Financing, Capital Insights and Analysis

Multifamily Interest Rates, Inflation, and Investment Trends

• 

  Sean Tracey

  Experienced professional with exposure to the financial markets, economic research, company analysis, valuation, statistical methods, derivatives, databases, and modeling. Strong leadership, written and verbal communication, problem solving, and project management skills that can be leveraged to handle client and colleague interactions efficiently and to easily integrate within a team environment.

  Billingsley Company

  VP, Finance

  Sean Tracey

  VP, Finance

  Billingsley Company

• 

  Ryan Everett

  Ryan is a Vice President on the acquisitions team at S2 Capital covering the Arizona, Colorado, and Texas markets. Ryan has over 7 years of multifamily investment experience through investment sales advisory, asset management, and acquisitions. As part of the S2 acquisitions team, Ryan has been involved in the acquisition of 13,000+ units. S2 Capital was founded in 2012 to build a national multifamily investment platform specializing in value-add properties and has acquired $8 billion in assets across 45,000 units since its inception.

  S2 Capital

  VP, Acquisitions

  Ryan Everett

  VP, Acquisitions

  S2 Capital

• 

  Glenn Silva

  Mr. Silva is the COO of Lone Star PACE in charge of day-to-day operations. Lone Star PACE serves as a Program Administrator for city and county Property Assessed Clean Energy (“PACE”) programs in Texas. PACE provides financing for commercial, industrial and multi-family projects that support economic development and conservation in Texas communities. PACE is designed to overcome the barrier of significant upfront costs for energy efficiency projects by offering attractive financing to commercial property owners in Texas. Glenn has over 35 years in the real estate industry. He holds the CRE, Counselor of Real Estate, designation, is an MAI Member of the Appraisal Institute, and is a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser in Texas. As President of KLM Realty Advisors, LLC, Glenn led his team in underwriting over $18.8B in loans for B-Piece Investors of Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities. He oversees the daily operational activities of LSP and drives marketing and growth opportunities within the cities and counties in Texas. Mr. Silva received a Master’s Degree in Land Economics and Real Estate and a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Economics, both from Texas A&M University. Mr. Silva resides in Plano with his wife (an Aggie) and they have two daughters.

  Lone Star Pace

  COO

  Glenn Silva

  COO

  Lone Star Pace

• 

  Amber Rao

  Amber Rao is Vice President and Senior Mortgage Banker with KeyBank Real Estate Capital in Dallas, Texas. Amber provides clients with financing options through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, CMBS, Life Companies and Debt Funds across a variety of multifamily asset types to include conventional, student housing, manufactured housing and affordable housing. Over the last 17 years, Amber has been directly involved in loan production totaling over $2.5 Billion. Amber is an active member of The Real Estate Council, Commercial Real Estate Women and holds the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation. Amber was a founding member of the Mortgage Bankers Association MPact Advisory Committee and is the current Chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association CREF DE&I Council. Amber has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from John Carroll University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate.

  KeyBank

  VP & Senior Mortgage Banker

  Amber Rao

  VP & Senior Mortgage Banker

  KeyBank

• 

  Tom Noble

  COO & SVP

  Archway Capital

• 

  Tony Trahan​

  Mr. Trahan is a Director at KE Andrews, a 45-year old property tax and valuation firm located in Dallas, Texas with more than 170 professionals. Mr. Trahan also runs a family office with assets and properties across the state of Texas. Mr. Trahan also sits on the board of HomeBank, a regional bank located in DFW with 4 locations, as well as sits on the board of NAIOP here in North Texas. Mr. Trahan has most recently spoken at the 2022 BisNow Multi-Family Conference in Dallas and has spoken at numerous other events. Mr. Trahan leads KE Andrews’ development efforts, helping scale the practice to managing more than $250 billion in assets nationally for clients. Mr. Trahan played football at Texas Tech and resides in Dallas with his wife Axie and 2 kids.

