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Speakers and Panels

James Dinegar

James Dinegar

President & CEO

Greater Washington Board of Trade

Kevin Thorpe

Kevin Thorpe

Global Chief Economist

Cushman and Wakefield

Muriel Bowser

Muriel Bowser

Mayor

The District of Columbia

Ray Ritchey

Ray Ritchey

Senior Executive Vice President

Boston Properties

Deborah Harmon

Deborah Harmon

CEO

Artemis Real Estate Partners

Andrew Florance

Andrew Florance

Founder, Director, President and CEO

CoStar Group

Jim Glassman

Jim Glassman

Chief Economist

JP Morgan Chase & Co

Anthony Chan

Anthony Chan

Chief Economist

Chase

Arne Sorenson

Arne Sorenson

President & CEO

Marriott International

Linda Rabbitt

Linda Rabbitt

CEO

Rand Construction

Stephen Fuller

Stephen Fuller

Director

The Stephen S. Fuller Institute, George Mason University

Donna Evers

Donna Evers

Owner

Evers & Co

Marion Blakey

Marion Blakey

Chairman, President & CEO

Rolls-Royce North America

Michael Ellis

Michael Ellis

Mid-Atlantic Market Director

JLL

John Germano

John Germano

Executive Managing Director

CBRE

Stephen Sandherr

Stephen Sandherr

CEO

Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)

Michael Bellaman

Michael Bellaman

President & CEO

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)

Muriel Bowser

Mayor

The District of Columbia

Muriel Bowser serves as Washington, DC’s seventh elected Mayor. Sworn in on January 2, 2015, she pledged to bring a fresh start to the District of Columbia, create pathways to the middle class for residents, and foster a culture of inclusion, transparency and action.

Mayor Bowser expanded opportunity across all 8 Wards of DC by strengthening job training programs, and by attracting and retaining jobs in the District. As of the first quarter of 2016, there are burgeoning projects across the city that will eventually deliver 32,000 new jobs. Washington, DC is the economic engine of the metropolitan region, and has one of the strongest local economies in the country.

Mayor Bowser is committed to producing, protecting and preserving affordable housing. In her first budget, she devoted an historic $100 million to the Housing Production Trust Fund, putting an unprecedented number of affordable housing units into the pipeline. She also made historic investments in education to accelerate the pace of education reform. DC has the fastest improving urban school district in the nation.

The Mayor is committed to making sure every Washingtonian gets a fair shot, including its most vulnerable residents. When she came into office, she pledged to end homelessness. She has taken bold moves to deliver on that commitment, including releasing a plan to replace the city’s largest family shelter with small, dignified family housing.

In everything she does, the Mayor puts District residents first, and ensures that the city’s priorities match the peoples’ priorities. She holds community engagement forums to solicit public input prior to finalizing her fiscal year budget. She is creating a more transparent and open government through a cutting edge open data policy. She championed the successful launch of one of the largest, most transparent body worn camera programs in the nation, to enhance trust between the community and DC’s metropolitan police department. And she launched an inclusive technology program to support startups and entrepreneurs offering products and services to underserved communities.

Prior to her time as Mayor, Bowser served as the Ward 4 councilmember of the DC Council – first elected in a special election in 2007, and re-elected in 2008 and 2012. As a Councilmember, Bowser served as the Chairwoman of the Committee on Economic Development which created more than 5,000 units of affordable housing, passed legislation to build a new soccer stadium and secured from the federal government the best portion of the Walter Reed campus for DC. Bowser led her colleagues to pass comprehensive ethics reform and increased transparency in government contracting.

Bowser also served as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in the Riggs Park neighborhood. A native Washingtonian, Bowser earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Chatham University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from American University.

Ray Ritchey

Senior Executive Vice President

Boston Properties

Mr. Ritchey serves as Senior Executive Vice President. Prior to his appointment to this position in January 2016, Mr. Ritchey served as Executive Vice President, Head of our Washington, D.C. Office and National Director of Acquisitions and Development since April 1998 and Senior Vice President and Co- Manager of our Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Ritchey is responsible for all business development, leasing and marketing as well as new opportunity origination in the Washington, D.C. area. He also directly oversees similar activities on a national basis. Mr. Ritchey joined us in 1980, leading our expansion to become one of the dominant real estate firms in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. For four years prior to joining us, Mr. Ritchey was one of the leading commercial real estate brokers in the Washington, D.C. area with Coldwell Banker. He is a 1972 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a 1973 graduate of the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California.

Deborah Harmon

CEO

Artemis Real Estate Partners

Artemis Real Estate PartnersMs. Harmon is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Artemis Real Estate Partners, LLC, a real estate investment firm that manages approximately $3.8 Billion of institutional capital across the core plus, value add and opportunistic risk spectrum in a variety of real estate strategies. With over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, she is responsible for establishing, implementing and overseeing the company’s strategic direction. Prior to co-founding Artemis, she spent 17 years with the J.E. Robert Companies, Inc. ("JER"), a real estate investment firm where she was last President and Chief Investment Officer. Before joining JER, Ms. Harmon was a Managing Director at Bankers Trust Company in New York City where she worked in both the corporate finance and real estate groups handling a $2.0 billion portfolio of real estate developers and national corporations.

Andrew Florance

Founder, Director, President and CEO

CoStar Group

Andrew C. Florance founded CoStar Group, Inc., in 1987, fundamentally changing the way commercial real estate professionals access, use and share information. Through CoStar, Mr. Florance pioneered the concept of commercial real estate firms outsourcing research functions to a third-party information provider, combining the operational efficiency of a computer-based information system with the more complete, standardized and higher quality property information produced by the industry’s first independent research organization. Mr. Florance’s enduring commitment to innovation was recently recognized by Forbes magazine, which named CoStar among the 100 Most Innovative Growth Companies in the world, placing it among the top 10 companies within the Software & Services category in its most recent annual list.

