Toby Millman is the Regional Partner for Transwestern Development Company in the Mid-Atlantic, where he is responsible for overseeing and directing the company’s development pipeline in the region. Over his nearly 30-year career, Toby has been involved with the development of over 15 million square feet of residential, office, and retail space. Prior to joining Transwestern, Toby was Senior Vice President for Brookfield Properties where he oversaw the development pipeline in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. Prior to Brookfield, he was Senior Vice President at Vornado Realty Trust, creating and leading the multifamily development group for Vornado’s Washington division. Earlier in his career, Toby also owned and operated Agora Development, a development and homebuilding company and worked for Washington-area developers EYA and Abdo Development. Toby earned an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Mr. Millman holds an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Maria Thompson joined Hoffman & Associates in 2015 and as Executive Vice President of Construction oversees construction for all projects including The Wharf Phase 2, Waterfront Station, Seaboard Station, and West Falls Church, representing over $3B of Hoffman’s expanding portfolio.

With nearly three decades of industry experience, Thompson has managed projects totaling nearly $4B in the DC Metro Area. She previously served as Vice President of Business Acquisition at Balfour Beatty and started her career as a Project Engineer at Clark Construction.

Maria is a LEED® Accredited Professional and earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Morgan State University and M.S. in Management from the University of Maryland University College.

Evan Goldman recently joined EYA as Vice President of Land Acquisitions and Development. Evan brings a decade of mixed use and multi-family experience to the EYA development team and will work on sourcing new deals as well as shepherding projects through the development process. Prior to joining EYA, Evan was a Vice President of Development at Federal Realty Investment Trust in Rockville, MD. In that role for seven years he was primarily responsible for managing the development of Pike & Rose a 24 acre 3.4 million square foot award winning mixed use neighborhood in North Bethesda, Maryland. Prior to Federal Realty, Evan was a Partner at the Holladay Corporation; an urban infill mixed use development company in Washington, DC, and he was an Associate for Tishman Speyer Properties in New York City. Evan holds an MBA in Real Estate and Finance from the Wharton Business School and a B.S. in Design and Environmental Analysis from Cornell University. Evan enjoys teaching and regularly guest lectures at Cornell University, Georgetown University, the Catholic University and the University of Maryland College Park. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute Washington and he was a founding Board Member of Friends of White Flint. Evan recently received the 2012 Livable Communities Leadership Award from the Washington, DC based Coalition for Smarter Growth. Evan lives in Washington, DC with his wife and three young children.

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.

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.

Jackie Saunders is the AVP Marketing at National Harbor, MD, a mixed use development property and

destination, owned by The Peterson Companies, that includes residential, office, and visitor attractions

just outside Washington D.C. Jackie leads the Convention & Visitors Association, as well as the

marketing, communications and sales strategies for the retail association and special events divisions.

The property includes Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, MGM Resort and Casino, Tanger

Outlets, Topgolf, and one of the DC area’s top attractions, The Capital Wheel.

Prior to working for National Harbor, Jackie was the VP of Marketing for Visit Loudoun in Northern

Virginia and established Loudoun’s uniquely branded wine and beer products and experiences garnering

national recognition. Jackie also spent 12 years with the Canadian Tourism Commission serving in

marketing, public relations, meetings, and travel trade sales in the U.S. and global markets.

Sherry Abedi is a dynamic hospitality veteran with many years of hotel and F&B leadership

experience. Abedi currently leads the team at the newly-opened Thompson Washington D.C.,

overseeing all property operations including its 225 guestrooms and suites. The accomplished

hotel has already received impressive awards and accolades inclusive of Condé Nast Traveler's

coveted 2020 Hot List.

