Mayor Baine Brooks has a long history of community service in Allen and North Texas. Before being elected Allen Mayor in 2023, Brooks served as an Allen City Councilmember from 2012-2022 and as Allen Mayor Pro Tem from 2021-2022.

Along with his experience in municipal government, Brooks is a former director of the North Texas Food Bank, past president of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association and previously served as regional director of the Texas Restaurant Association. He is also the recipient of several community awards including the National Autism Association’s 2021 Community Angel Award, the 2019 Collin County MLK Jr. Day Drum Major Award and the 2015 Kiwanis Club of Allen Spirit of Community Award.

Brooks and his wife own and manage a local Allen restaurant they founded in 1995. He played baseball at Connors State College before transferring to the University of Oklahoma. Mayor Brooks holds a BA in Communications from the University of Oklahoma. In 2013, he was inducted into the Connors State College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Manuel "Manny" Ybarra is the Founder and CEO of Pillar Commercial, a vertically-integrated commercial real estate investment and operating company based in Allen, Texas. In this role, Manny is responsible for managing the investment performance of a portfolio consisting of office and industrial properties. He leads a team of seasoned professionals in implementing strategies related to acquisitions, finance, property operations, project leasing and dispositions.

Prior to launching Pillar Commercial, Manny was executive vice president of Dallas-based TPMC Realty Corporation. In that capacity, he oversaw the leasing and management divisions for the company's real estate holdings in Dallas and Houston. Before entering the real estate industry, Manny served as vice president of economic development for the Greater Dallas Chamber. During his tenure, Manny was an active team leader in recruiting Fortune 500 companies to the greater Dallas region.

Manny is also active in various civic work and industry-related organizations. He has served on several City of Dallas boards, including the Dallas Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment. He has also been a member of Dallas' Real Estate Task Force, a committee formed by the Dallas City Council to establish long-term strategies on economic development projects impacting the city of Dallas. He has served on the board of directors for Dallas' Downtown Improvement District and Richardson Chamber Board of Directors. He has also successfully completed several community leadership development programs, including The Real Estate Council's Associate Leadership Council and Leadership Richardson.

Manny is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas (1990). He is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute and earned the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation in 2002. He was the 2009 president of the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors (NTCAR). He has served on the board of directors for The Real Estate Council (TREC) and was appointed chairman of TREC’s Government Affairs in 2010-2011.

He has also achieved several noteworthy accomplishments including multiple year awards of the Dallas Business Journal’s Heavy Hitters and Best Real Estate Deal, including the 2011 Office Deal of the Year. Manny is also the 2011 recipient of the Stemmons Service Award, considered to be the highest honor in the Dallas commercial real estate industry.

With nearly 41 years of experience in the design, construction and development of real estate, Bruce

understands the need for a good team approach. As an Architect for the first ten years of his career, he

designed a variety of projects before moving into the development business with Woodbine

Development in 1989. There he was responsible for the BNSF Railroad Corporate Headquarters in Ft.

Worth and redevelopment of the old Sanger Harris department store in downtown Dallas into DART’s

current headquarters. Mr. Heller formed Fults Project Services with Jerry Fults in 1995 and served as

Development Partner with Means Knaus before forming JaRyCo Development in 2001. Over the last 19

years, JaRyCo has successfully completed a range for projects including office buildings, medical office

and specialty hospitals, corporate headquarter facilities, office flex projects and land developments. A

hands-on developer with a reputation for quality and attention to detail, Bruce has completed over 4

million SF of developments worth over half a billion dollars. When not leading JaRyCo, Bruce volunteers

for a number of community organizations, has held several positions with the Allen Sunrise Rotary Club

and at his church and for the past 9 years has deployed to disasters around the world as a Shelterbox

Response Team Member.

Pat McFarland is a Sr. Mortgage Banker with KeyBank Real Estate Capital. He specializes in multifamily loan originations for KeyBank’s balance sheet and off-balance sheet products including Agencies, FHA, CMBS, LifeCo. placement, and other fixed and floating products. KeyBank also provides structured entity financing and CRE Investment Banking.