As Founder and Chief Executive, Mr. Florance has directed CoStar’s successful expansion from start-up, to its successful IPO in July 1998, and to its market-leading position today as a publicly traded enterprise (Nasdaq: CSGP) and the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. CoStar’s major holdings include LoopNet, the most heavily trafficked online commercial real estate marketplace with more than 10 million registered members, and Apartments.com, ApartmentFinder.com and ApartmentHomeLiving.com, which together form the premier online apartment resource for renters seeking great apartment homes and provide property managers and owners with a proven platform for marketing their properties. CoStar operates websites with over 22 million unique monthly visitors in aggregate (as of January 2016.) Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Company maintains offices throughout the U.S., in Europe and in Toronto with a staff of approximately 2,600 worldwide.

Throughout his career, Mr. Florance has been a leader in raising awareness of energy efficiency and sustainability within the commercial property sector. He conceived and co-authored the first comprehensive analysis of leasing and sales activity in energy-efficient office buildings in the United States. The study, which was published in the Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management, was selected by the American Real Estate Society as the “Best Paper” published in the prestigious academic real estate journal in 2008. The groundbreaking study was also cited as a critical factor in CoStar Group’s selection as the only commercial real estate-related company to win an ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009.

In addition, Mr. Florance has received numerous other awards and distinctions recognizing his accomplishments as an entrepreneur, innovator and corporate leader, including:

• Honored by Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) for his entrepreneurial leadership and commitment to education.

• Recognized for conceiving and co-authoring two other award-winning studies, including the first analysis to use direct measurement of commercial property to document the full size and scope of the U.S. commercial real estate market as an $11 trillion asset class. In another study, Florance and his co-authors used repeat-sale regression analysis to study price movements within CoStar’s extensive commercial property sales database. The study resulted in the formation of the CoStar Commercial Repeat-Sale Indices (CCRSI), believed to be the most comprehensive and thorough commercial real estate repeat-sale price index available in the market today. In 2012, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System included the CCRSI in the analysis used to produce the “Flow of Funds Accounts of the United States,” considered to be an important and valuable indicator of economy-wide performance. Both studies were published in the Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management, and selected by the American Real Estate Society for “Best Paper” awards.

• Recognized by the Washington Business Journal for his role in directing the 2010 acquisition of CoStar Group’s headquarters building at 1331 L Street, NW, in Washington, DC, which selected the transaction as the “Best Real Estate Deal-Urban Office Sale of 2010.”

• Named Real Estate Industry Executive of the Year in 2009 by the Cornell Real Estate Review;

• Recognized for leading CoStar to its ranking among the 50 fastest growing Maryland technology companies by Deloitte & Touche for 10 consecutive years, and its selection by Business 2.0 magazine as one of the 100 fastest-growing public technology companies;

• Named Transwestern's 2007 Public Company Trendsetter of the Year;

• Honored by Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) with its 15th Anniversary Award for industry innovation and recognized by Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2000;

• Awarded a prize from NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, for his contribution to a white paper examining the potential impacts of 9-11 on investment-grade office buildings;

• Awarded two patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for developing mobile information gathering systems for collecting comprehensive commercial real estate information in the field.

Mr. Florance currently serves on the Board of Directors of Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD), one of the largest commercial real estate finance companies in the U.S., and on the Board of Directors of the American Real Estate Society, a leading association of real estate thought leaders. He was recently selected by the Office of the Mayor to serve on a task force reviewing the District of Columbia’s use of real estate.

In addition, Mr. Florance is active in a broad range of cultural, educational and community service endeavors. He currently is the co-chair of “The Bunny Mellon Healing Garden Dedicated to the First Ladies of the United States," a project to transform a gravel rooftop at Children’s National in Washington, DC, into a 7,200-square-foot outdoor space for comfort, play, healing and peace. Together with his wife, Heather, the Florances worked to engage Mrs. Michelle Obama, Mrs. Laura Bush, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mrs. Barbara Bush, the late Mrs. Nancy Reagan, and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter to serve as honorary chairs of the Healing Garden.

Mr. Florance also serves as a member of the St. Albans School Governing Board and the Children’s Hospital Foundation Board and he is a member of the Cathedral Chapter overseeing the Washington National Cathedral. Previously Mr. Florance served as a Chair of the Governing Board for Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School, and as a trustee for the National Building Museum, Ford’s Theater and Shakespeare’s Theatre in Washington, DC, as well as for The St. Andrews School in Middletown, Delaware. Mr. Florance is a graduate of Princeton University with a B.A. in Economics.

Jim Glassman

Chief Economist

JP Morgan Chase & Co

As Managing Director and Head Economist for Commercial Banking, Jim Glassman provides market insights to help clients better understand the changing economy and its impact on their businesses. Jim also works closely with the firm's corporate sector, including the Chief Investment Office, the Investment Bank, Investor Relations and Government Relations groups, providing financial analysis and research.

A publisher of independent research on the principal forces shaping the economy and financial markets, Jim is regularly cited in the financial media and is a frequent commentator on economic policy issues. Additionally, he is a long-standing participant in the widely followed Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Survey of Professional Forecasters and the National Association of Business Economists' panel of macroeconomic forecasters.

From 1979 through 1988, Jim served as a Senior Economist in the Research & Statistics and Monetary Affairs departments at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC. His responsibilities ranged from analysis and forecasting of inflation and labor market developments to analysis of the Federal Reserve's operating strategies, interest rate markets and the development of monetary and reserves projections. He joined Morgan Guaranty in 1988 and Chemical Bank in 1993, which, through a combination of mergers, became JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Jim earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University.

