Larry DiCara is among Boston’s most recognized attorneys and civic leaders. A frequent speaker at colleges, universities and other venues, as well as a regular go-to source in Boston media, Larry has taught at Harvard, Boston University and the University of Massachusetts. Larry practices real estate and administrative law and has been intimately involved with the development process in and around Boston for more than 40 years.

Friedman is the President and CEO of Carpenter and Company Inc., a hospitality and luxury

residential real estate development firm based in Cambridge, MA. He is known for his creative

approach to hotel developments, the reuse of historic structures, and transformative mixed-use

projects.

Friedman is the visionary behind the famed transformation of the former Charles Street Jail, a

historic landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, into the beloved Liberty Hotel in

Boston, MA; the Charles Square Mixed-Use development, a vibrant destination that includes The

Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA; and New England’s tallest residential building, Four Seasons

Private Residences One Dalton Street, Boston, which The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban

Habitat recently recognized as a best tall building worldwide. Carpenter also developed Iceland’s

first five-star hotel, The Reykjavik EDITION, as well as St. Regis San Francisco, and various

other Four Seasons, Hyatt, and Marriot hotels. As a former long-term member of the Board of

Directors of Four Seasons, Friedman was actively involved in the company’s global expansion

and design quality. His firm is currently developing Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences

Dallas, Turtle Creek.

Friedman’s contributions to the public realm have been recognized with a variety of awards,

including Man of the Year from Boston Preservation Alliance; the Icon Award from Boston

University School of Hospitality; Developer of Year from Americas Lodging Investment

Summit; and Man of the Year from Rogerson Communities.

Beyond real estate, Friedman is known for his long-standing dedication to civic service,

philanthropy, and education. During the Clinton Administration, he served as Chairman of the

National Capital Planning Commission, the federal government’s central planning agency for the

National Capital Region. President Barack Obama appointed Friedman to the President’s Export

Council, where he served as Vice Chairman of the sub-committee advising on U.S. travel and

tourism policy and he is also the founder of the Interagency Security Task Force.

Friedman’s board participation spans across various organizations and nonprofits, such as the

Steppingstone Foundation, an organization that named him Man of the Year; Bridge Fund; John

F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; PNC Bank – New England; Johnny Rockets, Inc.;

GateHouse Media, Inc.; and the Dartmouth College Real Estate Committee. He is a recipient of a

Certificate of Appreciation Award from Harvard Business School and has been recognized by the

Boston Minuteman Council of the Boy Scouts of America with a Good Scout Award.

Friedman is a graduate of Dartmouth College. He is an avid skier and served as the Harvard Ski

Team Head Coach from 1965-1971.

Douglas J. Manz is a Partner and the Director of Development at The HYM Investment Group, LLC. HYM is currently leading the development of over eighteen (18) million square feet of mixed-use development in Greater Boston, including Bulfinch Crossing (Government Center Garage Redevelopment) and Suffolk Downs. Mr. Manz previously served as a Development Partner for JPI and Vice President of Development for Northland Investment Corporation where he focused on the permitting and development of high-rise, mid-rise and low-rise multifamily projects. Prior to that, he held various positions with Leggat McCall Properties in Boston. In 2013, Mr. Manz was appointed to and served on the City of Cambridge Transportation Advisory Committee and is a member of ULI and NAIOP. Mr. Manz is a graduate of Cornell University and the Harvard University School of Design.

Rosemarie E. Sansone, President & CEO of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District (BID) Corporation, has focused on business, jobs and community in a career that has spanned the private and public sectors. She has worked in government, community affairs, advertising and fundraising.

Rosemarie was twice elected to the Boston City Council, where she served at large, developing a broad understanding of the relationships among city, state and federal agencies. Later she played a pivotal role in attracting businesses, tourism and conventions to the city as the director of the Mayor’s Office of Business and Cultural Development in the Flynn administration. In 1994, she joined Suffolk University as director of public affairs, with responsibilities that included collaborating with public- and private-sector partners on downtown’s ongoing revitalization.

In 2007, Rosemarie transitioned to the Downtown Crossing Partnership, the BID’s predecessor organization. As its leader she spearheaded the multi-year campaign that led to the BID’s establishment in 2010. Rosemarie brought a collaborative style built upon teamwork with hundreds of business and property owners as the driving force behind the creation and success of Boston’s first BID.

In leading the BID, Rosemarie is committed to serving its members through direct and immediate attention to their needs and those of the district. She works closely with the mayor’s office, the Boston Planning & Development Agency, the Boston Police Department, and a host of other city agencies to ensure the BID achieves the district’s full potential as a premier and vibrant destination.