A graduate of California State University in Los Angeles, Ms. Abedi previously served as

General Manager of Quirk in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2018, where she achieved 109% of

property budget during the first year of operation and was awarded many accolades including

CNN's Best NewHotels in the South and Two Road's Hospitality's Outstanding Hotel of The

Year. Prior to Quirk and following her role as Director of Food & Beverage at The Madison

Hotel, Abedi spent a few years at the AAA Four Diamond Landsdowne Resort and Spa in

Leesburg, Virginia where she contributed to a record GOP growth of over 24%. In addition, she

has previously served as a leadership consultant driving impactful results and branding

evolutions for several resorts and clubs in California, including: Hotel Casa Del Mar, Terranea

Resort, Ace Hotel and Swim Club, Shutters on the Beach, Jonathan Club and Viceroy Palm

Springs.

Abedi's approach to operational excellence, personal engagement with guests, and sales

performance have consistently driven high occupancy levels and record revenues for her

properties. With a passion for the arts and an interest in global culture, Abedi personally enjoys

traveling the world and exploring her current home city of Washington DC's vibrant

communities.

Austin Flajser is in charge of day-to-day operations of The Carr Companies with over 40

executive suite, hotel, commercial and retail assets under management in 8 markets across

the country. These assets account for over $180M in annual operating revenue and over

$200M of new projects currently in the development pipeline. Austin received his Bachelor

of Science from Vanderbilt University, his Masters in Real Estate from Georgetown

University and his Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from

Cornell University.

Gregory A. O’Dell currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia. Events DC owns and/or operates some of the national capital’s most iconic venues, including the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and the surrounding Festival Grounds, the non-military functions of the DC Armory, the historic Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square and the Gateway DC events pavilion in the city’s Congress Heights neighborhood. The organization also built and now serves as landlord for Nationals Park, the first LEED-certified major professional sports stadium in the United States.

As president and CEO, Mr. O’Dell oversees Events DC’s three lines of business: Conventions and Meetings, Sports and Entertainment, and Special Events. His primary responsibilities include oversight of the creation and promotion of hospitality, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities that generate economic and community benefits for the residents and businesses of District of Columbia. He also manages Events DC’s development portfolio, with active projects that include a new multipurpose entertainment and sports arena on the campus of St. Elizabeths East in Congress Heights, the redevelopment of the RFK Stadium/Armory campus, a comprehensive streetscaping project around the 9-block exterior of the Convention Center and the redevelopment of the Carnegie Library inclusive of a primary tenant lease for Apple’s global flagship store.

As the convention and sports authority for the District, Events DC was created in 2009 through the merger of two former, independent quasi-governmental agencies – the Washington Convention Center Authority and the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission. Mr. O’Dell has the unique experience of having led both organizations as part of his public service in the District of Columbia.

Prior to the merger, Mr. O’Dell served as chief executive officer and general manager of the Washington Convention Center Authority, where he was responsible for the operations of the 2.3-million-square-foot Convention Center, an award-winning facility that sees approximately one million visitors each year and has generated almost $5 billion in direct delegate spending since opening in 2003. Mr. O’Dell was also responsible for the Authority’s development efforts, having led negotiations with the selected private developer and provided oversight throughout the project lifecycle of a $520 million public-private partnership for the 1,175-room, 37-suite Marriott Marquis Washington, DC hotel. The Marriott Marquis, with a pedestrian connector to the Convention Center, broke ground in November 2010 and opened in May 2014.

Before joining the Washington Convention Center Authority, Mr. O’Dell was the president and chief executive officer of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, where he led the project team that completed the $611 million, 41,546-seat and Silver LEED-certified Nationals Park. During his tenure at the Commission, Mr. O’Dell was also responsible for the operations and maintenance of the RFK stadium and campus, inclusive of hosting various events including Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer play, marketing and sales activities, and the contract and services management related to the hosting of events at RFK. Before heading up the Commission, he was the chief development officer for the Government of the District of Columbia, where he was responsible for stimulating and promoting economic development within the District.

