John Terrell is a highly accomplished real estate developer, corporate executive and

real estate broker with 44 years of experience in every facet of the real estate industry.

He is the President and owner of Commercial Real Estate Strategic Partners, where he

develops residential and commercial properties in North Texas and Broken Bow,

Oklahoma and provides real estate development, investment and consulting services to

international and U.S. airports and municipalities. He is the Managing Partner with

Hunter Chase Development Partners and a Partner with Tong Parson’s & Terrell Realty,

one of the largest Asian based Real Estate brokerage companies in North Texas.

In addition, he is a partner with Carillon Crown LLC where he leads the development of

Carillon Parc, a $400M mixed-use, destination development in Southlake, Texas.

Previously, John served as the Vice President of Commercial Development at

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), overseeing development and leasing for

15 years, with over 4,000 acres and 46 million square feet of commercial facilities

developed. He was the President of PG Development, LLC until January 2023,

providing commercial development, land planning, and consulting services to both

international and U.S. airports. He held executive leadership roles with Southern Pacific

and Union Pacific Railroads heading up the western half of the US for real estate.

John has also served as an elected or appointed official for 19 years, including as

Mayor and City Council member. He has been recognized for his achievements in the

industry, holds advanced degrees in business, and serves on various advisory boards

and committees.

A 26-year veteran of the Irving CVB, Maura was named executive director in October 2003. A leading business

travel destination, Irving is home to the world headquarters of ExxonMobil, Kimberly-Clark, Flowserve and Fluor,

among others. She led the team that delivered the on-time, under-budget and architecturally distinctive Irving

Convention Center at Las Colinas, and has oversight of its day-to- day operations, which is averaging 305 events

per year. Construction is currently underway on the second anchor of Irving’s visitor district, the Irving Music

Factory, opening late summer 2017. The third and final anchor, the Westin Irving Convention Center Hotel, is

under construction and will open in late 2018.

Maura is a former chair of DMAI, and currently chairs its newly established CDME Board of Directors and serves

on the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program board, the DestinationNEXT task force and is a

DestinationNEXT facilitator. She has earned the designation of Fellow, Certified Destination Management

Executive (FCDME).

On the industry’s behalf, she’s worked to weave economic development strategy with community planning

tenets, along with solid destination sales and marketing, in order to enhance the standing of DMOs in their

community. Maura’s “Building Blocks” have been used by many to build the case for support and investment in

destination development, and the should-be- vital role of tourism in any community’s economic health

strategies. “Build a place where people want to visit, and you’ll build a place where people want to live.  Build a

place where people want to live, and you’ll build a place where people want to work.  Build a place where people

want to work, and you’ll build a place where business has to be.  Build a place where business has to be, and

you’ll build a place where people have to visit. It all starts with the visit, and the visit starts with us.”

In 2016, she was recognized by the Dallas Business Journal in its inaugural Women In Tourism Awards. In 2015,

she was honored with the La Cima Legacy Award, for her contributions to the Irving community. Maura also has

been named as a “Meetings Trendsetter” by MeetingsFocus Magazine, and a “Top 25 Extraordinary Mind” by

the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International. She is also the recipient of an Irving Schools

Foundation Fellow.

In her spare industry time, Maura also serves on the Advocacy Committee for the International Association of

Exhibition Executives. Back home in Irving, she serves on boards for the Heritage Society, Rotary, La Cima Club,

Salvation Army Advisory Council and Chamber of Commerce. She is a past chair of the Dallas Advertising

League/AAF-Dallas.

Before joining the hospitality industry, Gast spent time in the retail and newspaper worlds, in a variety of sales,

marketing and event management roles; she is also a recovering meeting professional. She is a graduate of St.

Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.

Noah Lazes is the co-founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer of North Carolina-based ARK Group and its family of companies. He received national recognition for his co-design and development of the “World Mardi Gras,” a multi-venue entertainment complex featuring five restaurants and nightclubs within a single destination that currently has locations in Indianapolis, Indiana and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As well, his overall contributions to entertainment and nightlife in Miami Beach, Florida were honored with a presentation of a key to the City. In addition to being recognized as an accomplished entertainment and lifestyle center developer, Lazes is highly respected for his work as the producer of some of the largest arts and music festivals in the U.S. These programs include RocktoberFest, Carolina MusicFest, Indy Summer Stages, Center CityFest, and CityFest Live. Lazes has received countless awards for entertainment and nightlife that include the Charlotte Center City Partners prestigious 2011 Vision Award. He is currently involved in development of The Irving Music Factory at Las Colinas, a 17-acre, mixed-use entertainment and lifestyle center located in the heart of the iconic Las Colinas Urban Center in Irving, Texas. Upon completion in fall 2017, the development will be anchored by The Pavilion, a state-of-the-art, 8,000-seat indoor/outdoor amphitheater, 250,000 square feet of entertainment, retail and restaurant options and a 100,000-square-foot office tower. Lazes is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and is listed in Fortune Magazine as one of its most distinguished alumni.

