In 2002, Sam Nazarian founded sbe to revolutionize the lifestyle hospitality space. He has contributed to defining the future of global lifestyle hospitality and launching award-winning hotels, residences, restaurants and nightclubs. sbe has an expanding global portfolio which will see 36 hotels and over 200 global culinary, nightlife and entertainment venues across North and South America, Europe, Japan and the Middle East. sbe’s success has led to partnerships with internationally acclaimed talents such as Philippe Starck and Matthew Rolston. Nazarian also led the acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group in December 2016 and was the driving force behind sbe and Accor’s strategic partnership announced in June 2018 which saw Accor agree to acquire a 50% joint venture stake in sbe. In February 2020, Sam launched C3 (Creating Culinary Communities), in partnership with Accor and Simon. Sam’s vision for C3 introduced the world to a new approach to food halls, ghost kitchens and mobile delivery.

Lili is currently the Chief Experience & Marketing Officer at MGM Resorts International, a $10 Billion global hospitality and entertainment company operating a portfolio of 15 brands, 27 global resort destinations, 470 food and beverage outlets, 330 retail outlets and 25 arena and entertainment venues. In her role, Lili is responsible for all marketing & guest experience functions including portfolio brand management, guest strategy & insights, media, advertising & content, digital innovation, loyalty, partnerships, ecommerce, social and public relations.

Prior to joining MGM Resorts, Lili worked in New York, where she was Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing for MasterCard. Her role included directing the award-winning Priceless campaign. Prior to New York, Lili was head of Marketing for MasterCard in Canada where she left her mark by securing a spot on Ipsos Reid’s Top 10 Most Influential Brands in Canada. In her early career, Lili held senior marketing positions with Loyalty One, the world’s leading provider of loyalty marketing programs to global corporations. Before joining Loyalty One, Lili honed her marketing skills with roles at Rogers, Canada’s largest mobile carrier and Citi Canada. Lili is a current member of the Board of Directors for Dine Brands Global (IHOP & Applebees) and a past board member of Basketball Canada, and the Canadian Brest Cancer Foundation. Lili was most recently named to Brand Innovators Top 100 Women in Brand Marketing List recognizing the most innovative and influential women in brand marketing today. Other recent recognitions include Brock University Distinguished Alumni Award, Vegas Inc. Magazine “Women to Watch List), Internationalist of the year, the SXSW Interactive festival recognizing marketing change agents. Lili\ earned an MBA from Wayne State University in Michigan.

Abhijit has spent more than 8 years with Expedia, Inc. and currently serves as the Vice President of Global Partner Group. Abhijit oversees strategic relationships with top global and regional lodging brands, casino operators and US gaming destinations, and connectivity and distribution partners. Prior to joining the Lodging Partner Services Group at Expedia, Abhijit was the head of Expedia Inc.’s Global Rental Car Supply. Abhijit has a diverse background including Capital Planning & Funding in Morgan Stanley’s Corporate Treasury group, Fraud & Policy with eBay, Inc., and Strategic Planning at Gap. Abhijit graduated cum laude from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and currently resides in Irvine, California with his wife and 2 young daughters.

Mr. Mark Harmon has been the Managing Partner of Auberge Resorts, LLC since December 17, 2013. Mr. Harmon founded Auberge Resorts, LLC in 1998, and served as its Chief Executive Officer until December 17, 2013. Mr. Harmon oversaw the design, development and acquisition of hotels, resorts and private clubs. He served as the Principal at Auberge Resorts, LLC. Mr. Harmon formed Auberge Resorts in 1998 to consolidate the management and financial expertise and the assets of its various hospitality ventures and to pursue the development of other unique properties. Since then, he has led Auberge's growth to encompass ventures not only in resort management, but also in resort development, real estate and residence clubs. He serves as Director of Auberge Resorts, LLC. Mr. Harmon is a graduate of Princeton University and University of California, Hastings Law School.

Dave Johnson oversees the management of Ambridge Hospitality’s entire portfolio consisting of approximately $5 billion in annual revenue and over 32,000 employees. Through his dedication and leadership, Aimbridge is recognized as one of the premier hotel management companies in the world, with an impressive portfolio of assets under ownership and management from Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Choice and Wyndham.

