Rachael A. Tanner has dedicated her life to generating positive social change. A passion for leadership development in tandem with strategic thinking undergirds her work. Rachael is committed to developing strong systems and leaders that support institutions and organizations, because it is through these institutions that people can unite for collective action.

Rachael serves as the Assistant Director of Planning & Development Services for the City of Palo Alto, assuming this leadership role in June 2019. She has served local governments as a bureactivist—as distinguished from a bureaucrat—since 2013; serving the City and County of San Francisco (2016-2018) and the City of Long Beach (2013-2016).

In the late 2000’s, Rachael served as Executive Director of Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy and Action in the Community (ISAAC), a community-based organization in Kalamazoo, Michigan. There she learned how to organize, build winning coalitions for policy change, and hold government accountable to implementing successful programs.

She earned her Political Science Bachelor’s Degree with minors in Spanish and also Urban Studies from the University of Michigan. At Michigan she co-founded the Semester in Detroit program, which continues to serve students today.

Rachael earned her Master’s in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She focused on Housing, Community, Economic Development. Upon graduation, Rachael was recognized as the AICP outstanding student of the year.

Rachael lives in San Francisco with her partner Nathan Baird. In her free time, she serves San Francisco as the president of the San Francisco Planning Commission and officiates weddings through her business Officially Hitched. You can find her biking to Caltrain (once Shelter in Place is over), playing board games, and exploring the peaks and valleys of California.

Dr. Ted Egan is the Chief Economist of the City and County of San Francisco, and directs the Office of Economic Analysis in the City Controller’s Office. The office prepares independent economic analysis of major new city legislation.

Since he joined in 2007, his office has published over 100 economic impact reports on policy issues like the minimum wage, affordable housing, business taxes, land use planning, sporting events, and short-term rentals. During this time at the City, he has served as an expert witness on the economics of same-sex marriage, and won a Good Government award for his work redesigning the City’s business tax. He currently serves on the Data Users Advisory Committee of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Before joining the City, he spent ten years working for ICF International, managing economic development strategy projects across North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. He received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, and lectured in the Economics and City Planning departments at Berkeley for more than ten years.

Marty Smith serves as Managing Director for Kennedy Wilson Property Services’ San Francisco office, overseeing approximately 1.5 million square feet of office and R&D property in the Bay Area.

Prior to joining Kennedy Wilson Property Services, Marty served as president and owner of Alhouse Deaton, a commercial property services company with 1.5 million square feet of commercial assets under management. The company was acquired by Kennedy Wilson Property Services in 2022.

From 1990 to 2001, Marty served as a senior vice president with Jones Lang LaSalle’s Capital Markets Group, opening their San Francisco office and specializing in the execution of disposition assignments throughout the country. Prior to JLL, he spent 8 years at Cushman & Wakefield as a real estate investment and leasing professional.

Marty has been in the real estate industry for more than 30 years, with extensive experience in repositioning assets through effective management and execution of business strategies to maximize the asset’s value.

Dave Hopkins joined Sares Regis Group in 2007. With Todd Regonini, Dave provides the strategic direction for Sares Regis and Regis Homes’ development activities, primarily focused on infill residential within the inner Bay Area. Dave is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.

Steve Buster is Senior Vice President, Development for Grosvenor Americas with overall responsibility for the development activities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Steve has fifteen years of real estate investment and development experience, most recently directing development activities for large master planned, mixed use projects in the Bay Area. He earned his MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business in 2007 and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Finance from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California in 2000. Steve is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) & the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

Prior to joining Lendlease, Arden was a Partner at Forty-Six North Advisors, a property investment and development advisory boutique. He also served as Managing Director of Trumark Urban, where he led all development initiatives from acquisition through design, construction and sales. After joining the Trumark Companies in 2006, Arden launched Trumark Urban, the firm’s urban development offshoot, in 2012 and has overseen more than $2 billion in property investment and execution during his career.

He recently led the development of the Pacific, a 76-unit, $200 million building designed by Handel Architects and winner of a PCBC 2018 California Multifamily Community of the Year silver award for innovation in planning, design and development.

A recipient of the San Francisco Business Times “Forty Under 40” and “Dealmaker of the Year” awards, Arden is an alumnus of Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the University of Washington Foster School of Business. He is actively involved in assisting local non-profit organizations and community groups, including Urban Land Institute, United Playaz, Lower Polk Community Benefit District and the San Francisco Mayor’s Housing Working Group.

Cynthia NeSmith-Montanez, a Senior Director in MGAC’s San Francisco office, has over 37 years of experience working on a wide variety of projects, from small tenant improvements to multi-building projects. She has worked on teams big and small for medical office buildings, hospitals, biotech facilities, corporate campuses, hotel renovations, and financial institutions. Cynthia brings deep knowledge of the industry, combining practical knowledge and theoretical understanding developed from her time in both owner’s representation and as a general contractor.

