Phoenix Community and Economic Development director, Christine Mackay, has served the people of Phoenix since August 2014. She is responsible for leading and fostering an environment where businesses can create and retain jobs, make capital investment and reinvestment in the community, and connect our workforce to employers and training opportunities. During Mackay’s tenure with the City of Phoenix, the department has facilitated the creation of over 100,000 high-value jobs, seen the average wage of those jobs increase from over $30,000 in 2014 to more than $80,000 in 2023, and closed deals with more than $75 billion in capital investment.

Christine leads a department of over 55 full time staff that encompasses the full spectrum of economic development areas including: business attraction, business retention and expansion, community development, international relations, Sister Cities, the Phoenix Business and Workforce Development Board, administration, research, marketing, the City-owned Footprint Center and Phoenix Bioscience Core.

In 2021, Christine was named as one of the Top 50 Economic Developers in the Country by Consultant Connect. She is a three-time honoree as "Economic Developer of the Year, Large Community" by the Arizona Association for Economic Development. Mackay was recognized as "Leader of the Year in Economic Development–Public Policy" by the Arizona Capitol Times, and "Industry Leader of the Year – Economic Development" by Arizona Commercial Real Estate Magazine. She has also been on the list of the Arizona Business magazine’s "50 Most Influential Women in Arizona."

She is a member of the Economic Development Director's Team for Greater Phoenix, Maricopa Association of Government's Building a Quality Regional Community committee, Flinn Foundation Biosciences Roadmap committee, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Commercial Office Real Estate Executives (CoreNet), the Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED), and the Arizona Business Incubator Association.

Christine has more than 26 years’ experience in economic development overlapping 30 years of commercial real estate experience. Christine Mackay has spent both her personal and professional life here in the Valley.

An attorney by training, Mr. Sprague is a lifelong entrepreneur with a broad portfolio of professional experience. As president of Warwick & Co., Inc., his family’s private, Connecticut-based merchant and investment bank, he was an active board member for many of the firm’s portfolio companies and co-managed the formation of its cross-border acquisition fund with Nacional Financiera, Mexico’s development bank, overseeing its Mexican manufacturing facilities. As partner in Sprague and Hill, Inc. with John Hill, Mr. Sprague brokered over $250 million in real estate transactions, and developed a wide range of projects, with a total asset valuation of over $100 million. He is most recently responsible for the development of Portland Place Condominiums, in partnership with Messrs. Hill and Vera. He is an active member of numerous civic and charitable boards, including the Roosevelt Action Association, Grand Avenue Merchants Association, and the Episcopal Habitat Coalition of Phoenix.

Matthew Seaman is the development partner for Metrowest Development’s Arizona projects. Mr. Seaman has and continues to handle all acquisition, entitlement and development and disposition efforts on these projects.

Prior to joining Metrowest Development, Mr. Seaman, with his company Urban Realty Advisors represented owners and developers in their acquisition, entitlement and development related needs for residential, retail and mixed use development projects in Arizona. Mr. Seaman developed an understanding and knowledge for land use planning and zoning as it related to both private and public development. He was fortunate to be able to carry out substantial work in the preparation of preliminary development plans, land use plans, development plans and land use analysis for the entitlement of both private residential and commercial development projects ranging up to 19,000 acres.

Most notably, Matt has provided his representation and entitlement services as an owner and development representative to Brinker International, Gordon Biersch Brewery, Islands Restaurants, Thomas & King, as well as for Centres Inc., in their development expansion for Eckerd and CVS Drug Stores in Arizona. Today, his efforts have been primarily focused on front-end acquisition, entitlement and pre-development consulting for urban mixed use and residential development projects in Downtown Phoenix.

Matt has a B.A. degree in Urban Planning and Development from Arizona State University (1997). Matt was appointed by the City of Phoenix - Mayor’s Office to sit as a Board Member of the City of Phoenix Design Review Committee as well as serves as the Vice Chairman of the City of Phoenix Design Review Standards Committee, which assisted the Planning Department in authoring the recently adopted Downtown Zoning Code. Matt also currently serves as a board member of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership’s Community Development Corporation, which helps to promote the development of workforce and affordable housing in Downtown Phoenix.

As regional director, Scott Makee is responsible for sourcing and entitling

land, designing products, and overseeing the execution of new projects.

Makee joined Crescent in 2007 as a financial analyst. He was promoted to

development manager in 2010 before assuming his current duties in 2011.

Prior to Crescent, Makee was an analyst for CB Richard Ellis’ multifamily

investment group in Miami. With more than a dozen years of business

experience, Makee also served as a senior branding consultant for Interbrand

Wood Healthcare in New York, and vice president for marketing and business

affairs for the Numoda Corporation in Philadelphia. Prior to that, he was a

senior brand manager for Brand Institute, Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., and New York.

Makee is a member of the Urban Land Institute and National Multi Housing

Council.

