Joseph Sitt is President and CEO of Thor Equities, a global leader in urban real estate development,

leasing and management of commercial, residential, retail, hotel and mixed-use assets. Mr. Sitt is also

CEO of Thor Retail Advisors, a premier leasing agent and exclusive representative of global retailers in

their search for prime locations; Chairman of Thor Urbana, which develops and acquires retail, office

and mixed-use properties in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puebla and other large Mexican cities; and

Chairman and Managing Principal of Thor Urban Property Funds, an investment vehicle serving pension

funds, investment banks, top-tier college endowments and foundations.

Mr. Sitt was awarded the 2014 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Harvard professor

Michael Porter and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) have also honored him for his

commitment to fostering healthy competitive business conditions and new opportunities in inner city

neighborhoods. He has served on the board of the Real Estate Roundtable in Washington D.C., the

Department of Real Estate at Baruch College, and is a member of the Partnership for New York City. Mr.

Sitt founded women’s clothing retailer Ashley Stewart, expanding the company to 380 stores in over 100

cities. He is a graduate of New York University’s Stern School of Business.

As Chairman, NY Investment Sales with JLL Capital Markets, Bob co-leads the investment

sales division in New York City.

Bob was Chairman and Founding Partner of Massey Knakal Realty Services, New York’s #1

building sales firm. He started his real estate career in 1984 at CB Richard Ellis where he

met Paul J. Massey Jr. They both left CB in 1988 to form Massey Knakal.

From 1988 through 2014, Massey Knakal closed over 6,000 transactions with an aggregate

value in excess of $23 billion. To date, Bob has been personally responsible for the sale of

1,873 buildings (generally considered to be the highest total ever for a single broker in New

York) and over $18 billion in sales.

On December 31, 2014, Cushman & Wakefield acquired Massey Knakal. At Cushman &

Wakefield, Bob acted as Chairman of New York Investment Sales. He was ranked the top

originating investment sales broker at Cushman & Wakefield, globally, in 2014, 2015 and

2016.

Since 2009, Bob has written a weekly column on the New York City Real Estate Market

called Concrete Thoughts for the Commercial Observer.

Jeffrey Dvorett is the Executive Vice President and Head of Development for Kuafu Properties, where he is responsible for the planning, development, management, marketing and sales of new developments.

Prior to this he was the Senior Vice President for Development at Extell Development Company, one of the most active developers in New York City. While at Extell, Mr. Dvorett managed and oversaw the development of over two million square feet of mixed used, residential and hospitality projects including the Hyatt Times Square, a 487 key hotel located in the heart of Times Square and ONE57, the most luxurious residential building in New York. ONE57 achieved numerous records for residential and hotel sales. It features 94 ultra­-luxury residences above the 210 key flagship Park Hyatt Hotel.

Prior to joining Extell, Mr. Dvorett was a member of the development team at the Clarett Group, a New York residential development company. He has also served as a strategy and operations consultant to some of the world’s largest multinational corporations. He is a frequent guest lecturer and panelist on topics ranging from design and construction to economic trends in real estate development and served on the board of directors of several leading New York real estate organizations.

As the CEO of GuardHill Financial Corp., Alan Rosenbaum ranks among the foremost mortgage

specialists in the country. Headquartered in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, Alan founded

GuardHill Financial in 1992, and he has since developed the company into one of the top

mortgage banks in America. Alan supervises an annual operation of over one billion dollars in

mortgage originations.

Alan and his firm have worked with clients throughout the country. With over 80 dedicated

employees, Alan is perpetually searching for new opportunities for expansion and has recently

established an overseas presence by creating a prominent international mortgage division.

Alan presently resides in Long Island, New York with his wife and three daughters, and their two

Labradors.

Stephen J. Pettit was born in Ohio in 1954, the son of an aerospace engineer and a librarian. He graduated from University of Notre Dame with a B.A. (Government and Asian Studies, magna cum laude) in 1976 and from Duke Law (Order of the Coif) in 1979. He practiced law for thirty years, the last twenty of which with Occidental Petroleum. He has appeared as an advocate in numerous trials and appeals around the US; acted as counsel in M & A and financing transactions in the US and abroad; managed corporate legal, government affairs, procurement and compliance functions; and advised companies doing business in over two dozen countries. He retired in 2009, only to be asked to return to help manage Qatari Diar, a sovereign wealth fund developing real estate in over 20 countries. He helped reorganize their operations in Europe and the Americas, sits on the boards of a number of its subsidiaries and joint ventures and has recently been named non-executive chairman of Qatari Diar Americas, Inc. in Washington, D.C. His interests in history, anthropology and ecology have thus far resulted in extensive travel to all the Earth’s continents except Australia.

MaryAnne Gilmartin is President and Chief Executive Officer of Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), a New York-based real estate development company.

Ms. Gilmartin has been point person in the development of some of the most high profile real estate projects in New York City. She led the efforts to build Barclays Center, the new state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue and the centerpiece of the $4.9 billion, 22-acre mixed-use Pacific Park Brooklyn development.

Ms. Gilmartin oversaw the development of The New York Times Building, designed by world renowned architect Renzo Piano and New York by Gehry, the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere, designed by award winning architect Frank Gehry. In addition to these projects, Ms. Gilmartin has managed the commercial portfolio at MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn, which consists of 6.7 million square feet of Class A office space.

