Working Towards Solving The Affordable Housing Crisis

Increasing Supply, Creating Accessibility, Expediting The Approval Process And Preserving Existing

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  Rochelle Mills

  President and CEO, Rochelle Mills is responsible for IHO’s housing development, new project and program initiatives, business development relations, and oversees legislative, advocacy and policy interests as well as stakeholder relations. Ms. Mills brings a diverse background in architecture, design, construction administration, community planning, writing, and cultural tourism. She is immediate past President of the Southern California Association of NonProfit Housing (SCANPH), and serves on several public and nonprofit boards, services committees, and leader groups.

  Innovative Housing Opportunities

  President & CEO

  Rochelle Mills

  President & CEO

  Innovative Housing Opportunities

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  Sierra Atilano

  Sierra Atilano joined BRIDGE Housing as Executive Vice President – Head of Development and Southern California in October 2022. In this new role, Ms. Atilano is responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of BRIDGE’s real estate development activities across all regions, and provides day-to-day leadership in Southern California. During her career of 25+ years, Ms. Atilano has developed more than 3,130 apartment homes in 17 cities across three states, and one million square feet of commercial retail. Prior to BRIDGE, she was Chief Executive Officer of Skid Row Housing Trust, a respected developer, manager and operator of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals in the Los Angeles area. Ms. Atilano began her career at one of the largest Real Estate Investment Trusts, Lincoln Property Company, where she gained a firm foundation in leadership and portfolio oversight, then joined a construction company specializing in multifamily new construction and rehab projects. She subsequently worked for several family-owned developers such as Cal-American, Korda Construction and Miller Family Companies, where her unique experience in project and portfolio management earned her a reputation as a problem solver and an asset to the finance and development teams. Later, at Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation and Watt Residential, she applied her expertise in finance and portfolio management to affordable housing. Over the last 12 years, Ms. Atilano honed her asset management and development expertise working for developers AMCAL Residential and Skid Row Housing Trust.

  BRIDGE Housing

  EVP, Head of Development & SoCal

  Sierra Atilano

  EVP, Head of Development & SoCal

  BRIDGE Housing

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  Tod Lipka

  Tod Lipka holds an M.P.A. degree and an M.S. from USC. With forty years in managing nonprofits, Mr. Lipka is a seasoned executive. He has been President and CEO of Step Up since 2001. In that time, Step Up has increased exponentially in its breadth of service operation and expanded from one supportive housing project to over twenty-five projects. Step Up started services originally in Los Angeles and now provides services throughout California including Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Monterey, and Sacramento Counties as well as the states of Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee.  Step Up is nationally recognized as a leading mental health and housing provider to those who are chronically homeless.  Step Up was an early adopter of the housing first model and Step Up’s work on motel conversion models was part of the genesis of California’s innovative Homekey Model.  Called one of the best service providers in the country, Step Up boasts a 98% retention rate of those who are housed.  Lipka is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative and Step Up’s work was recognized and endorsed personally by President Clinton in 2010, 2013 and most recently in September 2023 from the main stage by Chelsea Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative, as well as recognition by the late Kobe Bryant and the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation.  Lipka oversees all aspects of the Step Up entity which includes permanent supportive housing, mental health services and property management to 7,200 people in five states, most of which serve individuals with serious mental health conditions and experiencing chronic homelessness. In the last two years, Step Up has housed 2,285 persons who were homeless.  As an innovator and thought leader, Lipka educates and advocates directly on behalf of the individuals Step Up serves through sharing powerful personal stories from the field, increasing awareness and sharing best practices in the area of mental health, chronic homelessness, and permanent supportive housing through innovative public/private partnerships.

  Step Up

  CEO

  Tod Lipka

  CEO

  Step Up

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  Tara Barauskas

  Executive Director

  Community Corporation of Santa Monica

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  Sejal Sonani

  Sejal Sonani, AIA is a Principal and Managing Director at HLW, a leading architecture and design firm. Since joining HLW in 2012, Sejal has been instrumental in transforming the firm’s Los Angeles studio into a holistic practice with a strengthened focus on architecture. In the last five years alone, Sejal has overseen more than 1.5 million square feet of office projects in the area, while championing the firm’s adaptive reuse, repositioning, master planning, and ground-up construction expertise along the west coast from Silicon Beach to Silicon Valley. Currently, her team is designing over 500,000 square feet of transit-oriented redevelopment along LA’s Expo Line, aimed at creating vibrant, walkable, and prosperous communities anchored by sustainable mobility. The studio's active work builds on a nearly 30-year legacy of pioneering economic growth through transformative design. In recent years since, the team has continuously evolved to help reshape the city’s built environment, including reimagining the former Macy’s store at Westside Pavilion as a creative office campus, redeveloping abandoned industrial parks into urban institutions, and renovating the city's first historic-designated skyscraper, Union Bank Plaza.