  KE Andrews

  Director

  Tony Trahan​

  Director

  KE Andrews

• 

  Dee Estep

  Dee is a Principal with CLA’s Real Estate Group, is the Real Estate Leader for Texas, and the Dallas Office Tax Leader. Dee has more than 18 years of experience providing tax and consulting services to privately held businesses and their owners. Dee focuses primarily on serving real estate developers and operators, private equity funds, construction contractors and their families. Dee graduated from Baylor University in 2003 and started her career in public accounting at a small local CPA firm, CPWR, LLP, which had a client focus in construction. For the next 13 years she gained a wide range of valuable experience in assurance, tax, general ledger management and consulting. Dee now focuses her practice as a tax specialist. In 2016, CPWR, LLP joined CLA and Dee and her team became a part of the CLA family. Dee has worked with many of her clients for her entire 18 year career.

  CLA

  Principal

  Moderator

  Dee Estep

  Principal

  CLA

Multifamily Mixed-Use Strategies

Integrating Residential and Commercial Spaces in DFW

• 

  Scott Miller

  As Vice President of Development at Portman Residential, Scott oversees the sourcing, entitlement, acquisition, and development of mixed-use and multifamily properties throughout Texas and the Southwest. Prior to his tenure at Portman, Scott served as a key member of the development team at StreetLights Residential, where he skillfully managed the entire development process for both active and prospective projects across Texas and Florida. Scott’s journey in real estate began at Jacobs Engineering, where he refined his expertise as a civil engineer within the land development division. Notably, his projects at Jacobs included the development of master-planned communities spanning thousands of acres. Committed to advancing the industry, Scott actively engages with The Real Estate Council and ULI. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. Additionally, Scott is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas.

  Portman Residential

  VP, Development

  Scott Miller

  VP, Development

  Portman Residential

• 

  Chad Colley

  Colley leads the multifamily and mixed-use platform at Trademark, bringing a wealth of expertise in development, capital formation, and community enhancement. Previously, with Criterion Development Partners, Colley led multifamily and mixed-use projects, achieving an impressive average IRR of 31.13% for investors. A well-rounded developer and licensed engineer, Colley’s experience spans strategic planning and execution for complex residential and mixed-use properties. Earlier in his career, Colley founded Colley Development, a company specializing in single-family residential projects. At Kimley-Horn & Associates, Colley established the firm’s land development consulting practice, contributing to notable projects like the Dallas Cowboys headquarters “The Star,” Toyota USA headquarters, and JPMorgan Chase headquarters. He holds Bachelor of Science degrees in civil and environmental engineering and human biochemistry, along with a Bachelor of Arts in business from Florida State University. An engaged industry leader, Colley is a national full member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and serves on the National Multifamily Housing Council Advisory Board. He is also active locally, serving on Fort Worth’s Mixed-Use Zoning Advisory Group (MUZAG) and the boards of multiple other organizations.

