Simon Ziff | President and Co-Founder, Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group
Simon serves as president of Ackman-Ziff, a position he assumed in 1995. Since joining the firm as an analyst in 1989, Simon has overseen the firm’s arranging of over $80 billion of debt, mezzanine and equity financings for some of the nations most sophisticated and prestigious real estate owners and developers while solidifying the firm’s relationships with key capital sources. Simon has engineered the firm’s collaborative culture which functions as a magnet for talent. He has directed its evolution as an industry thought-leader.
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Gary D. Rappaport is CEO of Rappaport, a retail real estate company he founded in 1984. Rappaport provides leasing, tenant representation, management, and development services for over 14.7 million square feet throughout the mid-Atlantic. Rappaport’s portfolio includes more than 76 shopping centers and ground-floor retail in some 115 mixed-use properties. Gary Rappaport is Principal Partner for approximately 5 million square feet of Rappaport-managed shopping centers. Forbes Books will publish the 3rd edition of Gary Rappaport’s book, Investing in Retail Properties, on September 19th.
Gary Rappaport | CEO, Rappaport
Willy Walker is chairman and chief executive officer of Walker & Dunlop. Under Mr. Walker’s leadership, Walker & Dunlop has grown from a small, family-owned business to become one of the largest commercial real estate finance companies in the United States. Walker & Dunlop is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and in its first ten years as a public company has seen its shares appreciate over 800%. The firm was also #17 on Fortune’s 2017 list of “Fastest Growing Public Companies”, and has been named a Best Workplace for eight of the last eleven years by the Great Place to Work® Institute. Mr. Walker received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2011 and was named “Financier of the Year” in 2017 and 2020 by Commercial Mortgage Observer.
Willy Walker | Chairman and CEO, Walker & Dunlop
KEYNOTE
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Liv is the CEO & founder of Liberate and is a certified meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and breathwork teacher. Liv has been featured in renowned publications such as Forbes and Business Insider as a mental fitness guru and has led Liberate classes for Greystar, WPP, Netflix, Dell, Anheuser-Busch and many more global organizations.
Olivia Bowser | Founder and CEO, Liberate
John Wilkinson | Founder and Managing Partner, Boundary Companies
John Wilkinson is the Managing Partner of Boundary Companies. Mr. Wilkinson oversees Boundary’s investment, development, asset management, and organizational activities. Since the inception of the company, Mr. Wilkinson has grown the firm’s portfolio by investing in entitlement, vertical development, and existing projects across a range of product types including: data center; industrial; self-storage; market rate and affordable housing; office; and retail assets.
Obiora "Bo" Menkiti | Founder and CEO, The Menkiti Group
Bo Menkiti is the Founder and CEO of The Menkiti Group, a real estate services company dedicated to transforming lives, careers, and communities through real estate. The Menkiti Group is focused on strengthening neighborhoods through the strategic development, management, and disposition of real estate in urban markets and is headquartered in Washington, DC with additional offices in Worcester, Massachusetts.
WORKSHOP LEADERS
Affectionately known as ‘The Canvassing Queen™’ Beth Azor is the founder and owner of Azor Advisory Services (AAS), a leading commercial real estate advisory and investment firm based in Southeast Florida.
As its principal, Beth currently owns and manages six shopping centers in Florida and travels the country consulting with, brokering deals for and training associates in the commercial real estate industry. A partial list of Beth’s clients include Phillips Edison & Co., Brixmor Properties, The Shopping Center Group, Urban Edge Development and DLC Management Group.
Beth Azor | Founder and Owner, Azor Advisory Services
Tara Miller | Psychotherapist, Performance Coach, Author and Speaker, Brain Coach
Tara Miller is a psychotherapist and performance coach who works with high achievers using neuroscience based, brain changing method designed for expansion and optimization. Tara uses and teaches nervous system regulation techniques to create a foundation of confident control, enhanced ability to self regulate, and a platform for adaptability and resilience in business and in life.
Ethan Penner | Managing Partner, Mosaic Real Estate Investors
Ethan Penner is the Managing Partner of Mosaic Real Estate Investors, a Los Angeles based investment manager founded in 2015. Mosaic specializes in the intersection of structured finance and real estate. Ethan is a recognized pioneer in the fields of real estate and finance, specializing in real estate, mortgage credit, and financial markets. Ethan is most well-known for his work with Nomura Securities in the 1990’s where he is broadly credited with being the driving force behind the creation of the CMBS industry.
Uday Sehgal | Managing Partner, Rise Investors
Uday Sehgal is Managing Partner of Rise Investors. He was formerly Principal & Managing Director at AJ Capital Partners, a real estate private equity firm with $4.5 billion in assets. The portfolio is comprised of lifestyle hotel and mixed use assets in iconic cities and university towns. Uday was responsible for overseeing investments for the company in major urban markets including Nashville, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. He played a leading role in the leasing and development of the Apple Music, Soho House, and Live Nation properties in Nashville.