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Speakers and Panels

William Talbot

William Talbot

EVP, Chief Investment Officer

American Campus Communities

Amber Rao

Amber Rao

VP & Senior Mortgage Banker

KeyBank

Doug Kligman

Doug Kligman

Chief Investment Officer

Vesper Holdings

Doug Opalka
Moderator

Doug Opalka

Senior Managing Director

HFF

Brian Thompson

Brian Thompson

EVP, Investments

CA Ventures

Jeff Githens

Jeff Githens

President, Development

Peak Campus

Matthew Marshall

Matthew Marshall

Vice President of Development

RISE

Sean Studzinski

Sean Studzinski

Principal

Stantec

Bryan Kent

Bryan Kent

Business Unit leader

DPR Construction

Mark Hart

Mark Hart

CEO & Founding Member

Mark Hart Architecture

Sherry Mundell
Moderator

Sherry Mundell

Regional Director

WoodWorks

Nate Paul

Nate Paul

CEO

World Class Capital

Dani Tristan

Dani Tristan

Broker

McAllister & Associates

Donna Preiss

Donna Preiss

CEO

The Preiss Company

Andy Feinour

Andy Feinour

CEO

Student Quarters

Ryan Lang

Ryan Lang

Vice Chairman, Student Housing

Newmark Knight Frank

Greg Eden

Greg Eden

Chairman, President &CEO

National Campus and Community Development Corporation

Roger Phillips

Roger Phillips

Founding Principal & CEO

Texla Housing Partners

Daniel Armitage

Daniel Armitage

Associate Vice President Auxiliary Services

University of North Texas

Brent Little

Brent Little

CEO

Fountain Residential Partners

Andrew Wiedner

Andrew Wiedner

CIO

Core Spaces

Jonathan Reyes

Jonathan Reyes

Assistant Vice President

Harrison Street Real Estate

Mike Paluga

Mike Paluga

SVP of Development

PeakMade Real Estate

Larry Speck
Moderator

Larry Speck

Senior Principal

Page

Ben Bruns
Moderator

Ben Bruns

Business Development Director

Weitz

Sara Ibarra
Moderator

Sara Ibarra

Senior Associate/Academic Market Sector Manager

Page

William Talbot

EVP, Chief Investment Officer

American Campus Communities

illiam W. Talbot has served as ACC’s Chief Investment Officer/EVP since November 2012 and currently oversees all of the company’s investment activity – including mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, and on and off campus development as well as the company’s market research. During his time at the company, Mr. Talbot has been involved in transactions totaling more than 200 communities and more than $7.0 billion of student housing product, including the public merger with GMH as well as several of the largest portfolio acquisitions in the sector.

Mr. Talbot joined ACC in August 2001 as Director of Acquisitions and has since served in increasing capacities – including Director of Asset Management, Vice President of Investments, Senior Vice President of Investments and Executive Vice President of Investments. Prior to joining ACC, Mr. Talbot worked as an Acquisition Analyst for Lend Lease Real Estate Investments.

Mr. Talbot currently serves as Chairman of ULI’s Student Housing Council, member of the NMHC Finance Committee and as Chair-Elect of the Boys and Girls Club of Austin and Travis County, Inc. Mr. Talbot is a graduate of Vanderbilt University.

Amber Rao

VP & Senior Mortgage Banker

KeyBank

Amber Rao is Vice President and Senior Mortgage Banker with KeyBank Real Estate Capital in Dallas,

Texas. Amber provides clients with financing options through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, CMBS, Life

Companies and Debt Funds across a variety of multifamily asset types to include conventional, student

housing, manufactured housing and affordable housing. Over the last 17 years, Amber has been directly

involved in loan production totaling over $2.5 Billion.

Amber is an active member of The Real Estate Council, Commercial Real Estate Women and holds the

Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation. Amber was a founding member of the

Mortgage Bankers Association MPact Advisory Committee and is the current Chair of the Mortgage

Bankers Association CREF DE&I Council. Amber has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

from John Carroll University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas with concentrations in

Finance and Real Estate.