Anthony Chan

Chief Economist

Chase

nthony Chan, Chief Economist for Chase, is responsible for economic analysis and research to support Chase Private Client as well as a member of J.P. Morgan's Global Investment Committee. His work takes him around the world to meet with clients — and to share his insights on the economy and investments.

Anthony joined JPMorgan Chase in 1994 from Barclays, where he served as a senior economist beginning in 1991. Before that, he was an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and prior to that he was an economics professor at the University of Dayton in Ohio.

Arne Sorenson

President & CEO

Marriott International

Arne M. Sorenson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc., the largest lodging company in the world. Following Marriott’s September 2016 acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the company includes nearly 6,000 properties across 30 brands in 120 countries and territories. In fiscal year 2015, Marriott reported revenues of more than $14 billion.

Mr. Sorenson joined Marriott in 1996. He became the third CEO in the company’s history in 2012 – and the first without the Marriott surname. Prior to that, he served as Marriott’s President and Chief Operating Officer. He has held a number of positions, including Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and President of Continental European Lodging. He was elected to Marriott’s Board of Directors in 2011.

Additionally, Mr. Sorenson serves as Vice Chair of the President’s Export Council. He is the immediate past Board Chair for Brand USA and continues as a member of the board. Other affiliations include: Chair, U.S. Travel Association CEO Roundtable; member of the Luther College Board of Regents; Stewardship Board of the World Economic Forum System Initiative on Shaping the Future of Mobility; and member of the Board of Trustees for The Brookings Institution. Mr. Sorenson’s Influencer blog, which appears on LinkedIn, has more than 400,000 followers.

Marriott’s Global Sustainability Council was co-founded by Mr. Sorenson in 2007. The following year, he launched Marriott’s rainforest preservation partnership with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation in Brazil. Mr. Sorenson chairs Marriott’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council. The Council, along with the Marriott Board of Directors’ Committee for Excellence, monitors and evaluates Marriott’s strategy to promote a diverse workforce, as well as ownership, customer and vendor communities around the world. Before he joined Marriott, Mr. Sorenson was a partner with the law firm Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions litigation. He is a graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and the University of Minnesota Law School. He and his wife Ruth live in the Washington, D.C. area, where they raised their four children.

Linda Rabbitt

CEO

Rand Construction

Linda Rabbitt founded rand* construction in 1989, and was one of very few female leaders in the industry at the time. She is still an active leader as Owner and Chief Executive Officer, and is responsible for setting the strategic vision for the entire organization. Linda provides executive direction, manages client services, and oversees all aspects of corporate and financial operations. Under her leadership, rand* has grown into one of the top general contractors in the DC metro area and has expanded on a national scale with licensure to perform construction services in over 26 states. Her knowledge of the industry and professional experience has enabled rand* to deliver award-winning work for a vast client base. With a focus on innovation, quality and customer service, Linda continues to be actively involved in the firm’s expansion and performance in all local markets, the cultivation of client relationships, and the management and oversight of company-wide strategic development.

Stephen Fuller

Director

The Stephen S. Fuller Institute, George Mason University

Professor Fuller joined the faculty at George Mason University in 1994 as Professor of Public Policy and Regional Development. He served as Director of the Ph.D. Program in Public Policy from July 1998 to June 2000 and from July 2001 to July 2002. In September 2001, the GMU Board of Visitors appointed him University Professor and in July 2002 he was named to the Dwight Schar Faculty Chair and Director of the Center for Regional Analysis; he served in this capacity until May 2015. He currently holds the position of Director of The Stephen S. Fuller Institute.

Prior to joining the George Mason University faculty, he served on the faculty at George Washington University for twenty-five years, including nine as Chairman of the Department of Urban Planning and Real Estate Development and one as Director of Doctoral Programs for the School of Business and Public Management.

Dr. Fuller received a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University (1962) and his Doctorate in Regional Planning and Economic Development (1969) from Cornell University. He has authored more than 800 articles, papers, and reports in the field of urban and regional economic development including monthly reports on the Washington metropolitan area (2/91 to 2/11) and Fairfax County economies (6/97 to 6/09).

Professor Fuller’s recent research has focusing on the structure of the Washington metropolitan area economy, how this changed during the Great Recession and how it will change going forward as its federal-spending dependency diminishes. He has also undertaken research on the changing workforce requirements of the Washington area’s emerging economy and the housing requirement of this future workforce. His current research involves the projected demographic changes over the next fifteen years and how these will impact the Washington area’s workforce, housing market, and demand for public services.

Professor Fuller was recently appointed to serve on the Joint Advisory Board of Economists by Governor McAuliffe. He served on the Governor’s Advisory Board of Economists under Governors Kaine, Warner, Allen and Wilder. In 2003, he was a member of the Governor Warner’s Tax Reform Working Group. He also is a member of the DC CFO Business Advisory Group of the District of Columbia, the Montgomery County Business Advisory Panel and the U.S Army Women’s Foundation. His international assignments include Kazakhstan, Georgia, Hungary and China as well as on-going projects in Portugal. He served on the Board of Directors of Tompkins Builders Inc., a DC-based company, from 2004 to 2012, and currently serves on the Boards of the Global Environment and Technology Foundation and Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, Massachusetts. In May of 2015, Dr. Fuller was elected as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Northfield Mount Hermon School.

