Speakers and Panels

Opening Remarks

An Economic Overview on Where the Market is Heading in San Jose

Jen Baker is the Director of the City Manager's Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs. Baker began her career in 2004 as an International Trade Policy Expert with the U.S. Department of Commerce. There, she developed her acumen in negotiating bi- and multi-lateral trade agreements and served as a negotiation and compliance lead. She facilitated the delivery of millions of dollars in trade capacity-building programming to priority U.S. trading partners. In 2005, she served as a Trade Capacity Building Director for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Baker worked as a consultant from 2008-2011, which took her to Ethiopia where she produced best practice materials for analyzing the country’s existing trade law framework, and then to Port Vila, Vanuatu, where she prepared Island Country stakeholders with trade impact and policy considerations in the lead up to bilateral trade negotiations with Australia and New Zealand. From 2011-2018, she was promoted from Economic Development Manager to Deputy Director, then Acting Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration in Portland, Oregon. During this time, she supervised a team of subject matter experts across three departments, raising brand visibility and ensuring delivery of quality programming that bolstered small businesses’ access to capital and capacity building; she mentored a multi-departmental team that grew the lending portfolio 275%, from $220 million to $609 million. Baker most recently served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC) in Vancouver, Washington, in the state’s fastest-growing county. She developed and mentored the CREDC Business Development team to grow a sophisticated workflow for site selection, outbound prospecting, strategic incentives, partnership development, and prioritization of local infrastructure investments. The CREDC team’s successful business attraction pipeline and a technology-informed outbound recruitment workflow added $1.69 billion to the county and 3,926 jobs from 2021-2024. She represented Pacific Northwest economic policy interests as part of the Silicon Forest semiconductor and microelectronics ecosystem, with industry drivers such as Shin-Etsu Handotai (SEH) America, TSMC Washington, Hewlett Packard, nLight, ZoomInfo, AbSci, Vigor Industrial, and Analog. She also served as an appointed advisor to Governor Ferguson’s Semiconductors Workgroup. Baker holds a Bachelor of Arts in International and Modern Studies from Pacific University, Oregon, and a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies in International Trade and Development from Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

City of San Jose

Director of the City Manager's Office of Economic Dev

Jennifer Baker

Director of the City Manager's Office of Economic Dev, City of San Jose

Creating Communities for San Jose Residents

Exploring Multifamily and Affordable Housing Development Opportunities in and Around the Community

Erik Hayden

Founder, Urban Catalyst

Dixie Baus

Director of Real Estate Development, Eden Housing

Jessie O'Malley Solis

Director of Multimodal Planning & Real Estate, VTA

Banu San

Deputy Director- Housing Development and Financing, City of San Jose

Moderator

Tony Mirenda

Executive Director, Kitchell

Creating Destinations through Retail, Mixed-Use, and City-Wide Collaboration

A Deeper Dive into what makes Silicon Valley a Live Work Play Environment

Jeff Kreshek

SVP, Western Region President, Federal Realty Investment Trust

David Mulvehill

President, Nuvo Hospitality Group

Razmig Boladian

Managing Partner, Rubicon Point Partners

Alex Shoor

Alex Shoor is a civic entrepreneur and community advocate driven by two interconnected goals: a) make Silicon Valley communities more equitable, affordable, vibrant & sustainable, and b) make government as responsive, cost-efficient, & innovative as possible. Started in his living room in December 2016 with four people, Alex Shoor is the co-founder and Executive Director of Catalyze Silicon Valley. In prior roles, Alex was a policy aide for Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager and Director of Government Affairs for a Bay Area nonprofit organization. Alex managed community engagement for the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) on extending its transit service in Silicon Valley and on California’s high-speed rail project. Before pivoting to policy, Alex worked in communications in New York City. He started his career as a political staffer on Capitol Hill and a grassroots organizer on a US Senate campaign in Alaska. Raised in Silicon Valley, Alex came home in 2012 after a dozen years away. Alex lives off The Alameda in San Jose and is active in his community, launching a farmers market in his neighborhood, teaching cooking classes to affordable housing residents, and founding the successful effort to get a San Jose street named after Barack Obama. Alex is currently serving on the Santa Clara County advisory board for the homeless service provider PATH. Previously, he served for a decade on the Advisory Board of the New Leaders Council’s Silicon Valley chapter and two terms, including time as Chair, on San Jose's Housing and Community Development Commission. Alex studied Political Science and African American Studies while earning a BA from Vanderbilt University and holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. Alex is a foodie who loves to cook creative comfort food, which he is forced to counterbalance by regularly exercising.

