festival in the U.S., promoting Sweetlife Festival and operating and programming The Lincoln Theatre and Merriweather Post Pavilion, I.M.P. also owns Washington, D.C.’s legendary 9:30 Club, the most attended club of its size in the world. Home to wide-ranging new and established acts, the 9:30 Club sells more tickets than any club in the world – and has done so for close to 13 years.  It’s the inimitable place bands love to play and music fans love to attend – a destination for locals and people across the nation. Gracing the stage have been legends Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Al Green, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and James Brown; recently discovered acts like Adele, Ed Sheeran, Drake, Gary Clark Jr., Wiz Khalifa and Kid Kudi, and arena acts looking for an intimate club play such as Pink, Justin Timberlake, the Smashing Pumpkins, Jack White and Foo Fighters. The 9:30 Club is a multiple winner of Billboard's Top Club of the Year for many years running, and has also has recently been named by Billboard as one of The Most Influential Music Venues in the country. The 9:30 Club is the #1 Club of its size by Pollstar year after year (#2 is in Belgium!).   Rolling Stone has named it the #1 Big Room in America. Seth Hurwitz has received national industry recognition and been named Promoter of the Year by Pollstar, and Merriweather Post Pavilion, the amphitheater he operates and promotes has been named one of the Top Three Amphitheaters in the World.  Additionally, the Virgin Mobile FreeFest, which Hurwitz is the co-producer and promoter since its inception, has been awarded the coveted Best Concert Promotion award by Billboard Magazine.   In addition to booking and operating the 9:30 Club, Seth promotes shows at other D.C.-area venues, including the RFK Stadium, Verizon Center, DAR Constitutional Hall, The National Mall, The National Theatre, U Street Music Hall, Patriot Center, The Lyric and Strathmore.

Stan Eckstut is a Principal and member of the Board of Directors at Perkins Eastman. As a strong ambassador for Placemaking and the creation of iconic public spaces, Eckstut’s work has focused on large‐scale, mixed‐use developments that emphasize wellbeing, integrated design, timelessness, and a lasting sense of place. Lower Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, Downtown Indianapolis, Downtown Long Beach, Hollywood & Highland, Baltimore's Inner Harbor, and more recently, the waterfronts of Buffalo and Washington, DC, have all been transformed by Eckstut’s designs and vision for how the 21st‐century city should be built at the human scale. Eckstut’s design expertise has historically focused on downtown and waterfront redevelopments, mixed‐use buildings, large commercial developments, transit‐oriented development and multimodal transit facilities, and sustainable design in the urban realm. He is best known for his design work on Hollywood and Highland Center, Paseo Colorado, The Wharf on Washington, DC’s Southwest Waterfront, the World Trade Center Site Transportation and Infrastructure Master Plan, MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn, and for developing the integrated master plan for Battery Park City. These and a host of other projects have been recognized with distinction by the American Institute of Architects, Urban Land Institute, New York Society of Architects, New York City DOT, The Waterfront Center, and various other organizations and publications for their transformative power and unique contribution to that respective city’s fabric.

Shawn Seaman joined Hoffman & Associates in 2001 and currently leads the acquisitions and development activities for the company. Since 2006, Seaman has acted as Project Director for The Wharf, where he has managed the development team and all aspects of the project development, including design, entitlements, financing, and implementation. Seaman is a LEED®-AP certified professional and leads the company’s sustainable design initiative. Seaman has more than 20 years of project experience in real estate development, urban design, town planning, architecture, and retail strategy, with projects throughout the United States. Seaman holds a degree in Architecture from the University of Miami, and a master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a real estate design and development certificate in conjunction with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Seaman is a registered architect in the state of Florida and the District of Columbia.

Austin Flajser is in charge of day-to-day operations of The Carr Companies with over 40 executive suite, hotel, commercial and retail assets under management in 8 markets across the country. These assets account for over $180M in annual operating revenue and over $200M of new projects currently in the development pipeline. Austin received his Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University, his Masters in Real Estate from Georgetown University and his Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University.

Her real love for hospitality design and her passion to create fabulous yet functional spaces was the true motivator to establish RD Jones & Associates in 1996. Rebecca has more than 30 years of specialized experience in Hospitality, restaurant and multifamily interior architecture and design. A true Texan at heart, she received her BFA degree from Texas Tech University and studied at Parsons School of Design in NYC. She spent 12 years working in New York with a sole focus on Hospitality before starting her name sake firm. As owner and principal of the firm, she continues to set the design direction and tone for all interior projects. Her experience in all types of renovation and new construction influences not only the creative process but the functional and operational process which she believes are the essential foundations of good design. Rebecca strives to create cutting edge design that is timeless. She has chosen for the firm to be sized appropriately so she can maintain her hands on style in oversight and development of RDJA projects. Her personal attention allows the firm to retain the high level of design and detail that the company is noted for. Rebecca desires to individually craft each environment, creating captivating architecture and décor. Most important to RDJA¹s mission is to create value for each project, embrace the clients needs, adhere to the projects budgetary constraints and build long term working relationships.

Ross Draber is the chief operating officer of United Bank, a subsidiary of United Bankshares, Inc., a $19.3 billion bank holding company. He is responsible for the performance and profitability of the Bank, directing commercial and consumer banking sales and service operations throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area. Draber oversees the region’s market presidents and works alongside them to drive growth and develop business strategy and execution plans. Draber has played an integral role in United Bank’s expansion since assuming the role in 2015. During that time, United Bank has grown to over 70 branches in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. It has the number one deposit market share among community banks in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area. Draber is highly involved with the merger and acquisition team and was instrumental in the Bank’s successful acquisitions of Cardinal Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries George Mason Mortgage, LLC and Cardinal Wealth Services, Inc. (2017); Bank of Georgetown (2016); and Virginia Commerce Bank (2014). Draber previously served as a senior vice president of treasury and corporate finance. In this role, he managed the capital adequacy and regulatory risk of United Bankshares, Inc., serving on the Asset Liability Committee (ALCO) and stress test development team. He oversaw the mergers and acquisitions analysis and supervised commercial loan pricing and term sheet structuring within United Bank. Prior to that, Draber held several positions in treasury and credit administration. Draber is a CFA® charterholder and a 2017 Washington Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree. He graduated from Washington and Lee University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration.