Tom is managing director of Hines’ West Region where he’s responsible for the acquisition, capitalization,

diligence, development and asset management of the region’s commercial, residential and industrial

projects in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Since joining Hines in 2016, Tom has been instrumental in growing the Hines presence in Southern

California across all product types. He has acquired, redeveloped, managed, and sold office, industrial,

retail and residential projects, totaling more than 5 million square feet and $2 billion in value.

Tom spearheaded the West Region’s push into the industrial sector. He has acquired, entitled,

developed, and managed more than 10 industrial projects representing over half a billion dollars in total

capitalization.

Alan X. Reay is the president and founder of Atlas Hospitality Group (Atlas). Atlas has closed over $4.5 billion in

California hotel sales and is considered the “expert” on the California hotel market.

Reay has an extensive hotel industry background, including serving as the director of sales with London-based ABC

International Hotel Guide. In that position, Reay established contacts from all over the world.

Reay has tracked the hotel market for decades and is quoted extensively within the hotel trade and general press.

He publishes biannual reports covering California hotel sales and development, along with two monthly newsletters,

one geared toward hotel owners and the other for lenders.

Atlas has received coverage from numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg

Businessweek, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register, The San Francisco Chronicle and The San

Diego Union-Tribune.

Reay has also appeared on KCBS Radio, KTLA Channel 5 News and National Public Radio.

A regular guest speaker at numerous trade events as well as the Southern California Appraisal Institute, Reay is often

retained as an expert witness for important hotel-related legal cases.

Reay has represented major clients such as Wells Fargo Bank, Pacific Western Bank, Corporex, Sunstone Hotels and

the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He has also closed transactions with some of the largest special

servicers in the country, including LNR, CWCapital and Helios AMC.

Chris Tourtellotte serves as a Managing Director of LaTerra. Chris is responsible for overseeing the Development group, sourcing and closing new acquisitions, sourcing debt and equity for LaTerra’s projects, and growing LaTerra’s apartment and mixed use development platform, which currently includes over 3,000 apartment units either under construction or in the pipeline.

Prior to joining LaTerra, Mr. Tourtellotte spent 7 years at Prudential Global Investment Management (PGIM), a global real estate private equity investment fund manager with over $50 billion of gross assets under management. Most recently at PGIM, Mr. Tourtellotte held the position of Director, overseeing all development activity west of the Mississippi River with over 20 development deals at a total cost basis greater than $1 billion.

Prior to Mr. Tourtellotte’s role overseeing West Coast development, he spent 5 years on the West Coast acquisitions team where he worked on closing over $1 billion in acquisitions across all property types (multifamily, office, retail, industrial, and hotels) and all layers of the capital stack (senior debt, subordinate debt, preferred equity and equity).

Chris co-founded SnowGlobe Music Festival, which was ultimately acquired by MTV. SnowGlobe is a world-renowned annual music festival (featuring the largest musical acts in the world) drawing over 50,000 attendees over the three day event. Mr. Tourtellotte was responsible for raising the capital, and structuring and negotiating the investment documents prior to the inaugural 2011 festival.

Mr. Tourtellotte was selected for Real Estate forum’s 50 under 40 list. Mr. Tourtellotte holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration (Cum Laude) with a double concentration (Finance & Accounting) and a minor in Real Property Development from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Justin Chausse is a Managing Director with Invesco Real Estate. In this role, he is responsible

for sourcing and structuring senior and mezzanine loans across all property types for the

commercial real estate credit lines of business with a primary focus on the Western Region.

Justin began his investment career in 2006 and joined Invesco Real Estate in 2020. Prior to

joining IRE, Justin was a senior vice president on the originations team at Starwood Property

Trust (“STWD”), first based in New York City and later in Los Angeles, where for seven years

he sourced and underwrote prospective commercial lending opportunities, as well as

analyzed acquiring sub-performing and performing commercial real estate loan portfolios and

securities. Prior to STWD, while in graduate school in Washington, D.C., he worked at

Beacon Capital Partners, focusing on asset management. Justin started his career in the real

estate industry working at Anglo Irish Bank in Boston for four years, initially focusing on

analyzing commercial property acquisitions and senior loan originations, and later focusing on

capital stack restructurings and loan workouts.

Justin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College and a Master of Business

Administration from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

Jim Kruse serves as the President of Brokerage for Kidder Mathews in Greater Los Angeles, managing strategic pursuits, client relations, and recruitment across multiple offices. With over 35 years of expertise in Southern California's commercial real estate, he is highly respected in the industry and sought after as a speaker for his compelling insights. Jim's extensive background includes leadership roles at CBRE and Grubb & Ellis, successful ventures at Cushman & Wakefield and as CEO of DPI Retail. Since joining Kidder Mathews, he has nearly doubled the region's broker count, reaching 104. His leadership led to opening a new office in San Fernando Valley, facilitating further expansion and recruitment. Jim's accolades include the Los Angeles Business Journal's Leaders of Influence 2023 and 2024 CRE Brokers Award and 2024 LA500. A native of Los Angeles, Jim's athletic achievements include representing the U.S. in water polo at the Olympics and serving as a commentator for NBC and ABC Sports.