According to James Craig, he has the best job in the world. It offers the ability to meet and interact with

new people on a daily basis and allows him to establish long-lasting relationships, a practice that James

puts great emphasis on. “My approach is always to look at the big picture. It’s not about the deal today as

much as it’s about the potential opportunities and relationships it provides for tomorrow.”

As President of Craig International, James is responsible for the acquisition and disposition of

commercial and residential land, as well as income-producing assets. He connects with clients and

customers on a day-to-day basis and collaborates with colleagues, municipalities and third parties. A big

part of what James does is connect people with one another and surround them with the tools needed to be

successful.

In a service-oriented industry, James knows that putting people first is essential to long-term success. He

stresses the importance of clients knowing there’s someone in their corner every step of the way.

Providing clients with the highest level of proficiency and dependability are the same core values that

have defined Craig International from the start. For over three decades, Craig International has played a

significant role in the North Texas commercial real estate and development industry. Born and raised in

Collin County, the area holds a special place in James’ heart. “I’m proud of our family heritage as a

company with deep, long-standing roots in this community.”

Now a licensed real estate broker, James grew up immersed in the business. “As far back as I can

remember, real estate has always been a big part of our lives. Some of my very first memories consist of

visiting properties and looking at maps or surveys.” Being a good representative of the land is something

that was instilled in James at a very young age: “If you are a good steward of the land, the land will be

good to you, which in effect provides good stewardship to your community.”

When James isn’t in the office, he enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife, Sabrina, have

three sons: James (IV), Carter and Weston.

Lee is a registered municipal advisor with more than 25 years of experience in domestic and

international finance. Lee founded Lone Star PACE to serve as a program administrator to the

cities and counties within the State of Texas that elect to implement a Property Assessed Clean

Energy (PACE) program. He works with public and private entities to help them achieve their

energy and water conservation goals via the PACE financing program in their regions.

Prior to founding Lone Star PACE, Lee created Community Development Associates, Granite

Municipal Advisors and Sierra Management Group to help public, private and nonprofit entities

navigate the requirements for various state and federal tax-advantaged financing programs.

Since then, these entities have helped finance more than $40 billion in private activity bonds

across 35 states.

Lee also served as assistant treasurer for USA Waste Services, where he assisted with the

aggressive growth strategy that involved acquiring more than 300 small to midsize companies,

taking the company’s revenue from $600 million to $3 billion during a four-year period. The

company successfully completed a reverse merger in 1998 with Waste Management Inc.,

bringing total revenues to more than $13 billion.

Lee received his BA in finance with honors from Sam Houston State University and his MBA

with honors from the University of Houston. He is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory

Authority (FINRA) and the Frisco Chamber of Commerce, and he has served as an advisor on

the Department of Energy C-PACE Working Group.

Daniel Bowman is a native of Allen, Texas and was named Executive Director/CEO of the Allen

Economic Development Corporation in 2014 after 10 years with the organization. He was

recognized in the Top 40 under 40 by the Dallas Business Journal (2021) and the International

Economic Development Council (2013) and has been instrumental in recruiting corporate

projects including NetSCOUT Systems, Credit Union of Texas, WatchGuard Video and KONE

Elevators. Bowman was also instrumental in structuring the public-private partnership for the

Watters Creek and The Farm in Allen mixed-use developments.

His background and focus on community collaboration led him to several community

leadership roles with the Kiwanis Club, Leadership Allen and other civic organizations. He is a

graduate of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) CFL Leadership Class and recently earned his CCIM

pin. Bowman is a graduate of Trinity University and the University of Texas at Dallas, where he

earned his MBA.