Greg Garfield has 16 years of experience in the financing, development, design, construction and operations of essential public/private developments. His broad scope of responsibilities includes project management, development planning, deal structuring, financial, legal, and political problem-solving, document negotiation, financial and investment analysis, and operations and maintenance planning.

Mr. Garfield’s experience includes leadership of or participation in the development or planning of over 30 properties and the negotiation and structuring of $600 million in real estate debt and equity. His expertise includes public/private partnerships utilizing conventional debt and equity, taxable and tax-exempt municipal financing, naming rights and fundraising for performing arts centers, convention and conference center headquarters hotels, and many other facility types.

Mr. Garfield was a principal of Garfield Corporation, founded in 1997 to finance and develop facilities for public agencies, and expanded the firm as Garfield Traub Development in 2003. Through 2012, the firms had completed or under development over $1 billion in public/private facilities, including performing arts centers, convention centers, conference centers and headquarters hotels, justice and public safety facilities, K-12 and higher education buildings, government office buildings, parking garages, and other vital public infrastructure.

Prior to 1998, Mr. Garfield was an executive with McCall, McBride & Lancaster, Inc., a financial consulting and management advisory firm with clients ranging from major law firms to real estate developers.

Mr. Garfield has been a featured speaker at numerous real estate industry events, including the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) Annual Meeting & Awards Banquet, the Performing Arts Managers Conference of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), and the Arizona State University Municipal Finance Challenge. He received his BA with honors from the University of North Texas.

Beth Bowman is a highly regarded economic development professional and

Chamber executive in Irving, TX, the thirteenth most populous city in the state

and one of the most diverse communities in the nation. She is President and

Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce,

the first 5-Star accredited Chamber in Texas, and President of the Irving

Economic Development Partnership (IEDP), an alliance of private and public

entities with the mission to retain and recruit local, national and international

corporations to the city, located in the epicenter of the Dallas/Fort Worth

Metroplex.

As chief executive officer for the Chamber, Bowman leads a 1,800 member

investor business organization that includes more than 30 Fortune 1000

companies. She is responsible for providing valuable information, services,

programming and access to opportunities that help Chamber member investors realize success and profits. She

also advocates for local, statewide, and national public policies that support a successful environment for the

business community.

As President of the IEDP, Bowman works with public officials, real estate professionals, and relocation experts to

recruit quality businesses to Irving-Las Colinas that bring skilled jobs and add to the city’s tax base. As a result,

Irving ranks third in the country per capita for tech start-up companies and is attracting billions of dollars in new

commercial and residential construction, thousands of jobs and new residents to Irving-Las Colinas. Since taking

this role Beth led the team responsible for recruiting and retaining a number of Fortune 500’s enterprise,

midsized and small companies including McKesson Corporation, Pabst Brewing Company, Chuck E. Cheese,

Fidelity, Michaels, Holt Cat and NEC to name a few.

Bowman is a champion for business, the City of Irving and its citizens, working to improve the quality of life,

education and opportunities for all. She is helping raise $3.2 million for One Irving, a private sector initiative with

the goal of increasing test scores in math and science for college-bound and post-secondary students. The

program also introduces students to career opportunities in the business world, a special interest for the Chamber

executive.

Bowman is a recipient of the Dallas Business Journal’s “2016 Women in Business” award honoring North Texas'

most influential business women who are making a difference in their workplace, blazing trails for other women

and making a positive impact on their communities. She is a mentor for the Dallas Business Journal’s “Bizwomen

Mentoring Monday” and is a trusted advisor to the founders of Women’s Leadership Live, a national initiative with

mentors, workshops, and programs to promote leadership and entrepreneurship opportunities for women.

Bowman organized and hosted the first Women’s Leadership Live conference.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Bowman to its Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100 (CCC100), an

elite group of chamber executives that identifies emerging issues impacting chambers and their members, advises

the U.S. Chamber on programs and services for chambers, and provides feedback on policy-related issues.

Bowman is a member of The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and served as a judge for the 2015

“National Chamber of the Year” award, the highest honor in the Chamber industry. She also serves on the Board

of Directors for the North Texas Chamber Executives and the Texas Association of Business, one of the most

influential business organizations in the state, advocating for public policies to make Texas the strongest economy

in the world.

Bowman is a graduate of Leadership Texas (2014) and Leadership North Texas (2014). In 2012, she was honored by

the Dallas Business Journal as one of the “40 Under 40” for influential business leadership and community

involvement.

Bowman’s professional achievements include the Certified Chamber of Commerce Executive (CCE) designation –

the highest level attainable by Chamber leaders. She is a graduate of the Institute of Organizational Management

(IOM) at Loyola Marymount University in California, and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Bowman’s talents are highly sought after by area volunteer organizations. She was Co-Chairman of the 2016

TexasFest, a major source of funding for the Irving Healthcare Foundation that supports critically needed

healthcare programs in the greater Irving community. She currently serves on the La Cima Board of Governors, the

Salvation Army Irving Advisory Board, Irving Heritage Society, and is an active member of in the Junior League of

Dallas and Northwest ISD PTA. She has also volunteered her time and talents for Big Brothers Big Sisters Big Black

Tie Ball, Uplift Education, Brighter Tomorrows (a domestic violence shelter), and Irving Schools Foundation. She is

an ex-officio board member for the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau and U.S. Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

A graduate of Baylor University with a BA in Communication and minor in Business, Bowman is a member of the

Baylor University Alumni Association and Kappa Alpha Theta Alumnae. She and her husband Steven enjoy

spending their free time with their children.