Doug Kligman

Chief Investment Officer

Vesper Holdings

Doug Kligman has served as Chief Investment Officer since joining Vesper in January 2010. Mr.

Kligman is responsible for the growth of the company's student housing portfolio and has personally

sourced over $500mm in off-market transactions for Vesper.

Prior to joining Vesper, Mr. Kligman lead acquisitions for The Scion Group for nearly ten years where

he was responsible for Scion’s student housing investment strategy, deal sourcing and evaluation,

and sourcing debt and equity.Mr. Kligman later gained national recognition for forming a first-of-

its-kind consortium of leading authorities on higher education finance including Moody’s Investors

Service, RBC Capital Markets, and Brailsford Dunlavey, to implement real estate optimization

strategies for colleges and universities.

Mr. Kligman is an attorney with experience representing clients from startups to publicly traded

companies in new business ventures and commercial and real estate transactions. Mr. Kligman holds

a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the UCLA School ofLaw.

Jeff Githens

President, Development

Peak Campus

Jeff joined the Company in 2008. In his role as President of Development, he is responsible for all aspects of sourcing, underwriting, and executing of new development opportunities for the Company. Jeff has been directly involved in the development of over $500 million of student housing apartment properties including all product types – garden-style, mid-rise, high-rise, and historic redevelopment. He has successfully conducted complex land acquisitions, redeveloped environmentally sensitive Brownfield properties, as well as qualified projects for tax credit programs, including historic, and led difficult rezoning and entitlement efforts. Prior to joining the Company, he held several senior management positions in the development, construction, and technology industries. Jeff earned his MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology where he graduated with honors.

Matthew Marshall

Vice President of Development

RISE

Rise: A Real Estate Company, is a national development firm specializing in both on and off campus student housing, market rate development and acquisitions. Mr. Marshall has over 20 years of experience developing both student and market rate transactions throughout the country. A current focus is developing market rate transactions in Florida while also pursuing off campus student developments throughout the southeast, mid-west and mid-Atlantic regions.

Sean Studzinski

Principal

Stantec

Sean serves as a lead Principal in the national residence life practice for Stantec Architecture. With a focus on the study and design of student life facilities, Sean's 20+ year career includes working with both universities and private developers. His portfolio features the design, management and production of extensive residence life facilities across the nation with national residence life developers and prime institutional clients. Sean’s leadership, attention to detail and knowledge of multiple facility types make him a valuable asset to any project.

Sean is well known in the Student Life sector and is regularly requested to write and present educational lectures on quality student housing and student life facilities at BizNow, NMHC, ACUHO-I, SWACUHO, TCUF, NAA Student Housing, Interface and SCUP. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, Texas Society of Architects, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and Association of College and University Housing Officers International.

Bryan Kent

Business Unit leader

DPR Construction

Bryan is the Business Unit Leader for the Central Region Austin office of DPR Construction. He provides vision and direction for the company with 22 years in the industry, and has established his reputation, as well as DPR's, by exceeding customer's expectations. As a DPR partner, Bryan brings the unique ability to lead project teams in team building by utilizing a collaborative process and high-performance problem-solving techniques.

Mark Hart

CEO & Founding Member

Mark Hart Architecture

Mark Hart, AIA, NCARB, LEED is the founding member and CEO of Mark Hart Architecture (MHA). A graduate of The Ohio State University, he relocated to Austin in 1997 and has since built a distinguished career in multifamily, high-rise, and high-density mixed-use architecture, with over 30 years of experience primarily in Central Texas.

His commitment at MHA centers on transforming clients' visions into reality. As CEO, he leads business development, strategic planning, and client relations, while also overseeing the architectural production process from initial site studies to the completion of construction documents and administration.

