Itiel Kaplan is the CEO at Maple Development. He is a Certified Public Accountant with

a B.A in Economics and Accounting from Bar Ilan University, Israel. He leads the

development team in Houston and oversees acquisitions, deal structuring, complex

business plans and development strategies. Itiel has extensive experience in real estate

development and previously worked for one of New York’s most active and prolific

developers. His extensive network in Houston includes some of the most reputable

professionals in the industry such as master-planned community engineers, municipal

district attorneys, land planners, landscaping architects, and financial advisors. Itiel is a

father of four and understands the importance of planning communities for families.

As the President and Chief Development Officer, Peter Barnhart brings more than 30 years of expertise in the acquisition, development, and sales. His extensive financial, construction, and marketing skills, coupled with a unique combination of experience in both commercial and community development, helps the team create environments that are appealing to live, work, and play.

Within Caldwell Companies, Barnhart plays a lead role in identifying, acquiring, and developing properties across the company’s entire platform. He is highly involved in the acquisition process for all projects.

Peter's broad real estate background includes a six-year tenure with RealtiCorp Commercial Investment Fund in Greenville, SC. Starting as the Director of Sales and Marketing and progressing to Regional Partner, he was part of a team that managed many land development transactions across seven different cities, involving thousands of acres of land. Peter also gained experience with Byzance, Inc. and Plantation Homes.

A Houston native, Peter earned his bachelor's degree in Construction Science and his master's degree in Land and Real Estate Development, both from Texas A&M University. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, Texas A&M Real Estate Development Association Professional Advisory Board, and Texas A&M University’s Century Club.

Beyond his professional life, Peter enjoys golfing, fishing, hunting, flying, and various outdoor activities. Residing in Brenham, TX, he and his wife Debra enjoy spending quality time with their daughters, Jordan and Grace

Duane Heckmann is a greater Houston area advisor with more than 35 years of raw land and residential lot brokerage experience in Houston and the surrounding counties. He has developed extensive knowledge regarding utilities, drainage, surface control and other unique development issues, as well as a comprehensive working knowledge of land values and overall market trends. Duane has very strong relationships with developers, homebuilders, banks, funds and investors that are active in the Houston market, and also assists and advises a large number of owners with their respective land holdings.

He has assisted most of Houston’s master planned community developers, commercial developers, lot developers and landowners with their raw land needs as well as selling land and lots to homebuilders, commercial/mixed use developers, industrial developers and investors. Duane has also completed extensive work for national, regional and local banks including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Enterprise Bank, assisting them to analyze their real estate holdings and disposition of various assets.

Prior to joining Land Advisors Organization, Duane ran his own commercial real estate company for 15 years. He is a member of the West Houston Association, Urban Land Institute, Houston’s Commercial Real Estate Network (CREN), The Greater Houston Partnership and is a board member of FiveTwo Network, a nonprofit organization.

Duane received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Sam Houston State University and has held his Texas Real Estate Broker’s license since 1988.

John co-founded First Continental Investment Co., Ltd. in 1994 alongside Dan Arnold

and Joe Lynch. A visionary entrepreneur and steadfast leader, John has dedicated the

last three decades to building the company into one of the nation’s premier lenders for

residential lot developers. Under his guidance, First Continental has become a

powerhouse in the industry, financing over 1,400 projects nationwide and deploying

more than $5.6 billion in capital to over 200 homebuilder and developer clients.

In additional to his role as Managing Director & CEO at First Continental, John serves

as Director of First Continental Mortgage, Ltd. Prior to his long-standing tenure leading

First Continental, John has served on the Board of Directors for two banks, Senior Vice

President of Farm & Home Savings, and held earlier roles with other lending groups,

REITs and multi-family developers.

John has a proven track-record of operating successful financial institutions with an

unwavering focus of delivering customer-oriented solutions to the lot development

industry.

Jose Almazán joined Launch Development Finance Advisors in 2022 and now leads the firm’s Houston office. He specializes in structuring public finance solutions for Texas developers, including Public Improvement Districts (PIDs), Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ), and Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs), with a focus on The Launch Bond®, Launch’s proprietary financing tool that forward-funds MUD reimbursements to accelerate project timelines. Since 2024, he has managed over $700 million in Launch Bond® issuances, helping residential communities secure scalable, cost-efficient capital while reinforcing Launch’s mission to simplify complex financing and maximize developer returns.

With more than two decades of real estate experience, Jeff leads The Signorelli

Company’s land development operations. His oversight includes acquisition, planning,

construction management, landscape architecture, reimbursement entity and HOA

management and development. Since joining the firm in 2017, Jeff has overseen the

development and operations of more than a dozen communities, including Granger

Pines, which was named the Greater Houston Builders Association Developer

Community of the Year in 2021, Cielo, a 265-acre community in Conroe and Austin

Point, a 4,700-acre, regionally transformative development in Fort Bend County.

