Mr. Robert E. Buccini is a Co-founder and Principal of The Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. and serves as its Co-President. He serves as Executive Director of Mid Atlantic Hotel Portfolio Investors LLC. Mr. Buccini leads The Buccini/Pollin Group general non-hotel real estate development activity. Prior to co-founding BPG, Mr. Buccini was an Assistant Vice President for real estate development at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC). While at the EDC, his projects included the Times Square-Disney redevelopment project, Brooklyn’s Metro Tech, the city’s first information technology building, and the New York City Discovery Fund (a $50 million venture fund investing in New York City based technology companies). Prior to that engagement, Mr. Buccini was a Broker and Senior Analyst for Kenneth D. Laub & Company, a commercial real estate brokerage firm based in New York City. Mr. Buccini is Chairman of the Wilmington Housing Partnership, Director of The Rodel Foundation of Delaware, Treasurer of Opera Delaware and Chairman of Delaware State University’s Annual Campaign. Mr. Buccini received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University.

Scott Johnson brings over 30 years of real estate planning, acquisition, development, financing, leasing and property management to the real estate industry. During that time, he has been actively engaged in driving economic development in Wilmington, in partnership with city and state government and community decision-makers. In his role as Partner at McConnell Johnson Real Estate, he has led property acquisition and financing for many transactions throughout the Mid-Atlantic, including 1201 Market and 1313 Market in Wilmington, Delaware. Overseeing all core asset management activities, Scott has worked successfully with commercial banks and CMBS lenders such as Starwood Capital and PNC, to secure initial financing and refinancing. He manages a team of over 20 engineers and administrative professionals with a focus on tenant service, resulting in a 95% renewal rate in key assets, with particular success in serving the unique needs of law firms, collectively occupying over 350,000 sf. Scott works closely with equity partners to strategically position key assets for continued success in the future Scott has completed more than 1,000,000 sf of tenant improvement projects, as well as leading efforts to secure sustainable utility grants and loans that have resulted in a 50% reduction in energy usage. He led efforts to secure robust fiber network access to 1201 Market, enabling powerful connectivity not only for tenants but for the entire Region. He holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from Utah State University, and attended the MBA program at Northeastern University and is a licensed broker in the state of Delaware. He serves on the boards of The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation and Exceptional Care for Children.

Mr. Schell is co-founder and President of the Ocean Atlantic Companies, a diversified group of real estate development, management, construction and brokerage firms primarily operating in Southern coastal Delaware with a recent focus on rental apartments, affordable housing and senior living communities. Mr. Schell serves as the Managing Member of approximately 50 limited liability companies engaged in OAC’s various real estate activities and development projects. Prior to starting Ocean Atlantic in 1997, Mr. Schell worked as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch in Chicago. Mr. Schell is also involved in a number of not-for-profit entities and boards. He was recently appointed to the Governor’s Affordable Housing Task Force and serves on the Finance and Development subcommittee. He is the President of the Nassau School

Coalition, working to preserve one of the few remaining Black schools built by Pierre DuPond in the early 20 th century and was recently (Oct 2024) honored, along with his wife, at the Difference Makers Gala by the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice for his efforts in fighting racism and furthering racial equity is Southern Delaware. He co-founded in 2001 the Sussex County Land Trust, a public/private partnership between the real estate community and the County with the mission of preserving open space in Sussex County, and served as its Vice Chairman for over 10 years. Mr. Schell served as the Chairman of the Delaware Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and is a leader in

the formation, serving as the Chair of the site selection, design, and construction

committees of the Sussex Academy charter school. Mr. Schell graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College (1996) and he has an MBA from the Harvard Business School (2002). He resides in Rehoboth Beach, DE with his wife, Kathleen, and son Brady (15). His older son, Jack (19), is a freshman at

Syracuse and plays for their lacrosse team. Mr. Schell can frequently be found 75 miles off-shore sportfishing in the summer and in the mountains of Utah skiing in the winter.

David Rinnier is a Principal at 9th Street Development Co. (9SDC), a privately-held real estate investment and development firm, where he oversees the sourcing of acquisitions and financings. David previously served as the Head of Capital Markets at Buccini/Pollin Group, successfully executing over $750 million in capital investments. Prior to this, he was Vice President of Capital Markets at Patriot Equities, a real estate private equity firm based in suburban Philadelphia. David began his career as an Analyst at J.P. Morgan. He earned his degree in Finance from the University of Delaware and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.

