Ann Volz has over 25 years of real estate experience in program/project management, property management, student management, business development, and marketing. She has been actively involved in virtually all aspects of project development, from strategic planning through ongoing operations in student housing. Her background includes leadership positions at a national program-management firm and an international architecture firm, as well as being on the management team of three large development projects, a significant mall renovation and a 52-story urban mixed-use building.

As Senior Project Executive with The Scion Group, Ms. Volz provides and supervises delivery of student housing real estate advisory services to Scion’s clients. With a strong focus on higher education residential life facilities over the past 15 years, Ms. Volz bears keen expertise and experience in market studies, programming, P3 Advisory Services and owner’s representation.

Ms. Volz received her Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and Marketing.

Fred Pierce (“Pierce”) is CEO of Pierce Education Properties (“PEP”), a leading national student housing

investment, development and operating company that was listed amongst the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private

Companies in America (2018 & 2019). Mr. Pierce was selected a “Student Housing Pioneer” by Real Estate

Forum Magazine (2013), received Ernst & Young’s San Diego Region “Entrepreneur of the Year®” Award for

the Real Estate & Construction Industry (2012), named one of “50 Influential Leaders in San Diego” by the San

Diego Daily Transcript (2017–2019), included in “San Diego 500 Influential Business Leaders” by the San

Diego Business Journal (“SDBJ”) (2018–2023), named finalist for the “Most Admired CEO” by SDBJ (2018-

2019) and received the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s “Moving San Diego Forward Award”

(2019) on behalf of “Friends of SDSU”, for his work on the successful SDSU West Ballot Initiative (Nov. 2018)

that has become San Diego State’s (“SDSU”) Mission Valley Campus and Snapdragon Stadium (opened Fall

2022). Fred was twice awarded SDSU’s “Distinguished Alumni Award” by the Alumni Association (2022) and

Fowler College of Business (1999), he being one of six alumni to have won that award twice in the last 25+ years.

Since 2007, PEP has completed $1.3 billion in student housing acquisitions and operated more than 34,000 beds

serving 34 universities in 19 states, ranking it among the leading buyers and managers of student apartments in

the country during that period. PEP was ranked by Student Housing Business Magazine (“SHB”) in 2023 amongst

the “Top 25 Owners” of student housing in the U.S. and has been listed by SHB as an “Industry Titan” every

year since 2016. PEP has ranked #6 nationally amongst student housing companies in J. Turner’s “Online

Reputation Assessment (ORA) Power Rankings”. For 10+ years, the firm served as master developer of the

award-winning, 131-acre, multi-billion-dollar College Community Redevelopment Project at SDSU together with

SDSU Foundation (now known as SDSU Research Foundation). PEP has earned numerous national and

international awards for its development projects including three “Gold Nugget Awards of Merit” from the Pacific

Coast Builders Conference and the “Award of Excellence” as The Outstanding University Real Estate Project in

the country from the Association of University Real Estate Officials.

Previously, Fred was a principal and CFO of Los Angeles-based Platt Companies where he directed the acquisition

and financing of $400 million in real estate assets. Prior to that, Fred was West Region Director of Real Estate

Consulting for Price Waterhouse (now known as PwC), and Director of Real Estate Investment Consulting for

KPMG Peat Marwick/Goodkin Group (now known as KPMG). Fred is Chairman of the NMHC Student Housing

Research Fund Board, Chairman-Elect of The Campanile Foundation Board (SDSU’s Endowment), Vice

Chairman of Beta Theta Pi Foundation Board, and Executive Committee Member of SDSU’s Corky McMillin

Center for Real Estate Board. He is a Member of the Franklin Pierce University Board of Trustees (immediate

past Chairman), SDSU Fowler College of Business Board (immediate past Chairman), SDSU Mission Valley

Campus’ Residential Advisory Board and Public Art Advisory Board, Sonoma State University Wine Business

Institute Board and University of Georgia Residential Property Management Board. Mr. Pierce is a Trustee

Emeritus of the 460,000-student, 23-campus California State University (CSU) System Board and Past Board

President of the City of San Diego’s Pension Fund (SDCERS, $10.6 Billion AUM), where he also chaired its Real

Estate Investment Committee. Fred is a former Board Member of INVESCO’s $350 million Real Estate Fund I,

and Past President of the CSU Alumni Council, SDSU Alumni Association and Poway Unified School District

Foundation Board. Fred completed real estate finance studies in the MBA program at SDSU, and earned a

bachelor’s degree in finance, cum laude, from SDSU.

Prior to founding PEP, Fred was a principal and chief financial officer of Los Angeles-based Platt Companies where he directed the acquisition and financing of $400 million in real estate assets. Prior to that, Fred was Western Regional Director of Real Estate Consulting for Price Waterhouse, as well as Director of Real Estate Investment Consulting for KPMG Peat Marwick/Goodkin Group. For six years (1999-2004), Fred served as a Trustee of the 23-campus, 460,000-student California State University (CSU) System, where he chaired the Institutional Advancement, Audit, and University and Faculty Personnel committees. Fred is also Past President of the Board of Trustees of the City of San Diego’s Pension Fund ($4+ Billion), where he also chaired its Real Estate Investment Committee. He is currently Chairman of SDSU’s Fowler College of Business Board and Executive Committee Member of SDSU’s Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate. Mr. Pierce is also a board member of Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute and The Aztec Club at SDSU. Fred is a former board member of INVESCO’s $350 million Real Estate Fund I, and Past President of the CSU Alumni Council, SDSU Alumni Association and Poway Unified School District Foundation. Fred completed real estate finance studies in the MBA program at SDSU, and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, cum laude, from SDSU.

Mark is the President and Founder of MJW Investments. After beginning his career as an attorney, Los Angeles native Mark J. Weinstein founded MJW Investments in 1983 when he discovered the potential of real estate investment and development through several successful ventures. Under his leadership MJW has acquired approximately 1 billion dollars of real estate holdings in all asset types. He also spearheaded the adaptive reuse of Santee Village, one of Los Angeles’ largest adaptive reuse projects of over 800,000 sqft. of mixed-use in the Fashion District of Downtown Los Angeles. Mr. Weinstein’s passion for, and expertise in property repositioning has been a guiding factor in the company’s growth and success.

Mark is the majority owner of the firm’s $800MM diversified real estate holdings. More recently, Mark has led the firm’s strategic growth into student housing and has amassed a portfolio of student housing properties at Michigan State, Washington State, Brigham Young University, UC Santa Barbara, Texas Tech, University of Illinois and University of Oregon. The firm continues to expand its Southern California multifamily portfolio.

Throughout his career, Mr. Weinstein has maintained active associations and leadership with numerous civic and philanthropic groups. These include a three year term as Chair of the Jewish Federation’s Real Estate Construction Division; and active associations with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Guardians, an agency dedicated to serving the elderly, and the Jewish Venture Philanthropy fund.

Mr. Weinstein holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara (summa cum laude), and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School (dean’s list).