Donna Evers

Owner

Evers & Co

Donna Evers has more than 38 years experience in residential real estate in the Washington Metro marketplace. She was one of the most successful sales agents in the area before she started her own company, which is distinguished by an exceptional reputation for the highest standards of excellence. Evers & Co. agents are among the top agents in the area in terms of individual volume of sales and average sales price. In addition, the company is the largest woman-owned-and-run independent residential real estate company in the Metro area.

Donna grew up in Michigan, received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and later, an M.A. from the University of California at Irvine. She has lived in Chevy Chase, Maryland for the past 35 years, just blocks from the Chevy Chase / Friendship Heights office. In 2006, Evers & Co. opened its second area office at 1509 – 22nd Street, NW, in Dupont Circle, to further enhance its growing presence in the District of Columbia marketplace.

Donna Evers’ second home, which is also the site of the company’s third office in Bluemont, Virginia, is an hour from Washington in the midst of horse farms and historic villages. This is also the site of her vineyard and Twin Oaks Tavern Winery, where she grows grapes and makes wine. In February of 2013, Evers & Co. opened its fourth office in Bethesda-Chevy Chase at 7032 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD.

Donna has three grown children and three grandchildren. Over the past several years, she renovated 23 properties, including two in France, where she has an apartment in the sixth arrondissement in Paris . She says the fun of renovating and redesigning houses far outweighs the frustrations. With years of experience in successfully staging homes for sale, she has the expertise to assist Evers & Co. sellers so that they can realize the maximum gain and she has the know-how to advise buyers on making the most of the home they buy.

Donna appears regularly on radio, television and in print to discuss the Metro area real estate market. She writes monthly columns about Washington area history for Washington Life magazine, The Georgetowner and The Downtowner. Evers & Co. is licensed and does business in DC, Maryland and Virginia. Donna Evers loves the real estate business and the 100 successful Evers & Co. sales agents share her enthusiasm.

Marion Blakey

Chairman, President & CEO

Rolls-Royce North America

Marion C. Blakey joined Rolls-Royce North America Inc. (RRNA) in 2015 as President and Chief Executive Officer. In this role, Blakey also serves as Chairman of the Rolls-Royce North America Holdings Inc. Board.

Prior to joining Rolls-Royce, Blakey served in various senior executive roles including; President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Born in Gadsden, Ala., Blakey received her bachelor’s degree with honors in international studies from Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a fellow in the Royal Aeronautical Society and has received numerous honorary degrees and awards, including the National Aeronautic Association’s Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in 2013.

Michael Ellis

Mid-Atlantic Market Director

JLL

W. Michael Ellis is the Market Director for the Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes the states of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, most of Delaware and Washington, DC.

Michael is responsible for driving a market leading position through an integrated approach, working to connect our regional businesses including Public Institutions, Corporate Solutions, National Investor Sales and Spaulding & Slye Investments with Construction, Property Management, PDS, Brokerage and Capital Markets. Driving teamwork and a collaborative mindset across business, industries and client types is a critical component of his role.

Prior to this position, Michael s was responsible for the Agency Leasing business in Washington, DC and he also headed up the National Agency Brokerage business in the Americas.

In addition to overall management responsibility for the Agency Leasing business, Michael was responsible for growing and developing the leasing and management business, while maintaining a strong transaction practice.

He was instrumental in both the Spaulding & Slye and The Staubach Company integrations. During 2006, 2007 and 2008, Mr. Ellis and his colleagues in the DC region completed leasing transactions with a value in excess of $1.6 billion covering a portfolio of 33 million square feet.

Most notably in 2005, on behalf a joint venture development consisting of The JBG Companies, CIM and Trizec, Michael successfully led the lease negotiations of the Corporate Executive Board at Waterview, with a total value in excess of $586 million – the largest lease ever concluded in the DC metropolitan area.

Experience:

Michael joined JLL in 1999 as a result of the merger with Jones Lang Wootton. He joined Jones Lang Wootton in 1997 and served as a Director with the Investor Services Group USA’s Northern Virginia office.

Prior to Jones Lang Wootton, he was a principal for Larson, Ball & Gould, Inc. for ten years as a Senior Vice President and Partner.

Education :

Michael holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Business Administration and Information Systems from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Affiliations:

He is currently pursuing a designation as a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), having completed all course-work related to this designation.

Michael is also a life-time member of the Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors (GWCAR) where he has been named in the top 10 regional producers.

He is a licensed sales person in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

John Germano

Executive Managing Director

CBRE

John Germano is the Executive Managing Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region for CBRE, Inc., the leading provider of commercial real estate services globally.

He is responsible for the strategic direction, performance and growth of the firm’s Greater Washington, D.C. regional offices. Under Germano’s oversight of the executive leadership team, the region has grown to include nearly 1,500 employees who manage more than 30 million square feet of commercial properties and annually complete more than 5,000 sale and lease transactions, 150+ financial consulting assignments and thousands of appraisals.

With a dedication for collaboration in service delivery, Germano actively promotes the integration of multiple disciplines to ensure well-conceived, strategic solutions for complex client assignments. During his tenure, the company’s service offerings have expanded beyond traditional brokerage to become the market leader across the region in nearly every service line CBRE offers including:

Asset Services

Project Management

Capital Markets

Global Workplace Solutions

Valuations & Appraisals and Real Estate Tax Consulting for all commercial product types

Financial Consulting Services

Workplace Strategy Consulting Services

Loan Portfolio Sales

Debt and Structured Finance Services

With a diversified career that includes an extensive background in leasing, investment sales, and asset services, Germano has built a strong reputation based on providing superior client service. He continues to enhance the firm’s delivery of world-class real estate services to customers by creating diverse teams of high caliber professionals who are armed with the best support and technology in the industry.