Andrew is a managing director in the Los Angeles office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He joined JLL as part of the HFF acquisition and has more than 18 years of experience in commercial real estate. He specializes in office and land investment advisory throughout Greater Los Angeles. Throughout his career, he has closed in excess of $6 billion in transactions, encompassing more than 25 million square feet throughout Southern California.

Andrew started at HFF in September 2011. Before that, he was a vice president in the Institutional Capital Markets Group at Grubb & Ellis. Prior to that, he worked at Cushman and Wakefield, first as an appraiser and later as director in the Capital Markets Group in downtown Los Angeles.

Taylor Lister is a Principal for Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA), based out of

the Los Angeles office. In her role, she provides strategic guidance in risk

management and insurance program design for Real Estate & Hospitality

clients. Taylor also serves as co-chair for the National Real Estate Practice

Group, ensuring the deployment of appropriate resources to meet the

firm's service commitment to their Real Estate clients. With a specialization

in placing insurance programs for high-risk real estate portfolios, new

development projects, and management liability for private equity and real

estate investors, Taylor represents owners and managers across various

asset classes including industrial, lodging, multifamily, office, and retail.

Her expertise in risk management is further demonstrated through her

custom content contributions featured in the Los Angeles Times and Los

Angeles Business Journal. Taylor's outstanding contributions have earned

her notable recognitions, including being honored as a 2024 Real Estate

Power Broker and a finalist in the Inspirational Women's category at the

2022 Los Angeles Times Rising Star Awards.

Before joining Marsh McLennan in 2014, Taylor gained valuable experience

as a broker at a prominent independently owned regional firm. During her

time there, she had the opportunity to work closely with some of the firm's

largest real estate clients, further developing her expertise in the field.

Taylor's insurance career began in 2006 at Liberty Mutual, where she

gained a comprehensive understanding of the carrier side of the business,

adding depth to her knowledge and skills.

Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and International

Business from the University of Kansas. In addition to her work in the

insurance industry, she actively contributes to the community through her

service on the boards of two nonprofits. One of these organizations is the

Building Block Foundation Fund, established by the Southern California real

estate community to provide support to at-risk youth. The other nonprofit is

Project Access, a prominent provider of vital on-site health, education, and

employment services to families, children, and seniors living in affordable

housing communities. Furthermore, Taylor is dedicated to mentoring

emerging female leaders and contributes to this cause through her

participation in GROW, MMA's women's initiative.

Elizabeth J. Wilgenburg is a partner in the Century City office of Allen Matkins. Her expertise primarily includes both lease transactions as well as acquisitions and dispositions. Elizabeth specializes in representing landlords in connection with large lease transactions with technology-oriented tenants. She is sought after by many institutional owners for representation on these matters, such as Kilroy Realty Corporation, Boston Properties, Hines Interests, CIM, Westbrook, LBA Realty, and Equity Office Properties. Elizabeth also represents owners in leasing sophisticated mixed-use retail, office and residential properties, and development, build-to-suit office and industrial projects.

Specifically, Elizabeth has leased over 15 million square feet of space since joining the firm and represented the landlord on two of the largest leases in the history of the City of San Francisco, including the lease with Salesforce at Salesforce Tower, and represented the tenant on the largest lease in the history of the Western Region.

As Managing Director of Acquisitions and Development, Gregg is responsible for growing the Los Angeles platform through the acquisition of office, industrial, life science and mixed-use projects. In this capacity, he is involved in deal sourcing, fundraising, joint venture negotiation, debt origination and dispositions. Gregg has been involved in the origination and financing of over $1.75 billion of SteelWave transactions totaling over 5.2 million square feet, including development and entitlement projects. Gregg has 20 years of real estate experience, all with SteelWave.

Prior to joining SteelWave, Gregg spent eight years in a variety of investment management and consulting roles, including raising capital for venture backed start-ups, as well as institutional fund placement for numerous general partnerships.

Andrea Ambriz serves as the General Manager of Exposition Park, one of the largest public, open spaces in the heart of Los Angeles welcoming millions of visitors annually. With a commitment to building healthy, vibrant and safe communities, General Manager Ambriz was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to steward Exposition Park and bring her experience working successfully in community and policy development and engagement.