  HLW

  Principal, Managing Director LA

  Sejal Sonani

  Principal, Managing Director LA

  HLW

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  Alexandria Hoevel

  A life-long resident of Los Angeles, Alexandria has been practicing Architecture and Urban Design for 20 years. With a deeper understanding of a project’s relationship to its urban context and the neighborhood surrounding it, she’s worked extensively on multi-family and mixed used developments both internationally and in the Southwestern US. Alexandria’s recent focus has been creating affordable housing that is innovative, equitable and impactful. Since graduating from Cal Poly Pomona, she has had the opportunity to be a part of a handful of well-respected and eclectic firms in the region and is currently the Director of Los Angeles for Lowney Architecture. Outside of the office, Alexandria devotes her free time to her community, mentorship, and to supporting equality within the field of Architecture. She’s an incoming chair for the AIA Los Angeles Women in Architecture Committee for 2024, and is also an active member of ULI and AWA+D

  Lowney Architecture

  Director

  Alexandria Hoevel

  Director

  Lowney Architecture

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  Daniel Gehman

  Daniel Gehman attended Cornell University in upstate New York before relocating to California. Daniel has been involved in the industry since 1986 and brings specialized expertise in architectural design to the Ware Malcomb team. As Director, Multifamily, he is responsible for the growth of the multifamily practice, focusing on business development, client service, and project execution. Daniel's background includes a variety of multifamily project types, with 25 years of specialization in Southern California and current projects in the Central Valley and Arizona. He currently teaches a class in the Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program at the University of Southern California as an adjunct professor and is active in many industry associations.

  Ware Malcomb

  Director

  Moderator

  Daniel Gehman

  Director

  Ware Malcomb

Financing & Funding Projects in Today's Market

Analyzing Capital Markets, Today’s Economic Climate & Getting Creative During Times of Uncertainty

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  Sean Rawson

  Sean Rawson is a recognized leader in the multifamily development and investment industry. An expert in affordable housing, Rawson has a deep understanding of tax credit financing and housing policy. Rawson is an expert in working with local governments to create a diversity of housing types to meet their public policy goals. Since forming Waterford with John Drachman in 2015, Rawson has acquired and developed nearly 6,000 residential units in California totaling approximately $3.5 billion. In 2021, Rawson led Waterford to be the largest owner and operator of Essential Housing units in the State of California with over 4,000 units. Prior to forming Waterford Property Company and its predecessor companies, Rawson was the Southern California President for St. Anton Partners, a leading privately-owned multifamily development company where he led the firm’s expansion into Southern California. Prior to his time working in the multifamily development industry, Rawson began his career with The Concord Group, a national economic market advisory firm, where he conducted market and financial feasibility analysis for homebuilders, developers, private equity groups and lenders. Rawson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claremont Mckenna College in Government, Economics and History where he graduated with honors. While at Claremont McKenna College, Rawson was a four-year letterman on the men’s varsity basketball team. He also earned an MBA from the University of California, Irvine Merage School of Business with a concentration in real estate finance where he has been a guest lecturer and is on the Board for the UCI Center for Real Estate. Mr. Rawson is an avid sports enthusiast, runner and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mr. Rawson is a resident of Long Beach, CA with his wife and three children where he is very civically engaged.

  Waterford Property Company

  Co-Founder, Head of Acquisitions and Development

  Sean Rawson

  Co-Founder, Head of Acquisitions and Development

  Waterford Property Company

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  Corey Hall

  Corey Hall (Los Angeles) joined KKR in 2022 and is a member of the Real Estate team. Mr. Hall is responsible for sourcing and executing debt investments across KKR’s real estate credit strategies. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Hall was a senior vice president at Brookfield, where he oversaw originations throughout the western U.S. for the firm's series of real estate credit funds. Prior to that, he was a managing director at Cantor Commercial Real Estate, where he focused on the origination, structuring, and disposition of both fixed and floating rate securitized debt. He began his career at Deloitte within the financial advisory services practice as part of the firm's real estate consulting team. Mr. Hall is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received a B.S. in Business Administration, with a concentration in Real Estate Development & Finance. He is a member of Urban Land Institute and is an active member of the University of Southern California’s Lusk Center for Real Estate.

  KKR

  Director, Real Estate

  Corey Hall

  Director, Real Estate

  KKR

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  Tom Noble

  COO & SVP

  Archway Capital

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  Xander Snyder

  Xander Snyder is the senior commercial real estate economist for First American Financial Corporation, a premier provider of title, settlement and risk solutions for real estate transactions and the leader in the digital transformation of its industry. In his role, he provides analysis, commentary and forecasts on commercial real estate trends. Snyder's research focuses on economic trends impacting commercial real estate, such as demographics, fundraising, investment, and commercial lending. He monitors, analyzes and reports on economic data and surveys related to commercial real estate, and develops models and forecasts to better understand the forces that influence commercial real estate markets. Before joining First American, Snyder developed data-driven models to guide real estate investment strategies, co-founded a proptech startup, and worked as a global risk analyst consulting international companies on supply chain risk and other issues. Snyder earned a master’s degree in data science and informatics from UC Berkeley. He also graduated from Cornell University with a double degree in economics and classical music composition, earning the title of Summa Cum Laude. Snyder, a native Angeleno, lives and works in Los Angeles.

  First American

  Senior Commercial Real Estate Economist

  Xander Snyder

  Senior Commercial Real Estate Economist

  First American

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  Brad Kraus

  Brad Kraus is an executive vice president at Kidder Mathews. He has spent over 20 years working as a debt and equity capital advisor in commercial real estate. Most recently, Brad served as Director of Capital Markets for James Capital Advisors, earning the second and third-place top agent award consecutively over the past two years. He has executed over $5 billion in capitalizations nationwide and maintains long-trusted relationships at regional banks, credit unions, life companies, CMBS, FNMA/Freddie, debt funds, and private lenders. With extensive experience structuring and closing deals across the capital stack on all asset types, Brad attributes his team’s continued success to the close-knit ties fostered in the investment sales community. He earned a Master of Science in Real Estate Finance from New York University and is a founding member of the Commercial Finance Broker Network (CFBN), a collective of 67 commercial real estate capital professionals representing 25 markets coast to coast. A contributing speaker at industry conferences, Brad also writes an industry commentary that is distributed in his monthly Cap Alert email and posted on teamkraus.com.

  Kidder Mathews

  EVP, Debt & Equity Finance

  Brad Kraus

  EVP, Debt & Equity Finance

  Kidder Mathews

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  Brian Adkins

  Brian Adkins is a member of Buchalter’s Real Estate practice group in the Firm’s San Diego office. Mr. Adkins has experience handling a variety of complex real estate matters throughout California and beyond. He specializes in housing discrimination investigations conducted by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) and US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He also regularly provides employment advice and counsel, as well as prepares employment agreements for his clients. He has also represented clients in California Labor Commission and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission matters. Mr. Adkins previously served as in-house general counsel for a nationwide property owner/manager where he oversaw all litigation and compliance matters, and the acquisition and disposition of commercial properties (multifamily, office and retail). Additionally, Mr. Adkins has handled commercial and multifamily real estate purchase and sale transactions, as well as litigated real estate, business and employment disputes. He has worked with startups and small businesses, assisting with entity formation, IP protection, and commercial agreements. He is also an NFLPA certified contract advisor (Agent) representing NFL players in their contract negotiations.

  Buchalter

  Shareholder

  Moderator

  Brian Adkins

  Shareholder

  Buchalter

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  Seth Grossman

  Mr. Grossman is a Senior Managing Director at Meridian Capital Group. He opened the firm’s San Diego office in May 2011 charged with expanding the company’s presence throughout the western and southwestern states. In his 10+ years leading the west coast for Meridian, Mr. Grossman has built a team that has originated and closed more than $12 billion of debt and equity transactions spanning more than 600 loans across primary and esoteric asset types. Prior to opening Meridian’s San Diego office, Mr. Grossman was a Structured Finance Analyst Fitch Ratings, a Principal at Mission Peak Capital, and worked in Meridian’s New York City office where he closed in excess of $3 billion. Mr. Grossman attended NYU, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management. Industry Recognition: 2013: Named to Commercial Observer’s national list of “Top 20 Commercial Mortgage Brokers under 35” 2015: Named to Commercial Property Executive’s list of 17 national “Stars to Watch” in the real estate industry 2015: Named by Real Estate Forum as one of 20 “Tomorrow’s leaders of Southern California”

  Meridian Capital

  Senior Managing Director

  Seth Grossman

  Senior Managing Director

  Meridian Capital

Operating In A Competitive Market, Managing Prime Assets & Building A Brand For Your Multifamily Development

Improving Investments & Increasing A Property’s Value

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  Roman Speron

  Chief Development Officer

  Sentral

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  Farhan Mahmood

  Farhan Mahmood is a Partner heading up West Coast Acquisitions at Trion Properties and is responsible for sourcing, structuring, and financing Trion Properties investment opportunities. Farhan has more than 17 years of real estate experience, including over 10 years at Trion Properties. During his time at Trion, Farhan has sourced and acquired over $1 Billion in real estate with an average IRR of over 30% at his time at Trion. Prior to working at Trion Properties, Farhan was involved in distressed debt note sales through the global financial crisis, having sold over $500MM in non-performing debt. Farhan began his career in the real estate consulting practice at Duff & Phelps. A native of Southern California, Farhan graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Real Estate Development, Real Estate Finance and Marketing. Farhan is based out of the West Hollywood office.

  Trion Properties

  Partner

  Farhan Mahmood

  Partner

  Trion Properties

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  Adrian Berger

  Adrian is responsible for sourcing, analyzing, due diligence, and negotiating new investment opportunities including real estate acquisitions and equity co-investment. Adrian also fosters and grows CEI's network of lenders, equity partners, and brokers. In Los Angeles, Adrian is focused on the acquisition of land for development, multi-family value-add, retail/office for repositioning; and equity co-investment with local sponsors. Nationally, Adrian is responsible for identifying and qualifying sponsors who require co-investment capital.

  Cypress Equity Investments

  Managing Director, Acquisitions

  Adrian Berger

  Managing Director, Acquisitions

  Cypress Equity Investments

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  Dalila Sotelo

  Dalila Sotelo has been actively involved in housing development and finance for over 30 years. Recently, Ms. Sotelo joined Primestor as the President of its Residential Division, with the intent to expand its mission to develop, acquire, and enhance residential properties to impact and empower the communities that Primestor serves. Ms. Sotelo expands Primestor’s capacity to create more sustainable and equitable communities. Throughout her noteworthy career, she has been an effective advocate of housing for all income levels and has spent her time promoting this effort across the country with the development of over 3,000 units. Ms. Sotelo has extensive experience in the non-profit sector, private sector, and public sector. She served as the Deputy Chief of Operations for the City of Los Angeles Redevelopment Agency and was instrumental in the effort to deploy over $240 million in public subsidy for the creation of affordable housing in Los Angeles. With over 10 years in leadership positions through her civic engagement at the local, county and state levels, Ms. Sotelo has served as an appointee of two Governors and three Mayors representing the community and the real estate industry.

  CalHFA Board of Directors

  Governor Appointee

  Dalila Sotelo

  Governor Appointee

  CalHFA Board of Directors

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  Nicholas Johnson

  Nicholas loves to commercialize technology that creates new ways for people to contribute to living carbon-neutral lives without compromising or making life worse. Before starting Orange, he built a company that created A.I. traffic management and transit software to optimize traffic signals to reduce congestion. He first started his career in EVs working as an electrical design engineer at Tesla, bringing the Model 3 thermal designs to market. Orange was founded after speaking with Sven and Marc (now investors) about the challenges for multi-unit dwellings looking to offer electric vehicle charging. Today Orange has created a solution that offers property owners an affordable charging platform generating a true return on investment while providing electric vehicle drivers convenient, affordable energy.

  Orange Charger

  CEO

  Nicholas Johnson

  CEO

  Orange Charger

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  Gene Trowbridge

  Gene Trowbridge, Esq. CCIM has been in the commercial and investment real estate business continuously since 1972 and in the legal profession since 1996. Awarded the CCIM designation in 1977, Gene continues to serve as a member of the CCIM faculty and achieved Senior Emeritus Instructor status, upon 40 years of teaching. In 2002, he was selected as the Robert L. Ward Instructor of the Year in the Institute. In 2005, Gene was awarded the Victor L. Lyon Distinguished Service Award for his many years of outstanding contribution to the Institute’s education program. He is a member of the California Bar. As the founding partner of Trowbridge Nieh LLP, Gene’s law practice concentrates on the syndication of commercial and investment real estate, through both debt and equity. As a former syndicator, who for ten years raised investor capital; he served as the sponsor of sixteen investment groups, by raising equity from investors, through registered representatives in the broker dealer community, once sending out 1,676 K1s in a single year. He was responsible for the organization of those investment groups; the acquisition, management, and disposition of the real estate; and communications with the investors. Because of his hands-on syndication experience, Gene is able to communicate with his clients, on both the technical and practical aspects of state and federal securities laws. Between Gene’s individual syndication background and the firm’s legal practice, the partners in the firm have written offerings of more than $5 Billion in monies raised. The median offering size is $2. 5 million. His practice writes offerings under Rule 506(b) and 506(c) of Regulation D ; Regulation CF and Regulation A+. He has trained and mentored three different law partners, in syndication and crowdfunding, since 2008. He has delivered more than 250 live seminars on group ownership, exchanges and taxation audiences across the country; his articles have been published in various real estate media outlets and he is a highly sought-after speaker on the subject of real estate group ownership. He authored his first book It’s A Whole New Business in 2005. The Fourth Edition edition was released in 2021 and is available now at tnllp.com and Amazon. He and Kay have been married for 50+ years and have two daughters, Amy and Emily. He enjoys music, travel and has run 37 half marathons since turning 60!

  Trowbridge Nieh

  Founding Partner

  Moderator

  Gene Trowbridge

  Founding Partner

  Trowbridge Nieh

Analyzing Tenant Desires & Addressing Demand

Adapting To Changing Resident Needs Such As Amenities, Technology, WFH Capabilities & Outdoor Escapes

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  Kelly Moden

  Over her 20-year career in real estate, entitlements and construction, she has transacted on over $400 million worth of deal volume (land and acquisitions), underwritten hundreds of millions in acquisition and redevelopment deals, and negotiated leases for retail, commercial and ground leases, amounting to annual lease revenue of over $2 million. Previously, she served as Vice President of Development for Community HousingWorks, leading a 9-person team developing or rehabilitating thousands of affordable units throughout the state of California. Additionally, she serves on the NAIOP San Diego Board and chairs the Legislative and University Challenge Committees, is a City of San Diego Planning Commissioner, and has guest lectured at the University of California San Diego. She values design-forward projects to enhance or bring life to communities and is passionate about progressive housing policies to assist in the housing affordability crisis in California.

  cREate development

  President & CEO

  Kelly Moden

  President & CEO

  cREate development

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  Brian Toqe

  Brian Toqe is responsible for executing strategies in asset management, operations, design, construction, and overall investment performance. Brian has more than 10 years of experience in value-added repositioning and core/lease-up operations, as well as prior experience in both land and commercial acquisitions. In recent years, he has been directly responsible for all aspects of asset management for nation-wide assets with total valuation exceeding $7B. Brian is a certified CPA, having started his career in the real estate groups at Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen. He holds a post-graduate certificate in finance from the University of San Francisco and an undergraduate degree from The Master’s University, a liberal arts college in Santa Clarita, where he majored in both finance and management. Brian grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and has lived in Los Angeles for the majority of his adult life. He loves all outdoor activities including running, cycling, surfing, and skiing. Most of all, he loves traveling with his family—especially road trips throughout California.