Ms. Gilmartin graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Fordham University, where she also completed her Masters Degree in 1990. Ms. Gilmartin began her real estate development career as a New York City Urban Fellow in 1986 at the Public Development Corporation.

Ms. Gilmartin served proudly for over 7 years on the New York City Ballet Advisory Board. Currently, Ms. Gilmartin serves as a Board Trustee for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM); a Member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY); and as a Member of the Industry Advisory Board of the MS Real Estate Development Program at Columbia University. Most recently, she was named Co-Chair of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a member of the Board of Directors of the Jefferies Group LLC, a global investment banking firm, and a Member of the Board of Trustees of New York Public Radio.

Ms. Gilmartin has been recognized as a top professional in her field by WX as its 2007 “Woman of the Year”, by Crain’s in 2007 as one of New York’s Most Influential Women and again, in 2011, 2013 and 2015, by Crain’s as one of New York’s 50 Most Powerful Women.

Ronald A. Kaplan, CPA, is a partner with CohnReznick and is the Firm’s Commercial Real Estate Industry

Leader. Ron has more than 20 years of experience providing assurance, due diligence, business advisory, and

tax services to clients in the commercial, residential, retail, and hospitality sectors throughout the United States

and internationally. Ron regularly provides assistance and advisory services to clients as they negotiate

agreements with lenders, equity partners, and fund managers. In addition, he advises clients on accounting

and tax matters throughout the agreement process, from initial drafting through completion.

Ron’s clients are generally private companies with multi-state operations and include real estate opportunity

funds, property management firms, partnerships, contractors, institutional lenders, REITs and joint ventures, as

well as other corporate and family owners and investors. Ron has a particular focus on real estate opportunity

funds, with clients ranging from start-ups to established funds. His clients benefit from his experience in critical

areas, such as fair value reporting, compliance monitoring, investor relations, and fund performance.

Prior to joining CohnReznick, Ron was in charge of the real estate practice for the New York office of a large

national public accounting firm. In this role, he oversaw the practice’s client services, account management,

and team development functions. He was also active in the firm’s training activities, leading presentations on

the real estate business for professionals both within the firm and at national industry conferences.

David Greene is President of Brokerage Services at MHP Real Estate Services. Recently, Mr. Greene was honored again by The Commercial Observer as one of the 100 most powerful people in New York Real Estate. MHP is the New York affiliate of TCN Worldwide, an international association of leading commercial real estate firms with affiliates in more than 200 markets with more than $38.8 Billion dollars in annual transactions. Mr. Greene serves as Chairman on the Board of Directors. At MHP, Mr. Greene is responsible for business development, strategic services and public relations. He is a frequent contributor to real estate periodicals and has participated in numerous industry-wide panel discussions. He has been widely quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Commercial Observer, The Financial Times, The Real Deal and Real Estate Weekly. Prior to his current position, David was Executive Managing Director. Throughout his career at MHP he has sold nearly $1 Billion of real estate to his clients including the sale of 295 Madison Avenue, the partial interest sale of 180 Madison Avenue, the package of 256 West 38th Street and 252 West 37th Street, the sale of 485 Seventh Avenue and the sale of 177 Lafayette Street. Most recently Mr. Greene represented Luxottica, the leader in premium, luxury and sports eyewear in their purchase of 1 West 37th Street. Mr. Greene has leased more than 3 million square feet including transactions with Walt Disney for 45,000rsf, Northrop Grumman 60,000rsf, Scripps/HGTV 77,000rsf, BCBG/Max Azria 42,000rsf, Switch and Data 40,000rsf and Jordache 35,000rsf. As leasing agent he successfully represented buildings such as 1180 Avenue of the Americas, 485 Seventh Avenue, 1450 Broadway and 101 Fifth Avenue, among others. Mr. Greene got his start in New York real estate when he joined a family friend’s company. The firm managed a 13 building portfolio in Greenwich Village. His experience working with apartments, sponsor sublets, rent subsidized or controlled apartments along with retail space at the base of the buildings fascinated him. David’s experience continued to broaden as he began to work directly with the various lawyers, lenders, accountants, brokers and retail tenants, learning many facets of the business. Mr. Greene is an active member in real estate and charitable organizations including REBNY, ICSC and WIN. He is a member of the Jazz Leadership Society of WBGO Jazz 88.3FM and is a member of the National Arts Club. An avid traveler, David is a native New Yorker.

Mr. Cohen is President of the Tri-Slate Region. When the firm operated as GVA Williams. Mr Cohen was the third generation of his family to head the firm. which was founded in 1926. He chaired GVA Williams' Executive Committee and was the founding partner and Chairman of GVA Worldwide Ltd.. GVA strategic partnership of leading real estate firms serving 120 business capitals on Uwe continents.

An expert real estate advisor. Mr. Cohen has represented an elite clientele of the nation's lop companies, including American Express, ADP and General Motors. He specializes in representing corporations in the acquisition and disposition of office space nationwide. He has extensive experience representing law firms including, Moses 8 Singer. Holland and Knight. Smith Gantrell Russell.

Mr. Cohen currently represents a wide range of clients regionally and nationally and globally including, Wells Fargo Advisors. American Lawyer Media. Signature Bank. Russell Reynolds Associates. SS&C and Marks Paneth

In 2012. Mr. Cohen was ranked as one of New York City's lop 20 brokers by the Real Deal. That year. among others. he represented Parsons Brinkerhoff in the renewal of their 200.000-square toot world headquarters at 1 Penn Plaza

in 2017 Mr. Cohen was ranked 66 among Commercial Observer's Power 100 nationwide.