Preceding his move to District government, Mr. O’Dell worked for the former management and IT consulting firm BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting). While there, Mr. O’Dell advanced to senior manager and practice lead for Construction Advisory Services, responsible for construction and development services to both public and private clients. After leaving BearingPoint, he served as a principal and owner of the Clemens Consulting Group, where he continued to provide consulting services to clients throughout the lifecycle of their development projects.

A resident of Ward 6, Mr. O’Dell serves on the boards of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA); the Washington, DC Economic Partnership; DC Surface Transit, Inc.; the Downtown DC BID; Destination DC; Cultural Tourism DC; Children’s National Medical Center (Washington, DC); the Capitol Riverfront BID; the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC). He received a bachelor’s degree in finance and government from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Kent S. Digby serves as Executive Vice President and Senior Asset Manager for all Peterson entities at National Harbor. Kent oversees the effective operation of National Harbor, a 350 acre mixed-use development featuring hotels (including the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center and MGM National Harbor), offices, thousands of residential units, scores of shops and restaurants, a marina, and The Capital Wheel.

As an Executive, Kent offers an impressive record of hands-on leadership with excellent communication skills which he uses to continually motivate focused teams toward goal attainment. He is known for providing a stabilizing influence regardless of the situation and is persistent, resourceful and innovative with relentless initiative and exceptional problem solving skills. Kent has been a valued employee of Peterson Companies for over 10 years. He was instrumental in opening National Harbor, and has played a key role in making National Harbor an exciting waterfront destination and exceptional community.

Prior to joining Peterson Companies, Kent served as the Executive Vice President of Management & Marketing for the Mills Corporation for over 15-years.

Kent serves as the President of the National Harbor Owner's Association as well as President and Chairman of the National Harbor Convention & Visitors Association.

Stephanie is President & CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP). Appointed by the Board of Directors in April 2015, Stephanie has held leadership roles in the organization since 2005. In her position, Stephanie provides strategic and financial oversight to two hosted organizations: SBDC and Capitol Post. She also offers advice and information to the Alexandria City Council, Planning Commission and City Departments. Stephanie serves in various capacities on Boards, Commissions and Committees related to economic development, marketing and business throughout the Washington, DC region. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Science in City & Regional Planning from the University of Virginia, and an MBA from the UVA's Darden School of Business. As an Alexandrian, Stephanie’s favorite thing about the city is the diversity of new boutique fitness studios and restaurants opening up all around

Scott started his foodservice career in high school with a NY-style hot dog cart on the streets of Coconut Grove, Florida. After college, he spent one year with Steve’s IceCreams before co-founding Austin-based Amy’s Ice Creams in 1984. In 1990 he joined Creative Management Group, which owned Big City Fish and Café Tu Tu Tango, a Nation’s Restaurant News “Hot Concepts” award-winner. From 1994-2000 Scott was a partner with the Austin Grills, an award-winning seven-unit chain based in Washington, DC. From 2000 to 2015 Scott served as Founder & CEO of Fishbowl, a venture-backed marketing and analytics company for the restaurant Industry. In 2016 Scott joined Café Tu TuTango alums David Clapp and Dave Nicholas to form Alexandria Restaurant Partners.

Scott is a resident of Alexandria and serves on the boards of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership and the Alexandria Seaport Foundation. Scott received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University with a major in Latin American Studies.

Jason Berry was raised in Los Angeles with a passion for cooking and dining. From a young age, he gravitated to the restaurant industry where his love of all things food could be combined with a deep respect for genuine hospitality. He received a BS in Business Entrepreneurship and Japanese from the University of Southern California and later earned an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In over three decades in the restaurant business, Jason has worked with a wide variety of concepts from Wendy’s to California Pizza Kitchen and Houston’s (Hillstone) in both front and back of house positions. In 2004, he joined Rosa Mexicano as Regional Director of Operations, overseeing the company’s growth from three to nineteen locations around the world. He was named Chief Operating Officer in 2011. In 2014, Jason moved to Washington, D.C. and formed KNEAD Hospitality + Design with his partner Michael Reginbogin. Together, they have collaborated on the design and creation of what is now the KNEAD family of restaurants.