Growing up in a family of builders laid the foundation and by thirteen, Don Powell was working commercial construction projects and on his way to an architecture degree from Ball State University. He began his career in Indianapolis, and four decades ago helped launch the firm now known as BOKA Powell. After designing more than 50 million square feet, Don maintains that the best design solutions come from a thorough understanding of the problem and allowing that clarity to drive the process. Clients and colleagues appreciate the certainty of outcome Don’s leadership offers. He has led the firm’s practice in office design since 1976, and has championed its expansion into the hospitality and healthcare sectors, including the Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel and Methodist Hospital for Surgery. Don’s commitment to public service is distinguished by his longtime support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas, headquartered in Irving, including past tenure as Chairman of the Board.

Under Don’s leadership, BOKA Powell has developed an extensive portfolio of projects in Irving/Las Colinas, including the following notable hospitality and office projects:

· Westin Irving Convention Center Hotel (ongoing)

· Texican Court Hotel (ongoing)

· NEC America Headquarters

· Las Colinas Corporate Center I & II

· Make-a-Wish Foundation of North Texas

· Cigna

· MacArthur Ridge

· Brinks Home Security

· Siplast

· Allstate Regional Operations Center

· Microsoft Customer Support Center

Brad joined JPI in 1990 and is responsible for all acquisition, development, construction, operations and disposition activity for the company. He has developed or acquired over 18,000 apartment homes in multiple states and has 30+ years industry experience. A native of Dallas, Brad holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Real Estate from The University of Texas at Arlington. Brad serves on the company’s Investment Committee.

Matt Brendel is the Senior Managing Director of Legacy's Texas office where is responsible for development, construction, acquisition, and operations. Prior to joining Legacy Partners, Mr. Brendel was the Divisional President and Managing Partner of JPI, a national developer and builder of Class A multifamily, where he led the acquisition, development, construction and operations of over 30 communities in Texas with a combined project value of over $2 billion. Matt received both his B.B.A. in Accounting and his M.S. in Finance from Texas A&M University and is a Multifamily Leadership Board Member of the National Association of Home Builders.

Bill Brokaw is senior vice president of Hillwood Urban, where he leads the

division’s business development and leasing efforts. During a career that

spans more than two decades, Brokaw has managed leasing transactions

totaling more than 7 million square feet of landmark, Class A office space

throughout the North Texas region.

Properties and projects that Brokaw has represented include Victory Park,

The Towers at Williams Square, and numerous CBD high-rise buildings, in

addition to other significant assets in Downtown Dallas, Las Colinas, and North Dallas. In 2013 and 2014, he received the Top National Broker – Agency Leasing Award from Cushman & Wakefield and has also received “Best Real Estate Deal” awards three times from the Dallas Business Journal. In 2011, he was featured as a Top DFW office leasing broker in the Dallas Business Journal’s Commercial Real Estate “Heavy Hitters” list. He has also been designated as a “D CEO Power Broker” based on his outstanding revenue production from 2010 thru 2020.

Brokaw began his commercial real estate career in 1995 at Lincoln Property Company. Brokaw has also held positions at Trizec Office Properties and originally joined Hillwood Development as vice president of leasing for Victory Park’s initial Class A office offerings. Following a move to Cousins Properties and Cushman & Wakefield, serving as executive director of their Dallas office, Brokaw returned to Hillwood to partner in the formation of the Hillwood Urban division.

Dunne Investments and Dunne Property Company, are private, family-owned businesses based in

Wichita, Kansas. The company’s focus is on real estate investment and development throughout the

country, as well as crude oil and natural gas exploration and production investment primarily in the mid-

continent region. Dunne Investments owns or manages real estate in Kansas, Arizona and Oklahoma City

with energy holdings in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Alaska’s North Slope. The company is also an

investor in several alternative investment categories including venture capital, private equity, and

private note investments.

In March, a group of Wichita investors led by Allan Dunne broke ground on WaterWalk Las Colinas at a

prime location adjacent to DFW Airport at George Bush Turnpike and West Royal Lane. WaterWalk’s

hybrid hotel and corporate lodging concept mirror a similar popular model well-known in Europe. This

model provides added space typically seen in apartment homes with the combination of hotel services

and offers an array of upscale amenities and features. WaterWalk is Jack DeBoer’s fifth national brand

following Residence Inn, Summerfield Suites, Candlewood Suites, Value Place/Woodspring, and

Summerfield Suites.

WaterWalk Las Colinas plans to open March of 2018. The Dunne group plans to develop 10 to 15

additional WaterWalk franchises over the next few years.