Experience:

Prior to joining The Signorelli Company, Jeff gained invaluable experience in

construction, purchasing, sales, land project management and leadership working for

various reputable local and national builders. Jeff has collaborated with numerous

Houston-area municipalities, local governments and school districts to balance

developer goals with municipal requirements and create master planned communities

that benefit residents, the city and county.

Education and Affiliations:

 Texas A&M University – BBA in Marketing

 The Association of Former Students at Texas A&M – member

 Leadership Montgomery County - Active alumnus

 Angel Reach – Volunteer

 Cub Scouts – Leader and volunteer

A native Houstonian, Harry Masterson is a respected leader in the real estate industry with strong ties

to the local community. With a career dating back to 1994, Harry has built an extensive track record

in real estate, specializing in large land transactions and Quality Planned Developments (QPDs).

As Managing Principal at EMBER, Harry focuses on identifying new business opportunities and

fostering key industry relationships, drawing on his expertise in bringing together the right

stakeholders and developing innovative concepts.

Before founding EMBER, Harry was the principal founder of both the Cernus Group and Concourse

Companies, where he led the successful development of numerous communities throughout the

Houston area. In recognition of his contributions to the industry, the Greater Houston Builders

Association (GHBA) honored him with the "Developer of the Year" award in 2010.Beyond his

professional accomplishments, Harry has dedicated much of his time to leadership roles in various

industry, community, and nonprofit organizations. He served as the GHBA's President of the Board of

Directors in 2013, and has also been a past president of Da Camera of Houston, a committee

member for the Museum of Fine Arts – Houston, and chairman of Scenic Houston's board. He

currently serves on the boards of the West Houston Association and The Orange Show Center for

Visionary Arts.

A licensed real estate broker in Texas, Harry earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of

Texas at Austin in 1989. Outside of his professional life, he and his wife Kathy enjoy spending time at

their farm with their daughter and twin sons.

Tom Woliver strives to take placemaking to a whole new

level. With nearly 30 years’ experience in the real estate

industry, Woliver works passionately to unlock potential

value, growth, and impact in community development.

In 2019, Woliver founded Oxland Advisors as a real estate

development and consulting company. Oxland Advisors

eventually evolved into Oxland Group, a full-service capital

investment and real estate development firm with

principal-level expertise in land acquisition, entitlements,

development, land transaction, and value creation.

Through Oxland Group, Woliver spearheaded a variety of

projects across the country, offering a unique approach to

capital investment and community building focusing on

creating the highest and best use of the land. Under his

leadership, Oxland Group delivered the largest phase one

in Dallas-Fort Worth history of 1,100 homesites at Painted

Tree, its first development in McKinney, Texas. Prior to the

community’s grand opening, Painted Tree debuted on

RCLCO’s list as the 47th top-selling master-planned

community in the US. Most recently, Oxland announced

the acquisition of 1,860 acres in the Houston market to be

developed as a master-planned community of 4,000

homes.

Prior to Oxland, Woliver served as Vice President and Director of Planning and Development at Hillwood, where he

developed over 10,000 lots in various markets in Texas and across the US. Woliver was the driving force behind

Hillwood’s “Live Smart” vision, a fresh holistic approach on developing the next generation of Master Planned

Communities. At Hillwood, Woliver launched top-selling master-planned communities including Harvest, Union

Park and Pecan Square in North Texas, Pomona in Houston, and Wolf Ranch in Georgetown.

Woliver is known by developers, homebuilders, and landowners alike as a pioneer in implementing various

technological strategies, startups and partnerships in the real estate industry. He has built a vast network of best-

in-class consultants, vendors and relationships throughout the industry to be able to thoughtfully assemble the

right team for the right project.

Woliver began his career as a Land Planner and Landscape Architect at TBG Partners in Austin, Texas. His role at

TBG Partners shaped his ability to look at real estate solutions in a more unique, forward-thinking manner,

including helping build and grow the Dallas office of TBG Partners.

Woliver is an active member on the National level of Urban Land Institute (ULI) and currently serves as the Chair

for one of ULI’s Community Development Councils. He is an invited speaker for industry events and is often

featured in articles on topics such as community development, technology, healthy living, and the food and real

estate movement.

Woliver graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Landscape Architecture.

Mike Ryan is a managing director in the Piper Sandler Special District Group and leads the group's Texas practice. Ryan specializes in the monetization of Municipal Utility District (“MUD”) reimbursements, tax increment finance, and other special district financings. His expertise spans the full development cycle – from early-stage financings to late-stage refinancings. Ryan focuses his efforts in working with developers to structure each transaction to best achieve client goals while navigating the evolving capital markets. Throughout his career, Ryan has helped developers access over $2B in infrastructure financing.