Catalyze SV

Executive Director

Alex Shoor

Executive Director, Catalyze SV

Moderator

Patrick Otellini

National Affordable Housing Director, Swinerton

Why You Should Attend This San Jose State of the Market Event

What You'll Learn:

Which transformative mixed-use megaprojects, office-to-residential conversions and next-gen transit investments are poised to reshape Silicon Valley's skyline and unlock long-term value?
How are best-in-class developers engineering vibrant, live-work-play ecosystems that magnetize residents, anchor blue-chip employers and supercharge retail activation?
How are market leaders future-proofing design, delivery and portfolio strategy to capitalize on AI-driven demand, navigate affordability headwinds and exceed the next generation of tenant expectations?
What separates the winners from the also-rans in San Jose's high-stakes, high-opportunity CRE landscape and what does it take to dominate in today's market?
Where are the highest-conviction opportunities in Silicon Valley across development, investment and leasing and how do you position yourself to capture them?
Which asset classes are generating the most investor velocity right now and what's driving the flight to quality in this cycle?
How are top operators deploying adaptive strategies to navigate market dislocation, compress risk and unlock outsized returns?
How are hospitality and retail innovators reimagining the customer experience to turbocharge Downtown San Jose's activation and drive sustained foot traffic?
What curated dining concepts, immersive entertainment venues and next-level experiential retail are creating the gravitational pull that defines a must-visit urban destination?
How are forward-thinking landlords and operators flipping underutilized assets and dark storefronts into high-performing, revenue-generating activations?
What role do marquee sports franchises, world-class entertainment and electric nightlife play in building a competitive, 18-hour downtown that attracts capital and talent?

How You'll Do More Business: Silicon Valley is back, and AI is leading the charge. Renter demand is outpacing supply with San Jose posting 3.4% multifamily rent growth and a 4.6% vacancy rate well below the national average. Office-to-residential conversions are unlocking some of the most compelling repositioning plays in the market while Downtown San Jose's dining, entertainment and experiential retail scene is redefining what urban activation looks like. Join the region's top developers, investors and operators to find out where the deals are getting done, which strategies are actually penciling and how to position your business to capitalize on Silicon Valley's next chapter.

Why You Should Attend: Bisnow events convene the most influential leaders in commercial real estate to identify opportunities, build meaningful connections, and drive business growth. With the largest audience of commercial real estate professionals in the world, Bisnow delivers unmatched access to the people, projects, and insights shaping the market. Join us for a focused look at the San Jose market and the strategies defining its next phase of growth.

Who You'll Network With At This Discussion: Owners, Developers, Investors, Financial Institutions, Government Officials, Architects, Construction, Designers, Brokers, & Lawyers.

For information on sponsorship, pricing and availability at this event, contact avery.warren@bisnow.com. For questions, recommendations, comments or press inquiries please email our event producer, Emily Cox at emily.cox@bisnow.com.

Venue

San Jose Marriott
301 South Market St
San Jose, CA 95113

Ballroom Name/Floor: Salon 1, 2, 3 + foyer

Parking Information:

The Hotel only offers valet of $12 per hour or $53 for the entire day.

Get Directions

Agenda

Time	Activity
8:00 AM 9:00 AM	Networking, Breakfast & Coffee
9:00 AM 9:15 AM	Opening Remarks with Jennifer Baker from the City Manager's Office An Economic Overview on Where the Market is Heading in San Jose
9:15 AM 10:00 AM	Creating Communities for San Jose Residents Exploring Multifamily and Affordable Housing Development Opportunities in and Around the Community
10:00 AM 10:30 AM	Quick Break!
10:30 AM 11:15 AM	Creating Destinations through Retail, Mixed-Use, and City-Wide Collaboration A Deeper Dive into what makes Silicon Valley a Live Work Play Environment
11:15 AM 12:00 PM	More Networking!

San Jose News and Projects

Downtown West Mixed-Use Plan

VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project (BSVII Project)

Multifamily Development Incentive Programs

San Jose pilot program will convert nearly 200 units at downtown high-rise into housing for middle-income earners

South Bay Development flips San Jose office for $27.8M

San Jose moves to stabilize distressed downtown tower with 60% vacancy

San Jose rental searches surge 80 spots as tech hub draws early 2026 interest

New Renderings For BIG-Designed Tower in Downtown San Jose

Housing Advocates Call This Big Plot of San José Land the Most Important in a Century

Supermicro Adds Largest Silicon Valley Campus - New DCBBS Facility to Advance the Delivery of Next-Generation AI Data Centers

San Jose’s secret sauce: Rebuilding downtown as a playground

PS - Want the attendee list for free?

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Call:	202-684-2034
Email:	eventregistration@bisnow.com

San Jose State of the Market

From Distressed to Destined: How Urban Catalyst, Federal Realty and Rubicon Point Are Reinventing San Jose's Urban Core

Speakers and Panels

Opening Remarks

An Economic Overview on Where the Market is Heading in San Jose

Jennifer Baker

Creating Communities for San Jose Residents

Exploring Multifamily and Affordable Housing Development Opportunities in and Around the Community

Erik Hayden

Dixie Baus

Jessie O'Malley Solis

Banu San

Tony Mirenda

Creating Destinations through Retail, Mixed-Use, and City-Wide Collaboration

A Deeper Dive into what makes Silicon Valley a Live Work Play Environment

Jeff Kreshek

David Mulvehill

Razmig Boladian

Alex Shoor

Patrick Otellini

Why You Should Attend This San Jose State of the Market Event

Venue

Agenda

San Jose News and Projects

Sponsors

PS - Want the attendee list for free?

Want to get a recap of everything covered at the event?

Don't Forget!