Prior to joining Aimbridge Hospitality, Johnson spent 17 years at Wyndham International, where he helped add over 400 hotels to the Wyndham portfolio. Additionally, he served as President of Wyndham Hotels, overseeing approximately 15,000 employees and $3 billion in annual revenue.

Johnson currently serves as a Director on the Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV-NYSE) Board as a member of The Audit & Compensation Committees, The Dallas Stars Ownership Advisory Group, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Plano YMCA Board. Previously, he has served on the Strategic Hotels (NYSE: BEE) Board as a member of the Audit Committee and Corporate Governance Committee from 2012 to 2016, and served as a Director of Gaylord Entertainment (GET-NYSE) from 2009-2012. Most recently, Johnson was recognized as a finalist for the Ernst & Young 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year. Johnson is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics.

John Kratzer is the CEO of JMI Realty, a private real estate investment and development company with offices in San Diego, California and Austin, Texas. JMI Realty was organized in 1992 as the real estate subsidiary of JMI Services, the investment management company of the John Moores Family. Mr. Kratzer is responsible for JMI Realty’s overall strategic direction and provides oversight for all of JMI Realty’s development, construction, financing, acquisition and disposition activities. Under Mr. Kratzer’s leadership, JMI Realty acted as the Master Developer for the $1.4 billion development of downtown San Diego’s Ballpark District including:

Petco Park

Omni San Diego Hotel

Metropolitan Condominiums

East Village Square

Hotel Solamar

In addition, JMI Realty has developed many other projects including the San Diego Marriott Del Mar, Paseo del Mar office campus, Casoleil apartment homes and the 322-room Hotel Van Zandt in Downtown Austin, Texas. Recent acquisitions include the Sheraton Hotel at the Capitol in Austin, Texas; Snow King Resort in Jackson, Wyoming; The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe in Rancho Santa Fe, California and The Marquette in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. JMI Realty’s portfolio of hotel assets is valued at approximately $750 million. Prior to JMI Realty, Mr. Kratzer was a co-founder of Homegate Hospitality, Inc., where he directed the company’s operations, including the development and construction of over 3,000 hotel rooms with a value in excess of $200 million. Under Mr. Kratzer’s leadership, the company grew from a private start-up to a publicly-traded company (NASDQ: HMGT), and ultimately merged with Prime Hospitality (NYSE: PDQ). Prior to Homegate, Mr. Kratzer was an investment officer with Trammell Crow Realty Advisors, an institutional investment advisor that managed a $541 million discretionary fund and the Crow Investment Trust. Kratzer graduated Magna Cum Laude from Southern Methodist University and holds a Master of Management degree from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University. He has served on the board of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, Phoenix Footwear Group (AMEX: PXG) and Lambda Alpha . He is an active member of the Rock Church, Urban Land Institute and University of San Diego’s Policy Advisory Board.

As President of Dart Real Estate, Jackie is responsible for a diverse property portfolio. Providing guidance from a project’s inception through to management of the physical asset, she ensures the company’s goals and strategies align with owner and shareholder Kenneth B. Dart’s vision and values. Having joined Dart in 2003 as Vice President of Sales & Leasing, Jackie was part of the leadership team guiding the conceptualisation of Camana Bay and the partnership with the Cayman Islands Government known as the NRA Agreement.

The Cayman Islands has been Jackie’s home since childhood. She has a BA in Psychology and a Juris Doctorate with honours from the University of Florida Law School. She joined Dart in 2003 and, over the past 13 years, has been instrumental in bringing Dart Real Estate developments to life.

Kathleen (Kat) Chiechi Flores is executive vice president of Brands and Innovation at Trump Hotel Group, responsible for the conceptualization and execution of the Company's recently announced brands, SCION™ Hotels and Resorts and American IDEA™ Hotels. She is also responsible for brand essence, innovation and experience across the portfolio, which includes the Group’s luxury flagship brand Trump Hotels™. Flores joined Trump Hotel Group from The Assemblage, a hospitality concept blending social clubs and innovative work environments, where she served as managing director. There, she was responsible for the development and administration of the nascent brand concept. Previously, she served as chief administrative officer for Hampshire Hotels Management, now Dream Hotel Group, where she was responsible for strategy and performance management and the shared services of sales and marketing, revenue management, e-commerce, information technology and human resources. Prior to joining Hampshire, Flores was executive vice president of Human Resources and Communication at Wyndham Hotel Group, charged with oversight of the organization's global human resources strategy, including talent selection, talent management, workforce planning and administration of more than 4,000 employees. She also led the business’ global communication strategy. In addition, she has held senior-level roles with WhiteFence, ZipRealty and Kaplan, Inc. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia School of Business, a Master of Education degree from the University of San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of California, Irvine. Last year, she was named as one of Hotel Management magazine’s 30 Influential Women in Hospitality and listed as one of Hotel Business magazine’s Ten to Watch in 2017. She is based in New York City.