Mr. Cohen graduated from llw University of Pennsylvania.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Mr. Cohen is on the Board of Directors of several or ganizalions. He serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Flatiron/21J Street Partnership and also serves on the Boards of. The Roundabout Theatre Company, the Jewish National Fund of Greater New York and YPO Metro NY/YPO Gold Big Apple. He is also a past Chairman of the Board of Housing and Services Inc. and past President of Young Presidents' Organization NY Metro Chapter. Mr Cohen is also a Tony Award winning Producer of -A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.

Timothy Johnson is a Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies and the Head of U.S. Originations BREDS, based in New York. Mr. Johnson is involved in sourcing, underwriting, negotiating and structuring debt investments across all asset types and geographies. Before joining Blackstone in 2011, Mr. Johnson was a co-founder of BroadPeak Funding, a boutique commercial real estate finance company based in Los Angeles. Prior to founding BroadPeak, Mr. Johnson was a Vice President in the Lehman Brothers Global Commercial Real Estate Group where he worked from 2002-2008. While at Lehman his responsibilities included sourcing, structuring, underwriting and executing large structured finance transactions as well as select equity investments. Mr. Johnson received a BA in Mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross where he graduated cum laude.

John Cannon joined Freddie Mac Multifamily in February 2012 as Senior Vice President,

Multifamily Production and Sales where he serves as chief point person for our Program

Plus® Seller network.

John has over 25 years of experience in the mortgage industry. Prior to Freddie Mac,

John was executive vice president with Berkadia Commercial Mortgage where he led the

conventional mortgage banking network, GSE lending, proprietary lending, and

investment sales platforms. In his last five years at Berkadia, they originated more than

$86 billion in loans with a variety of capital sources, including Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae,

FHA/HUD, insurance companies, capital markets and other institutional lenders, and

proprietary sources.

Prior to his role with Berkadia, John held several leadership roles at Capmark Finance,

where he managed the conventional and HUD production networks, the conventional

sales force, and was the lead corporate liaison with the GSEs and conduit lenders. While

at GMAC Commercial Mortgage, John originated servicing-retained commercial

mortgage loans for the GSEs, correspondent insurance companies, and pension fund

clients.

John is an alumnus of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania and earned his Master

of Science in Finance at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Ralph Herzka is the chairman and CEO of Meridian Capital Group. Since co-founding the commercial real estate advisory firm in 1991, Mr. Herzka has remained the guiding force behind the company’s evolution from a small Brooklyn-based commercial mortgage brokerage to a national leader in real estate capital markets, having personally arranged over $100 billion in financing. Additionally, Mr. Herzka has led Meridian’s recent expansion into New York City investment sales and retail leasing in 2015 and 2018, respectively.

Mr. Herzka demonstrates an exceptional ability to foster multi-generational relationships with real estate owners and investors and forms critical alliances with lenders to achieve success across the asset spectrum. He is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council, and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

In addition to his professional leadership, Mr. Herzka is a dedicated philanthropist, raising millions of dollars for various organizations over his career. Most notably, he is a passionate participant of Bike4Chai, an annual 180-mile cycling fundraiser for children fighting pediatric illnesses and disabilities.

Mr. Herzka is a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, NY. He and his wife are proud parents and grandparents.

Natural Marketer with Strong Credit Skills and the Ability to Deliver Results, Negotiate On A Win/Win Basis and Collaborate Diplomatically.

Seasoned commercial banker with a successful track record in business development, relationship management and credit fulfillment.

Solid expertise in origination, negotiation, credit facility structuring, transaction management and execution. Consistently strive to deliver top of class structured finance products and services to clients and being their trusted advisor for all their financial needs.

As a commercial banking and deal structuring expert within large corporate and commercial real estate, managed highly experienced lenders and generated significant revenue by actively managing business development opportunities and overseeing ongoing monitoring of client portfolio performance to maximize penetration and return.

Achieved various partnering efforts including management of teams, collaboration with functional areas and client initiatives to ensure successful deals. Strong skill set with a deep understanding of end-to-end processes including product development and implementation, origination, credit, execution, work-outs, portfolio monitoring and servicing. Focused on ensuring team maintains the required internal control standards, including adherence to audit, regulatory and compliance policies. Dedicated to achieving safe, sound and sustainable profitable growth.

Structured Finance; Corporate Banking; Commercial/Residential Real Estate Finance;

Distressed Note and REO Finance; Managed Credit and Servicing;

Drew Fletcher is President of Greystone Capital Advisors where he oversees a team of professionals responsible for arranging creative debt and equity solutions for institutional and private commercial property owners and developers, and provides strategic advisory services for institutions, investors and borrowers. GCA also focuses on large loan mortgage origination across Greystone’s best-in-class Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, CMBS, Bridge, balance-sheet and special situation lending platforms.

Drew has over 24 years of commercial real estate experience. Prior to joining Greystone, Drew served as Chief Financial Officer of Edison Properties LLC, one of the largest private real estate owners in New York City, with a portfolio of urban self-storage, office, mixed-use, and multifamily assets, as well as substantial land holdings throughout the NY Metro Region.