John Bringenberg serves as an Outreach Specialist at Willdan, collaborating with architects and developers to facilitate project enrollment in the Energy Design Assistance programs across major California utilities. That complimentary program saves energy on new construction projects that will exist for 50, 75 years or longer - helping mitigate climate crisis while delivering significant 5- and 6-digit incentives to the project developers. He has dedicated his career to renewable energy, corporate development, understanding of energy markets, Distributed Energy Resources, renewable policy, and corporate sustainability. Along with his sustainability knowledge, John serves as a subject matter expert and lead author on PACE Financing. Beyond his role at Willdan, John spearheads a non-profit organization focused on promoting sustainable building practices and advocating for sound climate policies.

As President and COO of CoBUILD Construction Services, Ed Wood has developed the most EQ-focused construction team serving the Bay Area and Colorado Front Range. Ed co-founded CoBUILD after more than 25 years as a general contractor and client representative for national developers. He saw that collaboration, creative problem solving, and a willingness to embrace new technologies were the keys to fulfilling CoBUILD’s mission of creating environments for people to succeed. He enjoys working with the mix of scientific innovations, diverse organizations, and natural resources Colorado has to offer to make unique construction projects come to life

Prior to his work with Forge, Chris served as a Partner of Rockwood Capital, a

privately held real estate investment and advisory firm managing more than

$8.3 billion of equity commitments from investors. From 1999 through 2013,

Chris was responsible for acquisitions and asset management on the East

Coast, including sourcing transactions and negotiating joint venture

partnerships. Chris was voted into the partnership of Rockwood in 2006 and

served on the Investment Committees of Funds V, VI, VII, VIII, and IX. He

also served as member of the Research and Strategy Committee and of the

Management Committee.

Chris has an interest in the delivery of affordable housing in the urban core.

From 1992 to 1997, Chris served as the Director of various tax incentive

programs for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and

Development. The Inclusionary and 421(a) Housing Programs provided

increased density bonus and real estate tax exemptions for market rate

residential developments in exchange for the creation of affordable housing.

The 421(g) Program, also known as the Lower Manhattan Residential

Conversion Program, provided real estate tax exemptions to incentivize

private sector developers to convert obsolete office buildings to residential

use; the program resulted in the conversion of over 5,000 units to residential use.

Chris remains an active voice in the LGBTQ community, serving on the

Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of StartOut, and previously on

the Board of GLAAD. He also serves on the Investment Committee as Chief

Investment Officer for RealtyMogul, one of the leading real estate financial

technology firms. Chris received a Bachelor of Arts, Metropolitan Studies

from New York University in 1990 and a Masters of Business Administration

from Yale University in 1999. When he’s not working, Chris enjoys swimming,

indoor cycling and frequent family taco Tuesday’s with his husband, Victor,

and their daughters Coco and Kiki.

Marie Murphy is the Principal and CEO of MJD Capital Partners and is responsible for the overall strategy, operations, and investment management of the firm. MJD Capital Partners, LLC is a privately-held full service development and management company based in San Francisco, California. MJD Capital Partners, LLC works with debt and equity partners seeking to invest in real estate investments, including short term and long term investment horizons. Marie has completed over 50 projects in select West Coast markets. Marie is a frequent speaker at real estate conferences throughout the United States. Marie holds a B.A. from Santa Clara University and a Masters from St. Mary’s College. Marie is a licensed real estate agent in the state of California. Marie lives in San Francisco, CA with her two daughters, Madeline and Molly.

Maxim Shapiro started Novateur in 2018 after moving to California for love. And building Novateur has been a labor of love. Currently based in Dublin, CA, Maxim’s goal is to grow Novateur to have multiple locations throughout the state of California and perhaps beyond.

Prior to starting Novateur, Maxim worked as a lender doing new originations and distressed workouts. Maxim was also a member of a private equity firm that invested in retail assets throughout Europe before the Great Recession of 2008-2010. That is where Maxim got his start in commercial real estate and learned to underwrite and value assets.

Maxim was born in the Soviet Union and speaks fluent Russian. Having grown up in the Boston area and spent many years there, he now lives in the Bay Area. Maxim spends most of his free time with his partner, Katya, and with his dog, Jim.

Dan Safier is the President & CEO of Prado Group. Dan is responsible for the firm’s overall investment and development operations. Throughout his 30+ years in the business, Dan has invested and developed residential, retail, office, and mixed-use properties throughout the Western US. His passion is creating great walkable, urban mixed-use environments.

Dan is a member of the Urban Development Mixed-Use Council (UDMUC) of the Urban Land Institute, ICSC, and Lambda Alpha International. He is the former Chairman of the Board and current Board Member of the Jim Joseph Foundation, a Director of SPUR, a Member of the UC Berkeley Fisher Center Policy Advisory Board, a Trustee of the Schultz Family Foundation, and a Founding Member of UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation. Dan received his BA from UC Berkeley and his JD from UC Hastings College of Law.