Jeff Palla, Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations - La Quinta is an industry veteran with over 25 years of hospitality experience. He joined La Quinta at the launch of the franchise program and has grown the business from zero to over one billion dollars in revenue in 2017. Before joining La Quinta, Jeff served as a District Manager for BridgeStreet Accommodations and Multi-Unit General Manager for Red Roof Inn. Prior to that, he was employed by the Walt Disney Company for 5 years where he served as Guest Service Manager for various Resort Hotels. Jeff holds an M.P.A. and a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Central Florida.

Jay Newman joined The Athens Group in 2000 as Chief Operating Officer where he focuses on the company’s financial affairs and development opportunities. He has more than 32 years of experience in commercial real estate including development along with entitlements and design, acquisitions, joint ventures, finance and dispositions. Jay is primarily responsible for managing the acquisition and financing of many of The Athens Group's projects including the raising of equity capital. In addition, Jay was primarily responsible for the development and financing of the mixed-use Montage Beverly Hills in California and the acquisition, re-entitlement and redesign of the West Hollywood mixed-use Edition project and is currently engaged in the planning and entitlement for the re-development of the Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.

In 1993, Jay was one of the founding members of the national real estate law firm of Pircher, Nichols & Meeks based in Los Angeles where he was a managing partner and a real estate transactional attorney. In 1995, he joined Highridge Partners in Los Angeles as Senior Vice President of the Summit Commercial Properties Division, where he focused on the purchasing, repositioning, leasing, management and sale of shopping centers and office buildings on both a one-off and portfolio basis. Jay was one of the founders of Lend Lease Development (US) in 1996, where he focused on the development of resorts (including The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California), shopping centers and office buildings. As Senior Vice President of Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Inc., and a member of the Lend Lease Lodging Group, he focused on the development of new hotels and resorts throughout the United States and was primarily responsible for the creation of the Resort Development Program.

Jay received his undergraduate degree in applied economics (summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of California at Berkeley in 1978, and his MBA and Juris Doctorate degree from Stanford University in 1982. He is a guest lecturer at the UCLA School of Public Policy and Planning and a frequent speaker at ULI, Meet the Money, Bisnow, the Southern California Development Forum and CLE International. Jay sits on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau, and the Board of Directors of Beverly Hills Rotary. Jay is also actively involved in Imagine LA. Jay and his family reside in Los Angeles, California.

Tim Powell is the Vice President & Managing Director, Development, Southwest Region for Hilton Worldwide. He is responsible for managed and franchised hotel development for all of Hilton Worldwide’s full service and select service brands in a nine state region, including Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. Tim began his career in the hospitality industry with Hilton in 1981 as manager of project coordination, responsible for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) budget management, purchasing, logistics and installation. Over the course of the next 30 plus years, Tim has lived and worked in six countries honing his craft in the hospitality industry.

“Krystal England is a Senior Director for Canyon Partners Real Estate. Ms. England is responsible for origination, underwriting, structuring and executing underwrite, structure and execute debt and equity hospitality investments as well as is responsible for the asset management of CPRE’s hospitality portfolio. Her responsibilities include servicing debt investments and working with operating partners to oversee development and redevelopment projects, overseeing the hotel operations at each asset, and strategic capital events such as financings and dispositions. Prior to joining Canyon in 2011, Ms. England was a Senior Vice President with Centurion Partners, a resort and urban hospitality and residential development company. Ms. England began her real estate career with Trammell Crow Company in Boston, MA, and her 18 years of industry experience includes commercial leasing, affordable housing development, luxury fractional development, and hotel renovation and repositioning. Ms. England is a graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A. Environmental Science) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.S. Real Estate Development and Master in City Planning).”