Exposition Park, a 160-acre renown state property, is home to celebrated museums, leading-edge sporting venues, recreational and educational facilities, and community assets that engage, entertain and accommodate visitors from near and far. General Manager Ambriz believes in championing park and green equity and access through the Park, particularly to over half a million residents who live within a three-mile radius. As well, she recognizes the Park’s potential to serve as a world-class destination and community economic opportunity as it prepares to host the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, following historic hosting of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

Prior to serving as General Manager, Ambriz was Deputy Secretary of External Affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency, cultivating strategic partnerships to facilitate the agency’s protection of California’s natural, historic and cultural resources. She previously served as Chief Operating Officer at River LA and as Chief of Staff at SEIU Local 2015. She also formerly held notable roles in the U.S. federal government, including for 44th U.S. President Barack Obama as White House Deputy Director of Private Sector Engagement and at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Ambriz has also worked in the California State Legislature, advising on diverse policies and initiatives, including advancing the allocation of over $400 million equitably to park-poor neighborhoods across California and supporting landmark clean-air legislation.

She serves on the Board of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension Commission and the Municipal Improvement Corporation of Los Angeles among others. She is a Los Angeles native, and earned undergraduate degrees from DePaul University, and holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Patricia Rhee is a Partner at Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects, and has been practicing architecture for 20 years. Patricia received her Master's degree in Architecture from Harvard's Graduate School of Design and received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the AIA, DBIA and is a LEED Accredited Professional. She is currently a Board Member of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce and recipient of the 2017 Culver City Women in Business Council Visionary Award. Patricia was also a Founding Co-Chair of the AIA Los Angeles Women in Architecture Committee. In 2015, her firm received the 2015 National AIA Firm Award, one of the industry’s highest honors. Patricia has served as Lead Designer for several of the firm’s most challenging and award-winning projects including the John M. Roll United States Courthouse and the United Arab Emirates’ Federal National Council Parliament Complex. Patricia believes that architecture should facilitate community gathering, bringing people together, encouraging dialog and exchange. Her project experience ranges from civic to institutional and commercial developments of all scales and multiple delivery methods including design-build. She lives in Los Angeles.

Talar draws on her unique educational background in urban planning in her practice as a real estate attorney specializing in land use and zoning and commercial real estate lending transactions, bringing a holistic perspective of the challenges and opportunities clients face in various stages of real estate development and financing. She has worked extensively in the City of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs on entitlements related to Transit Oriented mixed use Developments and has guided many clients through various obstacles of such projects, including the ever evolving inclusionary housing ordinances related to them. She also helps national clients with zoning compliance in connection with property leasing and acquisition. Talar received a Master’s degree in Urban Planning and J.D from the University of Michigan. She currently splits time between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Milan Ratkovich is the Executive Vice President of The Ratkovich Company (TRC). Ratkovich has managed and overseen all of TRCs current projects including: The Alhambra – a 1 million square foot, 45-acre mixed use project; 5900 Wilshire – a 450,000 square foot, 31 story high-rise located in the Miracle Mile; The Hercules Campus – 11 historic buildings consisting of over 530,000 square feet which was formerly Hughes Aircraft and now home to Google, YouTube and 72andSunny; The Bloc –1.9 million square foot mixed use development in Downtown Los Angeles; and most recently West Harbor – a 42 acre waterfront retail development in the Port of Los Angeles.

Ari Kahan began his career at Fortress Investment Group where he was responsible for underwriting and financial analysis across a wide range of asset classes. In 2012, Ari joined California Landmark as a consultant in the acquisitions and development departments, focusing on deal origination and the entitlement of several developments. In 2015, he launched the restaurant group Mainland Poke Shop, reinventing and popularizing the Hawaiian concept of Poke on a global scale, where he was recognized by Zagat in their 30 under 30 program for his efforts in this new restaurant field.

Ari rejoined CLG full time in 2017 and has been instrumental in the company’s growth strategy since then. Today, Ari oversees the Acquisitions group and co leads the Development Group. He also serves on the firm’s IMC (Investment and Management Committee), helping guide the company into the 21st century.

An LA native, Ari graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a BBA in Real Estate Finance. A pension for charity drives Ari to give back by serving on the boards of a charter school, a private Jewish high school and variety of food related charitable ventures. When not working, Ari enjoys both playing and watching hockey, skiing, cooking, traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Ben Kracke, AIA, IIDA, recently joined Rapt Studio’s Leadership team as Managing Director of the Los Angeles

studio, overseeing a team of architects, designers, and strategic thinkers.

A seasoned architect, Kracke brings 18 years of experience in architecture, adaptive reuse, and branded

interior design for commercial, hospitality, retail, and educational clients to Rapt Studio. Most recently,

Kracke led STUDIOS’s Los Angeles office, leading projects for household names such as Nickelodeon,

Paramount, Eataly, Riot Games, Sony X-Box, Orrick, and Ziffren Brittenham.