Drew received a B.A. in Economics and Communications from Wake Forest University; an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University; and a Masters of Accountancy in Taxation from Rutgers University. He volunteers his time as a guest lecturer at the NYU Real Estate Institute and is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York and the Urban Land Institute. Drew also serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of Greystone Housing Impact Investors L.P. (NYSE: GHI), a publicly traded limited partnership that provides debt and equity financing to affordable and market-rate multifamily housing. Drew was named to the Commercial Observer’s 50 Most Powerful People in Commercial Real Estate Finance.

Belinda Schwartz has chaired Herrick’s Real Estate Department since 2014, is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee since 2017 and is a 30+ year veteran of New York City’s commercial real estate market. She is a leader and mentor for 50+ attorneys and urban planners (23 of which are women) and one of the only women in the country to chair a major commercial real estate practice.

One of the industry’s most creative real estate dealmakers, Belinda’s clients value her ability to find common ground in negotiations and achieve a desirable outcome as swiftly as possible. Her clients include prominent developers, owners, funds, investors and family-owned real estate businesses, whom she advises in complex debt and equity transactions including real estate restructurings and workouts; fund formation; property acquisitions and sales; joint ventures; development deals; construction matters; ground leases and commercial leases.

Belinda frequently advises clients in single asset and portfolio transactions involving residential, hospitality, office and retail properties across the U.S. She has also advised on several of New York City’s largest development projects, including Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Empire Stores complex, Downtown Brooklyn’s 1.8 million square-foot City Point project, and one of the largest land swaps in Manhattan history, a deal which won REBNY’s coveted Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Award. Recently, Belinda has been leading her clients through the impact of COVID-19 on their real estate transactions, development projects, workouts and restructurings, loans and leases as a critical addition to her clients' business team.

Belinda has consistently been ranked one of New York City’s leading real estate lawyers by Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, City & State and Real Estate Forum, which has twice named her a “woman of influence.” Belinda was named one of National Law Journal's Trailblazers in Real Estate/Construction Law in 2020. In 2019, Belinda was named one of Real Estate Weekly's, Real Estate Dealmakers, and in 2018, one of Real Estate Weekly’s Leading Ladies of Real Estate. In 2017, Belinda was named one of Crain’s New York Business’ top 100 women lawyers and for the past number of years she has been named one of Bisnow’s New York power women.

Michael Maturo is a founding Managing Partner and serves as President of RXR Realty LLC (“RXR”), a multi-billion dollar private real estate company which was formed subsequent to the sale of Reckson Associates Realty Corp (“Reckson”)(NYSE:RA) to SL Green, one of the largest public Real Estate management buyouts in REIT history. In this capacity, he develops, implements and oversees RXR’s corporate strategy and investment fund and asset management businesses as well as all capital markets activities. Mr. Maturo is a member of RXR’s Investment Committee and its Board of Directors. He is also a Principal and member of the Investment Committee of RXR Real Estate Opportunity Fund, LLC, RXR Real Estate Value Add Fund LLC and RXR Emerging Markets Fund LLC.

Prior to the Reckson/SL Green merger, Mr. Maturo served as President and a member of the Board of Directors at Reckson. Mr. Maturo was also Chairman of the Investment Committee and had oversight responsibility over the company’s allocation of capital. Mr. Maturo worked closely with the Company’s CEO in developing and implementing Reckson’s corporate and operating strategies. Mr. Maturo was at Reckson from 1995 until January 2007 and during his tenure completed over $20 billion in capital markets transactions.

In addition, Mr. Maturo serves on a number of outside Boards and Committees including Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Long Island Association (LIA), as well as a Member of its Executive Committee and Chairman of its Economic Development Committee, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the Investment Committee of the Diocese of Rockville Centre Pension Plan and Member of the Real Estate Roundtable. Mr. Maturo was appointed by Governor Cuomo in December 2012 to the Board of Trustees of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) where he served as Chairman of the Personnel and Compensation Committee and member of the Finance and Audit Committee and the Operations Transition Committee. Mr. Maturo completed his tenure on the LIPA board in January 2014.

Albert Dweck is the founder and CEO of Duke Properties. His responsibilities include oversight of all aspects of the company’s real estate activities, which include planning, acquisition, approval, financing, marketing, sales, leasing, and maintenance. Since founding Duke in 2001, he has been the managing principal of over 30 real estate partnerships with approximately 500 units under management in the North Eastern United States. Mr. Dweck received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from The Stern School of Business at New York University in 1994. He completed intensive training in business and management at the Sanno Institute of Management, Tokyo Japan, 1993. He is a licensed real estate agent and received a certificate in real estate investment and finance from the NYU, SCPS in 2003. He graduated from the Business Professional’s Course of The Aji Network in 2009, and is a current member of The Aji Network’s Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Innovation and the Accumulation of Power Program. He is also a Professor at the Real Estate Institute at NYU, SCPS. He is the Vice President, Finance, and serves on the Board of Directors of Barkai Yeshivah, a private school in Brooklyn, NY.

Shimon Shkury is the President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors. As President he oversees all investment sales, capital services and research initiatives that the company undertakes.

Since 2002, Mr. Shkury has advised private clients, institutions, operators, equity providers and lenders on pricing, positioning and selling assets throughout New York City. This experience has enabled Mr. Shkury to emerge as an expert within the various asset classes, city, state and federal regulatory agreements and market indicators.

Mr. Shkury is routinely sought out as a resource for the industry and has been featured in publications such as The Real Deal, Commercial Observer, The Wall Street Journal, Crain’s New York, Bisnow and many others. As a contributor to Forbes, he writes about trends in commercial real estate and is the host of Ariel’s Coffee & Cap Rates podcast.

