Deborah Ratner Salzberg manages Uplands’ investor relations and capital-raising activities.

She previously was the Washington, DC Region Chairman for Brookfield Properties, a global real estate development and operating company with 300 million square feet of prime commercial space and 59,000 apartments under management, as well as 9 million square feet of commercial space in development.

Prior to joining Brookfield, Debby worked for over 30 years at Forest City Realty Trust. Most recently, she served as President of Forest City Washington, a subsidiary of Forest City Realty Trust, overseeing the company’s activities in the DC, Philadelphia, Boston, and New Jersey markets. During her career with Forest City, Debby’s responsibilities spanned development, leasing, construction, financing, and management, beginning with individual projects and progressing to executive supervision of multiple high-profile, large-scale developments in the DC Region, including The Yards in the Capitol Riverfront district, Waterfront Station in Southwest DC, and the redevelopment of Ballston Quarter in Arlington, Virginia.

Debby began her career as a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. She earned a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco, and is a member of the California Bar Association. Debby is active with numerous community and professional organizations, including the Federal City Council, District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA), the Washington Housing Conservancy, the Urban Land Institute, Kenyon College, CubeSmart (CUBE), and the NY Common Real Estate Advisory Committe

Michael is the president of the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District (BID) in

the southeast riverfront area of Washington, DC – the city’s fastest growing, mixed-use

urban neighborhood. The Capitol Riverfront is one of the largest riverfront

redevelopment projects in the country and will contain over 37 million square feet of

development at build-out. For the past 13 years he has worked to achieve the vision of

a vibrant waterfront community in the Capitol Riverfront. His efforts led to the

establishment of the BID in the summer of 2007 and it is currently in its third 5-year

operating cycle. Michael is responsible for overseeing a staff of 8 full time professionals,

a 21-member board of directors, all external relations, development of work programs,

and budget oversight.

He helped coordinate the Center City Action Agenda of 2007 & 2010 – a new strategic

plan and framework to guide development and public investment in the center city

neighborhoods of Washington, DC. From 2000-2006 he served as the President & CEO

of the Washington, DC Economic Partnership and built that organization from a start-up

to a full partner in the District’s economic development initiatives.

Prior to coming to Washington, Michael was the VP of Development for the Memphis

Center City Commission, a combination of BID and economic development authority. He

oversaw the planning and economic development section that administered financial

incentives for downtown development projects such as the Memphis Redbird’s new

Triple A baseball stadium, hundreds of units of new housing, the South Main Arts

District, and a new downtown public elementary school.

Michael has been involved in the economic development, urban planning, and

downtown/neighborhood development fields for the majority of his 41-year career. He

has worked for public planning agencies, private planning firms, BIDs, and economic

development entities. He has participated in numerous downtown redevelopment efforts

for cities such as Wichita, KS; Lubbock, TX; Dallas, TX; Nashville, TN; Memphis, TN;

Jackson, MS; Washington, DC; and San Antonio, TX. He holds a Master’s degree in

Urban Planning/Urban Design from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, and a BA in Urban

Sociology from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS.

He serves in a volunteer capacity in the District by participating on boards such as

Barracks Row Main Street; the Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia; DC

Sustainable Transit; DC Building Industry Association; the DC BID Council; and Friends

of the National Arboretum. He has participated in numerous Technical Advisory Panels

for ULI, IDA, and APA. Michael is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s

College of Continuing Studies where he teaches a class on economic development in

the Masters in Urban Planning program.

Ms. Davis serves as Senior Vice President of Leasing of the Metro D.C. region of Brandywine Realty Trust, with primary responsibilities for new business development in the region. She previously served as Senior Vice President of Prentiss Properties with leasing responsibilities for the Mid-Atlantic region since 1985. Ms. Davis began her career in 1981 as a Leasing Agent with the Washington, D.C. office of Trammell Crow Company. She is a Past Chairman of the Northern Virginia chapter of NAIOP, a Past Chairman of The Franklin Square Association, a Past President of Commercial Real Estate Women, Inc. of Washington, D.C. (CREW), a member of the Economic Club of Washington, and past Board Member of Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance (NVTA), Leadership Washington, Jubilee Housing and Goodwill Industries of Washington, D.C., and is a Co-Chair of the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Breast Cancer Research Fund. Ms. Davis earned her B.A. degree from George Mason University.

Founded almost fifty years ago, Ruben Companies and its affiliates are leaders in the development and management of prime real estate, and in the development and marketing of internet business applications.

In New York, Washington DC and Boston, Ruben Companies has developed, and continues to own and manage, over five million square feet of prestigious office space and over 1,000 luxury residential apartments. Madison Avenue in New York, Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC and Washington Street in Boston are just a few of the prized addresses represented in its portfolio. Ruben Companies’ tenants include major domestic and international corporations, leading financial institutions, prominent service firms and prestigious retailers. Its latest development plans include two million square feet of residential and commercial projects in the emerging Capitol Riverfront area of Washington DC.