A natural team builder and strategic thinker, Kracke’s strong technical background compliments his passion

for design. He is also a passionate advocate for sustainability and healthy community building having installed

the first certified water reclamation system in the City of LA for Eataly and continuing to look for ways to

green our business practices.

Kimberlina Whettam, Founder and Principal of Kimberlina Whettam & Associates

(KW&A), has an excellent track record managing real estate developments from

conceptualization through completion. Specializing in due diligence research and project

analysis, management of the entitlement, public hearing, and development permit and

expediting process, Kimberlina leverages her strong governmental and industry relationships

to facilitate project approvals in a timely and cost-effective manner. She draws on her public

service background to bring more resources to bear as she coordinates and negotiates with

community-based organizations, elected officials, and government agencies to help move

development projects through the regulatory process.

KW&A provides comprehensive development consulting and overall permit expediting

services in the City of Los Angeles, the 88 incorporated cities in Los Angeles County, and

unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. These projects range from residential,

including single family dwellings, condominiums, townhomes, market rate multi-family and

affordable housing to large scale commercial projects, including office, high-rise, adaptive

re-use, hotel and hospitality, mixed-use, retail, sports and entertainment, studios,

educational and religious to public infrastructure, including municipal improvement projects.

KW&A is currently managing the approvals for 6,000 new residential units, both market rate

and affordable units; managing the approval process for several LAX projects including the

Automated People Mover, Delta Terminals 1 & 2 and the Consolidated Rent-a-Car Facility

(CONRAC); millions of SF of mixed-use projects throughout the greater Los Angeles area and

some of the most exclusive homes in the city.

Prior to entering the private sector, Kimberlina was Chief Planning & Environmental

Deputy for Los Angeles City Councilmember Jack Weiss. In a district which included Los

Angeles’ Westside and parts of the San Fernando Valley, Kimberlina managed publicly

funded capital improvement projects and conducted community outreach on both public and

private development projects throughout the district. While with Councilmember Weiss,

Kimberlina created the Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety’s Green Building

Incentive Program, and she negotiated and secured local community support for the Van

Nuys Airport Masterplan, allowing for the modernization of the world’s busiest general

aviation airport. Kimberlina is a graduate of the University of Arizona and a proud returned

Peace Corps Volunteer, Paraguay 1998-2000.

Outside of work, she is a lover of the outdoors, and an advocate for community health

and well-being. She is a founding member of the non-profit La Charla, serves on the board

of the Burbank Community YMCA, is the Chair of the Burbank YMCA Facilities Committee,

served as the California State Commissioner Vice Chair for the Off Highway Motor Vehicle

Recreation Commission 2019-2023, and was a Co-Chair of the Los Angeles 50/50Women on

Boards Committee for 3 years.

Brian Dugan serves as Managing Director at Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate. Edgemoor is a leader in the development of public-private partnerships (P3s) and has delivered (or has under development) more than $3 billion P3 projects nationally. Brian excels in identifying opportunities, forming strategic pursuit partnerships, structuring and sourcing financing, negotiating contractual arrangements, and managing Edgemoor's developments. Recently, Brian served as bid lead and continues to manage the Edgemoor-Star America Judicial Partners team for the Howard County Circuit Courthouse project, the first availability-payment structured municipal P3 to reach financial close in the U.S. outside of Long Beach, CA. Brian holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BS from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce.

William Gorham is a Vice President within the Project Development and Partnering Group at Plenary Americas. In this position, Will’s primary role is to identify and cultivate new projects, serve as the initial contact with public sector clients, and to assemble the optimal project team to successfully win and deliver projects. In addition, Will often provides ongoing client relationship, stakeholder management, and strategic insight during the procurement, delivery and operations phases of projects.

Prior to joining Plenary, Will worked at an LA-area public and government relations firm providing energy and environment clients with strategic planning, media relations and community outreach assistance. He started his career as an analyst for a strategy consulting firm providing strategic market analysis across a variety of industries.

Will graduated from UC San Diego with a BA in International Studies, Economics, and from the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy with a Master of International Affairs with a focus on International Management and Latin America.