Mark D. Shalala serves as Senior vice president of upscale development for Choice Hotels International,

Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world’s largest hotel companies. In this role, he is responsible for the

growth and distribution of the company’s upscale portfolio, which includes the Ascend Hotel Collection,

Cambria Hotels, Radisson Hotels, Radisson Individuals and Radisson Blu, a combined global portfolio of

nearly five hundred upscale and upper upscale hotels and growing.

Mr. Shalala joined Choice Hotels in 2015, bringing more than 22 years of hospitality development and

franchise sales experience to the company’s upscale leadership team. During his successful tenure, Mr.

Shalala has been responsible for developing and driving the growth strategy for the upscale brands

which has resulted in Choice’s upscale portfolio more than doubling in size while helping both Cambria

and Ascend achieve one of their best development years on record. In addition, he led the Choice

upscale development team to implement new strategies to further improve brand growth, including

orchestrating the deployment of the company’s $750 million authorized corporate capital investment

for Cambria.

Prior to joining Choice Hotels, Mr. Shalala served as senior director of development and franchise sales

at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, where he was responsible for the strategic growth of the

company’s nine upscale and luxury lifestyle brands in the southeastern United States and Caribbean. Mr.

Shalala earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Backed by his keen insight and expertise in real estate acquisitions, finance, hotel development and operations, Sagar Desai has spearheaded Viceroy’s thoughtful expansion in the Americas and the Caribbean since joining the team in 2008; closing flagship deals with shareholder capital, institutional funds and large-cap real-estate investment trusts. Recent developments under his leadership include Viceroy properties in Beverly Hills, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Anguilla, San Francisco and Cartagena. Sagar’s real estate career was jumpstarted while studying at New York University, earning his real estate license while brokering students apartments in the City. He moved on to work for Deutsche Bank in Global Management, Savanna Partners in Real Estate Private Equity and most recently he was part of the Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging Investment Bank Division at Bank of America Securities in New York City. Sagar ultimately decided to apply his expertise to the hospitality sector and hasn’t looked back ever since. Sagar holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Economics with a minor in Business and Philosophy, Cum Laude from New York University

Mr. Choulochas joined Bank of the Ozarks in 2015 as Executive Vice President-Originations and is responsible for loan production in Southern California, which totaled in excess of $1.3 billion in 2017. Previously, Jason was with NorthStar Asset Management Group (now Colony NorthStar) as Managing Director in the firm’s Los Angeles office where he was responsible for sourcing investment opportunities in the western U.S. Jason also held senior-level originations positions at Ares Management from 2011 to 2014 and Wrightwood Capital and its predecessor companies, including Cohen Capital and Cohen Financial, from 1995 to 2011. He began his career with American National Bank & Trust Co. of Chicago (now part of J.P. Morgan Chase) in bank’s commercial real estate group. Mr. Choulochas received his undergraduate degree in Economics & Management from Beloit College, in Beloit, Wisconsin and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute.

Maki Nakamura Bara, President & Co-Founder of The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC and Chairman of the Board for affiliated management company, Sightline Hospitality, is a leading expert in investing in and repositioning urban hotels and resorts. Since the formation of Chartres Lodging in 2002, she has acquired and repositioned approximately $5 billion of lodging assets in the U.S. and Japan and completed more than $1 billion in the redevelopment of these assets. In recognition of her extensive experience in the lodging sector, particularly in acquisitions, asset management, development management and her role in the growth of the two companies, Ms. Nakamura Bara was recognized as the top "40 Under 40" by M&A Advisor, received the ''Best Executive" Stevie Award for Women in Business, was named a "Woman of Influence” in commercial real estate by Real Estate Southern California magazine, was a three-time honoree of Bisnow’s Power Women LA and recently honored as one of Hotel Management’s 2021 Influential Women in Hospitality. She is also a frequent speaker at various industry conferences. Ms. Nakamura Bara’s previous experience includes participating in the formation and growth of the lodging activities of Lend Lease Real Estate and Strategic Hotel Capital. She has also worked at Oxford Capital Partners, Inc. and PricewaterhouseCoopers in the hospitality consulting division. Ms. Nakamura Bara is a graduate of UCLA and is fluent in spoken Japanese.