  Trademark Property Company

  Multifamily & Mixed-Use Partner

  Chad Colley

  Multifamily & Mixed-Use Partner

  Trademark Property Company

• 

  Clint Nolen

  Clint is a third-generation developer and has a development background in renewable energy, residential and commercial real estate. He is a co-founder of Kalterra Capital Partners and is responsible for new business development and project oversight. Clint earned a BS in Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA in Finance & Real Estate from Southern Methodist University. Clint has served on various boards including Vice President for the City of Dallas Corporate Housing Finance Corporation, Vice Chairman for the City of Dallas Planning & Zoning Board of Adjustment, Chairman for Grace Academy of Dallas and GSEA Chairman for EO (Entrepreneur Organization) of Dallas. Clint Nolen has 19 years of experience in multiple areas of real estate, corporate finance, human resources and business analysis. He is a founding partner of Kalterra Capital Partners and responsible for new business development for high-end single family, multifamily, retail and hospitality. Prior to forming Kalterra Capital Partners, Clint spent 9 years with the Hunt Family of Companies where he held several positions of increasing responsibility, including Director of Business Development for Hunt’s renewable power development group and Manager of Systems & Analytics for Hunt Consolidated. During his career at Hunt, he was responsible for a broad scope of business functions including power plant development, financial planning, treasury and corporate finance functions, business analytics and systems implementation. Prior to his time with the Hunt organization, Clint spent 5 years as a consultant with Cap Gemini (formerly Ernst & Young) focused on large scale back-office systems implementation and 2 years with start-up, Excentus Corporation focused on Product Development for a fuel rewards program linking fuel and grocery retailers. Separately, Clint co-owns with his wife Amy, Nolen Homes & Interiors, LLC where he assists with development and management of the family-owned business that focuses on design and construction of high-end single- family homes in the Preston Hollow, Park Cities and greater Dallas areas. Clint has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University and an MBA in Finance and Real Estate Investment from Southern Methodist University. Clint has served on various boards including the City of Dallas Corporate Housing Finance Corporation, the City of Dallas Planning & Zoning Board of Adjustment, Grace Academy of Dallas and EO (Entrepreneur Organization) of Dallas.

  Kalterra Capital Partners

  Managing Partner & Co-Founder

  Clint Nolen

  Managing Partner & Co-Founder

  Kalterra Capital Partners

• 

  Stefano Poisl

  Principal/Partner

  Goree

• 

  Zach Sams

  Zach Sams joined Kensington Vanguard in November of 2016 after serving as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Fidelity National Title’s Dallas/Fort Worth division from 2012-2016. Zach is focused on expanding KV’s footprint in the D/FW, Texas, Arizona and National markets. From selling real estate for to business development roles at prominent local and national title insurance companies, Zach has been active in the in the real estate market since 2005. Prior to the title industry, Zach attended The Golf Academy of America in San Diego, then spent two years playing professional golf on various mini tours in Southern California. Zach is a Veteran of the US Army. Zach lives in Argyle, TX with his wife Amber and their two boys 11&13. In his free time Zach enjoys playing competitive amateur golf and traveling with his wife and kids.

  Kensington Vanguard National Title

  EVP

  Moderator

  Zach Sams

  EVP

  Kensington Vanguard National Title

Innovation in Multifamily

Sustainability, Technology And Amenities

• 

  Joe Bruce

  SVP, Development

  AMLI Residential

• 

  Noel Arvizu

  Director

  ADT

• 

  Nicolás Galotti

  Nicolas Galotti is a seasoned Business Development strategist with an MBA and Executive Master's in Finance, bringing over 18 years of experience in relationship management, project oversight, and market strategies. As the Regional Director for the Central US at Crystal Lagoons, Nicolas excels in developing target account strategies and collaborating with key leaders. Previously, he was a Partner at Shina Investment Group, focusing on commercial strategy and business development in Latin America, and building strong investor relationships. Nicolas's journey with Crystal Lagoons began in 2014 as the Managing Partner at Balsa & Galotti, a real estate development company in Uruguay. His extensive experience has been pivotal in driving growth and fostering valuable partnerships.

  Crystal Lagoons

  Regional Director

  Nicolás Galotti

  Regional Director

  Crystal Lagoons

• 

  Layne Spencer

  VP

  Luxer One

• 

  Larry Denyer

  Manager

  LG Air Conditioning Technologies

• 

  Paige Byrd

  Paige Byrd is an owner and Co-President of Thiel & Team, an architectural, interior design, and procurement firm specializing in hospitality and multifamily amenities. Paige graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor’s of Interior Design and immediately began her career in the high end hospitality industry. She since has been awarded more than 150 design awards, alongside her team, for projects located across the country in the hospitality, multifamily, and historic preservation categories. Paige’s largest life accomplishment, aside from her beautiful daughters, is working with her cohorts to scale Thiel & Team with innovation, expertise, relationship, and servant leadership at its core. Paige’s passion for design is second only to her calling of connecting with people and learning how her team can best serve them while creating a competitive advantage through storytelling and placemaking. Today Paige, along with business partner Elyssa Barksdale, is honored to lead a team of nearly 40 professionals that have served more than 600 clients delivering more than 1600 projects nationwide.