Mark has over seen the design and production of 5,000+ units in the Austin area mainly in the Urban Core and West Campus neighborhood.

Outside of work, Mark enjoys running the trails of Town Lake and cherishes time spent with his wife and two sons.

Sherry Mundell

Moderator

WoodWorks

A licensed professional engineer in Texas, Sherry joined WoodWorks in 2014 after more

than a decade as a structural design consultant. During this time, her project work spanned a wide range of building types—from mid-rise student housing and office buildings to schools, malls, museums and high-rises—giving her a depth of knowledge that she now uses to assist architects, engineers and others involved in the design of wood buildings. Sherry earned a BS in Architectural Engineering and is a member of the Structural Engineers Association of Texas.

Nate Paul

CEO

World Class Capital

Nate Paul is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of World Class. As World Class’ President and CEO, Mr. Paul directs the firm’s investment strategy.

World Class is a holding company that owns a diverse portfolio of real estate assets and operating companies. World Class creates, acquires, and operates businesses that benefit from its flexible capital, extensive global network, operational expertise, and long-term investment horizon. The firm implements a process-driven approach in pursuit of long-term value creation.

Since 2007, Mr. Paul has overseen over 100 completed transactions in building the company’s diverse portfolio of business and real estate assets. World Class Property Company, the firm’s real estate investment business, is one of the largest privately-owned real estate investors in the country.

Mr. Paul has been featured as a guest speaker at many colleges, universities, and conferences speaking on the topics of entrepreneurship, real estate, private equity, and investment management. He has been recognized by Forbes Magazine in their “30 under 30” list, and by Real Estate Forum Magazine on the “Fifty under 40” list of top real estate professionals.

Mr. Paul is an active member of the Pension Real Estate Association, NAREIT, NAIOP, ACG, TEXPERS, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Multifamily Housing Council, the Urban Land Institute, and the Turnaround Management Association. Mr. Paul serves on the board of the National Psoriasis Foundation, and is actively involved with philanthropic efforts with numerous organizations focused on youth, education, and environmental conservation. Mr. Paul attended the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas

Donna Preiss

CEO

The Preiss Company

Donna Preiss is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Preiss Company. For nearly 30 years, The Preiss Company has specialized in the development, acquisition, and management of off-campus student housing and is currently the 3rd largest privately owned student-housing provider in the country.

The company employs over 500 team members and is one of the largest and fastest growing student housing providers in the United States—currently owning and/or operating properties in 16 states. The Preiss Company is the leader in the development of new technologies, tools, and strategies for the student housing industry.

Donna received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MA Degree from the University of Maryland at College Park. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the NMHC, the Board of Trustees for Ravenscroft School & the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. Donna also serves on the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board and is a member of the NAA National Student Housing Committee, the NMHC National Student Housing Committee, and the Women President’s Organization.

Andy Feinour

CEO

Student Quarters

Andy founded Student Quarters in 2013 and has led the firm as President & CEO since its inception.

Under Andy’s leadership, the company has assembled a portfolio of over 9,000 beds and is now recognized as one of the leaders in the student housing sector. Andy’s primary responsibilities include building the Student Quarters’ team and raising capital. In addition, Andy serves on both the Investment Committee and Board of Directors.

Prior to starting Student Quarters, Andy was a Senior Vice President at Carter (2009–2012), and a Vice President at Holder Properties (2001–2008). Andy also spent four years as a Project Leader at The Boston Consulting Group, before getting into real estate.

Andy earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia in 1992, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia in 1997.

Ryan Lang

Vice Chairman, Student Housing

Newmark Knight Frank

Ryan Lang, vice chairman and head of Newmark Knight Frank’s Student Housing division, spearheads best-in-class investment sales, capital markets and advisory services on behalf of the firm’s clients. He has represented many of the largest global institutional, public and private real estate companies and has completed approximately $10 billion in real estate transactions.