Vamsi Bonthala is Chief Executive Officer of Arbor Lodging Partners, an award-winning

national hotel investment firm that he co-founded. In this role, Vamsi leads all company

activities including general corporate strategy, investor relations, strategic relationships,

acquisitions, dispositions, and asset management. Vamsi has led all efforts related to

approximately $1 billion of transaction volume since the inception of Arbor Lodging Partners.

Vamsi is also co-founder and Principal of Arbor Lodging Management, the management affiliate

of Arbor Lodging Partners, which has been named one of the nation’s top hotel companies

multiple times by Hotel Management Magazine. Prior to co-founding Arbor Lodging Partners,

Vamsi practiced law in the Private Equity group of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and the Real Estate

group of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.

Vamsi earned his AB in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan,

where he received Class Honors and University Honors. Vamsi earned his JD from the

University of Michigan Law School, where he was an Associate Editor of the Michigan Journal

of International Law.

Vamsi has been a speaker at numerous industry events and is a member of the Young Presidents

Organization (YPO), the Economic Club of Chicago, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Vamsi was recently selected as an Emerging Leader by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs

and recognized as one of Real Estate Forum Magazine’s 50 Under 40 of 2015.

Mr. Brillembourg is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 20 years’ experience specializing in developing

companies that take advantage of market opportunities in emerging technology, demographic and economic macro

trends. Since 1999 he has been Founder, Chairman and CEO of Brillembourg Holdings. After spending a decade in

tech startups and another decade with various hotel investments, he saw that with his four children becoming full

fledge millennials, consumption patterns of the millennial generation were going to fundamentally change the

hospitality and technology industry.

Brillembourg, is a holding company focused on the hospitality and technology fields, operates three divisions:

Brillembourg Hospitality: a private equity investor in digital native and millennial hospitality concepts.

Brillembourg Ventures: a venture capital investor in hospitality tech and fintech/Blockchain.

Brillembourg Capital: an advisory group focused in the convergence of hospitality and technology.

From 2006 to 2016, Brillembourg Hospitality (Bricapital) has acquired, invested and exited hotel properties across

six nations, including The Raleigh Hotel in South Beach, sold to SBE; the Isle de France Hotel in Saint Barths, sold to

LVMH; Cap Juluca Hotel in Anguilla sold to Belmond Hotels, and One Bal Harbour Hotel, which was sold to individual

investors. The existing hotel portfolio includes the Viceroy Hotel Zihuatanejo, Mexico.

Currently, Mr. Brillembourg is launching The Loop Hotels, a new ventured-backed hospitality concept focusing on

the needs of millennials for fully experiential travel and an integrated tech experience, that includes actions sports,

e-sports and immersive experiences.

From 2001 to 2005, Brillembourg Ventures was a top investor in Emida Technologies, where Mr. Brillembourg was

founder and CEO. Emida is a Fintech processor of electronic mobile prepaid topup in Latin America and the Caribbean

with operations in 30 countries. In 2007, Emida merged with Debisys to form one of the largest country-footprint

prepaid network in the Americas. He has been a member of the Board and shareholder of Emida from 2005 to the

present. Currently, taking full advantage of his tech startup background, knowledge of the crypto community, and

hotel investing experience, he spent the past few years researching the creation of an upcoming holistic protocol

system to assist hotel owners with growth through crypto economic and blockchain models.

In 1995 to 2001, Brillembourg Capital, financed Mr. Brillembourg first company, CycleLogic, Inc., where he was

founder and CEO. CycleLogic, the largest provider of mobile Internet outsourcing services for operators throughout

Latin America. CycleLogic was acquired in September ‘99 by StarMedia Networks (a NYSE company), the largest

Internet media company in the Latin market at the time. He co-managed Starmedia Mobile until it was sold to

Bellsouth in 2001. Brillembourg Capital now advises multiple hospitality and tech oriented companies in the

Blockchain space.

Mr. Brillembourg is a member of the Babson College Advisory Board at Babson (Wellesley, MA), where he is a

Director of the SaludArte Foundation. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Babson.