  Thiel & Team

  Co-President

  Moderator

  Paige Byrd

  Co-President

  Thiel & Team

Development Shaping the Multifamily Market

Analyzing Successful and Unique Projects and Strategies

• 

  Matt Brendel

  Matt Brendel is the Executive Managing Director of Legacy's Texas office where he is responsible for development, construction, acquisition, and operations. Prior to joining Legacy Partners, Mr. Brendel was the Divisional President and Managing Partner of JPI, a national developer and builder of Class A multifamily, where he led the acquisition, development, construction and operations of over 30 communities in Texas with a combined project value of over $2 billion. Matt received both his B.B.A. in Accounting and his M.S. in Finance from Texas A&M University and is a Multifamily Leadership Board Member of the National Association of Home Builders.

  Legacy Partners

  Executive Managing Director

  Matt Brendel

  Executive Managing Director

  Legacy Partners

• 

  Joseph Pitchford

  Joseph F. Pitchford serves as managing director for Crescent Real Estate Equities, LLC. His responsibilities include project identification, development, and execution company-wide. Mr. Pitchford has more than twenty years of experience in commercial real estate, particularly in real estate development and project management. Prior to joining Crescent, Mr. Pitchford served as senior vice president and regional director with Concord Eastridge, Inc. and as vice president and regional partner with Hines, where he organized and opened Hines' Arizona office. Mr. Pitchford received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame and his Master of Business Administration from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

  Crescent Real Estate Equities

  Managing Director

  Joseph Pitchford

  Managing Director

  Crescent Real Estate Equities

• 

  Dawn Waye

  30 plus years in multifamily and real estate with a heavy focus on operations. Dawn worked for some of the largest management companies, servicing Institutional clients and family office investors with market knowledge through-out the country. Growing in the industry afforded her a multi-faceted view of real estate, serving in different capacities such as Asset Manager, V P of Operations, President/Owner of a construction service company that included negotiating, bidding, and being awarded government contracts. As a Founder, President, and Principal Broker of City Gate Property Group from 2014-2021 she managed 2.2 billion in assets (18,000+ units) for investors. As a partner she helped grow a successful company that sold to Asset Living. She holds broker licenses in multiple states as well as a CPM Designation. She provides peers, clients, vendors, and residents a voice at the local, state and national level through industry legislative advocacy as a volunteer to the various Apartment Associations. As the current President of the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas her focus is on serving the over 700,000 units and the Owner Managers and Product Service members. Dawn is relationship driven, entrepreneur minded, results oriented. She has the Owners perspective and able to solve systemic issues, addressing concerns and communicate transparently. Dawn is married and has five children, seventeen grandchildren. She currently the Denton County Tax Assessor-Collector elect taking office in January of 2025.

  Edison Equity Residential

  COO

  Dawn Waye

  COO

  Edison Equity Residential

• 

  Steve Williams

  Mr. Steve Williams is a seasoned engineering and construction professional with over 28 years of experience across residential, commercial, and telecommunications projects. He frequently speaks at Multifamily conferences and events on innovation and trends in multifamily design and construction. A Board Member of DID Affordable Housing Foundation and Reward Third Ward, Mr. Williams is actively involved in community service and youth mentorship. As Vice President of CIVE, Inc., he oversees design, BIM, and construction, leading initiatives to implement BIM across all projects for accurate, on-time, and on-budget delivery. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