  Northland

  Director, Asset Management

  Brian Toqe

  Director, Asset Management

  Northland

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  Joseph Knaack

  Joseph Knaack currently leads as National Account Manager for ADT Multifamily, revolutionizing smart home services for ownership groups and management companies to maximize net operating income and enhance resident experiences. Before ADT Multifamily, Joseph was the Customer Success Manager at Flamingo, a Resident Retention Platform, where he harnessed resident feedback and data to train onsite teams to go from reactive to proactive. Prior to ADT Multifamily and Flamingo, he served as the Director of Leasing at ATLAS, a 633-unit high-rise in Downtown Oakland, securing its rank as the #3 asset on J. Turner and Associates' ORA Elite 1% in 2021. Joseph's data-driven methodologies and forward-thinking strategies have consistently reshaped the property management sector, specifically the leasing and resident experience. In his free time, he enjoys training for endurance races, exploring nature with his dog, and trying new coffee shops in the cities he visits.

  ADT Multifamily

  National Account Manager

  Joseph Knaack

  National Account Manager

  ADT Multifamily

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  Zach Jennings

  As the Chief Executive Officer of Chargie, Zach is responsible for leading the company’s strategic vision, guiding its growth and driving innovation within the EV charging ecosystem. With leadership experience in both the renewable energy and real estate industries, he has brought next-generation solutions to properties around the country for more than a decade. Prior to Chargie, Zach served as the Senior Vice President of Operations at PCS Energy, where he led the team to become the largest installer of commercial solar systems in Los Angeles. He also led acquisition efforts for the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Group and Cincinnati Neighborhood Housing Group. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Real Estate from the University of San Diego.

  Chargie

  CEO

  Zach Jennings

  CEO

  Chargie

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  Eric Cole

  An accomplished leader with a proven track record of driving growth in the telecom and software sectors, Eric Cole leads the sales efforts for Hotwire Communications’ West Region. His proficient negotiation skills, sales strategies, and implementation of security and compliance solutions demonstrate Eric’s industry expertise alongside his exemplary leadership skills. Eric leads the sales team in strategic initiatives to help increase market penetration and expand brand awareness throughout the region.

  Hotwire Communications

  VP

  Eric Cole

  VP

  Hotwire Communications

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  Stephen Lee

  Steve Lee is a tax partner in Citrin Cooperman’s West Los Angeles office. He has over 27 years of professional tax experience in public accounting, providing tax consulting and compliance services to public and private real estate companies and private equity firms. Steve’s tax expertise includes partnership and corporate taxation. He serves and supports his clients through all phases of an entity’s lifecycle: structuring, acquisitions, operations, and dispositions. Steve has extensive experience with REITs, real estate funds, leveraged buyout funds, growth equity funds, special debt funds, and management companies. Prior to joining Citrin Cooperman, Steve spent 15 years with Ernst and Young’s Financial Services Real Estate tax practice, and over 7 years with PwC’s Financial Services Real Estate tax practice. During his time there, he was the engagement partner on 2 Fortune 500 Public REITs and several private REITs and real estate funds across multiple real estate sectors.

  Citrin Cooperman

  Partner

  Moderator

  Stephen Lee

  Partner

  Citrin Cooperman

Innovations In Construction

Prefabrication, Modular, Advancements in Technology, Optimizing Efficiency & Application Methods

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  Ted Handel

  As Chief Executive Officer of Decro and its affiliated entities, Mr. Handel is responsible for the strategic direction and overall management of the company, pursuit of new housing opportunities, and oversight of a portfolio with 28 developments and over 1,500 housing units in California and Florida. Prior to joining Decro, Mr. Handel had more than 25 years of experience in developing, financing, syndicating, operating, constructing and managing affordable housing developments. Mr. Handel represented nonprofits and National Equity Fund (NEF) as counsel in affordable housing transactions, formed California nonprofit public benefit corporations, and advised nonprofit Board of Directors on legal compliance issues. At NEF, he closed 57 development deals representing a gross equity investment by this low-income housing tax credit syndicator of $315 million. Mr. Handel is President of The Carter House, Inc., a nonprofit organization that operates a HUD Section 811 housing development in South Los Angeles, and serves on the Board of the Hockey Equipment Lending Program, Inc., a nonprofit that supports disadvantaged youth playing that sport. He is the former Chair of Los Angeles Lawyer, a Los Angeles County Bar Association publication, and has been published in that magazine and the Los Angeles Business Journal. Mr. Handel has been a speaker at the National Association of Housing and Rehabilitation Officers Summer Conference and conferences of Housing California and the Southern California Association of NonProfit Housing. He is admitted to practice law in California and received a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School (Los Angeles) and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from University of Southern California.

  Decro

  CEO

  Ted Handel

  CEO

  Decro

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  Ben Stapleton

  A native Angeleno, Ben Stapleton is a recognized sustainability leader, who brings to this position extensive experience and connections across real estate, technology and innovation. He launched and managed the La Kretz Innovation Campus in Downtown Los Angeles, most recently serving as SVP, Operations & Finance for the LA Cleantech Incubator (LACI). The Campus has become an epicenter for sustainability in the region featuring events with prominent local, national and international leaders, while being home to a community of cutting-edge businesses and nonprofits. At LACI, Stapleton led major operational growth, program development, and partnerships to triple revenue for the non-profit. Simultaneously, he helped lead efforts that resulted in the La Kretz Innovation Campus becoming an iconic green building for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the City of Los Angeles, with multiple certifications, as well as pilot projects targeting waste, water, and energy efficiency. Stapleton has also held the positions of Managing Director of the LA Better Buildings Challenge and Vice President & Cleantech Practice Group Lead at JLL. He has served on the boards of LA Bioscience Hub and USGBC-LA. Representing competing schools in Los Angeles, Stapleton holds a MBA from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business, and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

  U.S. Green Building Council, California

  Executive Director

  Ben Stapleton

  Executive Director

  U.S. Green Building Council, California

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  Michael Mathews

  Michael Mathews is the Founder and CEO of Assemblage Works, Inc. (AWI), a multi-disciplinary, vertically integrated architecture, construction management and development company that operates throughout the nation. We specialize in the creation, management and execution of sustainable urban infill multi-family, hospitality and commercial projects across the western United States. Mathews’ expertise as a senior development, design and construction executive spans all facets of complex and large-scale ($500MM+) real estate projects for a variety of prominent design, development and construction organizations nationwide, including executive roles with KB Urban, Forest City and Davis Reed Construction, among others. In these roles, he has delivered over 6,000 units to the markets in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Southern California, Texas, Seattle and Denver metropolitan areas. Mathews, a licensed Architect, is also an expert in off-site construction methodologies, including prefab, volumetric, panelized and mass timber construction. He has national experience in project due diligence, entitlement, design, finance, construction and construction management. Through the formation of AWI, Mathews has created a collective of experienced and dedicated design, construction and development professionals that believe in the use of modern methods of construction and progressive delivery techniques to provide clear and predictable outcomes to their clients and investors. AWI was created to understand the needs of development, investigate emerging technologies and collaborate with our construction partners, pushing the practice of architecture and development into the future. We eliminate unnecessary time designing systems that can be repeated, leaving more time to solve the unique design challenges of our clients, the environment and the places we design for.

  Assemblage-Works

  Founder & CEO

  Michael Mathews

  Founder & CEO

  Assemblage-Works

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  Kyle Tompane

  Co-Founder & CIO

  Agorus

• 

  Jennifer Caldwell

  Jennifer Caldwell is the Client Accounts Director for Modulous US and has been with the company since its expansion from the UK to the US in 2021. She is a licensed architect and has spent her career working extensively with national and local developers to deliver over 1,000 units of multifamily housing. For the past 6 years, Jennifer's focus has been on innovation-driven design and project delivery solutions that transform client experiences and support project success.

  Modulous

  Client Accounts Director

  Jennifer Caldwell

  Client Accounts Director

  Modulous

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  Seth Phillips

  Seth Phillips is the founder of “ADU Gold” and is considered “California’s Leading Expert on ADUs.” Seth has been a licensed broker/agent for over 38 years. He brings 14 years of real estate development expertise, having renovated over 1,200 homes. Plus, he is the founder of “The ADU Development” group with over 850 members. Join Seth (“Mr. ADU”) as he discusses the benefits of Senate Bills 9 and 10, and how you can easily improve your rental income by building more units on your property

  ADU Gold

  Founder

  Moderator

  Seth Phillips

  Founder

  ADU Gold

Developing & Designing Modern Multifamily & Permanent Supportive Housing Developments

Innovative Concepts, Attractive Features & Creating Exceptional Living Experiences

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  Chris Tourtellotte

  Chris Tourtellotte serves as a Managing Director of LaTerra. Chris is responsible for overseeing the Development group, sourcing and closing new acquisitions, sourcing debt and equity for LaTerra’s projects, and growing LaTerra’s apartment and mixed use development platform, which currently includes over 3,000 apartment units either under construction or in the pipeline. Prior to joining LaTerra, Mr. Tourtellotte spent 7 years at Prudential Global Investment Management (PGIM), a global real estate private equity investment fund manager with over $50 billion of gross assets under management. Most recently at PGIM, Mr. Tourtellotte held the position of Director, overseeing all development activity west of the Mississippi River with over 20 development deals at a total cost basis greater than $1 billion. Prior to Mr. Tourtellotte’s role overseeing West Coast development, he spent 5 years on the West Coast acquisitions team where he worked on closing over $1 billion in acquisitions across all property types (multifamily, office, retail, industrial, and hotels) and all layers of the capital stack (senior debt, subordinate debt, preferred equity and equity). Chris co-founded SnowGlobe Music Festival, which was ultimately acquired by MTV. SnowGlobe is a world-renowned annual music festival (featuring the largest musical acts in the world) drawing over 50,000 attendees over the three day event. Mr. Tourtellotte was responsible for raising the capital, and structuring and negotiating the investment documents prior to the inaugural 2011 festival. Mr. Tourtellotte was selected for Real Estate forum’s 50 under 40 list. Mr. Tourtellotte holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration (Cum Laude) with a double concentration (Finance & Accounting) and a minor in Real Property Development from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