Since 2018, Maher has been a Principal in site selection and business incentives at Ryan, the largest firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business tax. With more than 20 years of economic development experience in the public sector, Mr. Maso supports Ryan clients to improve profitability through business growth and development. Previously, Maher Maso served as the CEO of the Prosper Economic Development Corporation. Maher Maso also proudly served as Mayor of the City of Frisco from 2008-2017, named by the U.S. Census Bureau as the fastest growing city in the country in the last decade. Under Mayor Maso’s administration, the City of Frisco has received dozens of awards and attributions including Money Magazine “Best Places to Live List” and Allstate’s “Safe and Secure Communities List”

Maher Maso works to represent small and large companies to create public/private partnerships and to create jobs in communities by negotiating incentives and focusing on site selection. His initiatives as Mayor positioned the City of Frisco as a hub of first-class entertainment, sports and sports medicine including the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas and the world headquarters of the PGA.

He has been interviewed by Newsweek, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and others. Maher is a regular keynote speaker and has spoken globally for government, trade associations and corporations.

Sean Terry, Vice President of Entitlements, has been deeply involved in the North Texas community since moving to the area after graduating from Texas A&M University in 1995. A former member of the Texas A&M Aggies football team, he was named a team captain during his senior year. In 2013, Terry began his tenure as mayor of Celina and was re-elected to his first full term in 2014, serving until 2023. A sixth-generation Collin County resident, Terry lives in Celina with his wife, Angie, and their children, Kylee and Kade.

Founder and CEO of Welker Properties, Andrew Welker, is an avid adventurer—whether flying helicopters, captaining boats, advancing his scuba diving skills or fly fishing, he’s always looking for the next adrenaline rush. The same daring passion has been applied to Welker’s business life. He bought his first investment property at just 23-years-old, and in 2008, in the height of the recession, he became a founding partner at New Western Acquisitions, a Texas-based real estate firm that was ranked one of the top 10 fastest growing companies in Texas by the Dallas Business Journal. Welker led the charge in growing the company into one of the largest home buyers in the nation for over nine years, serving as CEO for the majority of his tenure at New Western. Under his tutelage, the company purchased over 12,000 distressed residential properties all over the United States, at a value of over $2 billion which made the company one of the largest homebuyers in the nation.

Welker entered into the multifamily industry in 2018 with the launch of Welker Properties, a vertically integrated real estate development company located in Dallas, TX. The company’s focus is on both value-add multifamily opportunities and new development positioned in areas with the strongest market fundamentals prime for high growth.

Besides being a renegade both in his business and personal life, Welker also gets an adrenaline rush from his philanthropic pursuits. He launched the Welker Foundation in 2017, a charity wherein all profits raised are donated to Habitat for Humanity.

Logan is vice president of Beall Investments and president of Beall Development. He has been around the real estate industry his whole life. His great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all worked in the concrete and construction business. Logan took real estate classes while attending undergrad at the University of Oklahoma, but focused on earning his BBA in both accounting and entrepreneurship. He became personally involved in the real estate industry in 2016 when he attended DePaul University’s MBA program focusing on real estate finance and investments. While in MBA school, he interned at City Club Apartments, where he began his real estate career analyzing rent data in various Midwest markets. After earning his MBA with distinction, Logan worked full-time for City Club Apartments until he left in 2019 to join his father.

During his brief real estate career, Logan has underwritten and seen successfully developed projects totaling $450 million, designed the unit mix for multiple apartment communities, and was involved in the development team that finished a 338-unit apartment community in Hudson Oaks, TX.

Zach Sams joined Kensington Vanguard in November of 2016 after serving as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Fidelity National Title’s Dallas/Fort Worth division from 2012-2016. Zach is focused on expanding KV’s footprint in the D/FW, Texas, Arizona and National markets. From selling real estate for to business development roles at prominent local and national title insurance companies, Zach has been active in the in the real estate market since 2005.

Prior to the title industry, Zach attended The Golf Academy of America in San Diego, then spent two years playing professional golf on various mini tours in Southern California. Zach is a Veteran of the US Army. Zach lives in Argyle, TX with his wife Amber and their two boys 11&13. In his free time Zach enjoys playing competitive amateur golf and traveling with his wife and kids.