David Olivo is the Principal City Planner for the Los Angeles City Planning’s San Fernando Valley Community Planning Division. He joined the department in 2006 and has worked in various assignments throughout the City of LA, but has focused on long-range planning efforts in the San Fernando Valley since 2017. David currently oversees a work program that includes six community plan updates in the south Valley, two transit neighborhood plans and various targeted geographic initiatives. These efforts will assist in transitioning large swaths of the Valley to the City of LA’s new zoning code that is currently under development. Prior to joining the City of Los Angeles, David worked as a Transportation Planning Manager with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and as a Planner with the City of Las Vegas. He holds an undergraduate degree from UCLA and graduated with a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Eli Lipmen joined the Move LA staff in August 2017 after working on the successful Measure M campaign in 2016. Eli was appointed Executive Director in 2022, having previously served on the Leadership Board for over six years. Eli has dedicated his life’s work to social change, from hunger to human rights to climate change to affordable housing. As a board member of the nonprofit ClimatePlan and co-chair of the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z) Transit Work Group, he is leading efforts in Los Angeles and across California to create more equitable public transportation. As one of five proponents of Measure ULA, Eli led the campaign for funding for affordable housing and tenant protections in the City of Los Angeles. Eli led Move LA’s campaign to successfully make LA Metro's ‘GoPass’ program permanent, providing fare-free transit for 1.3 million K-12 and community college students in LA County. He was honored by the TransitCenter for organizing national advocacy to achieve a more equitable Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the largest national investment in the public transportation system ever. Eli is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communications, the London School of Economics & Political Science, and the Coro Lead SoCal Fellowship program. Eli’s family of five lives in the City of Los Angeles, where they love to walk, bike, and ride public transit.

Prior to joining Destination Crenshaw, Jason served as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at

River LA, the organization charged with improving and revitalizing communities adjacent to the

51-mile stretch of the LA River. Jason helped to build the non-profit organization from its

inception. He developed the organization’s partnerships philosophy and spearheaded

programming for River LA’s strategic partnerships. Jason worked closely with community

partners, corporate representatives, and residents to grow the civic pride and social

responsibility surrounding the LA River.

Before moving to Los Angeles, Jason worked as a Project Manager for Impacct Brooklyn

(previously Pratt Area Community Council) in Brooklyn, New York. He managed multiple multi-

unit affordable housing projects through construction, including tenant relocations,

construction project management, and property management services. Prior to construction

management, Jason worked as a community organizer and was involved in campaign policy

strategy and coordination.

Jason holds a B.A. in Business Administration, Finance from Howard University and an MBA

from the Metropolitan College of New York, where he focused his studies on community

redevelopment and small business incubation. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha

Fraternity Inc. (Beta Chapter), a founding member of Beta Chapter Alumni Association

(501(c)3) and the Beta Chapter Investment Club.

He currently lives in South Los Angeles with his wife and two children, who are all native to Los

Angeles. Jason is proud to have grown up in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Joe is a Partner and the West Coast Audit Practice Leader based out of our Woodland Hills office. Citrin Cooperman is one of the nation’s largest professional services firms, helping companies and high net worth individuals find smart solutions. Whether your operations and assets are located around the corner or across the globe, we can provide new perspectives on strategies that will help you achieve your short- and long-term goals.

Joe is a skilled professional with over 25 years of experience in strategic financial management and business operations, specializing in assurance services. He provides support to middle-market, privately-held, and private equity-backed companies in a multitude of industries with local and international operations.

Prior to Citrin Cooperman, Joe was an audit partner at a Texas-based accounting firm where he advanced the commercial audit sector and fostered relationships in the client accounting services group, onboarding new clients.

Stephen Cheung is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and its subsidiary, the World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA).  As CEO of the LAEDC, Mr. Cheung brings together the capabilities of LAEDC’s mission-delivery department areas, including the Institute for Applied Economics (Research), Business Assistance, Industry Cluster Development, Workforce Development, World Trade Center Los Angeles (International), Strategic Relations, Communications & Marketing, and Public Policy, into a single team that delivers the LAEDC’s critically important, public-benefit mission – Reinventing our economy to collaboratively advance growth and prosperity for all.

In 2023, Cheung was elevated to President and CEO after serving as Chief Operating Office and Executive Vice President of LAEDC, and continues in his concurrent role as President of World Trade Center Los Angeles, a title he has held since coming to the organization in 2014.  Prior to that, Cheung was the Secretary General and Managing Director of International Trade and Foreign Affairs for Los Angeles Mayors Eric Garcetti and Antonio Villaraigosa, and was responsible for managing policies and programs related to the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports, International Affairs,  Global Trade and Clean Technology. In these roles, he was the lead organizer for the Mayors’ previous international trade missions to Mexico, China, Korea, Japan, Colombia, Chile and Brazil.  Furthermore, Cheung implemented the city’s strategic plan to make Los Angeles a global capital of clean technology by building the infrastructure to support research, development and manufacturing with key partners.

Concurrently, Cheung was the Director of International Trade for the Port of Los Angeles – the busiest container port in North America, and was responsible for developing programs to increase trade through the Port of Los Angeles, and facilitate goods movement through the Southern California region.

Cheung currently sits on the Board of Advisors of UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA Extension, Coro Southern California and Sister Cities of Los Angeles, while also serving on the Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board.

Adam Burke serves as President & CEO of Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (Los Angeles Tourism), overseeing global brand marketing and sales strategies for one of the world’s most diverse and innovative destinations. He first joined the organization as Chief Operating Officer in 2016.