Germano has always been an active member of the community and is actively involved with the Board of Trade (Executive Committee and Board of Directors), Smithsonian Institution Libraries (Advisory Board), Washington Sports Alliance (Board of Directors), Federal City Council (Washington Trustee, Executive Committee, and Membership Committee), Economic Club of Washington, DC, District of Columbia Building Industry Association, Apartment and Office Building Association, and the Association for Corporate Growth (Board of Directors).

He received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bryant University and his Masters of Business Administration from The Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Following his graduation from Bryant University, Germano achieved the rank of First Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Stephen Sandherr

CEO

Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)

Stephen Sandherr joined the AGC of America staff in 1984 as Assistant Director of Collective Bargaining Services. From 1986 to 1989 he served as AGC's Director of Congressional Relations. He practiced law with the firm of Thompson, Mann and Hutson in Washington, DC from 1989 to 1990, and served as Labor and Small Business Counsel for the National Association of Home Builders from 1990 to 1991. He rejoined AGC as Executive Director of Congressional Relations and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 1997.

Currently, as Chief Executive Officer, Steve's role is to maintain relations with AGC's 93 chapters nationwide, coordinate government relations activities and enhance AGC's involvement with business coalitions. In 2006, the American Society of Association Executives cited AGC as one of 9 "remarkable" associations in its landmark study "7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don't."

Steve is a 1980 graduate of the University of Scranton with a B.S. in Political Science. He earned his law degree from the Catholic University of America in 1983, and is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia. He is a trustee of the National Building Museum in Washington.

He resides with his wife, Cynthia, in Alexandria, Virginia.

Spotlight Interview

Don Peebles

Don Peebles

Founder, Chairman & CEO

The Peebles Corporation

Ernie Jarvis
Moderator

Ernie Jarvis

CEO

Jarvis Commercial Real Estate

Don Peebles

Founder, Chairman & CEO

The Peebles Corporation

Recognized as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the nation, R. Donahue (Don) Peebles Jr. is Founder, Chairman, and CEO of The Peebles Corporation.

In an era where social responsibility and inclusion are often seen as buzz-phrases, Mr. Peebles is actively influencing change and creating opportunities that positively impact communities, through Real Estate investment and development. The Peebles Corporation is among the leading privately held real estate and development companies in the United States, with a multi-billion dollar project portfolio, spanning key markets in the nation including: New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Washington D.C. Mr. Peebles and The Peebles Corporation's uniqueness is guided by the company’s own principles of Affirmative Development (TM) to empower women and minorities in closing the wealth gap – with the aim of developing not just land or buildings, but also opportunities for people.

Mr. Peebles is an industry leader in large scale real estate development through Public-Private Partnerships. Through construction excellence, sustainable materials, historic preservation and innovative design, every project is strategically selected to achieve transformative results for the company and community.

Mr. Peebles is an avid supporter of mentoring underprivileged youth to expose them to the value of entrepreneurship. He is the former Chairman of the Board of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, is on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater New York, was a two-time former member of President Barack Obama’s National Finance Committee, and the former Chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Mr. Peebles is a frequent guest commentator on CNBC, CNN, FOX News and FOX Business Network. He has written two books entitled The Peebles Principles and The Peebles Path to Real Estate Wealth, which provide the fundamentals for individuals striving to succeed in real estate. The books articulate Mr. Peebles optimism and belief that everyone’s career goals are achievable. Growing up as a child raised by a single parent, in a middle-class home, to achieving multimillionaire status by the age 27, Mr. Peebles believes that dreams really can come true.

Ernie Jarvis

Moderator

Jarvis Commercial Real Estate

Ernest (“Ernie”) Drew Jarvis is a recognized leader with exceptional knowledge of, and relationships in, the region’s commercial real estate and business communities. Combining unique roles in management, tenant representation, and asset ownership responsibilities, he has the depth of experience to craft the very best real estate strategies. Ernie has had senior leadership roles in two publicly traded commercial real estate companies, including having served as CBRE’s Washington, D.C. Market Leader, one of CBRE’s largest offices. During his tenure, Ernie managed over 60 brokerage professionals and over 10 different specialty groups.

Prior to his leadership role, Ernie represented the real estate interests of a diverse group of clients, ranging from the American Red Cross, Fannie Mae Foundation, and Radio One’s national headquarters, just to name a few.

Most recently, Ernie collaborated with First Potomac Realty Trust’s (NYSE: FPO) leadership team to create and implement a strategy for expanding its Washington, D.C. office portfolio. The company hit that goal. Additionally, Ernie created D.C. regional leasing goals and achieved an over 90% leased office portfolio. Ernie also played an integral role in the successful renovation of 440 1st Street, N.W.

As a fifth generation Washingtonian, Ernie has worked diligently to become part of the fabric of the community. He has been cited in a number of periodicals including the Washington Post, the Washington Business Journal, Globe St., Bisnow, and other industry periodicals.

Ernie has taken an active role in the business community and has served in leadership positions in a number of prominent organizations.

In addition to this service, Ernie was named to Washington Business Journal‘s “Power 100”– the most influential regional business leaders. Ernie is a graduate of Southeastern University.

Spotlight Interview

Bill Calhoun

Bill Calhoun

Vice Chairman & EVP

Clark Construction

Adam Volanth
Moderator

Adam Volanth

President & CEO

Bohler Engineering

Bill Calhoun

Vice Chairman & EVP

Clark Construction

William (Bill) Calhoun is responsible for the acquisition of work nationally. He is focused on business development and drives the company’s strategic focus on new and emerging markets. Bill began his career with Clark in 1983, and has over three decades of industry experience.

Bill is a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of So Others Might Eat, the External Advisory Board of Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Engineering, and the Board of Visitors for the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. He also is on the board of directors for the Construction Industry Roundtable and a National Peer in GSA’s Construction Excellence Peer Review program.