Mr. Mohrfeld is the President & CEO of the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA). He has been with CH&LA since 2002. Mr. Mohrfeld has been involved in the tourism industry for more than 25 years, having designed and produced one of the first destination marketing organization web sites at the San Diego Convention & Visitor Bureau. In addition, Mr. Mohrfeld has extensive tourism research experience having worked with international visitation through the U.S. Department of Commerce as well as visitation profiles and estimation models for Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, Tucson, and Phoenix convention & visitors bureaus. Mr. Mohrfeld has served as the Chair on the Board of Directors for the International Society of Hotel Association Executives (ISHAE), an officer and board member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, a board trustee of the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation, a member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association Strategic Planning Committee, E-Business Technology Committee, Labor Relations Council, the Human Resources Committee, and the Sales, Marketing & Membership Committee. He also serves on the California State University Chancellor’s Hospitality Industry Advisory Board and is a past Tourism Commissioner for Visit California and U.S. Travel. Mr. Mohrfeld is a graduate of San Diego State University, with Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the School of Business. In addition, Mr. Mohrfeld recently completed a four-year professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and has been certified in Nonprofit Organization Management from the Institute of Organization Management, conducted at the University of Notre Dame. Mr. Mohrfeld has also earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, which is the highest professional credential in the association industry, from the American Society of Association Executives.

John drives investment and development across the GCP and Classic hospitality portfolio of properties. As CEO and Creative Director, he leads all aspects of project conception, design, branding, programming, and positioning for long-term stewardship of each asset.

His 20 years of experience in real estate development combine expertise in design-forward and environmentally conscious hospitality, office, aged care, affordable housing, and high-quality housing developments in markets ranging from San Francisco, CA to Sydney, Australia. John is an active member of Young Presidents’ Organization and serves as a Trustee of Idaho Rivers United and Climate Ride.

Bill Strang serves as President of the Americas’ Operations for TOTO USA and Chairman of TOTO Mexico. In these capacities, he is responsible for all of TOTO’s North American operations, including supply chain, design and development engineering, quality, ISO, environmental resource management, and management of TOTO’s five North American plants with 1.8 million sf under roof.

Under Bill’s leadership, TOTO has received numerous awards and recognitions for its leadership in environmental resource conservation, including the U.S. EPA’s Water Efficiency Leadership award (TOTO is the only plumbing manufacturer so honored); former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s Water Conservation Leadership award; the South face Sustainable Homebuilders’ Argon* award; the City of Atlanta’s Phoenix Award, and the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s River Sustainability award. Recently, the Brookings Institution distinguished TOTO for its leadership in Clean Economy jobs creation.

Adam Lair oversees the firm's California practice with Suzanne Mellen, and is currently based in both San Francisco and New Orleans. Adam has been involved with appraisals and consulting for hotel and commercial real estate since 2002. The hundreds of assignments under his belt include existing and proposed properties throughout the United States. Adam oversees some of the firm's most complex consulting and valuation engagements. Adam excels at complex financial analyses for commercial real estate assets. His standout accomplishments at HVS include a feasibility study for a proposed full-service resort hotel outside of Atlanta and the appraisal of the Westin New Orleans Canal Place in the city’s historic French Quarter. Adam has also written on the post-Katrina, post-recession growth of the New Orleans hotel market. He graduated cum laude from Louisiana State University and studied under scholarship at Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans. He has also completed an advanced set of courses in the analysis and valuation of real estate through the Appraisal Institute. Adam holds the designation of MAI as a Designated Member of the Appraisal Institute and is a state-certified general appraiser.

Brent leads the Commercial and Hospitality Core Market groups in Southern California for DPR

Construction, one of the country’s top technical builders. With over 20 years of construction

experience, managing projects and pursuits in commercial and hospitality, residential, retail and

mixed-use projects, Brent works with project teams in Southern California to enhance overall

project delivery and quality of service for the DPR’s customers. His project leadership includes

setting up projects and teams for success, strategic planning, establishing and maintaining

relationships, and delivering numerous LEED® certified and sustainable projects. Brent has

delivered high-profile projects for industry leaders such as Lucasfilm, the University of California

San Diego, the United States Navy, Greenland USA, EVA Airways, Gatehouse Capital, Bentall

Kennedy, Menlo Equities, Wilson Meany and S.D. Malkin Properties.

He received his B.S. in Construction Management from California State University, Chico and is

certified by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).

Swinerton Senior Vice President and Region Manager Ray Haj is responsible for the overall vision, financials, and management of all operations totaling over $2.0 billion annually within Swinerton's Southern California and Hawaii Region. Ray manages 1,600 Swinerton employees within this region.