In 2023, he was named to the Commercial Observer’s Power 100 list of commercial real estate leaders and, in 2022, to Crain’s New York’s list of Notable Leaders in Real Estate. Along with his partners, he was honored with Connect CRE’s Top Broker Award 2022, Globest.com’s Multifamily Influencer Award 2022, and Commercial Property Executive’s Best Investment Transaction 2022 in the portfolio category.

Originally from Israel, he came to the United States in 1999 to earn an MBA in finance at the Wharton School of Business and a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute. He previously served as a lieutenant in the Israel Defense Forces. Prior to starting Ariel Property Advisors, Mr. Shkury was a Partner with Massey Knakal Realty Services, now Cushman & Wakefield.

Mr. Shkury lives in Manhattan with his wife, son and daughter. He can be reached at 212.544.9500 ext. 11 or via email at sshkury@arielpa.com.

Ron oversees the investment sales team, and is responsible for revenue, business development, and talent management. He joined Besen & Associates in 2003 as an Investment Sales Associate and has brokered sale transactions in Manhattan, Brooklyn and The Bronx. In 2008, Ron added the role of Chief Marketing Officer and was also charged with working with the sales team to grow the number of exclusive assignments.

As a broker, Ron has sold multifamily, mixed use and rehab/conversion properties throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. Prior to entering commercial real estate, Ron spent a decade as an account management professional in the advertising business. As Vice President/Group Account Director at D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles (DMB&B), he partnered closely with Fortune 100 clients to develop marketing strategies and implement multimillion dollar ad campaigns on well-known consumer brands such as Crest and Phillips.

Ron is an active member of the New York real estate community in a number of leadership roles. He is a steering committee member of the Young Real Estate Executives division of UJA (REX), on the Young Leadership Cabinet of Israel Bonds Real Estate Builders & Allied Industries division, and a former Chairman of the Young Mortgage Bankers Association (YMBA). He is also a member of Young Mens’/Womens’Real Estate Association (YMWREA) and REBNY. He graduated from the State University College of New York at Oneonta, and also holds an MBA in Marketing/International Business from Fordham University Graduate School of Business.

Doug Curry has served as the CEO of Xceligent, Inc. since its inception in 1999. Mr. Curry leads the executive staff and strategic direction of the company. His experience in real estate dates back to 1983 with hands-on experience of developing commercial and residential properties alongside his father. In 1996, Curry founded Pinnacle Appraisal Group, LLC. By focusing on customer service, standardized processes, training, and utilization of technology, Curry grew the company into one of the top appraisal firms in the country and his business model became the standard for many national banks. Curry then founded Pinnacle Commercial and experienced first-hand the difficulty in obtaining quality commercial real estate information. He founded Xceligent as an answer to that industry need in Kansas City. Over the last nearly 20 years, he has directed Xceligent’s growth into a proactively researched commercial real estate information provider covering more than 50 US markets.

An avid entrepreneur, Rich has launched and run numerous businesses including an international arbitrage textbook company, a college marketing network, and an offshore technology outfit. Most recently, Rich was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company specializing in Financial Services.

Barry Sternlicht is Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group, the private alternative investment firm he formed in 1991 focused on global real estate, hotel management, oil and gas, and energy infrastructure. Mr. Sternlicht also serves as Chairman of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the largest commercial mortgage REIT in the U.S.; and French crystal maker Baccarat S.A.; as well as member of the Board of Directors of Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH) the largest publicly traded investor, owner and operator of single-family homes in the U.S.

For the past 26 years, Mr. Sternlicht has structured investments with an asset value of approximately $92 billion. Starwood Capital’s funds have invested in approximately 172,500 multifamily/condo units, 2,900 hotels, 74 million square feet of office properties, 54 million square feet of retail and 52,000 lots of land in residential subdivisions. The Firm currently manages approximately $56 billion of assets on behalf of its high net worth and institutional partners. Starwood Capital, its affiliates and externally managed public companies employ more than 3,700 professionals, while approximately 9,000 additional employees are involved with a dozen portfolio operating companies. The Firm maintains offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Greenwich, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., and affiliated offices in London, Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.

From 1995 through early 2005, Mr. Sternlicht was Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a company he founded in 1995. During his tenure, he built Starwood Hotels into one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world, employing more than 120,000 people with 895 properties in 100 countries. Mr. Sternlicht created W Hotels, perhaps the world’s most successful “boutique” brand, and built the St. Regis Hotels brand from a single hotel to a global brand.

In 2008, Mr. Sternlicht founded SH Group, his new hotel management company. SH Group is the owner and manager of Baccarat Hotels & Resorts and 1 Hotels brands.

In 2016, Mr. Sternlicht was the recipient of PERE’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015, he was named the Global Industry Figure of the Year by PERE, received the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Hotel Investment Forum. In 2013, Mr. Sternlicht was named the Most Important Person in Commercial Real Estate Finance by The Mortgage Observer. In 2010, Mr. Sternlicht was named Executive of the Year and Investor of the Year by Commercial Property Executive. Mr. Sternlicht was also named America’s Best Lodging CEO by Institutional Investor Magazine. He is a member of the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame. He has received the Preston Robert Tisch Distinguished Industry Leadership Award from New York University, the CEO Diversity Award from Diversity Best Practices/Business Women’s Network, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Travel Marketing Executives, the Hospitality Heritage Award from the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and the Marketer of the Year Award from Brandweek. Mr. Sternlicht’s humanitarian efforts have garnered prestigious national honors such as JDRF’s Man of the Year, JDRF’s Living and Giving Award and JDRF’s Chairman’s Award.