Jorge Ramirez is an experienced real estate development and construction executive with domestic and international success in site selection, land development, build-to-suit and multi-tenant projects with a demonstrated history of working in the real estate industry. Strong business professional skilled in governmental negotiations, predevelopment due diligence, contract and lease negotiations and comprehensive project management. Over the years, Ramirez has demonstrated impressive dedication to the mixed-use and multi-family side of development as well as a honed talent for unifying communities.

Kenneth Carley is an accredited airport executive with over 25 years of professional airport

management experience. He joined the City of McKinney as the Director of McKinney National Airport in

February 2018.

Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management from Ohio State University and a

Master of Business Administration degree from Ohio University.

Throughout his career Ken has held leadership roles at both commercial service and general aviation

airports. Prior to joining McKinney, Ken served as the Director of Operations and Maintenance at Quad

City International Airport in Moline, IL. His career also includes serving as the Director of Ohio University

Airport in Athens, Ohio.

Previously, Ken worked for Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, holding various

positions including Director of Operations and Airport Director.

Barry is a Principal in Gensler’s Dallas office with experience as an architect and thought leader across multiple practice areas. He is committed to improving the places where we live, work, play, stay, and learn, with a focus on placemaking in mixed-use, planning, education, and residential projects. Passionate about bold ideas, he brings decades of diverse architectural and planning leadership experience in local and international markets with expertise in directing large teams and complex placemaking projects. Barry’s management approach is guided by his keen attention to client service, design, project budgets, and technical/jurisdictional requirements. Recognized as an industry thought leader, he is frequently featured in speaking engagements and publications.

Barry is also active in various civic organizations, including serving on the Board of Greater Dallas Planning Council and Downtown Dallas Inc, as well as the executive committee of the Board of Directors for the Dallas Wind Symphony — a personal passion. Barry previously served as Chair of the Planning Commission in Richardson, Texas, and is currently an Adjunct Studio Critic for Texas Tech University’s College of Architecture. His interest in the influences of mixed-use redevelopment to revitalize decaying urban perimeters led to writing a semester-long curriculum for the College of Architecture at the university. Barry is a member of the Urban Design and Mixed-Use Product Council of the Urban Land Institute, International Council of Shopping Centers, and the American Planning Association.

Chad earned his B.S. in Landscape Architecture as well as his M.S in Land

and Property Development from Texas A&M University in 2015. Prior to

joining Wilks Development, he started his career in Chicago where he

worked for a project management firm that oversaw the construction

process for projects in the multi-family, education, medical, and office

sectors. From there he went to work for a nationally recognized home

builder as a Land Development Manager where he managed the design and

construction process for single family developments throughout the

Chicagoland area.

Chad joined Wilks Development in 2019 as a Development Manager where

he helps to manage the day-to-day field operations and supervision of the

Wilks Development project teams. He is actively involved early in project

development with clients and tenants to maintain a consistency between

construction and project delivery.

Michael Kowski is President & CEO of the McKinney Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), where he leads strategic efforts to attract global investment, accelerate business expansion, and advance innovation. He brings a multidisciplinary background in economic development, urban planning, and municipal leadership, and has successfully negotiated billions of dollars in private investment since his tenure began in October 2023.

Under Michael’s leadership, MEDC elevated McKinney as a premier destination where innovation, opportunity, and community thrive. Located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex – an economic powerhouse and one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States – McKinney, Texas, has become nationally recognized for its strong economy, high quality of life, vibrant historic downtown, and as one of America’s most desirable places to live and work.

Michael is a member of the North Texas Innovation Alliance and serves on the North Central Texas Economic Development District Board, which brings together private and public sectors to provide a coordinated economic development strategy for the DFW Metroplex. He was also an appointed voting member on the Land Use Committee for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, a 21-member Committee comprised of industry leaders responsible for directing and funding the coordinated development strategies of seven counties and more than 275 communities.

Michael holds graduate degrees from Harvard University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, is a credentialed city planner (AICP) and Certified Urban Designer (CUD), and is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Senior Executive Institute for Local Government Professionals.