Ray is responsible for the oversight and success of the entire region. His focus with his core team in recent years has been developing a Best-in-Class culture, client relationships, establishing a diverse market portfolio, and leading and managing rapid business growth as a master builder. Recently Ray's primary focus has been on building a shared vision and leading succession planning to ensure Swinerton's continuous success in the future years, led by the rise of the next generation of leaders.

Ray has nearly 30 years of experience in the construction industry (22 years with Swinerton), with a Master's Degree in Engineering Management from Brigham Young University, a Master's Degree in Project Management from the University Centre of Business Administration in Vicenza, Italy, and a Bachelor's of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Brigham Young University. Ray first worked with a top Italian contractor overseas before joining the Swinerton Los Angeles office in early 2001.

Steve is a leader in C-PACE project development field and has over 20 years of executive marketing and

management experience in the solar and semiconductor equipment industries. Throughout his career, he

has successfully managed complex and global projects and organizations and developed new emerging

markets.

Steve is the Co-founder & Managing Director of K2 Clean Energy Capital where he has developed and

managed some of the largest C-PACE projects in the hospitality, industrial, and retail industries.

Previously he was the co-founder and President of K2 Solar, Inc., a commercial solar EPC firm. He

brings an extensive background in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and construction

management. Before starting K2 Solar, he was the Chief Marketing Officer of the Fab Operations

Division at Applied Materials; the General Manager of EcoSys, a $30M pollution control equipment

company, when it was acquired by Applied Materials in 2004; and an Engineering Manager at Air

Products & Chemicals, Inc.

Steve earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of

Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA and an MBA from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. He is also a

licensed General & Electrical Contractor in the state of CA. He is an East coast native, but is a long time

resident of the San Francisco bay area.

Tapping into nearly a decade of experience earned at hotels in New York, Miami and now Los Angeles, Ayo Akinsete is a proven leader in launching experiential hospitality brands in new markets. As Vice President of Operations and Managing Director at Dream Hollywood, Akinsete is responsible for the day-to-day management and operations of the brand’s newest location and west coast flagship, including oversight, recruitment and development of talent; annual budget; and assuring guest satisfaction of the 178-room hotel and six dining and nightlife offerings located in and adjacent to the property. His ability to take hotels from planning to profitability while maintaining the integrity of the brand and ownership vision and consistently delivering on guest service, makes him an invaluable asset to Dream Hotel Group’s senior leadership team. Akinsete arrived at Dream Hollywood from Dream Downtown in New York, where served as General Manager for several years, pre- and post-opening. Prior roles include Hotel Manager at SLS South Beach and Director of Front Office at Gansevoort Park Avenue. Born and raised in South East London. Akinsete earned his Bachelor of Science in Hospitality & Retail Management from the University of South Carolina-Columbia and Master of Science in Hotel Administration from the University of Nevada.

Tanya Wong is the Director of Global Real Estate at Sonder, a Silicon Valley-backed global hospitality brand offering apartment-like spaces with the service and quality of a four-star hotel. With over 2,000 rooms under management, Sonder's $1.0BN real estate portfolio leverages technology to redefine the hospitality experience. At Sonder, Tanya leads a team of real estate professionals across the globe and is responsible for site selection and unit growth. Previously, Tanya was Vice President of Hotel Acquisitions & Dispositions in the Realty Management Division of Goldman Sachs. She has asset managed over $5.0bn in US hotels and completed over $7.0bn in transactions. Tanya graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Mr. Marquis began his business career on Wall Street with Dean Witter Realty, Inc., where he was an analyst and asset manager on a diversified real estate portfolio valued at more than $1 billion. He subsequently joined Investcorp International to assist in the reorganization of its real estate department, working with senior management on the acquisition, disposition, and asset management of more than $700 million in real estate investments. In 1997 he joined Pacifica Real Estate Group as an asset manager responsible for the commercial real estate portfolio. In 2000, Mr. Marquis, along with his father Dale Marquis, activated Invest West Financial Corp as the family's primary business and acquired Pacifica Hotel Company from their partners. Today they work together in creating and developing a dynamic family business focused on real estate and hospitality investments for the future. Mr. Marquis has a BA in Communications with a Business Minor from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Pepperdine's Graziadio School of Business. He also completed Harvard's Families in Business seminar. He has served on the boards of several community groups, including the United Boys and Girls Clubs, Autism Society of American, and Cold Springs School Foundation, and is also a member and past member of the board of the Young President's Organization (YPO).