Mr. Sternlicht serves on the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies and the Real Estate Roundtable. Additionally, he formerly served as Chairman of the Board and is currently a Board member of The Robin Hood Foundation, and also serves on the Boards of the Dreamland Film & Performing Arts Center, and the Executive Advisory Board of Americans for the Arts. He is a member of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation Trustee Council, the World Presidents Organization and the Urban Land Institute.

Barry Sternlicht received his BA, magna cum laude, with honors from Brown University. He later earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.

Paul is a co-Founder and co-Chief Executive Officer of Taconic Partners who is known for his vision and integrity as an owner, developer and operator of innovative commercial and residential real estate. Paul and his partner Charlie Bendit are directly involved in all aspects of Taconic’s business, and have successfully directed the acquisition, repositioning, and/or redevelopment of key properties in both established and emerging markets. Prior to co-founding Taconic in 1997, Paul was president and Chief Executive Officer of Balfour Holdings, a national investment and development company focused on the acquisition and redevelopment of master planned communities. Balfour Holdings was ultimately sold to Blackstone. Paul has been immersed in the real estate industry since 1978, when he joined Jones Lang Wootton as one of the firm’s first employees in the United States, and where he first met business partner Charlie Bendit. During his tenure at JLW, Paul was named a co-managing partner of its nationwide operations.

Paul is currently a member of the Board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York, the Advisory Board of New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate, the Advisory Board of the Columbia Business School Real Estate Program and its affiliated Real Estate Forum. Paul is also passionate about the arts, serving on the National Council of The Arts and Sciences School at Washington University in St. Louis and the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Art Museum. Paul is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, and earned a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.

Larry A. Silverstein is the Chairman of Silverstein Properties, a Manhattan-based real estate development and investment firm that has developed, owned and managed 40 million square feet of office, residential, hotel and retail space. The firm currently has $10 billion worth of development activity underway, and has been recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in New York City” by Crain’s New York Business for eight years in a row.

In July 2001, Mr. Silverstein completed the largest real estate transaction in New York history when he signed a 99-year lease on the 10.6 million square feet World Trade Center for $3.25 billion, only to see it destroyed in terrorist attacks six weeks later on September 11, 2001. He has spent the last 20 years rebuilding the office component of the World Trade Center site, a $30 billion project that will consume the balance of his working life.

In May 2006, Silverstein Properties opened 7 World Trade Center, the first office tower to be rebuilt at the site, and the first LEED-certified office building in New York City. The 52-story, 1.7 million square foot office tower is fully leased to an eclectic group of tenants. In November 2013, the company opened 4 World Trade Center, a 72-story 2.3 million square foot building designed by Fumihiko Maki. In June 2018, the company opened 3 World Trade Center, an 80-story, 2.5 million square foot building designed by Richard Rogers. The company is developing one other office tower on the WTC site – 2 World Trade Center, and a residential tower – 5 World Trade Center.

Silverstein Properties recently completed and opened a Four Seasons hotel and private residences designed by Robert A. M. Stern in Lower Manhattan which, at 82-stories, is one of the tallest residential towers in New York. The company also completed and opened the largest Four Seasons resort in the world at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Mr. Silverstein owns and manages many successful and high-profile commercial and residential properties in New York City, including 120 Broadway, 120 Wall Street, 529 Fifth Avenue and 1177 Avenue of the Americas. Mr. Silverstein completed and opened Silver Towers, two 60-story residential towers at 600 West 42nd Street, the companion to 1River Place, a 40-story, 921-unit tower which opened in 2000. The square block development houses over 2,200 families.

Mr. Silverstein is a member of the New York Bar and a Governor of the Real Estate Board of New York, having served as its Chairman. He has served as Chairman of the Realty Foundation of New York.

A 1952 graduate of New York University, Mr. Silverstein served as Vice Chairman of the NYU Board of Trustees, where he continues to serve as member of the Board of Trustees of the New York University Langone Medical Center. He is the Founder and Chairman emeritus of the advisory board of the NYU Real Estate Institute. As a Professor of Real Estate, his “Silverstein Workshop” became one of the most attended and informative educational sources for learning real estate development and investment analysis.

Mr. Silverstein donates his time and resources to support many philanthropic endeavors. He has served as Chairman of the Board of UJA-Federation. He is a founding trustee of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York and has served as treasurer of National Jewish Health in Denver.

Mr. Silverstein contributes his time and resources to organizations that are dedicated to higher education and medical research, meeting humanitarian needs and supporting the arts. Mr. Silverstein currently serves as a board member of the New York Philharmonic. He is a classical music enthusiast, a passionate yachtsman and a dedicated New Yorker. Larry and Klara Silverstein have been married for 65 years and have three children and one son-in-law, three of whom are executives at Silverstein Properties, and they also have eight grandchildren.

Bill Rudin joined the family real estate business in 1979, after graduating from New York University’s School of Business and Public Administration with a Bachelor of Science degree. Bill’s grandfather, Samuel Rudin, founded Rudin Management Company in 1925. In December of 1993, Bill was appointed President of the company.