Joy A. Barrist offers a full range of commercial real estate law services involving the finance, acquisition, sale, lease and development of complex multimillion-dollar real estate projects throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania, around the country and internationally. She regularly represents banks and lending institutions, private equity firms, non-profit organizations, investors, developers, owners, landlords, and tenants.

Joy consistently represents both lenders and borrowers in various types of commercial real estate financing transactions, including acquisition, development and construction lending. Her experience also includes CMBS and mezzanine debt transactions, as well as municipal bond transactions. She handles finance and other real estate matters for all asset classes including multifamily, hospitality, office, retail, industrial, mixed-use, medical and education.

Joy represents financial institutions as lead lenders and participants in syndicated loan transactions. Her practice also includes the representation of lenders in workouts, financial restructuring, loan sales and the purchase of loan pool portfolios.

Joy’s practice also includes representations with respect to other real estate and general business matters such as easements, lot purchase agreements, sale and purchase of business assets and ownership interests in business entities, the formation of Delaware entities and the rendering of legal opinions in finance and other commercial transactions.

In addition to real estate finance, her experience extends to asset-based finance (including equipment, inventory and receivables financing), working capital lines of credit and various other complex commercial loan facilities.

She is a frequent speaker on topics of commercial real estate and in particular, real estate finance and construction lending.

The current edition of Chambers USA includes her in the top tier of Delaware real estate practitioners, highlighting positive client feedback: "She's a very fine attorney — a good technician and a good drafter." "Joy is top notch and her work is second to none."

Joy is actively involved in a number of community organizations in and around Wilmington, Delaware, including I Am My Sister’s Keeper, The Teen Warehouse, Inc., Jumpstart Wilmington, REACH Riverside and the Kingswood Community Center.

Joy is the vice practice group leader of the firm's Transactions and Corporate Counseling Group as well as chair of the firm's Women's Initiative

Chris has been with Lang Development Group since 2005 and oversees the operations of the residential portfolio, legal matters, and government relations. He is a 1984 graduate of the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He also received a law degree from Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 1987. He is a licensed attorney in the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with almost 35 years of experience.

Chris started his career as a legal intern for the Honorable Senator Robert Dole (R-Kan) and served as General Counsel to Sunvest Realty specializing in Far East relations and real estate acquisitions. Prior to joining Lang Development Group, he became Managing Director of the law firm formerly known as Healy and Locke, a mid-size firm specializing in corporate law, litigation and real estate law.

He and his wife Norma have raised seven children and live in Newark. Chris has been active in the Downtown Partnership, Newark Housing Authority, and numerous youth programs and various civic projects around the city of Newark. Chris is also a Board member of St. Marks High School. He is founder of SL24: UnLocke the Light Foundation, a non-profit to help young adults struggling with mental health issues.

JJ is the President of Retreat Hotels & Resorts. He oversees all aspects of the company’s long-term strategy and day-to-day operations, and serves on the company’s Board.

Previously, he was the Director of Hospitality and corporate Treasurer of LNWA, a commercial developer in Wilmington, DE. He also held several roles in public service and in finance. For several years, he was the Economic Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Chris Coons, and also worked as a credit analyst in the White House Office of Management and Budget. A proud former Peace Corps volunteer, Singh ran a micro credit loan fund in Oruro, Bolivia. In finance, Singh worked as a health care equity analyst at a hedge fund in New York. Additionally, he was a loan underwriter for small businesses in all five boroughs.

Singh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA from the University of Virginia. He holds a certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University. He is a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and a Project Management Professional (PMP).

He is an commissioner on the Arlington VA Economic Development Commission, as well as the county’s Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission. Singh serves on the board of Ascendus, a non-profit that empowers low- to moderate-income business owners with access to capital and financial education. He also sits on the board of the Jekyll Island Foundation, a non-profit that raises funds for conservation, preservation, and educational initiatives for Jekyll Island.

Ryan M. Bailey is a credentialed Senior Developer, who joined

Pennrose in 2005. As a member of the real estate

development team, he is responsible for and well versed in all

aspects of the development process, from concept to

completion. He is particularly proficient in the building of

financial paradigms to facilitate development.

Mr. Bailey’s career has included exposure to all facets of real

estate development and construction with a particular focus

on honing the analytical skills to be successful in the

industry. As a Financial Analyst for Studley, Inc., he served on

one of the top five highest grossing teams in the Philadelphia region for 2003 and 2004. Mr.

Bailey represented corporations relocating, restructuring, and/or renewing leases with

particular responsibility for new business development and financial analysis. Prior to this, he

was a Project Manager for Mahoney Realty, analyzing the concept, feasibility, design,

underwriting, construction, and operation of prospective commercial and multi‐family

development projects. He garnered his construction experience with Turner Construction

Company, Bailey Design Inc., and Architectural Alliance.