Prior to joining Newmark Knight Frank, Ryan was vice president with CBRE’s National Student Housing Group, where he helped lead their team to number one market share position in the country. Before that, Ryan worked as director of multifamily investments for New Orleans-based Stirling Properties, where he specialized in the sale of conventional and student housing assets. While there, he was recognized as the top investment sales broker at Stirling Properties for both 2011 and 2012. Ryan began his real estate career in New York City at Marcus & Millichap, where he gained experience in seller representation, acquisitions and investment underwriting. During his first year there, his investment team was recognized as the number one top-earning team in the office. He was also awarded the Pace Setter award for 2008.

Ryan was named to the NKF Chairman’s Circle in recognition of being one of the top producing brokers in the entire company and he regularly speaks at acclaimed student housing events throughout North America and Europe. Ryan has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and on National Public Radio for his expertise and leadership within the sector. Ryan serves on the board of directors of the National Brain Tumor Society, the largest non-profit brain cancer organization in the world.

Professional Achievements

NKF Chairman’s Circle, 2017-Present

Top Five Producer, Newmark Knight Frank

Top Producer, Stirling Properties, 2011-2012

Connect Media Top Broker Award, 2019

Co-Star Power Broker Award

Pace Setter Award, Marcus & Millichap, 2008

Greg Eden

Chairman, President &CEO

National Campus and Community Development Corporation

Greg Eden, founder of NCCD, began his career as a bond lawyer with the national law firm of Kutak Rock. After becoming a partner in the law firm and with his development of the concept of tax-exempt leasing, Mr. Eden opted to become a registered broker dealer specializing in public private partnerships.

Mr. Eden was a founder of the Association for Governmental Leasing and Finance, an industry-leading organization that provides guidance to those actively engaged in the government and non profit leasing and financing. For the last thirty five years Mr. Eden has served as an advisor, consultant, and developer of projects serving K-12 institutions, higher education, and state and local governments. In the course of this time period he has become nationally recognized as an expert on the subject of tax-exempt project finance. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College where he received an AB degree and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Roger Phillips

Founding Principal & CEO

Texla Housing Partners

Based in Lafayette with offices in New Orleans and Austin, TX, Roger has over 25 years of experience in the acquisition, development and management of multi-family and student-housing properties throughout the U.S. He spent his early career acquiring multi-family and student competitive assets in from Baton Rouge to Lake Charles, LA along the I-10 corridor. This built up into an approximate 2,000 unit portfolio that was sold in 2000. Roger subsequently went to work for student-housing firms JPI, American Campus Communities, and CLV. During his tenure has acquired, developed and disposed of approximately $750 million in conventional and student housing real estate. These transactions have involved multiple financing structures including tax-exempt bonds and conventional debt financing. Since starting Texla, he has acquired approximately $275 million in student housing assets for JV partners Harrison Street and Crow Holdings. Roger holds a B.B.A. from Louisiana State University.

Daniel Armitage

Associate Vice President Auxiliary Services

University of North Texas

Responsible for Center for Student Affairs Discovery Park, Coliseum and Gateway Center, Dining Services, Housing and Residence Life, University Union

Brent Little

CEO

Fountain Residential Partners

Brent has been instrumental in the development and construction of well over $2 billion of multifamily rental and condominium properties, as well as office, retail, and commercial properties, in a career spanning over 20 years. He has led various divisions of JPI Luxury and JPI Student Living Development and Construction, as well as with other major developers such as Echelon Residential, The Related Group of Florida, Trammel Crow Residential, and First Worthing. Before co-founding Fountain Residential Partners, Brent served as Executive Vice President and National Development Partner at Place Properties where he opened the Dallas office and was responsible for over $900M of the company’s development activities across the country over a four year period.

Brent is a frequently requested speaker at national multifamily and student housing conferences and is active in many professional organizations.

Brent majored in Electrical Engineering at Rice University and UT-Arlington.

