The Evolution of Downtown Oakland

Will is a Managing Director at Strada, focusing on project management of entitlement and development projects. He is currently the project manager for Strada’s T-5/6 project, a multifamily and hotel development site in downtown Oakland, as well as Strada’s multifamily development site at 1629 Market Street in San Francisco. Prior to joining Strada in 2014, Will was a Project Manager and the Chief of Staff at Jonathan Rose Companies, where he worked on acquisitions and development of office, multifamily, and mixed-use buildings across the country. Most recently Will led Rose Companies’ entitlement and repositioning projects in the Washington, D.C. area. Will has an M.A. in urban planning and real estate development from Harvard University and a B.A. from Brown University.

Kristen Thall Peters is a partner of Cooper, White & Cooper LLP, resident in the firm’s Walnut Creek office. Ms. Peters is chair of the firm’s Green Practice Group and practices real estate, land use, environmental and business law. Ms. Peters advises and counsels commercial developers and property owners in connection with real estate acquisition and sales, development projects, green building, easements and rights of way, and regulatory and land use approvals, including compliance with CEQA, NEPA, and the Endangered Species Act. She has acted as real estate counsel to potential purchasers and sellers of property valued from $100,000 to $400 Million, including coordination and review of title and environmental due diligence and disclosures. Ms. Peters regularly counsels landlords and tenants, and negotiates and documents commercial and industrial property leases and indemnities. She also represents contractors, real estate brokers, and homeowners’ associations in a wide array of business, real estate and environmental matters. In her business practice, Ms. Peters represents clients in the formation, operation, and dissolution of corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies, especially in connection with real estate assets. She regularly counsels individuals and businesses in a wide range of commercial and contractual matters, including the drafting of contracts for power purchase, purchase and sale of environmental attributes renewable energy credits (RECs) and carbon credits, distributorship, licenses, non-disclosure, collaboration, development, joint venture and other arrangements. As a member of the mergers and acquisitions group, she has handled many purchases and sales of businesses, with emphasis on companies with large real estate portfolios and potential environmental liabilities. In addition to developing corporate environmental compliance, green certification, and sustainability programs, Ms. Peters advises on laws and regulations pertaining to air and water quality, hazardous substances, and California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) statutes. Ms. Peters has worked with regulators on local, state and federal levels and advises on environmental clean up responsibility, underground and above ground storage tank removal and remediation, flow control, e-waste, and recycling issues. Clients working with Ms. Peters participate in a diverse range of industries and occupations, including oil refineries and distributors, automotive service stations and parts outlets, energy and renewable energy companies, cable companies, clean technology companies, communications site management companies, agribusiness concerns, transportation and distribution companies, development companies, golf courses, construction materials retailers, commercial fishermen, neighborhood groups, non-profit corporations, and a variety of service businesses. Ms. Peters received her B.A. in Environmental Sciences from the University of California at Berkeley and her J.D. degree from Santa Clara University (SCU). In addition to being the winner of the SCU Environmental Moot Court Competition, Ms. Peters was also a Quarterfinalist in the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. At SCU, Ms. Peters was an editor of the Santa Clara Computer and High Technology Law Journal, the journal in which her article on the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments was published. She continues to publish and frequently lectures on environmental land use, and real estate issues. Ms. Peters is currently a member of Women in Cable Telecommunications, Commercial Real Estate Women – East Bay, California Land Title Association, the Real Estate and Environmental Sections of the State Bar of California, and President of the Real Estate Section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Bar Association as a whole, and Kappa Alpha Theta. Prior to practicing law, Ms. Peters was an Environmental Protection Specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Alan E. Dones is a licensed contractor, a long-time entrepreneur, an outspoken advocate of equal opportunity in employment and contracting, and an accomplished musician/producer. Dones is principal of ADCo, LLC and managing partner and co-founder of SUDA, LLC, a firm specializing in large-scale, innovative, public agency projects and mixed-use development. SUDA has completed several landmark projects in Oakland, CA and is currently pioneering international development projects in Africa. In 1988, Alan Dones co-founded and served as CEO of Rondeau Bay Construction, Inc. (RBC), an engineering and construction firm based in Oakland, CA. Under his leadership, RBC grew to include offices in five major US cities and completed over $70 million of construction projects. Alan is active in a number of local and national organizations. He has worked with agencies throughout the United States to revise and enhance their small business and W/MBE policies. Currently, he is a member of the City of Oakland’s Workforce Investment Board; member of the Alameda County Health Care Foundation; and member the East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment Commission. Formerly, Dones served as president of the Northern California Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors; vice-chairman of the Oakland City Charter Review Committee; board member of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce; delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business; and member of the Legislative Committee for the Engineering and Utility Contractor’s Association. As a member of the Military Conversion and Reinvestment Commission, Mr. Dones was instrumental in promoting legislation and drafting revisions to the language of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) that enhanced the ability of Women and Minority owned firms to compete for DOD and conversion related contracts. Mr. Dones has authored several articles on minority business issues in local and National publications. He has co-authored a measure on the 1996 ballot in Oakland, California to amend Oakland’s City Charter mandating Affirmative Action programs, combating disparities in City employment and contracting. This initiative had national significance in that it is one of the first voter responses to counter the impact of the controversial anti-affirmative action California Civil Right Initiative (CCRI). Alan Dones is executive producer and co-founder of Strategic Media Alliance, LLC (SMI) ― an international production company based in Oakland, CA. His musical credits are many. Alan co-authored the 1981 hit single, “Be Yourself” with world-renowned bassist, Nathan East. The song appeared on singer Debra Laws’ first solo album, “Very Special” and rose to the top-ten mark on Billboard’s R&B charts [listen]. In 1981, Dones co-authored, “Go For It”, performed by Bill Summers & Summers’ Heat and featured on their classic Jam the Box album. Alan has produced, written and performed with many of the Bay Area’s top artists, including Rodney Franklin, Ray Obeido, Larry Batiste, Jennifer Johns, Hannibal Means, Patricia Banks, Harvey Scales, David Daniel, and The Nemonics. He performed for more than a year in the award-winning and highly acclaimed San Francisco musical review, “Soul, Style & Sass.”