  LaTerra Development

  Managing Director

  Chris Tourtellotte

  Managing Director

  LaTerra Development

• 

  Tonja Boykin

  Tonja Boykin joined the Weingart Center in 2016 to serve as its Chief Operating Officer. Tonja has 28 years working as a high-performing nonprofit management executive with national and regional expertise in building/optimizing organizational processes, measurement systems, and infrastructure to maximize business results in philanthropy, resident programs and permanent and affordable housing development industries. She is a skilled strategist who transforms strategic plans into workable solutions and benchmarks performance against key operational targets/goals. Tonja is recognized as a national leader in community organizing, program development and strategic initiatives focused on the hardest to serve populations including families, youth, seniors, and individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their housing. Prior to joining the Weingart Center, Tonja served as the Chief Operating Officer for Skid Row Housing Trust and the Regional Director of Philanthropy for Mercy Housing California. Tonja’s career with Mercy Housing began in 2001 and she served in various regional and national capacities throughout her fourteen year career there. Her early working life began as a program liaison in Mayor Richard Riordan’s office for L.A.’s Best After-School Enrichment program. She was also a Program Director at the Weingart Urban Center YMCA and a Senior Development Associate at Netzel Associates prior to joining Mercy Housing. Tonja studied at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, Pacific Oaks in Pasadena California, and the Fashion Institute Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, California.

  Weingart Center

  COO

  Tonja Boykin

  COO

  Weingart Center

• 

  Randy Fifield

  Randy Fifield blazed a trail many women chose not to pursue. With a design-forward, yet practical approach for creating spaces that felt and worked better for people, Randy set herself apart from competition in the industry. She partnered with her husband Steve in 1999, and together they completed multiple successful development projects including an $80 million renovation of the Chicago Civic Opera House, and the $800 million K Station development with 2,145 units in five apartment towers in Chicago’s up-and-coming West Loop. Randy now oversees the design, marketing, and execution of development projects across key markets. She has been honored by the LA Lakers and Comerica Bank as Business Woman of the Year in Los Angeles. In Chicago, Randy was Connect Media’s 2017 Women in Real Estate Honoree, was the recipient of the 2017 Women in Construction Woman of the Year Award and has been honored by Chicago Business Journal and Crain’s as a notable female executive. Randy attended Northwestern University. She serves as a board member of Northwestern Prentice Hospital and Children’s Memorial Hospital. Randy and family have donated The Fifield Family Labor and Delivery at Northwestern Prentice Hospital and the Fifield Family Bridge at Lurie Children’s Hospital.

  Randy Fifield Modern Living

  Founder

  Randy Fifield

  Founder

  Randy Fifield Modern Living

• 

  Jan Van Tilburg

  Mr. Van Tilburg is a founding principal of Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, AIA. Mr. Van Tilburg has led the organization into the forefront of planning and design since founding his firm in 1971. His work as an architect is widely recognized throughout the state and indeed the entire country. In 1992 he was honored by his peers and elevated to the level of Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Van Tilburg is deeply committed to education in Los Angeles and since 1990 has been an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Public Policy and Planning in the MRED Program (Masters Degree Real Estate Development). Mr. Van Tilburg also teaches an annual course at Harvard University Graduate School of Design entitled “Owning the Future,” Urban Housing and Mixed-Use Development since 1997. Mr. Van Tilburg is a member of the Board of Directors for the Promenade Downtown Santa Monica, appointed to a third 4-year term by the Santa Monica City Council. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Move LA. Mr. Van Tilburg was appointed Honorary Consul of The Netherlands in Los Angeles in 2010.

  Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh

  Founding Principal

  Jan Van Tilburg

  Founding Principal

  Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh

• 

  Neal Payton

  Neal is a Senior Principal at Torti Gallas + Partners and leads the firm’s office in Los Angeles. Focused on the infill and refill of cities and towns, his efforts center on designing residential and mixed-use buildings in urban and urbanizing locations and in the redevelopment of neighborhoods and downtowns. A large focus of his work is neighborhood making, with market rate, affordable and workforce housing. Working across scales, the common themes in all of his efforts are: connectivity to transit networks, a focus on walkable urbanism; infill; and public participation in the design process. Neal’s efforts have been honored with national awards for Urban Design and housing, from the AIA, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Urban Land Institute, among other organizations. Neal has a B. Arch. from Carnegie Mellon University, and an M. Arch. from Syracuse University.