Andrew Wiedner

CIO

Core Spaces

As CIO of Core Spaces, Andrew Wiedner is responsible for identifying and evaluating new development and acquisition opportunities for the company. His role includes site selection, due diligence, analyzing the company’s investment strategy, and managing debt and equity relationships.

Prior to joining Core Spaces, Andrew spent 13 years sourcing debt and equity for a broad-reaching client base, ranging from small family shops to billion-dollar pension funds. In his mortgage banking role, Andrew arranged more than $3 billion of financing for all property types, including office buildings, shopping centers, student housing developments, single-tenant buildings, hotels, industrial warehouses and land development.

Andrew graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and minor in Italian. He is currently the President of the Illini Real Estate Forum and Chairman of the Memory Rock Committee benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association.

Jonathan Reyes

Assistant Vice President

Harrison Street Real Estate

Mr. Reyes currently works at Harrison Street Real Estate where he joined the firm in 2014. As an Assistant Vice President in the Transactions group, he assists in the sourcing, analyzing, and closing of transactions and venture relationships within the student housing sector.

Prior to joining Harrison Street, Mr. Reyes served as Director of Capital Markets for American Campus Communities, where he assisted in the development and implementation of capital market strategies and sourcing capital for growth. He also served as an acquisitions analyst within the Investments Group. Before joining American Campus Communities, Mr. Reyes was an Analyst at UBS Investment Bank where he focused on debt, equity and M&A transactions for public and private financial institutions.

Mr. Reyes holds a BA in Finance from Texas A&M University.

Mike Paluga

SVP of Development

PeakMade Real Estate

Accomplished real estate executive with over nineteen (19) years of diverse development experience on over $2 billion of varying real estate asset product types, including for-sale and rental multi-family, student housing, and senior housing/skilled nursing facilities. Extensive knowledge of all phases of real estate development and well versed in development oversight. In addition, over eleven (11) years of architectural experience on large profile design-build projects. A proven leader with strong work ethic, and excellent organizational and communication skills.

Larry Speck

Moderator

Page

Page Senior Principal Lawrence W. Speck, FAIA, has worked on many of Austin’s landmark projects, open spaces and central Austin master planning efforts including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Barbara Jordan Terminal and the recent Terminal East Infill; Austin Convention Center; Town Lake Comprehensive Plan; 2nd Street District; UT Austin Master Plan; UT Dell Medical School Master Plan and Texas Facilities Commission Capitol Complex Master Plan. Speck’s work on the UT Dell Medical School Innovation Zone dates back to 2013 when the district was conceived. His firm has continuing involvement with the Medical School Master Plan and four buildings in that complex. Speck’s far-reaching healthcare design experience has put him at the forefront of changing dynamics and emphasis on patience-centric philosophies and innovation shaping the field. Within the last 10 years alone, Speck’s work has been recognized with over 75 design awards, and his thoughts on architecture and urban planning have been published throughout the world.

Ben Bruns

Moderator

Weitz

As an engineer, project manager and project leader, Ben has spent time understanding what the key outcomes are for customers so he can tailor solutions to their needs. Additionally, his past project management experience has given him first-hand knowledge of on-site constructability, leading customers and project teams throughout the development and delivery of the project.

Serving the role of project integrator on your new home, Ben brings team building skills to help assure the architect selected fits your culture and all involved in the project are driving toward your key project goals. He has developed many long-term relationships with the clients of his projects and they trust him with seamlessly executing their work.

Ben spends some of his free time volunteering and participating on boards for not-for-profit organizations such as Children & Families of Iowa, the Des Moines Symphony, Amanda the Panda and Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa.

What makes Weitz such a great place to work?

I enjoy the opportunity we have to help our customers’ visions come true. We get the job to help their space needs align with their business needs; from huge corporations to small not-for-profits. It is truly rewarding.

What is one thing everyone should know about The Weitz Company?

That we listen. We want to know their goals first, then tailor a solution to their physical needs.