Sean Brooks is the Department Manager of Real Estate and Property Development.at the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transportation District (“BART”). In his role, he oversees all transit-oriented development projects and real estate interests on behalf of the District. BART currently has over 450,000sf of commercial space and nearly 1,900 housing units under construction at all income levels. Mr. Brooks has held previous Economic Development/Real Estate Development senior roles at the City of Redwood City, City of Hayward, and City of Brea. Prior to his public-sector experience, Sean served as the Director of Development for the Olson Company; Senior Commercial Real Estate Associate for Empire Companies; and finance/accounting roles at Ernst & Young Corporate Finance and KPMG LLP.' Sean graduated with an MBA in Finance/Real Estate from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and received a BA in Urban Economic Development from UC Berkeley. Mr. Brooks is a California Licensed Certified Public Accountant, California Real Estate Broker, adjunct professor at the University of Phoenix, serves on the executive board of the Urban Land Institute San Francisco Chapter, and was recognized as a San Francisco Business Times Class of 2015 “Forty Under 40” Honoree. He enjoys working with young people and helping the next generation become leaders within the business community

Thomas Cox is the founder and CEO of TCA Architects, an architectural leader in creative, cost-effective design of the built environment. Thom founded TCA over 25 years ago with the goal of integrating design, technology, and new materials in the formulation of the next generation of sustainable, mixed-use, and urban infill communities. He is currently a Member and Governor of Urban Land Institute (ULI), and serves on the Multifamily Green Product Council. Thom holds a Master and Bachelor of Architecture from the California State University at Pomona and is licensed in the states of CA, HI, AZ, and NV.

Ed has a strong Urban Design, Architecture and real estate development background, degrees architecture and business. Ed and JRDV are leaders in a next-generation TOD projects. His focus is on creating exceptional high-density environments and context driven placemaking that activates urban communities. He has an acknowledged expertise working with private developers in complex urban contexts, and creating significant new urban mixed-use development. Ed and JRDV are responsible for some of the most significant urban planning and development in the Bay Area, including the West Oakland and Coliseum District Specific Plans. He is responsible for implementing projects which have incorporated long-term development strategies with innovative and coordinated approaches to public and private investment financing which have resulted in transformational urban development.