Adam Volanth

Moderator

Bohler Engineering

Focused on providing the industry’s best service and consulting experience to today’s real estate sectors, Adam leads Bohler Engineering and its 700 employees across 23 offices. Covering major markets from North Texas to New England, Adam drives a leadership team focused on providing high-quality, client-focused land development consulting to leading retail brands, developers and investors.

Building his career with Bohler, Adam was one of the catalysts for explosive firm growth in the late 1990s, expanding the firm’s footprint in the Mid-Atlantic region through seven new offices. As President & CEO, his current focus is on the expansion of the firm’s southern growth markets in Texas and the Southeast. Additionally, he continues to support key clients and projects within the organization, as well as leadership development initiatives within the firm.

Adam is an active member of numerous industry organizations, such as ICSC, NAIOP and ULI.

Remarks from the Podium

15 Minutes Each

Ken Blackwell

Ken Blackwell

Domestic Policy Adviser

Trump Transition Team

Willy Walker

Willy Walker

Chairman & CEO

Walker & Dunlop

Hans Nordby
New Kind of President - Different Results?

Hans Nordby

Head of Market Analytics and Portfolio Strategy

CoStar

Ken Blackwell

Domestic Policy Adviser

Trump Transition Team

Mr. Blackwell has had a vast political career. He was mayor of Cincinnati, Treasurer and Secretary of State for Ohio, undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. He was a delegate to the White House Summit on Retirement Savings in 1998 and 2002. During the 1990s, he served on the congressionally appointed National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform and the board of the International Republican Institute. He was Co-Chairman of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board from 1999-2001.

He has received many awards and honors for his work in the public sector. These accolades include the U.S. Department of State’s Superior Honor Award for his work in the field of human rights which he received from both the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. In 2004, the American Conservative Union and the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs honored Mr. Blackwell with the John M. Ashbrook Award for his steadfast conservative leadership. In 2002, he received meritorious recognition from the Center for Digital Government, and was recognized by Government Technology magazine as one of the top 25 public sector leaders in information technology.

Mr. Blackwell was a founding partner of the highly successful Blue Chip Broadcasting Company, a network of 20 urban format radio stations. At the time of its sale in 2001, Blue Chip Broadcasting had become the second largest African-American owned radio company in the nation.

He has been a Fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, the Heritage Foundation, the Aspen Institute, the Salzburg Seminar in Austria and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University (British-American Project). His continuing education has included executive programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard. Mr. Blackwell has also received honorary doctoral degrees from ten institutions of higher education. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees from Xavier University (OH), where he later served as a vice president and member of its faculty. In 1992, he received Xavier’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

He and his wife, Rosa, have been married for 45 years.

Willy Walker

Chairman & CEO

Walker & Dunlop

Willy Walker is consistently recognized as one of the most influential executives in the United States commercial real estate finance industry. He joined the company in 2003 as executive vice president and chief operating officer and became chief executive officer in 2007. Under Mr. Walker’s leadership, Walker & Dunlop has grown from a small, family-owned business with one office and forty-six employees to become one of the largest commercial real estate finance companies in the United States with twenty-five offices and over five hundred employees. Walker & Dunlop has been named one of the "50 Fastest Growing Companies" in the Washington Region every year since 2011, named a "Great Places to Work" in 2012, 2013 and 2015, and named a “Top Workplace” by the Washington Post in 2014 and 2016. Investors in Walker & Dunlop’s IPO saw their stock appreciate 191% in the company’s first five years as a public company. Mr. Walker won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2011.

Prior to joining Walker & Dunlop, Mr. Walker was president of the European and Latin American divisions of TeleTech, a global business process outsourcing company. He previously worked at private equity firm Newbridge Latin America, and was also general manager of a regional airline start-up in Argentina. He currently serves on the boards of the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Federal City Council, the Sustainable Technology Fund, and St. Albans School. Mr. Walker was Chairman of the Board of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) from 2008 until 2012, and Chairman of the Board of Transcom, a global business process outsourcing company, from 2007 until 2012.

Mr. Walker received his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Lawrence University and Master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard University. He has run the Boston Marathon in 2:36, is an avid cyclist, and can likely be found on the ski slopes of Sun Valley when not running Walker & Dunlop.

Hans Nordby

New Kind of President - Different Results?

CoStar

Hans G. Nordby, Managing Director leads CoStar Market Analytics and CoStar Portfolio Strategy (formerly Property and Portfolio Research), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Mr. Nordby joined PPR as a Research Strategist in July 2002. In that role, he managed research projects for REITs, opportunity funds, plan sponsors, and commercial banks. Most recently, Mr. Nordby served as Director of Advisory Services, where he led risk management, investment strategy, and other projects for some of the world’s largest commercial real estate investors. Prior to joining PPR, he worked in portfolio management and acquisitions for a pension fund advisor and as a commercial real estate strategy consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Nordby received a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and an M.B.A. from Indiana University.

Real Estate Titans

Chip Akridge

Chip Akridge

Founder & Chairman

Akridge

John Shooshan

John Shooshan

Chairman

Shooshan Company

Ron Paul

Ron Paul

Founder, Ronald D. Paul Cos

Chairman & CEO, EagleBank

Roberta Liss
Moderator

Roberta Liss

President, Southeast

Cushman & Wakefield

Chip Akridge

Founder & Chairman

Akridge

Chip Akridge, Founder and Chairman of the commercial real estate firm bearing his name, is an innovator in the industry, a committed advocate of community initiatives in the Washington, DC, region, and a dedicated supporter of philanthropic and charitable organizations.