Burke is responsible for achieving the organization’s mission to “improve the quality of life for all Angelenos through the economic benefits of tourism.” Los Angeles Tourism is a Member-based, non-profit organization, proudly representing over 1,000 local businesses in the leisure and hospitality sector.

With more than 25 years of travel & tourism industry experience, Burke previously served as Senior Vice President, Customer Loyalty for Hilton Worldwide with global management responsibility for the award-winning Honors customer loyalty program. During his 17 years with Hilton, he held management positions in a variety of functional areas including strategic planning, international marketing, leisure & multi-brand marketing, sales integration, business development, CRM and enterprise technology.

Burke is actively engaged in advocating for the broader travel and tourism industry, serving on the Board of Directors of U.S. Travel Association and the Board of Trustees of the Destinations International Foundation, as well as the Global Leadership, and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committees of Destinations International, the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, and the Simpleview Advisory Board.

Locally, Burke serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Sister Cities of Los Angeles, and Central City Association of Los Angeles, as well as the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission.

Mary was elected to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees of California Independent System Operator, a nonprofit that is the only independent electricity grid operator in the West, coordinating the distribution of energy resources for 80% of California and part of Nevada. She was also named to Mayor Karen Bass’s transition advisory team.

Ms. Leslie has served as LABC President since 2001, growing the council into one of the most prominent business organizations in the region, working closely with leaders from business, government and the non-profit sectors to enact policies and programs to strengthen Los Angeles’ economic competitiveness and quality of life. Under her leadership, she launched the LABC Institute in 2010 as the 501 (c) 3 research and education arm, attracting local and national funding. Both organizations operate with the core mission, focused on creating cutting edge policy strategies to reduce the region’s housing affordability gap, increase sustainable development, promote international trade, and expand high-paying workforce opportunities.

Ms. Leslie currently serves on the LA Sustainability Leadership Council, LA Cleantech Incubator Board of Directors, Los Angeles Conservation Corporation Board of Directors, UCLA Advisory Committee for the Luskin Center for Innovation, and is a member of the Pacific Council of International Policy. She previously served as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Board, Advisory Committees of L.A. Family Housing the California Women’s Law Center and the LA2028 Olympic Bid Committee.

In her previous role as Deputy Mayor for the City of Los Angeles under Mayor Richard Riordan, Ms. Leslie was responsible for the Mayor’s Business Development programs. Prior to joining the Riordan Administration, she was Deputy Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), where she oversaw the Northridge Earthquake relief dollars for Los Angeles as part of her portfolio of lending and education programs for SBA Director Erskine Bowles. She also served as the Executive Director of the California Economic Development Commission, overseeing policy development and trade missions for California business. Ms. Leslie was also President Clinton’s California Finance Director in his successful 1992 race for President.

Ms. Leslie received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Santa Clara, holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and attended the Executive Management Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Kathleen Rawson has more than 30 years of experience in hospitality and place

management. Rawson currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Hollywood

Partnership, the non-profit organization that manages the Hollywood Entertainment District,

including the world-renowned Walk of Fame. Before her new role in Hollywood, Rawson

served as CEO of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM, Inc.) from 1997 to 2022.

During her time in Santa Monica, Rawson expanded DTSM, Inc.'s role within the halls of

influence and tackled new responsibilities that helped shape Downtown Santa Monica into

one of the country's most dynamic and attractive urban districts. Rawson successfully

transformed the award-winning placemaking organization into the largest property-based

assessment district, by budget, in the State of California and implemented a hospitality and

maintenance program that amplified the impact of city services and evolved into one of the

most extensive programs in the country.

In addition, Rawson diversified the DTSM, Inc. board to include residents, business owners,

property owners, and city officials and increased staff capacity from five to 14 place

management professionals. Rawson also spearheaded the creation of a community

treasure, Ice at Santa Monica, a seasonal outdoor ice-skating rink two blocks from the

beach.

Her passion for helping transform organizations into agents for positive change in her

community goes beyond her work at The Hollywood Partnership and DTSM, Inc., extending

into her private life as well. Rawson previously served as chair of the International Downtown

Association and the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation, was past president of the

Kehillat Israel Synagogue, a member of the Santa Monica History Museum board, and a

former member of the boards for Turning Point Transitional Housing Shelter, Santa Monica

AIDS Project, and Southern California Women for Understanding.