  Torti Gallas + Partners

  Senior Principal

  Neal Payton

  Senior Principal

  Torti Gallas + Partners

• Moderator

  Timothy Reimers

  Partner

  Sheppard Mullin

Maximizing the Value of A Multifamily Asset

Working Through The Entitlement Process, Developing Assets For Long-Term Growth, Re-Imagining Space And Diversifying Portfolios

• 

  Garrett Lee

  Garrett Lee is the President of Jamison Properties, the development arm of Jamison, focusing on multifamily projects. Under his leadership,, Jamsison has built 1,600 apartment units mainly in Koreatown and Downtown Los Angeles. Jamison has 15 projects with 3,000 units under construction.

  Jamison Properties

  President

  Garrett Lee

  President

  Jamison Properties

• 

  Ari Kahan

  Ari Kahan began his career at Fortress Investment Group where he was responsible for underwriting and financial analysis across a wide range of asset classes. In 2012, Ari joined California Landmark as a consultant in the acquisitions and development departments, focusing on deal origination and the entitlement of several developments. In 2015, he launched the restaurant group Mainland Poke Shop, reinventing and popularizing the Hawaiian concept of Poke on a global scale, where he was recognized by Zagat in their 30 under 30 program for his efforts in this new restaurant field. Ari rejoined CLG full time in 2017 and has been instrumental in the company’s growth strategy since then. Today, Ari oversees the Acquisitions group and co leads the Development Group. He also serves on the firm’s IMC (Investment and Management Committee), helping guide the company into the 21st century. An LA native, Ari graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a BBA in Real Estate Finance. A pension for charity drives Ari to give back by serving on the boards of a charter school, a private Jewish high school and variety of food related charitable ventures. When not working, Ari enjoys both playing and watching hockey, skiing, cooking, traveling and spending time with friends and family.

  California Landmark Group

  Principal

  Ari Kahan

  Principal

  California Landmark Group

• 

  Nick Browne

  VP Development

  EQ Office, A Blackstone Company

• 

  Emily Taylor

  In her role as Director of Development, Emily oversees all development activities for Goldrich Kest, managing the full lifecycle from entitlement through lease-up. Her expertise spans working closely with government and local stakeholders to secure entitlements, overseeing design and planning, and ensuring successful underwriting, construction, and lease-up phases. Emily’s strategic leadership has been instrumental in the delivery of high-profile, ground-up developments and large-scale capital projects. Most recently, Emily has spearheaded the joint venture for an Affordable housing asset, successfully securing tax credits, bond financing, and negotiating amended agreements with HUD.

  Goldrich Kest

  Director, Development

  Emily Taylor

  Director, Development

  Goldrich Kest

• 

  Kyle Peterson

  Kyle is an Associate Principal and Director of Project Development at AC Martin. He is a highly versatile design professional who seeks to find pragmatic planning solutions with high-yield efficiencies. He inspires project teams to discover design solutions rooted in a storyline unique to its site context, cultural environment, and project vision. He believes every project needs a ‘big idea’ that guides and qualifies design decisions. Kyle’s career direction has been focused on mixed-use, multifamily, and hospitality sectors. Having lived abroad for some years, he possesses diversified perspectives and values the significant connection between culture and the built environment. His approach emphasizes a project’s capacity to contribute positively and enrich the urban environment. Additionally, his reputation for helping developers discover a site’s true potential has been well recognized.

  AC Martin

  Associate Principal

  Kyle Peterson

  Associate Principal

  AC Martin

• 

  Spencer Kallick

  Spencer B. Kallick transacts land use entitlements and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance for large scale development projects, employing an astute combination of legal, policy, and practical knowledge. His experience entitling all real estate products is matched only by his long-standing city, county, and state relationships. A former assistant city attorney handling land use matters for a number of California cities, including Beverly Hills, Manhattan Beach, South El Monte, and Indio, Spencer’s shared understanding of the process gives him an advantage when advocating on behalf of his clients’ projects. Problems get resolved faster, and entitlements go smoother when all parties speak the same language and understand each other’s point of view.

  Allen Matkins

  Partner

  Moderator

  Spencer Kallick

  Partner

  Allen Matkins

Remarks

• 

  Hamid Hajian

  Hamid grew up in the construction industry by learning the trade in his family’s real estate development business and has pursued a technology-oriented education and professional life in the past 20 years. Prior to founding Zebel in 2019, Hamid led the preconstruction data analytics at Western National Group, a large multifamily development/construction/property management firm, based in Southern California. He now works with large multifamily developers and GC's, such as Irvine Company, Ryan Companies, and Legacy Partners, who share their historical construction cost data anonymously through Zebel, the "Switzerland of Construction Cost Data". Hamid received a Master of Business Administration from Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, earned a Master of Science in Construction Management and an Engineer degree in Construction Information Technology both from University of Southern California.

  Zebel

  Co-Founder & CEO

  remarks

  Hamid Hajian

  Co-Founder & CEO

  Zebel

• 

  Benji Shin

  Benji Shin is the CEO of Zenerate offering building design AI solutions for real estate development. His focus is to integrate AI and real estate development for profit maximization. Previously, he participated in a few largest mixed-use projects in LA as an architectural designer. He’s been a speaker at AIA 2020, BILT ASIA 20, BILT NA 2019 and holds a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard.

  Zenerate

  Co-founder & CEO

  remarks

  Benji Shin

  Co-founder & CEO

  Zenerate