Welcoming Remarks

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  Muriel Bowser

  Muriel Bowser serves as Washington, DC’s seventh elected Mayor. Sworn in on January 2, 2015, she pledged to bring a fresh start to the District of Columbia, create pathways to the middle class for residents, and foster a culture of inclusion, transparency and action. Mayor Bowser expanded opportunity across all 8 Wards of DC by strengthening job training programs, and by attracting and retaining jobs in the District. As of the first quarter of 2016, there are burgeoning projects across the city that will eventually deliver 32,000 new jobs. Washington, DC is the economic engine of the metropolitan region, and has one of the strongest local economies in the country. Mayor Bowser is committed to producing, protecting and preserving affordable housing. In her first budget, she devoted an historic $100 million to the Housing Production Trust Fund, putting an unprecedented number of affordable housing units into the pipeline. She also made historic investments in education to accelerate the pace of education reform. DC has the fastest improving urban school district in the nation. The Mayor is committed to making sure every Washingtonian gets a fair shot, including its most vulnerable residents. When she came into office, she pledged to end homelessness. She has taken bold moves to deliver on that commitment, including releasing a plan to replace the city’s largest family shelter with small, dignified family housing. In everything she does, the Mayor puts District residents first, and ensures that the city’s priorities match the peoples’ priorities. She holds community engagement forums to solicit public input prior to finalizing her fiscal year budget. She is creating a more transparent and open government through a cutting edge open data policy. She championed the successful launch of one of the largest, most transparent body worn camera programs in the nation, to enhance trust between the community and DC’s metropolitan police department. And she launched an inclusive technology program to support startups and entrepreneurs offering products and services to underserved communities. Prior to her time as Mayor, Bowser served as the Ward 4 councilmember of the DC Council – first elected in a special election in 2007, and re-elected in 2008 and 2012. As a Councilmember, Bowser served as the Chairwoman of the Committee on Economic Development which created more than 5,000 units of affordable housing, passed legislation to build a new soccer stadium and secured from the federal government the best portion of the Walter Reed campus for DC. Bowser led her colleagues to pass comprehensive ethics reform and increased transparency in government contracting. Bowser also served as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in the Riggs Park neighborhood. A native Washingtonian, Bowser earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Chatham University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from American University.

  The District of Columbia

  Mayor

  Muriel Bowser

  Mayor

  The District of Columbia

Inside the $3.8B Vision: A Conversation with Andy VanHorn

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  Andy VanHorn

  Andy VanHorn is the Head of Real Estate for the Washington Commanders, where he oversees all of their real estate efforts, including the search for a new stadium site. VanHorn joins the team with over 25 years of experience in all aspects of real estate investment, development, and operations. He most recently was President and Chief Development Officer at Dweck Properties, establishing a $900M development pipeline on company owned properties and a construction management company which completed $100M in work in its first three years. Before Dweck Properties, Andy was an Executive Vice President at JBG Smith responsible for entitlement, community and governmental activities associated with the company's portfolio in National Landing. He has led a variety of notable projects in the DMV area, including Amazon’s HQ2, Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus, and the mixed-use Potomac Yard commercial center. Andy also worked in real estate private equity with Buvermo Properties and Charles E. Smith & Clark Construction. He received his BS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and his MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Andy serves as a Board Member and an Officer for True Ground Housing Partners, a regional affordable housing developer. He is also an appointed member of the Arlington County Economic Development Commission.

  Washington Commanders

  Head of Real Estate

  Andy VanHorn

  Head of Real Estate

  Washington Commanders

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  Bill Collins

  William M. Collins has more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience focused primarily in the sale of commercial real estate office buildings and land in the Washington metropolitan area. Bill works actively with institutional owners in the consultation and disposition of their real estate assets. During the past ten years, he has successfully completed more than $30 billion in investment property sales. Areas of Specialization • Investment Sales • Finance, Debt, and Equity • Land Acquisition & Disposition

  Cushman & Wakefield

  Executive Vice Chairman

  Moderator

  Bill Collins

  Executive Vice Chairman

  Cushman & Wakefield

Unlocking Hill East: A New Era for D.C. Development

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  Wendell Felder

  Wendell Felder is a proud fourth-generation Washingtonian and dedicated community leader in Ward 7. He was born, and raised in Southeast Washington, D.C., and is a graduate of DCPS. Mr. Felder has devoted his entire professional career to improving the quality of life for D.C. residents through his work as a public servant. Mr. Felder has served in several roles across local government including the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services (MOCRS), the Office of the City Administrator, and the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development. After leaving district government, Mr. Felder served as the Director of Community Affairs at Sibley Memorial Hospital and Johns Hopkins Medicine, where he evaluated high- impact community engagement solutions designed to support community needs and address healthcare inequities throughout the District of Columbia. Recently, Mr. Felder worked in higher education at Howard University. Mr. Felder also served as a four-term Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) in Ward 7 and previously served as the Chair of the Ward 7 Democrats Organization. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and served on the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority. Mr. Felder earned his B.S. from Bowie State in Political Science. Mr. Felder also is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning. When Mr. Felder is not working or volunteering his time, he enjoys spending quality time with his family. He currently lives in the Parkside neighborhood in Ward 7.