  CIVE

  VP & Head of Design

  Steve Williams

  VP & Head of Design

  CIVE

• 

  Patrick Hazard

  Patrick Hazard has over twenty years of experience in architecture and planning experience. His expertise includes multi-family of varying types (adaptive re-use, three story walk up, five and six story wrap and high-rise). Additionally, Patrick has vast experience with industrial projects, hospitality, civic, educational, historical renovation/adaptive reuse, and sports facilities throughout the United States and foreign countries. Patrick is currently engaged in project management for a hybrid five story wood frame and eight story cold form metal framed multi-family project near the Bishop Arts area of Dallas with a shared six story cast-in place parking garage with residential amenities at the top level of the garage. Concurrently, Patrick is collaborating with this same developer on an approximate 420 unit “urban” style multi-family project in the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards, consisting of five, four-story residential buildings with some tuck under parking and a separate leasing/amenity building. Beyond multi-family Patrick has recently completed or nearing completion of over one and a half million square feet of combined speculative industrial buildings at sites in Roanoke, Midlothian, and Plano. Patrick led the team on the Historic Jefferson Hotel in Downtown St. Louis, originally built in 1904 and later added on to in 1928, the building will be renovated to mixed- use, with retail ground level, a 225-guestroom Marriott AC Hotel and 235-key residential. Additionally, he oversaw the team working on a 24-story high-rise multi-family tower in downtown San Jose, California, with 374 residential units. Patrick’s other projects include Cambria Hotel and 1900 Pacific Residences, an historic adaptive reuse of the 1933 Tower Petroleum and 1951 1900 Pacific buildings in downtown Dallas, Texas. It includes 150 residential units, 177 guestrooms and a rooftop pool; several Aspen Heights single family for rent style student housing projects thought out the United States; the Galleries at Park Lane residential in Dallas, Texas, and the historic Sinclair Building in Fort Worth, Texas. The Sinclair is being converted into a hotel, featuring a steak house, rooftop bar and prime location next to downtown Fort Worth’s Sundance Square. Here, he is implementing modern technologies, including power over ethernet lighting. Other experience includes management of school renovation projects for Dallas Independent School District and industrial warehouses adjacent to Andrews Air Force Base. Patrick also worked closely with Aspen Heights for their Daymark project, a 202-bed community southwest of Historic Downtown Waxahachie, for high functioning, intellectually disabled young adults. This project required careful coordination with the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (TDADS) and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).

  Merriman Anderson/Architects

  Associate Principal, Team Leader

  Patrick Hazard

  Associate Principal, Team Leader

  Merriman Anderson/Architects

• 

  Susan Arledge

  Susan Arledge, SIOR, currently serves as a Senior Managing Director in the company’s Dallas office. Arledge has over three decades of experience advising corporate clients on location decision-making, having worked with notable companies to identify and establish real estate locations including headquarters sites, distribution/e-commerce and manufacturing centers, customer support/shared service centers, back office and tech support operations. Susan specializes in securing real estate locations for clients globally, focusing on a proprietary Total Cost Analysis model that identifies all labor costs, transportation costs, incentive opportunities, and real estate costs. She focuses on finding locations that reduce attrition, increase productivity and allow clients to remain competitive by finding a labor force that meets their unique needs. Arledge has received numerous professional honors throughout her career. She was the recipient of the prestigious “Stemmons Service Award,” given annually to a Dallas commercial broker that best represents the industry’s standards for business success and community service. Arledge has served as President of the SIOR North Texas Chapter, the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association and as Chair of the Go Red for Women Luncheon in Dallas. She maintains the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) designation and has been honored as one of the Dallas Business Journal’s “Heavy Hitters.” Arledge is a frequent speaker and author whose insights are often highlighted in publications including D CEO, D Magazine and Bisnow. Prior to joining Newmark, Arledge served as Executive Managing Director at Dallas-based commercial real estate firm ESRP. Arledge’s prior experience included being the Managing Principal for Cresa Dallas and The Staubach Company.

  Newmark

  Senior Managing Director

  Moderator

  Susan Arledge

  Senior Managing Director

  Newmark

Growing Opportunity

Submarkets And Multi-Market Portfolio Expansions

• 

  Alena Savera

  Leads multi-family land acquisition and development for all DFW Market Rate and PFC deals.