Bill worked closely with his family – his father Lewis, uncle Jack, and his cousins and sister – alongside the dedicated professionals at Rudin Management Company to manage the Rudin portfolio. The portfolio includes 17 office buildings comprising more than 10 million square feet of Class-A space and 20 luxury apartment buildings. Bill has been intimately involved with every major development the Rudin family built since 1979, including 560 Lexington Avenue, 40 East 52nd Street, 1675 Broadway, 3 Times Square, and 32 Avenue of the Americas. Bill puts his own personal mark on the family business, giving new life to existing properties through conversion to technology-smart buildings and helping lead the turnaround of Lower Manhattan.

In carrying on the Rudin family tradition of hands-on personal management, Bill not only embraced his family responsibilities, but like his grandfather, father, and uncle, is actively involved in New York City’s political, civic, and philanthropic life. Bill serves on the board of The Association for a Better New York (ABNY), an organization co-founded by his father over 30 years ago. ABNY is a coalition of business, labor, and political leaders created in the 1970s to help make New York City a better place to live, work, and visit.

Bill serves as Chairman of The Battery Conservancy and The Real Estate Board of New York; he is also the former Chairman of The Real Estate Roundtable. He is a Board Member of the following organizations: The Partnership for New York City, The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York University, The New York Center for Autism, The Alliance for Downtown New York, and The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation. Bill is also a member of The Economic Club of New York, The Council on Foreign Relations, and The New York City Marathon Committee.

In addition to lecturing at various educational institutions and real estate industry functions, Bill has appeared on many televised shows to discuss real estate and issues that impact New York City.

Bill resides in Manhattan with his wife Ophelia, his grown children, Samantha and Michael, and their respective spouses, David and Sabrina. He is a grandfather of two.

Mr. Mack co-founded MREG in 2013 and MRECS, its affiliated credit business, in 2014. He serves as Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Investment Committee of each of MREG and MRECS. Mr. Mack also serves as Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of Claros Mortgage Trust, Inc. (CMTG). Mr. Mack was one of the initial employees of AREA Property Partners (founded in 1993 as Apollo Real Estate Advisors) and, prior to founding MREG, was Chief Executive Officer of AREA’s North American business and a member of its Global Investment Committees. For over 20 years, Mr. Mack was involved in the investment of billions of dollars of equity capital in debt and equity real estate transactions on behalf of AREA’s primarily institutional investors and was specifically responsible for creating new business lines to capitalize on evolving market trends, including an in-house development business, a subordinate debt business, and a special servicing and CMBS investment and trading business. Earlier in his career, Mr. Mack worked at Shearson Lehman Hutton in the Real Estate Investment Banking Department.

Mr. Mack currently serves on The Wharton School of Business Board of Advisors and previously served on the school’s Undergraduate Advisory Board. Mr. Mack created a course on Real Estate Disruption, which he co-teaches with Professor Gilles Duranton, at The Wharton School of Business. Mr. Mack serves on the Board of Trustees of Northwell Health, as well as on the Board of Directors of the Child Mind Institute. He is President Emeritus of the HES Community Center in Canarsie, Brooklyn, and a member of the Robin Hood Foundation’s Housing & Homelessness Committee. Mr. Mack also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Met Council, which serves impoverished New Yorkers. Mr. Mack holds a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Jeff T. Blau is Chief Executive Officer and a partner of Related Companies. For the past 25+ years he has been responsible for directing and overseeing new developments worth over $60 billion in virtually every sector of the real estate industry. In his position as CEO, he is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, overall management of the firm, the pursuit of new development opportunities and corporate acquisitions and financing activities across all business platforms.

Mr. Blau serves on the Board of Directors of Equinox Holdings, Inc., the Central Park Conservancy, the New York City Partnership Fund, Robin Hood, Urban Land Institute, Association for a Better New York, Union Square Partnership, Real Estate Roundtable, The Wharton Graduate School, The University of Michigan, Trinity School, and The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Over the years, Mr. Blau has received numerous honors for his business, civic and philanthropic activities and was named to Crain’s New York’s New Influentials list of 25 leaders reshaping New York.

Mr. Blau completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and received a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mark Fawer is a partner in the Real Estate group, where he focuses on matters including the representation of real estate developers, funds, REITs, CDOs, investors, and lenders in the acquisition, financing, development, refinancing, recapitalizing and sale of single-asset and portfolios of multifamily, retail, industrial, office, and hotel properties and the origination, purchase, disposition and restructuring of senior and mezzanine real estate and corporate loans and loan participation interests.

Mr. Schlank is a Founder and Managing Partner of Savanna. At Savanna, Mr. Schlank sits on the investment committee and is in charge of construction and redevelopment and shares responsibilities for asset management, sales and marketing and acquisitions. Mr. Schlank has overseen the acquisition and redevelopment of more than 70 real estate assets, comprising over 20 million square feet of space and nearly $3.8 billion of total capitalization, including raw land development sites, apartments, office buildings, industrial to residential conversions, retail and warehouse/distribution properties. Prior to founding Savanna, Mr. Schlank was a project manager for the Westside Federation for Senior Housing, a New York-based developer of low-income housing. Mr. Schlank received an MS in Real Estate Development from the Columbia School of Architecture and a BA in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Schlank is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Columbia University where he teaches a seminar in Real Estate Finance to graduate students in the Columbia Architecture School’s Real Estate Master’s Degree Program.