Something unique or interesting about me is …

I’m a former Division I college football player and spent 10 years coaching at one of the top high schools in the state of Iowa. Being part of a team is in my DNA and I love the life lessons of sport.

Industry Memberships:

Greater Des Moines Partnership.

Summary

With students facing steep costs for higher education, housing is a top priority and a key factor in the decision process for commitment. Undergraduate enrollment is projected to increase to 17.4 million students by 2027 according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Developers looking to capitalize on this demand must also consider the impact of the school community and additional cost that housing implies for young students and families coming to the area. 

Our all-star panelists will dive deep into student housing capital markets and finance, housing of the future, CRE tech, and value-add opportunities, as well as:

Current Trends in University Life: University Partnerships: How can universities partner with private developers to work together to address evolving student demands. 

Affordable Student Housing: The cost of housing has added thousands on top of an already high bill for many families. A lot of universities have more students then beds which poses an issue for the surrounding communities. The waitlist alone for UNT housing is $400 for new students. 

Development Trends: Where is capital coming from and what is going to push the market forward?

Join Bisnow in Austin and hear from the top owners, developers, investors, universities, and more at our most exciting event of the year!

Share your comments, post your photos, and ask questions using #BisnowBASH on Twitter and Instagram, and follow us @Bisnow on Twitter for more local news. 

For questions, comments, and press inquiries, contact Tess, our Senior Event Producer at Tess.Jones@bisnow.com.

Venue

Omni Austin Hotel Downtown
700 San Jacinto Street
Austin, TX 78701

Ballroom: Capital Ballroom - 2nd floor


$14 discounted day use self-parking

Agenda

Time Activity
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
Registration, Breakfast, Coffee & Networking
12:30 PM
1:00 PM
Speed Dealmaking
1:15 PM
2:00 PM
Getting Deals Done: Investments, Capital Markets, P3 Partnerships, And Student Housing Finance

• William Talbot, EVP Chief Investment Officer, American Campus Communities
• Amber Rao, Vice President, Multifamily Capital Markets Lending, Keybank
• Doug Kligman, Chief Investment Officer Vesper Holdings
• Moderator: Doug Opalka, Senior Managing Director, HFF

2:00 PM
2:45 PM
Building For Tomorrow: Construction, Design, and Developments In The Pipeline

• Brian Thompson, Executive Vice President Investments, CA Ventures
• Mike Paluga, Vice President Development, Peak Campus
• Matthew Marshall, Vice President Development, RISE< br> • Sean Studzinski, Principal, Stantec
• Bryan Kent, Project Executive, DPR Construction
• Mark Hart, CEO, Senior Archetect, Mark Hart Architecture
• Moderator: Sherry Mundell, Regional Director, WoodWorks

2:45 PM
3:05 PM
Sit Down With Nate Paul

Nate Paul, CEO, World Class Capital
Interviewed by:
Dani Tristan, Broker, McAllister & Associates

3:05 PM
4:00 PM
Lunch
4:00 PM
4:45 PM
CEO Market Update

• Donna Preiss, CEO, The Preiss Company
• Andy Feinour, President & CEO, Student Quarters
• Ryan Lang, Executive Managing Director, ARA Newmark Student Housing
• Greg Eden, Chairman President & CEO, National Campus and Community Development Corporation
• Moderator: Ben Bruns, Business Development Director, Weitz

4:45 PM
5:30 PM
Affordable Student Housing: Is The Time For Luxury Running Out?

• Roger Phillips, CEO, Texla Housing Partners
• Daniel Armatage, Associate Vice President Auxiliary Services, University of North Texas
• Brent Little, President, Fountain Residential Partners
• Andrew Weidner, CIO, Core Spaces
• Jonathan Rayes, Assistant Vice President, Harrison Street Real Estate
• Moderator: Sarah Ibarra, Senior Associate/Academic Market Sector Manager Page

5:30 PM
5:30 PM
End Of Event