Steven Donaldson is a partner in and founder of RadiantBrands, a full service branding and marketing agency that focuses on shaping brands in urban environments. He has a background in urban planning and works with commercial real estate and multifamily housing developers as well as architects. In addition, he has numerous years of experience in retail branding and marketing. As a member of the International Downtown Association he’s also worked in urban center branding and activation throughout the Bay Area and nationally. He and his agency have participated in several large-scale projects that include housing, retail and office mixes. Their work includes the initial branding of Old Oakland, work with the Fourth Street Shopping District in Berkeley and the branding and launch of Brooklyn Basin. He has a degree in Urban Studies and Economics from San Francisco State University. Prior to founding RadiantBrands he worked for several city-planning consultancies in the Bay Area. He’s a Bay Area native and currently lives in Berkeley California.

Elton Kwok is the Territory Vice President, Head of California & Nevada for WeWork, where he heads the company’s business in over 9 major markets. Before coming to the Bay Area, Elton launched WeWork in Portland, Oregon, where he built the WeWork market from the ground up. In 2019, Elton Kwok made the San Francisco Business Times 40 Under 40 list for his leadership and impact. Before WeWork, Elton was an Assistant Vice President at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Chief Operating Office for the Private Banking and Investment Group in New York. A native to Southern California, Elton is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in engineering and business finance. With over a decade of experience, Elton brings a wealth of knowledge across financial services, business, technology and commercial real estate. Elton also serves as a mentor for First Round Capital, board member of BUILD California Non-Profit, and is a board member for the USC Emerging Leaders Board. In his free time, Elton enjoys advising early-stage companies.

Todd Sklar joined Shorenstein in 2006. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s development activities nationwide, including site evaluation, entitlement, design, construction and initial tenant improvements. Mr. Sklar is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the American Institute of Architects, is licensed to practice architecture in California and New York, and is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Prior to joining Shorenstein, Mr. Sklar was a principal of Mezzatesta Sklar, a San Francisco-based development service and planning firm, for twelve years. Prior to Mezzatesta Sklar, he practiced architecture at EHDD in San Francisco and Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer in New York. Mr. Sklar graduated from The University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts with a Bachelor of Architecture where he currently serves as a board member.

Will joined Ellis Partners in 2007 to lead the leasing effort at the redevelopment of Oakland’s Jack London Square. Will’s responsibilities today include the asset management and leasing of various Ellis Partners projects through Northern California. Will has over twenty years of experience in a variety of commercial real estate areas including mortgage brokerage, development, asset management and corporate transactions. He began his real estate career in debt and equity placements with George Smith/Grubb & Ellis in Los Angeles. Upon moving to Northern California, he joined Prometheus Development Group focusing on acquisition and development of mixed use projects in the Bay Area. Subsequently, he held a variety of positions with AT&T’s real estate companies, including President and Chief Operating Officer of CalFront Associates, its $500 million investment and development company and overseeing transactions on the West Coast. Will holds a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. from the Anderson School at UCLA. He is a licensed California broker and a member of CoreNet Global’s Bay Area chapter.

A Principal at MBH Architects, a multi-disciplinary architectural practice, Ryan McNulty has an innate ability to unify project stakeholders to create successful projects with meaning and respect to their local context. He fosters a collaborative vision and design philosophy that yields successful solutions for project partners and end-users. He is known for his ability to see the thirty-thousand-foot view of projects while using his technical expertise to closely manage every detail. This holistic design approach informs the decision-making process and allows effective communication at every stage, making him an asset to MBH’s broad array of project types, from workspace and labs to multi-family and hospitality projects. Ryan brings deep experience with complex structures, managing client goals, community hearings, and stakeholder coordination. He helped manage the mixed-use development of Visitation Valley in San Francisco and is currently principal-in-charge of a confidential residential development in New York City. He builds relationships that lead to cohesive, adaptable project teams to serve stakeholder needs and integrate the project in its environment.