A Cleveland native, Makee has a master’s degree in business administration

from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree

in business administration from Wake Forest University.

Crescent Communities is a real estate investment company with interests

throughout the southeastern and southwestern United States. Established in

1969, the Charlotte-based company develops single-family, multifamily and

resort residential communities. Crescent also owns and manages business

and industrial parks and shopping centers.

Brian Cassidy, AIA is the President of CCBG Architects, Inc. with studios in downtown Phoenix and San Diego. He has been involved in many adaptive reuse, and mixed-use high-density housing projects in greater Phoenix, including more than 12,000 new apartment units. This work includes a diverse body of warehouse renovations that are breathing new life into our city. Brian passionately advocates to build Phoenix into a world class city in which to live, work, worship and play. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, and is the Chair of the Phoenix Warehouse District Council, which promotes and brands the District in concert with a series of creative volunteers and businesses.

Adam Finkel joined Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation (MMCC) in July 2025 as Senior Managing

Director of the Phoenix office. Mr. Finkel is responsible for securing commercial debt and equity financing for

an array of property types including multifamily, office and industrial, retail, senior housing, and hospitality. He

is well connected with national, regional, and local funding sources including, but not limited to, agency lenders

(e.g., Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac), commercial banks, CMBS lenders, life insurance companies, private and

public funds, and hard money lenders.

He specializes in capital advisory for transitional and stabilized commercial real estate assets and brings a deep

understanding of structured finance, private capital, and institutional funding sources. Prior to joining MMCC,

Mr. Finkel served as Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Tower Capital, a Scottsdale-based capital advisory

firm he launched in 2015. Under his leadership, the firm built a regional presence, adding offices in Denver, Los

Angeles, and Dallas. The company originated more than $3.5 billion in debt and equity across asset classes and

was consistently ranked among the fastest-growing private companies by Inc. 5000. Before founding Tower

Capital, Mr. Finkel was a Vice President at Johnson Capital, where he arranged over $360 million in bridge and

permanent financing for property owners nationwide. He also held leadership roles at Travers Realty

Corporation, including serving as Designated Broker and Managing Director of the firm’s Phoenix office, and

began his career at Levrose Real Estate, where he negotiated more than 300 commercial transactions.

Mr. Finkel is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business

Administration and Communication. He holds a real estate broker’s license in Arizona and is a Certified

Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). He is actively involved with Urban Land Institute (ULI), National

Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), and the Arizona State University Real Estate Counsel.

Additionally, he has supported various philanthropic efforts through organizations such as Brokers for Kids, C4

Foundation, Teen Lifeline, Jewish National Fund and Child Crisis Arizona. Mr. Finkel is also deeply engaged in

the Jewish community, serving as a member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet for the Jewish

Federations of North America.

Robert Trujillo has been responsible for sourcing and managing multifamily development opportunities for Lennar since late-2013. Robert relocated with Lennar to Phoenix in January 2015 from Northern Virginia where he was responsible for development activity in the Washington DC market. Over his nineteen year career, Robert has held development positions with Jefferson Apartment Group in SE Florida, Summit Properties (REIT) in Atlanta, Homestead Suites Hotels in the Northeast and Archstone in Texas. Robert sourced and managed the development of over $900 million while at these companies. Robert is a graduate of the University of Kentucky (Architecture) and University of New Mexico (M. Arch.). He and his wife have four children and live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

John Tran has designed notable projects throughout the world with 24 years of experience. John’s approach to each project is to create a place that is appropriate to its place, elegant, and timeless. His work includes designing commercial, office, higher education, and retail environments. As the Design Principal, John engages the client throughout the entire process. By listening and asking the right questions, John leads the project team from initial concept to final execution. He liaises between the owner and the design team to ensure all pertinent information is communicated and that the project stays on course. John is committed to work that meets the owner’s budget and schedule, while exceeding his client’s expectations for design and service.

Bryce Hall is an accomplished architect and executive with more than 20 years of experience in residential architecture. As the President of KEPHART, he guides the strategic vision and direction of the firm, providing support for eight additional Principals who help drive KEPHART’s success. Bryce’s contagious passion and deep knowledge of the industry inspires his peers to pursue continuous growth and education.

Bryce attended the University of Colorado, where he earned master’s degrees in both architecture and business administration, allowing him to understand the industry more comprehensively from the perspective of both an architect and a developer. His enthusiasm for these two interests, combined with his deep understanding of client needs, have helped solidify KEPHART as the architect of choice for many national developers.

Bryce’s exemplary skills and leadership have earned him recognition as the President of one of Denver’s Best Places to Work, and as a leader in the field of architecture on ColoradoBiz’s 2025 Architects Power List. Bryce also represents and shares KEPHART’s thought leadership on a national stage at events like the National Multifamily Housing Conference and the Pacific Coast Builders’ Conference.