Rosemarie studied liberal arts at Suffolk University and earned a master’s degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Boston. Rosemarie has served on many boards, including the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Economic Development Industrial Board. She currently serves on the board of Revolution 250, which commemorates the anniversaries of significant events that led to the outbreak of the American Revolution. In 2013-14, Rosemarie served on Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s transition team, advising the incoming administration about basic city services. In 2016, she served as co-chair of the commission that oversaw the creation of the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park in Boston’s Seaport.

Kishore Varanasi is a globally recognized urban designer, educator, and strategic thinker whose work has reshaped urban landscapes and redefined the role of cities in fostering delightful, equitable, resilient, and human-centered futures. As Senior Principal and Director of Urban Design, he leads visionary projects that integrate design excellence with social and environmental purpose.

His portfolio includes transformative master plans such as P&G Fort Point Waterfront, Cambridge Crossing, Boston University, and Suffolk Downs; mixed-use developments like 585 Kendall and Bulfinch Crossing in Greater Boston; and internationally acclaimed initiatives such as Masdar City, Hudayriat Island, Abu Dhabi Climate Initiatives, Plan Capital 2040 in Abu Dhabi, Lincoln Yards in Chicago, and the Durham Innovation District.

Known for his ability to align community, civic, and private interests, Varanasi is a trusted advisor to city leaders, institutions, and developers—championing designs grounded in the highest standards of excellence, long-term value, and sustainability. His work has been recognized by organizations including the American Institute of Architects, Rethinking the Future, World Architecture News, and the Urban Land Institute, among others.

A passionate educator and mentor, Varanasi has taught and served as a visiting critic at MIT, Harvard University, and the Boston Architectural College, where he is also a Trustee. He contributes actively to the civic realm through leadership roles at Boston Harbor Now and the Emerald Network, reinforcing his role as a convener of public dialogue on the future of cities. He has served on prestigious juries such as the Urban Land Institute Americas Awards for Excellence and the World Architecture News Awards, lending global perspective to the recognition of design innovation. His contributions have been widely celebrated, including receiving the Norman B. Leventhal Award for Urban Excellence for leadership in creating cities that foster community, equity, and resilience.

Varanasi holds a Master of Science in Urbanism from MIT, a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad. In his role at CBT, he continues to inspire, innovate, and lead—shaping the cities of tomorrow through visionary design, strategic leadership, and an unwavering commitment to the public good.

Maura Griffith Moffatt is Managing Director of Investments at Synergy Investments, a

Boston-based real estate investment firm focused on the acquisition, repositioning and operation

of commercial office buildings. Its current portfolio encompasses approximately 3.8 million

square feet across 25 properties primarily in downtown Boston. In this role, Maura is responsible

for acquisitions, dispositions, and portfolio management, including debt and equity relations.

Prior to joining Synergy, she was a Director of asset management with Long Wharf Real Estate

Partners LLC, the successor to the Fidelity Real Estate Group following its spin-out from

Fidelity Investments. At Fidelity, Maura was a Director involved in similar activities, overseeing

the development, marketing, leasing, operations, financing and disposition of a national portfolio

of diversified value-add real estate investments. Before joining Fidelity, Maura was a partner at

the law firm of Goodwin Procter LLP in the firm’s Real Estate, REITs and Real Estate Capital

Markets practice group, where her practice encompassed a wide variety of commercial real estate

transactions, with a concentration in the areas of real estate securities and capital markets, as well

as real estate investment management, including property acquisitions, development, and debt

and equity restructurings.

Maura is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), currently serving as the

ULI Boston/New England District Chair and is part of their Advisory Board Leadership Team.

Maura also serves as a Board Member for the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association

of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), and is a member of the Greater Boston Real Estate

Board, including the Real Estate Finance Association (REFA), Women in Real Estate Private

Equity (WIRE), and Commercial Real Estate Women Network (CREW) (formerly NEWIRE).

David Fleming is a founder and principal at PACE Communications Group, a marketing firm that works with commercial and residential real estate brokers and developers, architectural firms, construction companies, retailers, and more. PACE develops omnichannel marketing programs that generate leads, drive brand awareness, and help companies promote and lease space more effectively. Formerly, Fleming was Corporate Marketing Director at WS Development, where he helped launch WS centers such as Legacy Place, Mansfield Crossing, Wareham Crossing and the rebranding of The Street in Chestnut Hill.