Ruben Companies has also been at the forefront in the development and implementation of internet business applications. In 2000, Ruben Companies created Workspeed, whose web-based workflow applications are used in over 500 million square feet of commercial real estate throughout the country. In 2011, Ruben Companies launched skedge.me, an internet-based scheduling application that enables online scheduling for businesses of all sizes.

Ruben Companies’ team of talented professionals has expertise in finance, development, land use, leasing, construction, building operations and law. The company has partnered with industry leaders such as Goldman Sachs, Vornado Realty Trust and Related Companies, and has performed consulting services for major hedge funds and other investment companies. Through its various investment vehicles, Ruben Companies also makes selective investments in real estate-related debt and equity, technology and other areas.

Chris is the President and CEO of Donatelli Development and has served in that capacity since 1998. In 2006, Mr. Donatelli was given the Visionary Award from the Washington DC Center for Economic Development, he received the 2009 Economic Development award from the African-American Real Estate Professionals Foundation, and in 2014 he was honored with the DCBIA Development Achievement Award – Private Sector. He is a frequent speaker at ULI, NAHB, and Bisnow conferences.

A native Washingtonian, Mr. Donatelli is a graduate of Gonzaga College High School. He earned a B.S. in Finance from Villanova University and an M.B.A. in Real Estate from American University in Washington, DC. He is currently a Member of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Gonzaga College High School, and of the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, and is a Board Member of the DCBIA. Mr. Donatelli has also opened three restaurants it the District: Lou’s City Bar and Acre 121 in Columbia Heights and Chez Billy in Petworth—a sports bar named for his father, a barbecue and live music restaurant, and a French bistro, respectively.

Mr. Donatelli resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Karen, and their four children: Christopher, Caroline, Claudia and Catherine.

Mark is vice president for CDUS in the Washington metro area. His responsibilities include the pursuit, acquisition and execution of development projects. He oversees project development teams and supports the executive vice president/area manager in growing Skanska’s development business throughout the region.

Mark has more than 20 years of industry experience and has worked with site acquisition, site planning, design, development, construction management and the disposition of income-producing properties. He previously served as regional director of development for JPI, a national development firm. Mark’s development experience includes land, office, retail, multifamily and hotel development projects, primarily in the Washington and Baltimore markets.

Mark holds a Masters of Architecture degree from The Catholic University of America and a Masters of Engineering Management degree from The University of California at Berkeley.

Responsible for financing, project feasibility, deal structuring and management. 25 years with SDC. Developed Willard Hotel in Washington, DC; commercial, solar energized buildings in CO and AZ; residential, new urbanist community in NM; boat yards and shopping centers in Massachusetts and Florida.

Andy VanHorn is the Head of Real Estate for the Washington Commanders, where he oversees all of their real estate efforts, including the search for a new stadium site.

VanHorn joins the team with over 25 years of experience in all aspects of real estate investment, development, and operations. He most recently was President and Chief Development Officer at Dweck Properties, establishing a $900M development pipeline on company owned properties and a construction management company which completed $100M in work in its first three years.

Before Dweck Properties, Andy was an Executive Vice President at JBG Smith responsible for entitlement, community and governmental activities associated with the company's portfolio in National Landing. He has led a variety of notable projects in the DMV area, including Amazon’s HQ2, Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus, and the mixed-use Potomac Yard commercial center.

Andy also worked in real estate private equity with Buvermo Properties and Charles E. Smith & Clark Construction. He received his BS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and his MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

Andy serves as a Board Member and an Officer for True Ground Housing Partners, a regional affordable housing developer. He is also an appointed member of the Arlington County Economic Development Commission.

Andrew has fifteen years of experience in the retail real estate industry, focusing for the last decade on the retail evolution of Downtown D.C. Over the past five years, Andrew has been involved in over 400,000 square feet of retail transactions in the District. In addition, Andrew plays an active role in helping local retailers like Baked and Wired, Red Hen, Fainting Goat, and Immortal Beloved expand their presence, as well as fostering relationships and promoting D.C. with exciting out-of-market retailers, including The Smith (NYC), HipCityVeg (Philly), Roka Akor (Chicago), and Maison Kayser (NYC).

Andrew’s developer clients include local groups such as Kettler, Donohoe, Perseus, Douglas Development, and Quadrangle, and institutional entities including MetLife, Brookfield, Hines, and JP Morgan. As a Director of Retail Strategy, Andrew is dedicated to the continued growth & transformation of DC’s retail landscape, helping the most dynamic areas grow new, engaging, and value-add stores and restaurants. Poncher has a Bachelor’s degree in International Business Management from The London School of Economics.

John Begert has 22 years of experience in the multi-family industry and pursues multi-family residential and mixed-use acquisition and development opportunities for MRP Realty. Prior to joining the firm in early 2011, Mr. Begert worked for JPI Mid Atlantic for over ten years and oversaw the acquisition, entitlement, development and construction of over 2,000 residential units valued at over $450 million in the Mid Atlantic region. Mr. Begert has multi-family acquisition and development experience across a variety of product types and jurisdictions in the Mid Atlantic region. Mr. Begert has developed high-rise, mid- rise, and urban-wrap rental products as well as mixed-use urban condominium product in Washington, DC.