Gregory Casten, born in 1963, in Newton Massachusetts. He grew up commercial

fishing and cooking in restaurants, in a small town, just south of Boston. In 1985 he

received degrees in Management Accountancy from Bentley College in Waltham

Massachusetts.

In 1985 moved to Washington DC where his career commenced at his Uncle’s family

restaurant, the Dancing Crab – a Washington DC restaurant with 30 years of history. For

two years Gregory worked at the Dancing Crab, learning the trade of restaurants. After

that the family opened a new place, Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place, which Greg opened

and operates to this day. Since then there are four additional restaurants in the group –

Nick’s Riverside Grille, Ivy City Tavern and The Point (2021 Opening) and over 500

employees with in excess of 20,000,000 in annual revenues.

In 1989, having determined that getting quality seafood in Washington was no easy task,

he was determined to open a seafood wholesale company. Profish Limited open in

November of 1989 with one pickup truck and a small rented stall in Ivy City section of

Northeast Washington DC. Today Profish owns its building, has 30 trucks, 110

employees and $70,000,000 in revenues. As part of Profish, Gregory began traveling to

Puerto Montt Chile in the late 1990’s, learning the nuances of Smoking fish as well. In

Chile Casten became very familiar with the Aquaculture Industry and ultimately became

involved in a start up specialized processing company – Infal Limited

Casten is a past Chairman of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington,

current executive committee member , a member of the Board of Directors for the DDC

(Washington DC Tourism Agency), serves as technical Advisor to the USDC NRAC

(Northeastern Aquaculture Region) Board. In his career, Gregory has donated over

500,000 pounds of food to feed the homeless of Washington DC. Among other things, he

has donated directly to the Group Homes for people with mental afflictions, raised

substantial money for the Children’s diabetes cause, and won recognition from the

National Park Service for being an Outstanding Citizens in supporting the Park Police in

their daily efforts.

Aba Kwawu is the founder and president of TAA PR, a results-oriented public relations, marketing, and special events agency dedicated to the fashion, design, entertainment, hospitality, and luxury lifestyle sectors. Kwawu earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her master’s degree from the University of the Arts London College of Fashion. She founded her agency in 2002 while teaching fashion merchandising and marketing at Howard University.

Today, TAA PR continues to advise and serve brands seeking expertise in media relations, event production, experiential marketing, and social media. The agency’s regional, national, and international clients span various industries and have included Cirque du Soleil, The Ritz-Carlton, Ladurée, Kering, chefs Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud, Shake Shack, hospitality for The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Tysons Galleria, CityCenterDC, the Smithsonian Institution, Mercedes-Benz, Swim Week Miami and more. The serves as the Vice President of the Georgetown BID Board. When not at work, she can be found on the soccer pitches across the the US as a bona fide soccer mom, baking too many loaves of bread for the family and neighbors, and enjoying the breads and culture of far flung international destinations.

Visit her agency’s website at taapr.com or follow the firm on Instagram and Twitter @taa_pr.

Monty Hoffman formed Hoffman & Associates in 1993 with a single townhouse conversion and has since then transformed the company into a market leader of real estate development in the Washington, DC, metro area and beyond. With more than 30 years of experience, Monty actively leads the company’s business development and market strategy, as well as the design initiatives for every Hoffman project.