Kelly LoBianco is the first Director of the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO). DEO is the central economic and workforce development agency of LA County. Through a regional strategy and community-centered policy and programs, the department seeks to unlock the vast potential of our local workers and small businesses; drive new, competitive investment that creates quality jobs, career pathways, and diverse talent pipelines; support economic security and mobility for all residents; and collectively build an equitable economy poised for inclusive and sustainable growth. Kelly was appointed Director in July of 2022. She joined the County in 2021 to support the department’s establishment. Prior to DEO, Kelly served as Chief Program Officer for the HOPE Program, a leading New York City-based nonprofit and social enterprise supporting the green economy, Assistant Commissioner for the New York City Department of Small Business Services, and in various roles in local and state government in New York City and in the US Senate in Washington, DC. She earned an MPA from Columbia University and a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Northwestern University.

As executive vice president of the West region at Shawmut Design and Construction, a leading $2 billion national construction management firm, Skalaski sets the strategy to ensure continued growth, executional excellence, and technical expertise. Under his leadership, the region—including the LA, Irvine, and Las Vegas offices—builds some of the most complex, iconic, and innovative spaces in the ground-up commercial, hospitality, education, life science, sports venues, and retail sectors. With 25 years of experience in the construction industry, Skalaski’s previous roles include vice president and director of operations, managing teams nationwide. He is a member of the Los Angeles Advisory Board for The Posse Foundation, on the ULI LA Leadership Council, and is an active member of LAEDC and LABC.

Alex Valente serves as a Senior Vice President for the Los Angeles Business Unit of Trammell Crow Company. Alex focuses on all multifamily opportunities within Greater Los Angeles for High Street Residential, TCC's residential subsidiary. In his role, Alex is responsible for identifying new development and investment opportunities, debt and equity partnerships, entitlements and community outreach, design, construction and leasing.

Prior to joining TCC, Alex worked for The Ratkovich Company, a Los Angeles-based developer. Alex focused his time working on three Ratkovich assets: The Hercules Campus at Playa Vista, a 28-acre 530,000-square-foot creative office and studio campus, 5900 Wilshire, a 30-story 491,000-square-foot office building in Miracle Mile, and The Alhambra, a 1,000,000-square-foot office campus.

Prior to The Ratkovich Company, Alex worked for Thomas Safran & Associates, a Los Angeles-based affordable housing developer. Alex focused his efforts on the development of The Renaissance at City Center, a 150-unit multifamily project in Carson, California and Canyon Creek, a 75-unit tax-credit, senior multifamily project in Calabasas, CA.

Fernando Perez has oversight for operations at the firm’s workforce housing portfolio across the United States. He also supports in sourcing, underwriting and closing acquisitions for the firm’s various investment vehicles.

Prior to joining Langdon Park Capital, Perez was responsible for acquisitions at Sunstone Properties Trust, a multifamily fund manager and operator. Perez has also worked for Bridge Investment Group, where he worked on acquisitions, asset management and dispositions in the Southeast region of the United States. Perez began his career in real estate finance in the Credit Research group at Goldman Sachs covering REITs across multiple asset classes. Perez’s previous asset management roles included responsibility for an aggregate portfolio of 5,000 units, and he has underwritten and closed over $1 billion of multifamily real estate transactions over the course of his career.

Perez earned a Bachelor of Science in economics and a minor in Business Administration from Brigham Young University.

Hailing from Mexico City, Arturo Sneider has dedicated over three decades to uplifting minority and low/moderate income communities in Southern California and beyond. His journey began by addressing the challenges faced by Mexican immigrants, evolving from local initiatives to the founding of Primestor, a minority-owned, 88% minority and 51% women led real estate developer with a focus on urban areas. Sneider’s leadership fosters inclusivity. Through community engagement, Primestor ensures developments meet local economic needs through job creation and infrastructure improvements. With over $1 billion invested, Primestor navigates economic uncertainties, evidenced by their recent $250 million Urban Vision Fund I launch. Their transformative projects span from South Gate to Boyle Heights, attracting institutional investors and retailers previously hesitant to engage underserved communities.

As Vice President of Development for Related California, Mr. Johnson is responsible for managing all aspects of the development process including the design, financing, and construction of more than 1,100 affordable housing units in Southern California.

Mr. Johnson has more than a decade of real estate development experience and has planned, entitled, financed, and developed over 6,900 residential units and 210,000 square feet of retail. Prior to joining Related, Mr. Johnson was a Senior Project Manager for The Community Builders where he managed the redevelopment of multi-phased, mixed-use, mixed-income developments spanning 32 city blocks in Chicago. In the first phase of his career, Mr. Johnson was responsible for a re-use and urban development project in Coto de Caza, and was an Acquisitions Analyst at The Bascom Group where designed and implemented The Bascom Green Initiative.

Mr. Johnson holds a Master in Urban Planning, with a concentration in Real Estate Development, from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy, Management and Planning from the University of Southern California.