  District of Columbia

  Councilmember, Ward 7

  Wendell Felder

  Councilmember, Ward 7

  District of Columbia

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  Evens Charles

  Evens Charles is the founder and managing principal of Frontier Development & Hospitality Group LLC. A native of Washington, D.C, Mr. Charles attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he was a Big East Conference Division-I football athlete. During his five-year athletic tenure at Temple University, he earned a B.A. in Psychology and a Master of Education. Shortly thereafter, at the age of 25, Mr. Charles was inspired by his landlord to execute his first small transaction that required an out-of-pocket investment of $1,000 resulting in a $25K profit six months later. Mr. Charles organically grew over a ten-year period by executing several successful residential and multi-family acquisition and development projects, then by the age of 36, made his first hotel investment. He has since grown Frontier to over a $200 million capitalized portfolio of Hilton and Marriot Internationally branded hotel assets across six states, with another $560 million of urban infill, commercial real estate development in its pipeline. Some of his recent accomplishments includes being recognized as the lead developer of DMPED’s 2021 award of the Hill East Bundle II Project, which is 1.2 million square feet of waterfront, mixed-use development in Washington DC; The 2021 Business of the Year by Prince Georges County Bi-County Business; 2019 Black Enterprise largest 100 Black Owned Businesses in the nation and the 2019 Outstanding Entrepreneur Award by the Caribbean American Heritage. He has been featured in various publications including Hotel Business, Lodging Magazine, Black Enterprise & Business Journals across multiple cities. He has an endowed scholarship in his name at Temple University targeting underserved students, supports many philanthropic causes and serves as a mentor to many. He is also a member of Temple University’s School of Hospitality & Tourism Board of Visitors, member of the Real Estate Executive Council (REEC), as well as industry organizations such as the National Alliance of African American Hotel Owners and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.

  Frontier Development

  CEO

  Evens Charles

  CEO

  Frontier Development

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  Bryan “Scottie” Irving

  Principal, Head of Construction and Development

  Blue Skye Development

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  Thomas Penny

  Thomas Penny is President of Donohoe Hospitality Services LLC (DHS). As the senior leader of Donohoe Hospitality, Thomas guides the operation of a portfolio of 11 business class hotels, which are affiliated with the Marriott, Hilton, and InterContinental Hotels Group. Thomas’ leadership responsibilities for DHS include strategic planning, overall operational direction, development and acquisition of properties, and long-term financial and capital planning. Thomas is a career hospitality professional with multi-brand hotel experience and a history of achieving above-average results in the areas of employee satisfaction, guest satisfaction, market share and profitability. Thomas joined The Donohoe Companies in 1996 and he has shared a successful 21+ year career with the company in both a developmental and hands-on operational capacity. In his most recent role with Donohoe Hospitality, Thomas served as General Manager at DHS’ Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center (CMCC) where he was responsible for oversight of the hotel’s day-to-day operations, guest service training, and strategic management of financial performance. During his nine year tenure as General Manager, the property achieved the 2nd highest RevPAR of any Marriott brand in the city for four consecutive years (Ritz Carlton excluded). Additionally, the hotel maintained the highest guest satisfaction score of any Courtyard in the city two of the last three years. Prior to his role as CMCC General Manager, Thomas served as Assistant General Manager at DHS’ Holiday Inn Capitol where he shared responsibility for 250 employees and $40 million in annual operating revenues. In this position, Thomas served as the hotel’s guest service culture leader, while also mentoring the growth and development of his staff.

  Donohoe Hospitality

  President

  Thomas Penny

  President

  Donohoe Hospitality

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  Greg Ghent

  Greg’s aptitude for Repositioning and Renovation is commensurate with his depth and breadth of technical construction knowledge. His innate ability to seamlessly navigate the complexities of renovating existing structures has yielded over 3.5 million square feet of repositioned space. From basic modifications to highly complex building overhauls, Greg ensures his project team members are on point to solve every challenge an older structure can pose. By focusing heavily on meticulous site review, preconstruction planning and team collaboration, he effectively leads his team to meet each client’s modern-day needs, all while delivering exceptional results.

  DAVIS

  VP

  Greg Ghent

  VP

  DAVIS

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  Brian Earle

  Brian Earle is a Principal and Project Manager with ZGF with 18 years of experience leading mixed-use, multifamily, corporate and commercial, renovation, and master planning projects. With each project, Brian instills a rigor of collaboration, communication, and management, ensuring that design and construction teams meet all client goals. Brian works closely with owners to create environments that uniquely respond to their needs and the needs of users. His collaborative approach and leadership ability has resulted in notable projects for clients including JBG Smith, Redbrick LMD, Washington REIT, Bozzuto Development, Orr Partners, Mill Creek Residential Trust, The Aerospace Corporation, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH). Brian earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

  ZGF

  Principal & Project Manager

  Moderator

  Brian Earle

  Principal & Project Manager

  ZGF

Remarks at the Podium

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  Terence Callahan

  Terence Callahan is President of United’s DC Market, where he leads the team serving the Bank’s largest territory and supports many of its most significant commercial customers throughout the nation’s capital. He joined United in 2013 and has held key positions across the Bank, including Portfolio Manager, Commercial Banking Officer and VP, Commercial Banking. Throughout his career, Terence has executed several major deals at United and been recognized as a top performer. He was notably one of 30 employees selected for United’s coveted Leadership Development Program, an in-depth career development program designed for high-performing employees across United Bank's footprint. Terence currently serves as a Director of Poor Roberts Mission; Member of the Catholic Charities Development and Communication Committee; and Career Leadership Council Member at the Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Catholic University of America.

  United Bank

  President, DC Market

  Terence Callahan

  President, DC Market

  United Bank