Prior to joining Piper Sandler, Ryan was a public finance analyst at D.A. Davidson. Ryan graduated from the University of Dayton with a bachelor’s degree in finance and holds FINRA Series 52 and 63 licenses.

Todd serves as Chief Executive Officer of Perry Homes. Prior to that he served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Perry Homes since 2020 and served as COO since 2016. Bringing over 30 years of experience in home building to the position, Todd is known in the industry for his integrity, dedication to excellence, and commitment to delivering quality products and outstanding customer service.

Todd leverages his deep engineering knowledge and diverse leadership background to inspire excellence in execution across all areas of the Perry Homes' organization. Under Todd's leadership, Perry Homes has nearly doubled annual home deliveries while ensuring exceptional construction quality and customer satisfaction ratings over 95%.

Todd holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston.

Jeff Dyeis the President of Newmark Homes, a role in which he brings over 25 years

of comprehensive experience in the residential construction industry. Since joining

Newmark Homes in 1998, Jeff has advanced through key leadership roles—serving as

Construction Superintendent, Project Manager, Area Manager, Vice President, and now

President—building a deep understanding of every facet of the homebuilding process.

As President since 2020, Jeff leads the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of

Newmark Homes, overseeing construction, sales, marketing, product development, and

human resources. Under his leadership, the company has experienced significant growth,

innovation in product design, and a strengthened market position across the Houston area.

Jeff is a results-driven executive known for his ability to guide companies through growth,

ownership transitions, and changing market dynamics. His background includes

successful business turnarounds, land acquisition negotiations, and the creation of high-

performing teams. He is especially passionate about delivering quality homes and

exceptional customer experiences.

A graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Jeff

remains active in the industry and community. He has served on the Board of the Greater

Houston Builders Association (GHBA), and currently chairs the GHBA Volume Builders

Committee. He is also involved with the Building Facilities Board at St. Laurence Catholic

School.

Jeff’s leadership continues to shape the vision and future of Newmark Homes as a premier

homebuilder committed to excellence and innovation.

Jay Brown has served on the David Weekley Homes Board of Directors since 2018, providing

the company with tremendous insight and joined the team as CEO in 2024.

Prior to joining Weekley, Brown served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer

of Crown Castle, leading the S&P company to double in size while fostering a high-performance

and people-oriented culture. As CEO of Crown Castle, his priority and passion was employee

engagement and satisfaction. Jay championed numerous growth and change initiatives while

cultivating a culture of transparency and trust. This approach ignited innovation, driving

substantial organizational growth and the development of leading-edge business capabilities.

Jay’s previous business experience includes leading team members who manage construction

projects, providing a great appreciation for the challenges faced in building and meeting

customer desires. Under his leadership, Brown helped his team embrace automation which

reduced customer response time from months to hours. Additionally, with the implementation of

AI programs, they were able to end the need for manual processing of construction drawings and

permits and perform planning and budgeting.

Jay serves on the Board of Regents for Baylor University, his alma mater, the Board of Trustees

for Baylor College of Medicine, and the Executive Committee of the Greater Houston

Partnership. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Baker Institute, a non-partisan, data-

driven think-tank at Rice University in Houston.

When not at work, Brown enjoys time with his wife, Ashley, and their six children. The Browns

are faith-driven and passionate about serving the most helpless and hopeless in the world. Their

family also enjoys all things outdoors, especially hiking in the national parks.

Nate Newman leads a team of highly qualified advisors specializing in the sale of retail shopping centers, office buildings, industrial business parks, and single-tenant net leased assets. Nate began his career in commercial real estate in 2007 with a small commercial real estate brokerage company in The Woodlands, TX. His timing coincided with The Great Recession, which taught Nate valuable lessons in humility, determination, and how to hustle. After five years and 65 transactions of various sizes, Nate joined Marcus & Millichap in 2013 to open The Woodlands office. During his tenure at Marcus & Millichap, Nate was very successful in representing some of the largest investors and developers in Houston. Nate has sold in excess of $400,000,000 of properties and he and his team have personally underwritten/valued billions of dollars worth of assets as a service to their clients.

Nate also has extensive experience as a developer, specializing in build-to-suit development and working through entitlement challenges for large land tracts. Since 2014, Nate has successfully developed three retail build-to-suits, one medical office building, and one large scale mixed-use development of 107 acres. Nate is currently developing three industrial business parks totaling 400,000 square feet and 5 mixed-use projects on 200+ acres totaling over one million square feet. Nate’s approach to investments is unique because he is able to leverage his transactional investment brokerage experience to generate capital, source deal opportunities, and have the knowledge base to work through challenges.