Geoffrey Moen is a leader in the affordable housing industry who has been involved in the acquisition, development and financing of more than 4,000 housing units across the country with a value of more than $1 billion. Since 2021, Geoffrey has served as the Director of Development for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), the nation’s second largest housing authority. In his role, he manages a diverse team of real estate development, acquisitions, construction, and finance professionals who are tasked with the transformational redevelopment of large public housing communities using a build first model, acquiring properties directly and through public-private partnerships to create long-term affordable housing for lower-income and unhoused families, and

issuing governmental and conduit bonds to finance affordable housing development. Prior to joining HACLA, Geoffrey was the Director of West Coast Production for Standard Communities, one of the nation’s largest owners and developers of affordable housing, where he managed the acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable housing developments across Southern California. Geoffrey also served as the Senior Acquisitions Manager for POAH, a national nonprofit owner and developer of affordable housing, where he sourced and managed acquisitions across the East Coast, Southeastern, and Midwestern United States. Earlier in his career, Geoffrey served as a city planner in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he managed entitlements for major development projects, oversaw the city’s capital improvement plan, and assisted

in the development of its first ever Master Plan and a rewrite of the citywide zoning code. Geoffrey holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a master’s degree in public policy, with a focus on public finance and real estate, from Harvard University.

James practices in all aspects of general real estate law with an emphasis on the representation of private and institutional real estate investors and lenders, such as opportunity funds, investment banks, developers and operators, in connection with joint venture transactions, real property financing, workouts and restructurings, and acquisition and disposition of commercial projects, including hotels, resorts, residential developments, office buildings and retail centers. He has worked on numerous transactions relating to all aspects of the hospitality industry.

He received his J.D. degree from New York University School of Law in 2003 and B.A. degree in History and International Relations from Stanford University in 2000.

Heidi is the Executive Vice President of Engineered Tax Services (ETS) and operates the Ogden, Utah office. ETS is headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL and has 16 offices Nationally. ETS is a licensed Engineering firm focused on specialty tax services relating to federal tax incentives and strategies for Real Estate owners.

Heidi is a Real Estate Professional with over 25 years of tax and accounting experience in the Real Estate Finance, Development, Construction, and Commercial Property Areas. She is a consultant to business owners and investors to ensure tax efficiency, and optimization of federal, state and local incentives throughout the US. Her experience includes industry specific federal lobbying efforts in D.C., technical guidance on varying tax topics, and overseeing the marketing and sales efforts nationally.

Her projects range from small office buildings, restaurants, self-storage and rental homes to multi-million-dollar projects including the W Hotel in Manhattan, the Sea-Tac Marriott. She has published numerous articles in AccountingToday among other CPA and Real Estate publications, and has spoken to audiences ranging from AIA, USGBC, Energy Symposiums, Tech Symposiums, AICPA, varying International CPA Associations, and AccountingToday’s national conference, qualifying for Continuing Professional and Legal Education. Topics range between energy efficient options for Real Estate owners, depreciation, tax methodologies, and over tax efficiency. Heidi holds a Master’s of Science in Accounting, an Undergraduate degree in Business and Accounting and personally invests in Real Estate in her home state of Utah where she resides with her husband, three children, and a multitude of furry friends.

Rachel Freeman serves as the Deputy Mayor of Business and

Economic Development under Mayor Karen Bass. For nearly two

decades she has been engaged in a broad range of economic

development projects with an emphasis on commercial real

estate and development. Rachel oversees seven departments

totaling over 6,000 employees and a combined budget of over $8

billion: Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports,

Department of City Planning, Department of Building & Safety,

Department of Convention & Tourism Development, Economic &

Workforce Development Department, and Department of

Cannabis Regulation. She is charged with growing a prosperous

economy by creating jobs, attracting investment, increasing

tourism and supporting businesses of all sizes through equitable

pro-growth strategies. Prior to joining the administration Rachel

Freeman served as Senior Vice President, Real Estate for Tejon

Ranch Company (NYSE:TRC). Where she oversaw entitlements, land planning, transportation infrastructure, sustainability, legal and other development related activities in the Los Angeles County region, directly managing over 12,000 acres, 19,300 homes and 10M SF of commercial, industrial, parks and other civic uses. Prior to Tejon Ranch Company, she held the position of President & CEO at Capri Retail Services, LLC a subsidiary of Capri Capital Partners, LLC, an SEC registered real estate investment management firm leading entitlements, asset management and supporting acquisition/disposition related initiatives for Southern California, on behalf of major institutional investors. Having spent her career spearheading innovative and impactful real estate projects, Rachel Freeman has led the development efforts for a diverse array of projects including greenfield, mixed-use, multi-family, sustainable and transit-oriented developments across the region. She has most recently served as Co Chair for BizFed’s CEQA, Land Use and Housing Committee, the Board of Directors for Building Industry Association of Southern California's Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter and is an active member of Urban Land Institute’s (“ULI”) Housing Council.