While at Pennrose, Mr. Bailey has secured financing and led several award‐winning

development teams, combining a total investment well in excess of $300 million. Product types

have included large multi‐phase townhouse redevelopments, new construction mid‐rise senior

buildings and large‐scale adaptive re‐use historic redevelopments.

Mr. Bailey graduated from Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Business

Administration and a concentration in Finance. His independent study was in Construction

Management. He holds a Pennsylvania Real Estate Salesperson’s License and has completed

coursework at Temple University’s Real Estate Institute on Real Estate Investment.

He is a Member of the Urban Land Institute, United States Green Builder’s Council, Board of

Directors of the Fairmount Community Development Corporation (President & Real Estate

Chair), serves on the Fairmount Zoning Committee and Friends of Bache Martin Committee and

is a volunteer for the Community Design Collaborative.

Stephanie Griffin is the Director of Housing Development for the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA). In this capacity, she oversees the financing, construction, and portfolio management of multifamily rental housing throughout the state of Delaware (LIHTC and PBCA); federal entitlement programs such as HOME, NHTF, CDBG, ESG, and HOPWA; community development initiatives focusing on homeownership housing development, community-focused foreclosure recovery programming, and community/economic development investment; and manages several state funding resources such as

the Housing Development Fund, Strong Neighborhood Housing Fund, Affordable Rental Housing Program, and Downtown Development District fund. She is also responsible for the development of several new programs funded through the SLFRF authorized by the ARPA and serves as the primary staff person for DSHA’s Council on Housing. Prior to taking this position, she served as the Director of Housing Finance for DSHA where she oversaw single family programming (mortgage lending, DPA, and foreclosure prevention), single and multifamily bond issuance, and stood up the mortgage foreclosure programming funded through the HAF. She also served as the Housing Development Administrator overseeing the multifamily housing development activities for Housing Development and, prior to joining DSHA, worked as a planner and program administrator focusing on affordable housing and community development for the City of Wilmington. Stephanie holds a B.S. in Building Sciences and a MCP from Auburn University.

Dionna Sargent earned a B.B.A with a concentration in Real Estate and Finance from Temple University and holds a M.P.A. from the University of Delaware. She has over fifteen years of educational and professional experience in business and public administration within the real estate and finance industry. She has focused her career development goals and objectives on issues surrounding affordable housing, community development, and homelessness.

Dionna currently serves as the Vice President of Community Connection for Cinnaire Corporation, a nonprofit organization in Wilmington, Delaware, where she helps advance comprehensive community development objectives in Wilmington neighborhoods. In her role she works with local organizations to help implement revitalization objectives through technical assistance and obtaining access to capital in order to create healthy and sustainable communities.

Dionna is a lifelong community servant, always searching for opportunities to serve and expose herself to different cultures and experiences to understand diverse needs and perspectives. She is passionate about improving communities and serves on the board of the Central Baptist Community Development Corporation, Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County, REACH Riverside and Theatrical Delights. She is also a proud member the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc., Delaware Chapter and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Zeta Omega Chapter.

Dionna’s service work is driven by her “Why” – her belief that all communities should have access to the resources they need, and that people should live in an environment where there is hope, opportunities, and advantages.

Noah Olson, VP Innovation, Enterprise, Expansion, is a lifelong Delawarean with professional experience in the public and private sector. Working for local elected officials both in Delaware and Washington, D.C., has allowed Noah to develop a deep understanding of the different communities and relationships that are impactful to our state. While working for an advisory services firm in Wilmington and earning an MBA, Noah developed an affinity for the entrepreneurial spirit and excels at creative problem solving for startups and fostering important connections to move business forward. Noah earned both his BA and MBA from the University of Delaware and lives in Pike Creek with his family. When not at work, he enjoys getting outdoors, playing sports and finding new books to read.

Born in Wilmington and raised in Claymont, Mayor John Carney has been working for the Delaware people for nearly 40 years.

John Carney became Wilmington’s 58th mayor when he was elected on November 5, 2024. Prior to serving as mayor of Delaware’s largest city, he took office as Delaware’s 74th Governor in January 2017, focused on making Delaware’s economy more competitive, preparing Delaware’s children to succeed, and building a long-term sustainable financial plan for the State of Delaware. Working with Delawareans across the state, and with members of the General Assembly, he has made progress on each of those priorities. John has directed new resources to high-needs schools, partnered with the private sector to drive job creation, and taken steps to lower healthcare costs for Delaware families, businesses, and taxpayers.