Cory Creath, AIA, LEED AP, brings more than 30 years of commercial architectural design experience to

AXIS/GFA Architecture + Design as one of the firm’s founders and Principal Architects. With particular

expertise in multi-family residential and hospitality architectural design, Cory’s knowledge spans design,

building, development, and operational issues for developers, designers, owners, and investors alike.

More than simply an architectural designer, Cory assists clients with the business case for each

development, helping stakeholders increase a project’s construction success. In addition to managing

architectural design projects, Cory oversees AXIS/GFA’s business development initiatives and day-to-day

operations, guiding the firm as an expert on the business-side of architectural firm management. Prior

to the formation of AXIS/GFA, Cory was a Studio Director with Gensler’s San Francisco office. In his spare

time, Cory enjoys sharing the outdoors with his family – particularly skiing California’s local mountains.

Seaview Investors is managed by Robert Alter, one of the premier hotel investment and management executives in the hospitality industry. Mr. Alter is Chairman Emeritus and Founder of Sunstone Hotel Investors (NYSE:SHO). During the 22 year period of Mr. Alter’s position as CEO, Sunstone acquired 125 hotel properties with over 20,000 guest rooms and led the disposition of 80 hotels. Mr. Alter oversaw approximately $1 billion of renovations and brand conversions and built 7 ground-up hotels, including the JW Marriott Cherry Creek, among others. Mr. Alter has received entrepreneurial awards from Ernst & Young as Entrepreneur of the Year in 1998, the Orange County Business Journal in 2006, and the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at Cornell University in 2008. Mr. Alter is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, and resides with his wife, Joni, in Newport Coast, California; collectively they have four grown children.

Michael E. Scheinberg joined the firm in 1989 and is a partner in the firm’s real estate department.

Mr. Scheinberg’s practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions, including private equity, restructurings, development, loan origination and workouts, joint ventures, acquisitions and dispositions as well as leasing.

Rich Brand is the firm’s San Francisco Managing Partner and head of the Sports practice group. He focuses on sports law, real estate and corporate transactions, e-commerce, hospitality and leisure, and partnership and corporate law.

Rich is recognized as a leading sports attorney by Chambers USA and Legal 500 and as a leading real estate attorney by Best Lawyers. As noted by Chambers USA, “he is highly regarded for his expertise in representing both sellers and purchasers of sports teams” and “he brings tons of experience, and good business sense to the deal table.”

Rich speaks extensively on many aspects of sports, real estate and hospitality law at major industry conferences. He is frequently featured on the Yes Network’s Forbes SportsMoney sports talk show and has appeared on CNN, Fox Sports and other national video/television/radio programs. Rich is also an adjunct professor at Stanford Law School and UC Berkeley School of Law, where he leads seminars on sports law transactions. Rich regularly guest lectures at prominent undergraduate and graduate Sports Administration programs.

Mark Lukens serves as Managing Director for LW Hospitality Advisors, bringing more than 25 years of experience in a wide range of hospitality operational, development/acquisitions, valuation and advisory services. He provides services to corporate, institutional and individual clients on many facets of hospitality real estate including: expert testimony, site evaluation, highest and best use analysis, appraisals, property tax assessment appeal evaluations, and feasibility and market studies. Most recently, Mr. Lukens served as Senior Vice President with HREC, and previously held senior positions with Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, Wyndham Worldwide, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, HVS International, and PKF Consulting.

Matt Peterson started his career in executive search in early 2005. Having traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, he brings a global perspective to the hospitality industry. Matt understands people. His relationship-based approach balances the clients’ needs with the candidates’ personality, resulting in a win-win for everyone involved. He lived in Florence, Italy and studied at Scoula Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian language school. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business/Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Masters Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University. Additionally, Matt has furthered his education at the University of California, Los Angeles studying personal and corporate tax. Prior to executive search, Matt did sales and marketing for Pacific Life Annuities & Mutual Funds and for Centex Homes, both Fortune 500 companies.

He is actively involved in his community and is on the Alumni Board of Loyola High School, Los Angeles, and a Board Member of United Cerebral Palsy’s Los Angeles Chapter.