  The NRP Group

  VP, Development

  Alena Savera

  VP, Development

  The NRP Group

• 

  Mehul Chavada

  As Casoro Group’s CIO and Fund Manager for the Onyx Impact Fund, Mehul is responsible for strategizing and executing the firm’s growth strategy in investing in real assets that meet or exceed performance thresholds. Mehul specializes in identifying and acquiring multifamily investments throughout the United States for Casoro Group’s institutional, family office, and high-net-worth clients, as well as its discretionary non-traded multifamily income REIT, Upside Avenue. At Casoro Group, Mehul plays a crucial role in developing the firm’s market presence, uncovering profitable opportunities, leading the underwriting, structuring, negotiation, and closing of new acquisitions. Mehul also oversees the company’s equity and debt capital raising activities. With more than 15 years of commercial transaction experience, Mehul brings deep expertise in the acquisition and asset management of multiple asset types, including multifamily, student housing, industrial, office, and retail. Mehul has also built close relationships with some of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and family offices. Most recently, he was Head of Investments at Nitya Capital in Houston, a firm with over $2.5 billion of assets under management in multifamily, office and retail assets. Previously, as Director – Fund Management at Hines, one of the largest privately held global real estate investors and managers, he managed several funds including opportunistic, value- added and sustainable income fund strategies. Prior to joining Hines, Mehul led a real estate development business which focused on residential and mixed-use projects. He has contributed to the investment and development of more than 17 million square feet of commercial real estate across Americas, Europe and Asia. He holds an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech, and an M.S. in Real Estate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mehul is also an adjunct professor teaching Real Estate

  Casoro Group

  CIO

  Mehul Chavada

  CIO

  Casoro Group

• 

  Jason Haun

  Jason is responsible for overseeing ZOM’s multifamily development activities in the Southwest region. During his career, he has been involved in the investment and development of over 10,000 residential units and over one million square feet of commercial space. Prior to joining ZOM, Jason developed affordable housing projects for a large LIHTC developer and, earlier in his career, developed shopping centers for one of the largest privately held shopping center owners in the country. He holds dual degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona, where he graduated magna cum laude, and is also an alumnus of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Jason is a member of the National Multifamily Housing Council and the Urban Land Institute where he serves on the Dallas/Fort Worth Advisory Board, Multifamily and Mixed-Use Product Councils, and is a graduate of the Center for Leadership Program. He is an active member of The Real Estate Council where he has served on the Board of Directors and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program. Jason also serves on Klyde Warren Park’s Corporate Council, is a board member for Friends of The Commons, and is a member of Oak Lawn Committee and Downtown Dallas Inc.

  ZOM Living

  SVP

  Jason Haun

  SVP

  ZOM Living

• 

  Clint Williamson

  Clint serves as Vice President at J Street, a third-party property management firm and multifamily developer based in Dallas-Fort Worth, managing assets nationwide exceeding $1 billion AUM. Clint is involved in all strategic growth initiatives for the company. He attended Texas A&M University and holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Arlington, and an M.B.A. from the SMU Cox School of Business.

  J Street Companies

  VP

  Clint Williamson

  VP

  J Street Companies

• 

  Courtney Taylor

  Courtney Taylor creates transformation. She discerns the root problem, builds, and delivers tangible solutions while forming great relationships. For over 26 years she has worked full time in the multifamily residential, hospitality, F&B, senior living, retail, and religious markets to bring impactful design both in architecture and interior design while leading teams. Courtney has over 11,000 built multifamily units. Her career in architecture started early with an internship at Callison RTKL at the age of 17. She worked there from her senior year in high school through college. After graduating from Texas A&M University in College Station, Courtney had a full-time architecture position at RTKL. Prior to her departure from RTKL she was lead Project Architect on one of the first largest mixed-use multifamily projects in Pasadena California. Her career story took her to the best architecture firms in the country in their respective fields. Her last position prior to joining STRAND was with Gensler Dallas where she served as South Central Multifamily Practice Area Leader, Regional Diversity Equity & Inclusion Chair and Senior Design Manager on a range of projects. Courtney currently holds the position of Vice-President of the Creative Division at STRAND. Her duties include the oversight of three departments: Architecture, Interior Design, and Marketing & Visualization. Her diverse career path experiences prepared her for this opportunity to lead this growing and evolving group. Her exemplary leadership, coupled with a commitment to mentorship, personal evolution, and growth, positions both her and STRAND for sustained success well into the future. Among her accolades and opportunities, she has been distinguished as a Marquis Who’s Who for 2024. Her inclusion as a 2024 Marquis Who’s Who is a prestigious honor that acknowledges her exceptional contributions and industry influence. Her greatest honor is being a wife for 24 years and mother to her two sons.