As President and CEO of Related California, Mr. Canori leads Related California's market rate, luxury and mixed-income residential development and strategy throughout California. He is currently overseeing a $6 billion pipeline of 7,000 multifamily and senior units, and over 1 million square feet of commercial space located in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Orange County. He oversees an integrated development team that encompasses all aspects of development, including financial analysis, acquisition, planning and design, deal structuring, entitlements, public and private financing, construction, marketing and asset management.

For the past 21 years, Mr. Canori has played a lead role in building the company's substantial portfolio of mixed-use and mixed-income developments. He is responsible for the growth of the Related California pipeline, including the development of 4,000 multifamily units with development costs in excess of $3 billion.

Mr. Canori is a graduate of the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He serves on the Executive Committee for the Lusk Center for Real Estate at the University of Southern California and the Policy Advisory Board for the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute.

Katie is a Senior Vice President at Strada, concentrating on development, acquisitions, asset management, property management and marketing. She is involved in all stages of the development process, from initial diligence to entitlements to construction of a project. Katie currently acts as Development Associate on Strada’s 1629 Market Street and 1100 Clay Street projects. Additionally, Katie serves as the Property Manager for Strada’s Roseville Innovation Park and 3068 Kilgore properties in the greater Sacramento area. Katie earned a B.S. in journalism from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

David Nelson is President of Northern California and Nevada Brokerage for Kidder Mathews. He oversees strategic business pursuits, client relationships, and talent recruitment for the firm’s San Francisco, Redwood Shores, Silicon Valley, Pleasanton, Sacramento, and Reno offices. David is a well-respected industry authority with 20 years of commercial real estate expertise in the Bay Area. His industry knowledge and insights make him a compelling, insightful, and sought-after speaker.

Brent Saldaña advises investors, developers, owners and operators, and others in the real estate industry

in diverse, sophisticated real estate and corporate transactions. His clients span from individual investors

and family-owned real estate enterprises, to established developers, to sponsors launching real estate

funds, and his experience touches on multiple asset types and classes, including multifamily, office,

hospitality, industrial, R&D campuses, and vineyards, among others. He serves as chair of Farella Braun

+ Martel’s Real Estate Group.

Brent has extensive experience in acquisitions and dispositions, construction and permanent financings,

multi-tiered joint ventures and entity formations, development projects, leasing, and asset and property

management arrangements. He advises clients in many unusual deals requiring creative structures,

including unique land swap transactions and challenging tenant workouts. Brent also works closely with

members of Farella’s Family Wealth Group in structuring real estate holdings and succession planning

for families looking to preserve generational wealth.

Brent’s practice has a particular focus on complex real estate projects in the San Francisco Bay Area that

require negotiating mutually beneficial solutions among multiple stakeholders to protect his clients’

interests. His work involves thoughtful consideration of interrelated agreements, excellent project

management skills, and a continual appreciation of the big picture. He brings an infectious enthusiasm

for placemaking, the built environment, and all things real estate.

Representative work includes:

 Representing the interest of a major investor in a hotel property in Oakland, CA, and

representing the seller of a hotel in Oakland.

 Representing the owner in the refinancing and sale of Cavallo Point Lodge in Marin County.

 Representing the developer in adaptive reuse projects in the East Bay involving the exercise of

purchase rights in leases with the municipality, structuring of joint ventures, obtaining

construction financing, and negotiation of reciprocal utility easements with adjacent owners.

 Representing a multifamily owner and operator in the restructuring of a dozen of its limited

partnerships and tenancy in common holdings along the West Coast.

 Representing the seller in the sale of a Peninsula office building re-entitled for multifamily

construction. This sale, involving seven separate owners, required intricate seller financing,

facilitated by the appointment of an administrative agent.

 Representing a sponsor in the formation of a single-family residential investment fund targeting

assets in the Southwest.

 Representing owners and operators of collective retail experiences, including representation of a

flower market operator and food hall operator.

 Advising an office/retail unit owner in the foreclosure of an assessment lien under a reciprocal

easement agreement against an adjoining unit owner.

 Negotiating a $175MM credit facility, including lines of credit, secured by personal property

assets for a Bay Area-based construction company.

 Advising clients on Subdivision Map Act, Tenant Protection Act, Commercial Tenant Protection

Act and other California statutory law issues.

 Negotiating financing for the developer of a mixed-use project in India Basin in San Francisco.

 Assisting an East Bay developer with build-to-suit leases, including a build-to-suit lease for a

220,000-square-foot office building for a life sciences company.

 Representing winery and vineyard owners and operators in water infrastructure and water rights

easements.

 Advising a senior living owner and operator in sale negotiations with a developer of an adjacent

mixed-use project in San Jose in which the senior living owner obtained future easement and

other rights in an intricate set of sale and easement agreements.

Brent is a 2025 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow. Prior to joining a law firm, Brent

worked in development and marketing at The San Francisco Foundation and as in-house counsel for a

CDFI fund (nonprofit lender) lending to businesses in New York and in disaster recovery zones.

Brent earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law and his B.A. with honors

from Tufts University. He is admitted to practice in California and New York.