Nate is a graduate of Baylor University and is happily married to Marifer Newman. Marifer and Nate have two children. When not working, Nate enjoys spending time at his ranch, playing golf, serving in church, sailing, reading, and traveling with his family.

Managing Principal of TBG’s Houston office and Chairman of the Board, Drew Mengwasser is a trusted leader in shaping Texas’ most successful master planned communities. With decades of experience collaborating with developers and municipalities, Drew is known for translating complex visions into high-performing, market-responsive placemaking and nature-forward environments. His leadership spans the entire project lifecycle, guiding developments from entitlement and early planning through long-term implementation. Drew provides strategic direction for TBG’s firmwide practice while remaining a hands-on designer and mentor. He champions a collaborative approach that aligns land planning and amenity strategy to deliver maximum value for TBG's clients and communities. His influence is reflected in many of the Houston region’s most recognizable communities including Harvest, Pecan Square, The Groves, Telfair, Pomona, Sienna, Evergreen, and Audubon where his work creates resilient, deeply rooted places that respond to the needs of residents and the market alike.

Jeffrey Worstell, Director, joined The MINT as President in July 2021. Has 23 years of banking and regulatory experience. Mr. Worstell is the current President of The MINT National Bank (4+ years) and previously served as Chief Lending Officer and Chief Credit Officer of Lone Star National Bank in South Texas from 2014 – 2021 and as Loan Review Manager and Corporate Governance Coordinator of Inter National Bank from 2009 - 2014. Mr. Worstell began his career as a Bank Examiner (2003) in the Nashville and San Antonio Offices of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Frank Liu is the founder of Lovett Commercial, Lovett Homes, Lovett Industrial, and

InTown Homes—collectively known as Lovett—one of the most respected real estate

development platforms in Texas and beyond. A Rice University alumnus with a degree

in civil engineering, Frank has built a career defined by thoughtful urban development,

design excellence, and long-term community impact.

Frank co-founded Lovett Homes in 1980 with his roommate from Lovett College at Rice

University, launching what would become a premier urban residential development

company. In 1995, he expanded the enterprise with the creation of Lovett Commercial,

focusing on commercial development and redevelopment projects. Continuing to

anticipate market shifts and urban growth patterns, Frank founded InTown Homes in

2003, a design-driven and environmentally conscious residential development company

concentrated on emerging neighborhoods. Most recently, in 2020, he partnered with

Charlie Meyer to establish Lovett Industrial, marking Lovett’s expansion into the

industrial real estate sector.

Through Lovett, Frank has overseen more than $5 billion in development projects

across Texas and the United States. The firm’s diverse portfolio spans retail, office,

industrial, and adaptive reuse projects, as well as thousands of residential homes.

Lovett has twice received first-place honors from the Urban Land Institute (ULI)

Development of Distinction Awards, recognizing excellence in real estate development.

Notable projects include POST, Sawyer Yards, and the revitalization and transformation

of numerous urban neighborhoods, many of which have become cultural and economic

anchors within their communities.

Raised by two generations of schoolteachers, Frank places a deep personal value on

education and lifelong learning. In 2015, through his family’s charitable foundation, he

established the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (“Lilie”) at Rice

University. Lilie is dedicated to equipping and inspiring the next generation of

entrepreneurial leaders, fostering innovation both at Rice and throughout the state of

Texas. In honor of his son, Frank is also supporting the soon-to-debut FLAMA (Frank

Liu Jr. Academy for Music & Arts), a new music- and arts-focused public charter school

being developed in Houston’s historic Folgers Coffee building in the Second Ward

neighborhood. He remains actively engaged with the university community, serving as

an Advisory Director of the Chao Center for Asian Studies at Rice University, and he is

also a Rice University Meritorious Award laureate.

Across four decades of leadership, Frank Liu has combined engineering discipline,

entrepreneurial vision, and civic responsibility to shape cities, nurture talent, and create

lasting value for communities.

Devon Rodriguez is the Director of Redevelopment. She is responsible for leading the City’s community development, redevelopment and reinvestment strategy to ensure the remaining property in the City is developed with the highest and best use in mind, acknowledging that as the community is built out, the taxable values put in place will have to sustain the City into the future. Devon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Community and Regional Development from the University of California at Davis and has worked as an Economic Developer in California and Texas for over 15 years.

Peter’s four decades of expertise in the design of large retail and retail-centric, mixed use developments, as well as more than 40 clubs and restaurants across the U.S. From his experience as a senior designer for the world’s largest retailer REIT, Peter understands the retail leasing dynamics needed for successful mixed use developments. A Registered Architect, he holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts and Architecture from Rice University

A respected architect, panelist, speaker, writer, lecturer, and design juror, Peter is a subject-matter expert on retail-centric, mixed is environments and walkable urbanism.