  STRAND Architecture + Engineering

  Vice President

  Courtney Taylor

  Vice President

  STRAND Architecture + Engineering

• 

  Leigha Lugo

  As a dynamic and passionate leader at SKYX Platforms, Leigha Lugo is the Director of Marketing and Sales, collaborating across vital channels to advance SKYX's mission of redefining US safety standards for electrical installation, to revolutionizing the design of lighting, fans, and smart home technologies. Her expertise and dedication are instrumental in driving innovation and ensuring top-notch safety and quality in the industry. Previously, Leigha served as the Marketing Manager for the Dallas Market Center's lighting department, where she managed Lightovation, North America's largest residential lighting show, home to over 1 million square feet of lighting. Her ability to build strong relationships with reputable lighting manufacturers and retailers has been key to fostering long-term partnerships with industry professionals nationwide.

  SKYX Platforms

  Director of Marketing and Sales

  Moderator

  Leigha Lugo

  Director of Marketing and Sales

  SKYX Platforms

Affordable & Workforce Housing

Accessibility, Profitability, and Social Responsibility in DFW

• 

  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

• 

  Candace Valenzuela

  Regional Administrator, Southwest

  HUD

• 

  Sharif Mitchell

  As Co-Founder and CEO of Northern Liberties, Sharif T. Mitchell is an accomplished real estate owner, operator, and strategist who uses social impact investing in changing communities, driving the process of responsibly and intentionally deploying institutional capital. Mr. Mitchell’s work in acquisitions and investment management across the country has resulted in over $500M in investments. Mr. Mitchell launched Dantes Community Partners (DCP) in 2015. As Principal and Operating Partner of DCP, Mr. Mitchell assisted in directing the overall strategy of the investment management business to grow its assets under management. He was primarily responsible for deal sourcing, capital raising, deal structuring, and implementing the business plan for each acquisition. Preceding DCP, Mr. Mitchell was an Executive Director in the Commercial Term Lending Group at JP Morgan Chase. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Real Estate Executive Council (REEC), Urban Land Institute (ULI), NYC Housing Council, and the National Multifamily Housing Council (NHMC). He also volunteers his time with Project REAP, an organization assisting minority professionals in transitioning into careers in commercial real estate.

  Northern Liberties

  Co-Founder and CEO

  Sharif Mitchell

  Co-Founder and CEO

  Northern Liberties

• 

  Hugh Cobb

  Hugh A. Cobb is the Principal of Asset Living. Asset Living is a 3 rd party real estate management firm, with offices in Dallas, Houston, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, and district offices in over 40 states. Founded in 1986, Asset Living holds an NMHC (National Multihousing Council) Ranking of ”4th Largest” with a growing portfolio of 1,000 properties and 175,000 units, conventional, student B2R, senior and affordable properties. Mr. Cobb was the 2021 President of the Texas Apartment Association, with over 12,000 members, and the Past President of the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas. He is Vice President-at Large of the National Apartment Association. Hugh was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, to serve The White House in Washington D.C. Hugh earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (Dean’s List) from Texas Wesleyan University in 1983. Mr. Cobb has over 30 years of real estate experience including management, brokerage, new construction, lending, and investment. Mr. Cobb is a Certified Property Manager® (CPM).