Laurie, an accomplished deal maker, is partner and co-chair of the firm’s global real estate practice. She takes a client-focused approach to her real estate practice, often acting as in-house counsel for her clients and becoming a trusted member of their businesses. She has a long list of clients who have been with her since the beginning of her practice and appreciate her ability to adeptly and efficiently handle any type of real estate deal. She is recognized as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA 2021, noting that she is “a strong negotiator” and “she has a great business sense combined with legal knowledge.” Most recently, for the second year in a row, Commercial Observer included her in their elite “Power 100” list, which recognizes the most powerful players in real estate.

Laurie represents real estate private equity funds, companies, institutional REITs, investors and other property owners in structuring and closing real estate transactions such as acquisitions and dispositions, developments, financings, portfolio transactions, preferred equity investments, leasing and real estate joint ventures. Her work touches all asset classes, including office, multifamily, affordable housing, workforce housing, mixed-use, life sciences, hospitality, retail and condominium. She also maintains an active capital markets and fund practice, representing investors in joint venture transactions and sophisticated fund and tax structures. Laurie is also well-versed in the Opportunity Zone program and helps clients through the process of structuring and investing in qualified properties and vehicles.

Laurie is involved in a number of non-profit and charitable organizations focusing on increasing diversity in real estate. She serves on the Advisory Board and spearheads the firm’s legal partnership with Project Destined, an organization dedicated to transforming minority youth into owners in the communities in which they live, work and play. She also serves as co-chair for Rebuilding New York’s “She Builds” program, where she organizes an annual renovation day, rehabilitating a New York City community center in need.

Carl has been lead counsel on some of the highest-profile real estate deals around the country. He takes an incisive approach to structuring and closing complex transactions, combining creativity with a strong business perspective. As a result, his client roster contains the names of many people he once sat across from but now sits next to at the bargaining table.

In Chambers USA, 2016, a client described him as “a great lawyer,” “a smart, no-nonsense guy who can come to sensible resolutions and get deals done.” “He is a deal maker, not a deal breaker,” the client added.

Carl is an accomplished negotiator and skilled legal advocate with more than 35 years of experience. He is co-head of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s global real estate practice and advises a diverse, distinguished clientele: prominent owners and developers—including REITs and private equity funds—in their real estate acquisitions, dispositions, developments, financings, workouts, restructurings and joint ventures; major institutional lenders in mortgage, mezzanine and construction financings; and owners and tenants in significant commercial lease transactions. He also has served as counsel in several of the nation’s largest Historic Tax Credit transactions.

An active presence in the field, Carl often moderates panel discussions on industry trends. Major media outlets—among them The Wall Street Journal, Crain’s New York Business, CNBC and The Real Deal—frequently seek his insights on real estate law and business. His professional acumen led to a profile in The New York Times article “Finding a True Passion in Real Estate Law.”

In his spare time, Carl plays bass guitar in the rock band “Normal by Day.” Coupling his musical talent with charity work, he organizes the annual fundraising concert Real Estate Rockers in Relief, which features performances by leading real estate executives and their bands.

Eran Chen is the Founding Principal & Executive Director of ODA. Since establishing the office in 2007 he has become one of the most prolific and influential architects in New York. Chen has gained a reputation for delivering mold-breaking designs that hope to contribute to a better urban future. Seeking to reorder architectural priorities by putting people first, Chen challenges conventional perspectives of dwelling with hope that it will, over time, influence life in our cities.

Chen's work has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects and the Society of American Registered Architects. He is a frequent speaker at design and development forums around the world, as well as architecture schools including Columbia University where he is an Adjunct Assistant Professor.

His recent projects include the renovation of the former Postkantoor in Rotterdam, an urban plan in Chicago, and the conversion of a defunct parking garage into a public park and class A office building in Buenos Aires. His writings on architecture have been published in ODA’s book, Unboxing New York.

David is a sales and marketing professional in the field of critical energy

infrastructure and energy efficiency. In his current position with Con Edison, as

Business Development Manager of Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency

Programs, he is responsible for helping customers meet energy efficiency

improvements within the commercial portfolio which is supported by a network of

over 700 market partners.

David, who has been with Con Edison since 2008, worked in a variety of

business development, sales management, marketing and external affairs

positions for Johnson Controls, Public Service Enterprise Group, Pennsylvania

Power & Light and the Trane Company. His major focus has been on clients with

critical energy needs in the fields of commercial real estate, healthcare and data

center operations.

David has a BS in Marketing and an MBA in Finance, both from Montclair State

University. He is a Certified Energy Manager, and an active member of the

Association of Energy Engineers, the New York Building Congress, the

Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Green Business committee, American

Institute of Architects (AIANY) and Urban Green Council. David is an officer of

the New York City chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating &

Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Paul Hoffmann is SVP of HAKS and Department Head of Special Inspections & Material Testing, overseeing Special and Progress inspections, Material Testing, building compliance, and construction monitoring. He established HAKS’ reputation as a major firm of choice in the area of Special Inspections for developers and owners, which has become the firm’s fastest-growing sector and is now the world’s largest Special Inspection Agency. His group serves clients in every market sector, private and public--residential, commercial office towers, hospitality, healthcare, schools, police and emergency stations, higher education, cultural centers, waterfronts, parking facilities, security centers, airports, transportation, power centers, public housing, disaster recovery, parks, bridges, public water and more. Since joining HAKS in 2009, Mr. Hoffmann has developed and won award contracts with representative construction values of over $10 billion, and developed a team nearing 200 highly trained professionals: inspectors project managers, lab services, administrative and support staff.