Monty has been recognized in Washington’s SmartCEO’s Future 50 list and the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100. He is a founding board member of the DC Students Construction Trades Foundation, which provides educational and apprenticeship opportunities for District students interested in design, engineering, and construction. He served on the DC Public Schools Engineering Advisory Board and is a current board member of the Federal City Council and Southwest Business Improvement District. Monty graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a Bachelor of Science in Civil/Structural Engineering Technology. He is married with three children and lives in Potomac, MD

Jon M. Peterson is the Chief Executive Officer of Peterson Companies, one of the largest, most-admired privately-held real estate companies in the Washington, DC area. Founded more than 52 years ago, the company is responsible for some of the most prominent and successful mixed-use retail, residential and office developments in Northern Virginia and Maryland including Fairfax Corner, Fair Lakes, National Harbor, Virginia Gateway, Downtown Silver Spring, RIO, Burke Centre and Tysons McLean Office Park.

Jon has been instrumental in the development of National Harbor from an underutilized waterfront property to a mixed-use waterfront destination that is home to Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, MGM National Harbor, Tanger Outlets and The Capital Wheel.

In 2016, he became Chairman of the Executive Committee which oversees all aspects of the retail, residential, commercial and mixed-use development and management. Prior to that, Jon served as Senior Vice President of Commercial and Business Development which allowed him to develop close ties to the entire metropolitan real estate community. He has led all aspects of build-to-suit, purchase and acquisition, sale, leasing and financing of commercial properties as well as the ground up development of approximately 3.5 million square feet of commercial office product in the Washington Metropolitan area.

Jon graduated from Middlebury College, and he and the Peterson Family believe passionately in giving back to the communities they serve. Jon was a member on the George Mason University (GMU) Board of Visitors as Vice Rector and GMU’s Board of Trustees member from 2014-2018. He was also a board member of Washington First bank from 2014-2018. Currently, Jon serves on numerous philanthropic boards and committees including National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP); NAIOP Northern Virginia; Youth for Tomorrow Board of Trustees; George Mason Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship; Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance; The 2030 Group; The 123 Club; GMU Patriot Club Advisory Board; George Mason Housing, Inc.; Inova Health Systems Investment Advisory Committee; Prince William Commercial Development Committee; Virginia Association for Commercial Real Estate; Prince George’s County Roundtable Board; and Prince George’s County Economic Development Board.

Steve Moore leads the Southwest Business Improvement District as Executive Director, connecting businesses and innovation efforts. Established in 2015, SWBID is a 480-acre cultural, government, and residential area occupying most of the SW quadrant of the District of Columbia.

The SWBID employs 30 ambassadors and staff and manages several initiatives, including large-scale beautification programs, homeless outreach, weekend markets, transportation, and public art installations.

Prior to working at the SWBID, Steve joined the team of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront LLC (HMW) as a leasing strategist and special projects manager. At HMW, he implemented the local leasing strategy and managed special projects for the 25-acre waterfront development on the Washington Channel.

Steve also served as the President and CEO of the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, a non-profit organization promoting business and retail opportunities in the District of Columbia, and frequently worked with the Mayor's Office. Before joining the Economic Partnership, he was the Deputy Executive Director for the Downtown DC Business Improvement District. The majority of Steve's career was with The Rouse Company of Columbia, Maryland.

Steve had led several forums and summits throughout his career in efforts to further economic prosperity. He has traveled extensively to study cities, tourism, transportation, climate change, event planning, and business development.

Joe Sternlieb has served as CEO and President of the Georgetown BID since 2012 and has over 25 years of experience in city planning in Washington, DC. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Master’s Degree in City Planning, his experience prior to joining the Georgetown BID includes his role as VP of Acquisitions for Georgetown-based EastBanc, one of Washington’s premier mixed-use development firms; almost 10 years as deputy director of the Downtown DC BID, the nation’s third largest BID, leading a variety of major civic projects including the DC Circulator system and citywide visitor wayfinding system; and three years as staff director of the DC Council Committee on Economic Development where he shepherded the BID, Convention Center, and Downtown Arena enabling legislations through the DC Council. He has served on the Boards of over 20 organizations and task forces and currently chairs DC Sustainable Transportation and is on the executive committee of DC Vote. Joe and his wife live in Chevy Chase, DC and have two adult children.