  Asset Living

  Principal

  Hugh Cobb

  Principal

  Asset Living

• 

  Thomas McElroy

  As Senior Vice President of Capital Markets, Thomas McElroy is responsible for developing and overseeing an institutional framework for the company’s existing debt and equity relationships, along with the creation and development of new programmatic relationships that lead to a portfolio-wide strategy for financing both the equity and debt by focusing on efficiency and innovation. McElroy is also responsible for negotiation of specific deal terms and the closing of individual financing of the projects subject to the needs of the development team leads, along with coordination of interim financings with the company’s internal Polaris Capital group, and the direction of Dominium’s investment sales effort. Prior to joining Dominium, McElroy most recently served as a senior associate at Castlelake, a global private investment firm managing more than $19 billion in assets on behalf of institutional investors. As a member of Castlelake’s North American Assets investment team, McElroy was responsible for identifying and executing private market investments in affordable housing and the acquisition, development and construction of single-family residential, mixed-use properties and master planned communities. Prior to joining Castlelake, McElroy was a development associate for Dominium where he was responsible for generating and analyzing new affordable housing investments. McElroy also spent five years playing professional hockey in the AHL, ECHL and in Europe. McElroy holds a Master of Business Administration in Real Estate from the University of St. Thomas, Opus College of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Real Estate from St. Cloud State University.

  Dominium

  SVP, Capital Markets

  Thomas McElroy

  SVP, Capital Markets

  Dominium

• 

  Michael Smith

  Michael Smith is the Studio Director for the Dallas HQ design office of Humphreys and Partners Architects. Passionate about both the design and marketing side of architecture, Michael has the privilege of working with some of the industry’s best designers at the leading multifamily architecture firm in the country. He is a teacher at heart, relishing the chance to educate clients on innovative designs, new trends, and working beside them to create successful projects. Always interested in both the math and art aspects of a project, a simple toothpick bridge building competition in his high school Physics class set him on a path to use both the logical and artistic aspects of his personality. As the saying goes, you’ll never work another day in your life if you love your job. When he’s not in the design studio, you can find Michael hanging out with his lovely wife and their 5 children and their various interests and hobbies.

  Humphreys & Partners Architects

  Studio Director

  Michael Smith

  Studio Director

  Humphreys & Partners Architects

• 

  Adam Cryer

  Adam Cryer is Co-founder and President of Pinnacle Structural Engineers. He is a graduate of Rice University, who subsequently obtained his Masters in Structural Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin. In 2014, Adam was named as a Top 40 under 40 professional by Building Design & Construction magazine, as well as one of Structural Engineering magazine’s Top 15 Rising Stars in the U.S. He has written articles for both Modern Steel Construction and Structural Engineer magazine, including “Built to Tilt”, an article on tilt-up design, published in 2013. Adam has participated on professional panels for both ACI and the Tilt-up Construction Association, and has served as a judge for the TCA’s Awards and AGC APEX Awards for the past 6 years. Adam is also Vice Chairman of the Board for ACE Mentor Program Houston, a non-profit organization that mentors high school students for future careers in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction fields.

  Pinnacle Structural Engineers

  President

  Moderator

  Adam Cryer

  President

  Pinnacle Structural Engineers

REMARKS FROM PODIUM

• 

  Justin Nelson

  Justin began in real estate at age 17, running marketing, lead generation, and inside sales campaigns. After getting licensed, he quickly became a top producing agent, generating $320,000 in gross commissions his first year using social media and marketing growth hacks. In 2019 Justin started coaching new and veteran agents to create leverage in their businesses through social media, hyper growth strategies, and eventually virtual assistants. The need for a service to help small business owners hire and effectively utilize virtual workers quickly became apparent, and Sphere Rocket was born. In addition to leading Sphere Rocket VA, Justin is an in-demand speaker and coach, teaching the principles of leverage and bringing his passion for helping others create freedom to tens of thousands every year.

  Sphere Rocket

  CEO

  Remarks from the Podium

  Justin Nelson

  CEO

  Sphere Rocket