Chip founded the firm in 1974 to specialize in commercial real estate in downtown and suburban Washington, DC. Since then, Akridge has acquired, developed, or entitled more than 14 million square feet of office, industrial flex, residential, retail, and entertainment space in the metro area.

As chairman of the company, he is responsible for corporate oversight and strategic planning. He continually focuses on developing the highest-quality products and delivering superior Client service.

Chip leads the commercial real estate sector in regulatory, legislative, and financial changes in Washington, DC. He was the first to use the “Woodies Act,” which enables developers to lease the air-rights above and below a public area in order to join properties.

Chip was also the first to use the DC Tax Increment Financing Program to build a mixed-use complex that revitalized the city’s downtown core.

He worked closely with the city government to develop innovative legislation that created the housing linkage program, Business Improvement Districts, and regulatory guidelines to improve the water quality of the Anacostia River.

Chip has served as a member of the Economic Development and Executive Committees of the Federal City Council, and as chairman of the Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Emergency Preparedness Task Force. He has received numerous industry awards.

A strong advocate for the environment, he has served on the Board of Trustees of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Nature Conservancy of Maryland/DC, and various agencies of the city government. Chip testifies frequently in support of environmentally friendly legislation before the DC Council, and the Maryland State House and Senate. He is committed both personally and professionally to sustainable building design – earning numerous Smart Growth awards, more than any other developer, and the LEED Accredited Professional designation. He is also an EPA Energy STAR partner and has been recognized by the Garden Club of America for his environmental work.

Chip is a leader in philanthropic and civic organizations throughout the Washington, DC, area. He is the founder and chairman of the Trust for the National Mall, a non-profit created to assist the National Park Service to restore and improve The National Mall.

Previous philanthropic leadership initiatives include: chairman of The John Akridge Homeless Foundation, member of the Board of Directors of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, member of the Board of Trustees of The Georgia Tech Foundation, and member of the President’s Advisory Board of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Chip is a Distinguished Eagle Scout and a Vietnam veteran. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Real Estate Development from Harvard University.

John Shooshan

Chairman

Shooshan Company

As the Chairman of the Shooshan Company, John Shooshan is responsible for directing and implementing the strategic objectives and goals of the company. His active and dedicated leadership is vital in generating business opportunities and fostering community relationships. John's experience and in-depth knowledge provide guidance for the shared goals of the Shooshan Company team and its partners.

John continually strives to assure that the company presents a strong, positive image to all relevant stakeholders. In 2o08, the Shooshan Company completed the Liberty Center North project, a 1 million square foot, mixed-use project consisting of office, residential and retail space. Today, Mr. Shooshan is leading the Shooshan Company in the completion of the Liberty Center development; Liberty Center South, a 5.35 acre mixed-use project, consists of about 1.2 million SF of density among a significant two acre open park space in the heart of Ballston. In addition, under John's leadership the Shooshan Company recently was reasonable for the redevelopment of Marymount University's Ballston mixed-use campus and has a pipeline of new projects planned; including The Clarendon West project, located in the heart of Clarendon.

John founded the Shooshan Company in 1986. In 2007, he helped form Kodiak Realty Services, LW by combining the property management and engineering services of the Shooshan Company and Fred Schnider Investment Group to create a property management firm to focus on the developed properties. Previously, he served as Mid-Atlantic Regional Partner for Faison & Associates, Inc., Vice President of Development for Cadillac Fairview Urban Development, Inc. John began his career at the Oliver Carr Company, which became Carr America, where he was the Director of Marketing and Leasing. In these capacities, he gained extensive experience in development, financing, property management and acquisitions.

By far, John's proudest achievement is his family. He and his wife Marcia have been happily married for 44 years and have two children and three grandchildren. Their daughter Kelly serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Shooshan Company, and son Kevin is the Managing Director of Kodiak Realty Services and also serves as the Director of Marketing and leasing for The Shooshan Company. Both attended Georgetown University and have followed in their parent's footsteps in multiple ways, including their dedication to the family business, community involvement and charity work.

Education • Bachelor of Science from the University of Delaware.

Ron Paul

Founder, Ronald D. Paul Cos

Chairman & CEO, EagleBank

Ronald D. Paul is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Bancorp, Inc. and EagleBank, a community bank established in 1998 in Bethesda, Maryland. He has been involved in community banking for 28 years. Mr. Paul is one of the founding board members of the Bank, and has been instrumental in the growth of the Bank’s size to over $5.5 billion in assets and over 20 offices.

EagleBank is the largest community bank headquartered in the Washington DC Area. Rated BBB+ by Kroll Bond Rating Agency, EagleBank is a member of the Independent Community Bankers of America, the Maryland Bankers Association and the Virginia Bankers Association. EagleBank has consistently been cited for its excellent overall financial performance by recognized bank rating services such as IDC Financial Publishing, Veribanc and BauerFinancial. For 2014, EagleBank was one of 40 banks named to the Honor Roll of Banks by Keefe, Bruyette and Woods and was named a Sm-All Star Bank by Sandler O’Neill & Partners.

Eagle Bancorp, Inc. is a public company and its shares are traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol EGBN. The Company is in the Russell 2000® Index, which measures the performance of the largest 2000 U.S. companies based on total market capitalization. EagleBank is the presenting sponsor of “EagleBank Presents the Bisnow Morning Brief,” an email subscription service providing daily news stories related to Washington, DC area commercial real estate.

A founding board member of the Prince George’s National Bank in 1987, Mr. Paul continued to serve as director when the bank merged with Montgomery National Bank in 1991 and changed its name to Allegiance Bank. He was a director of Allegiance Bank from 1991 until September 1996, and a director of Allegiance Banc Corporation from 1991 until its acquisition by F&M National Corporation in 1996.

