John Gering, FAIA is a Managing Partner Emeritus at HLW. Throughout his illustrious career, John has led groundbreaking projects, driving innovation for technology firms, media entities, and academic institutions. Pioneering specialized design for media environments, he foresaw the need for adaptable spaces, ensuring seamless integration of technology and human interaction. His leadership and visionary designs continue to shape the architectural landscape, earning him prestigious accolades including several AIA awards, the Sustainable Building Industry Council Honor Award, the United Way Impact Award, the United Nations Honorarium for Excellence in Leadership, and the New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture’s Alumni of the Year honor.

Sabeel Yosef is a Senior Project Manager at Group PMX with 23 years of experience guiding capital projects from early planning and design through construction and delivery. Throughout her career, she has worked at the intersection of design, development, and institutional decision-making, helping owners turn ambitious programmatic goals into built environments that serve their organizations and communities. Her approach is grounded in an understanding that successful projects require more than technical execution—they depend on aligning diverse stakeholders, reconciling competing priorities, and keeping the larger institutional mission at the center of critical project decisions.

Sabeel currently leads project management for Stevens Institute of Technology’s 250,000-square-foot Digital Innovation Hall, a mixed-use academic and residential development encompassing classrooms, laboratories, and student housing and targeting LEED Gold certification. She also provides senior project management support to Columbia University on two residential developments advancing the University’s community benefit obligations, where she is navigating affordable housing requirements, community programming, and the needs of multiple institutional and agency stakeholders. Together, these assignments reflect the increasingly complex role higher education institutions play as developers, neighbors, and long-term stewards of their communities.

Sabeel holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil and structural engineering from The Cooper Union and has written on strategies for creating future-ready higher education environments while preserving the student experience.

Karen Scanna has worked on several of the most complex and high-profile real estate transactions in New York City's history.

Private developers acquiring City-owned property for redevelopment, by deed or ground lease, often seek her guidance in navigating the City's competitive bid process. With a focus on acquisition, development, and financing - including mortgage, mezzanine and preferred equity, and construction-to-permanent loans - several of Karen's transactions have involved high-profile public-private partnerships. For example, she represented Delancey Street Associates in its winning bid for the Essex Crossing development, a delicate and complex negotiation that leveraged Karen's considerable clout and experience.

The vast majority of Karen’s clients have elected to operate their properties in joint venture with others, and a significant part of her practice has involved the negotiation of joint venture agreements, representing the developer/operator partner as well as the capital partner and/or preferred equity holder.

Described in Chambers USA as "a very strong lawyer with a very good developer representation practice" and "extremely knowledgeable," Karen has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her work, including being named to the "Notable Women in Law" list by Crain's New York Business and by Globe St. - Real Estate Forum as one of its Women of Influence in the commercial real estate industry for 2008, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2022 and 2024. Chambers says, "Her knowledge of commercial real estate, both legal and practical aspects is unparalleled. Her advice has been invaluable."

For over 20 years, David has led his clients through every phase of a real estate project—strategic planning, site selection, financial analysis, negotiation and closing. As a head of JLL’s Nonprofit, Education & Government Practice, David specializes in creating solutions for a variety of nonprofit organizations. Some of David’s recent clients include Weill Cornell Medicine, Brooklyn Law School, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York Public Library, City University of New York, KIPP Charter Schools and Housing Works. These projects range from strategic planning and portfolio analysis to acquisitions / dispositions and ground-up development.
David operates out of the firm’s New York office in Midtown Manhattan and is among one of the city’s leading leasing and sales brokers. In addition to his nonprofit specialty, David has recently completed major office leasing assignments for clients in the professional services, legal and financial sectors including K2 Integrity, Cipher, Kroll Bond Ratings Agency, Cravath Swaine & Moore, Deutshe Pfandbriefbank AG, and Dover Corporation. This diverse nature of his transaction experience allows David to consistently negotiate the best deals for his clients.

AWARDS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
David is a three-time recipient of REBNY’s highest honor, ‘The Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Award’, for his work with CUNY, Congregation Habonim and Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). David was the 2018 honoree of the JTS Louis Marshall Award Gala.

He is a dedicated Cornell alumnus, having volunteered as a Cornell Ambassador and a frequent guest lecturer. Additionally, he is an active member of The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), volunteers on the Building Committee at Larchmont Temple and was recently voted to the Board of Education for the Mamaroneck School District.

Hillel E. Sussman is an associate in Tannenbaum Helpern’s Real Estate and Construction Law practice. Hillel focuses his practice on drafting, reviewing and negotiating construction, design, and development contracts involving developers, real estate owners, REITs, not-for-profit institutions, owner’s representatives, construction managers, development managers, general contractors, subcontractors, architects, interior designers, engineers, consultants, vendors and adjacent property owners. Hillel routinely works with clients on developing and utilizing modified AIA documents as well as customized manuscript forms in connection with public and private projects, including ground-up development, landlord and tenant build-outs and renovations for residential and commercial units, expansions of not-for-profit institutions, exterior and building envelope restorations and mall redevelopments nationwide.

Hillel also represents clients in actively resolving construction project disputes throughout the course of a project through construction litigation, mediation and arbitration, including disputes over defective work, project delays, change orders, deliverables, partnership profits, warranties, insurance proceeds, design defects, progress payments, bid protests, prevailing wage audits, mechanics’ liens and surety bonds.

Additionally, Hillel has widespread experience representing purchasers, sellers, investors and developers in commercial real estate transactions, including drafting, reviewing and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, due diligence reports, commercial leases and financing transactions for commercial, multi-family, mixed-use, and industrial acquisitions and dispositions with a primary focus on multi-family rehabilitation and development properties.

Mary Mahany is a senior project executive at Shawmut Design and Construction, a leading $2.3 billion national construction management firm, overseeing the office and field operations for her projects, serving as key owner liaison accountable for client satisfaction, project success, and process innovation. With 25 years of experience in the construction industry, Mary has worked across sectors including education, commercial, healthcare, hospitality, and more. Mary is on NEW (Nontraditional Employment for Women)’s Ambassador Council. She’s been named a Crain’s New York Business Notable Woman in Construction and New York Real Estate Journal One to Watch Industry Leader.

Adam Shelly is Managing Director, Development & Innovation at Ecosystem, where he leads the development of complex decarbonization and infrastructure projects across the Mid-Atlantic region. With more than a decade of experience advancing sustainable energy solutions, Adam works closely with universities, utilities, public agencies, and private-sector partners to structure and deliver innovative projects that reduce carbon emissions while strengthening financial and operational performance. He has played a key role in developing partnership-based campus initiatives, including higher education P3 projects such as Georgetown University’s energy transformation program. 

Adam is also the founder of TENS.NYC, a collaborative platform dedicated to advancing the development, expansion, and innovation of thermal energy networks across New York City. Through this work, as well as his leadership on utility thermal energy network (TEN) projects with partners including Con Edison, he helps bring together stakeholders from the public, private, utility, and institutional sectors to accelerate large-scale decarbonization. A recognized leader in sustainability, Adam was named a Crain’s New York Business Notable Leader in Sustainability and received the Association of Energy Engineers’ International Energy Engineer of the Year award.