Mr. Paul was born and raised in Oceanside, New York, and came to the Washington, D.C. area to attend the University of Maryland, where he received a B.A. in Accounting. In 1980, he began his career in real estate investment as a bookkeeper, and in 1987, formed his own investment company, Ronald D. Paul Companies, Inc. Mr. Paul’s real estate holdings include office buildings and multi-family apartment projects throughout the Washington Metropolitan area, as well as in Texas, Florida and Iowa. Mr. Paul was a director, as well as Chairman of the Audit Committee, of Republic Properties Trust, a New York Stock Exchange-listed real estate investment trust, until it was sold in 2007. He is active in private investments, which includes serving as Chairman of Bethesda Investments, Inc., a private venture capital fund. As President of RDP Management, Inc., he is also engaged in the business of real estate management.

Very active in several charitable organizations, Mr. Paul serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington Hospital Center Foundation and, since 1987, on the Board of Directors of the National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area (“NCA”). Mr. Paul’s involvement with the National Kidney Foundation began in the 1980’s when he was diagnosed with kidney disease; he received a kidney transplant from his brother, Steven B. Paul, at the Washington Hospital Center in 1990. Nineteen years later, he received a second transplant from Kathy McCallum, Chief Financial Officer of Ronald D. Paul Companies. Mr. Paul served as Chairman of the Board of the National Kidney Foundation of the NCA from 2002 – 2003, and he also chaired the National Kidney Foundation’s Annual Kidney Ball—the largest one-day fund-raising event of the Foundation—in 1993 and 2000. In 2002, Mr. Paul founded the National Kidney Foundation’s Annual Ronald D. Paul Companies Kidney Walk, which has grown from approximately 40 to over 900 walkers and has raised over $900,000. While attending the University of Maryland, he was active in many community events and became the youngest member ever to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society. As Chairman of Eagle Bancorp, in 2005, Mr. Paul founded the EagleBank Foundation, which annually raises funds for breast cancer research, patient services and education. To-date, the Foundation has raised in excess of $2.1 million.

Roberta Liss

Moderator

Cushman & Wakefield

As the Southeast Regional President, Roberta Liss is responsible for Cushman & Wakefield’s entire business in the state of Florida, Atlanta, Nashville and the Carolinas. Roberta is responsible for transformation and growth, client relationships, talent development and performance management across the Southeast U.S.

Prior to this role, Roberta served as President, East Region, overseeing all of Cushman & Wakefield’s business in one third of the US. She partnered with leaders in Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Bethesda, and Tysons Corner offices to advance corporate strategic growth, transformation, and operational optimization initiatives. She joined Cassidy Turley/DTZ, a predecessor Cushman & Wakefield company, in 2015 and served as Managing Principal for the Washington, DC Metro Region, as well as the President of the Eastern Region for DTZ.

Before joining DTZ, Roberta served as Executive Vice President of Leasing, Marketing and Acquisitions at BECO Management. Before joining BECO, she was Executive Vice President of CBRE in Washington, DC, where she was a tenant and landlord broker and led strategic planning efforts. She also has served as Director of Brokerage for Washington, DC, and Maryland at Trammell Crow Co. where she was a principal and led capital markets, tenant representation, agency leasing, retail leasing and tax appeal.

During her 36-year career, Roberta has executed transactions totaling more than 30 million square feet of space, has transacted eight building sales, and has advised Fortune 100 companies, financial institutions, health care companies, institutional owners and private developers on real estate matters, transactions and strategic planning.

Roberta received a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering degree from Pennsylvania State University, as part of the University's 5-Year Engineering Program.

Summary

This premier Economic & Political Forecast will be the gathering point for the leading participants of all sectors of the local economy as we will address topics pertaining to the DC Region's Economy and Commercial Real Estate Market. 

2017 will be a year of transition, opportunity, and challenge for the U.S and our Washington, DC region. Join us for an all-star event featuring the best minds that Washington, DC has to offer.

This is THE business event for DC executives who want to know how the local economy will respond in the new year.  So come out, be seen, and hear from renowned industry experts as they inform you on how to succeed in the changing tide that is 2017.

Join the fun on Twitter with hashtag #DCForecast17 and don't forget to follow @BisnowDC!

Venue

The Watergate Hotel
2650 Virginia Ave NW
Washington, DC 20037

Ballroom: The Moretti Ballroom, Level B1 (below lobby level)


Valet, $25.00/car
Self-park garage, $20.00/car
Kennedy Center Parking available next door, $12.00/car 

Please use the hotel’s north driveway as indicated on the map. This entrance is located off the Virginia Avenue access road, between 2700 Virginia Avenue and 2600 Virginia Avenue. Hotel event parking is $25.00 and can be paid by cash or credit card. Please note that the hotel valet parking is limited and is available on a first-come first-serve basis. Alternatively, a parking garage is available at 600 New Hampshire Avenue.

Please click HERE for Watergate Parking Map

Agenda

Time Activity
12:30 PM
1:20 PM
Coffee, Networking, & Breakfast
1:20 PM
1:35 PM
Remarks from the Podium: Ken Blackwell
1:35 PM
1:45 PM
Remarks from the Podium: Hans Nordby
1:45 PM
2:00 PM
Special Interview: Don Peebles
2:00 PM
2:15 PM
Remarks from the Podium: Willy Walker
2:15 PM
2:30 PM
Special Interview: Bill Calhoun
2:30 PM
3:00 PM
Real Estate Titans: Chip, John, Ron and Roberta
3:00 PM
3:30 PM
Post-game Networking

Sponsors